Twins Sweep the Royals

Game Date: August 6, 2006
Game Score: Twins 11, Royals 5 / Box Score
WP: Reyes (4-0), LP: Wellemeyer (0-2)
Royal Home Runs: Shealy (1)
Royals Record: 38-73

What would Royals’ fans do without a well-scheduled off day once in a while after a playing as poorly as we did in the four-game series against the Twins? An article in the Star summarized the series totals: the Royals gave up 41 runs, 56 hits, and 36 walks. That’s 10.25 runs, 14 hits, and 9 walks per game—some of the worst pitching you’ll ever see.

This is a day to forget about baseball—especially since we don’t have another off day for two weeks and before we get there, we’ll play a three-game series against the Red Sox, a four-game series against the White Sox, and a three-game series against the A’s. The only sub-.500 team we’ll see in that stretch is Cleveland.

Any positives?

Ryan Shealy hit a 422-foot home run. Grudzielanek, Sanders, Brown, Shealy, and Bako each had two hits, but none of that really matters when your pitching staff gives up 11 runs on 22 hits.

Odalis Perez was quite unimpressive: 5 ER, 9 H, 2 BB, and 1 K in 5.0 IP. He threw 93 pitches in the process. I’m amazed at how many of our starters are near the 100-pitch mark after five innings. And it has nothing to do with them being strikeout pitchers, and everything to do with them either being wild or afraid. Both or unacceptable.

Anyway, enjoy the off day.