Royals Shell Schilling

Trying to figure out the 2005 Royals is like trying to understand women. I don't think it's possible.

Just a couple of months ago, the Royals swept the evil Yankees and then the Dodgers. In late July, the Royals took two out of three games from the White Sox and then went on to lose 19 straight games (including four to Tampa Bay). Now, as the other book end to the losing streak, they've taken two straight series against the A's and Red Sox—two teams who are far better than the Royals.

Maybe baseball really is like marriage—you just have to accept the ebb and flow without continually trying to figure out why they happen. They just do.

Last night, the Royals took it to Curt Schilling in his first appearance on the mound as a starter since April. He gave up 6 ER and 9 H in 5 IP. Emil Brown had a huge game, going 3-for-3 with a monstrous home run to left field. And for the first time in a long while, the Royals got some production from the bottom of the line up. Teahen was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Berroa was 1-for-4, with a big hit in the 3-run second inning. Hocking was 1-for-3 with an RBI and 2 runs scored—including a great slide to avoid a tag at home. And Phillips was 2-for-4 with an RBI.

Lima didn't have his best stuff, but his adrenaline alone seemed to be enough to get him through the fifth inning and ultimately give him the win. Lima was due for some run support. He'd gone 24 2/3 innings without one run of support, but he got plenty last night (6 runs in the first 4 innings) and the Royals went on to win 7-4.

A few other things to note:

1. Almost as if on cue (see yesterdays post), Aaron Guiel finally got the call to the big leagues. He replaced Donnie Murphy on the roster, who went on the 15-day DL. I'm not sure how Bell will find playing time for another outfielder, but with September call ups coming soon, he's sure to be giving guys like Guiel a little playing time for evaluation purposes anyway. I'm anxious to see Guiel play. He's a scrapper who always hustles and has surprising power.

2. With Murphy on the DL, Denny Hocking is sure to see more playing time. I'm sure that Joe McEwing will get a few starts at second as well. To be honest, neither is good enough to play second base every day, but I like the fact that they are both veterans (I left McEwing out of my post about veterans the other day…sorry about that Joe). McEwing prepares well for games, plays hard when given the chance, and sets a great role model for our slew of young guys. Hocking is a guy who is never going to hit well, but seeing him running hard down the line last night and then maneuvering himself to slide around the dish that was blocked was quite impressive. Seems like he'll be nice veteran edition on a team who desperately needs them. He's not a guy to keep around long term, but he'll be an asset for the remaining weeks of the season.

3. Runelvys Hernandez is headed for the DL. That's going to cause an even bigger whole in a rotation that already looks shaky. We are planning to bring up J.P. Howell to start in New York tomorrow. Doesn't that just sound like a major disaster waiting to happen? The guy is 1-4 with a 7.68 ERA in a KC uniform this season and giving him the nod in Yankee stadium seems a bit odd.

Tonight the Royals send Mike Wood (4-4, 4.09) against the Big Unit (11-8, 4.34) in New York.