Game 25: Toronto @ Kansas City

Game Date: April 27, 2008 
Blue Jays 5, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Litsch (3-1), LP: Meche (1-4), SV: Carlson (1)  
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 11-14

Gil Meche was better today (3 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 3 K, in 6.2 IP), but I'm still trying to figure out how a guy throws 129 pitches in 6.2 innings. He faced 29 guys, so he averaged 4.44 pitches to every hitter. Toronto hitters are showing the ability to be patient at the plate this season (they are second in the AL with 102 BB and they have struck out just 130 times, which is third best in the AL), so they had something to do with Meche's high pitch count, but whatever happened to pitching to contact?

At the plate the Royals offense was just 6-for-31 (a .193 average) with no walks and five strikeouts. If that's not the definition of anemic, then I don't know what is. Jose Guillen was 0-for-4 and he's still well below the Mendoza line with a .177 average. Tony Pena was 0-for-3 and he's hovering around .150. Billy Butler's average is dropping, he's down to .283. And look at the guys who are hitting; David DeJesus was 1-for-4 with 2 RBI and he's hitting .351 now; Alberto Callaspo, playing in place of Mark Grudzielanek who is currently ailing with a bad back, was 2-for-4 and his average is at .351; and Ross Gload was 2-for-3 in the eight hole to bring his average up to an even .300.

The Royals are off tomorrow. They'll begin a new series in Texas on Tuesday evening. Brett Tomko (1-3, 5.25) is scheduled to go up against Jason Jennings (0-4, 7.46). Tomko is 1-3 in his career against the Rangers with a 7.01 ERA. Jennings is 0-0 against the Royals with a 0.00 ERA.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting another "How I Became a Royals Fan" interview, so check back.