Barajas Continues Onslaught

Another loss, but for the second straight night, this one doesn't sting nearly as much as many of the other losses this season. After a mediocre start from Greinke, the bullpen, let us down, but with the Royals down 7-3 going into the ninth, they mounted a come back and tied the game. Unfortunately, Rod Barajas (the new Royal killer) took MacDougal deep in the 10th and the Royals lost 8-7.

Mark Teahen had a big game, going 4-for-5 with 3 RBI. Even after such a big night, his average is only .238. But let's hope he's starting to feel more comfortable at the plate. Denny Hocking picked up two more hits, going 2-for-5 with 2 RBI, and unbelievably he seems to be fitting in rather nicely at the bottom of this line up. Justin Huber picked up two hits and the Royals are saying that they don't plan to rush Sweeney back—so Huber ought to get the majority of starts at first base. We should have a better idea about how good he is by the end of the season.

One guy that I'm really beginning to wonder about is John Buck. He was 0-for-5 last night and his average is now .216. I love his presence on the field. He always seems to be aware of the situation and he's constantly reminding the rest of the guys on the field. He backs up first base when he should and he seems to have a great attitude. But he just can't hit major league pitching at this point in his career. Phillips on the other hand is hitting .250 and is looking better than anybody probably expected behind the plate. A little competition is a good thing.

Sounds like David DeJesus might be done for the season. Nick Swartz said that his type of shoulder injury takes two to four weeks to heal. Hopefully, the Royals take the same line of reasoning as they are with Sweeney by giving DeJesus more than enough time to heal while we evaluate Ambres and even Guiel who is getting the chance to play a little center field.

D.J. Carrasco (5-7, 4.74) goes against Juan Dominguez (2-3, 3.96) tonight at Kauffman.