Jirschele Chosen for Triple-A All-Star Game

Mike Jirschele, the manager of the Omaha Royals, has been named as the Pacific Coast League manager in the Triple-A All-Star game to be played on July 12 in Toledo, Ohio. They'll face Larry Parrish, Toledo manager chosen to represent the International League. The Omaha Royals are currently 18-24, but Jirschele lead them to a 72-72 record last season.

According to an article on the Omaha Royals website, here's a few more of his career highlights:

"He also served as a coach for the United States team in last year's Futures Game in Detroit. He has a Sporting News Minor League Manager of the Year title on his resume as well, earning the honor in 1994 when he led Wilmington to the Class A Carolina League championship. He also won Manager of the Year awards in the Midwest League (1993) and the Gulf Coast League (1992)."

Royals Hold Players-Only Meeting

Scott Elarton's comments to the media last night led to a players-only meeting before the game tonight. In the pre-game show, Ryan Lefebvre asked Matt Stairs about the meeting and Stairs said that the problem isn't the player's effort, but it has more to do with situational baseball. He said that players felt free to speak their minds about the current losing streak. We may never know what was actually said in the meeting, but it's about time that something like this happened. Let's see if it makes a difference.

Swept Again

And the latest losing streak is now nine games. We were outscored 23-11 at home against the Cardinals this weekend. And after the 10-3 loss to St. Louis yesterday, we've now been swept three series in a row. With Detroit playing the way they are (29-14 over all, 9-1 in their last 10 games), you have to wonder when we'll win again. After the Tiger series at home, the Royals go on the road to play the evil Yankees and they've lost 14 games in a row in New York.

After the game yesterday, Scott Elarton wasn't afraid to express how he felt: "We're pretty much bad in every facet of the game. It doesn't look like anybody in here cares. If nobody in here cares about it, it'll be a losing season."

If it's true that nobody cares, then our problems run deeper than most of us probably imagined. The Royals have been bad for a long time, but go back ten years to the teams of Wally Joyner, Keith Miller, Gary Gaetti, and Jeff Montgomery and nobody doubted whether they cared or not. Their passion for the game was evident on the field. They couldn't compete with the best teams in the league, but they were still fun to watch.

For now, I guess we're stuck with talking about individual performances—although I hardly think that's good enough.

Emil Brown played a great game yesterday—taking a home run away from Jim Edmonds and making a diving catch in shallow left field. He also went 2-for-5 at the plate. Matt Stairs was 2-for-5. And it's nice to see Shane Costa back in center field and picking up a hit in the leadoff spot.

Elarton wasn't sharp. He gave up 5 ER in 6 innings. Sisco, Wood, and Gobble all gave up runs as well in relief. I still can't believe we have a reliever on our staff almost two month in the season with a 7.71 ERA, but that's where Sisco stands after yesterday.

Tonight the Royals send Jeremy Affeldt (2-3, 5.46) against Justin Verlander (5-3, 3.18).

Berroa Walk Watch: 1 walk in 40 games.

Mays Signs with Reds

I can't believe that Joe Mays suckered another team into signing him after his disastrous start (0-4, 10.27 ERA, and he averaged less than four innings per outing) with the Royals, but after being officially released by the Royals last Tuesday, Mays signed a minor league contract with the Reds on Friday. Wow. How desperate must the Reds be for pitching?

Blanco Called Up

With Angel Berroa booting routine ground balls on a regular basis and showing less patience at the plate than ever, the Royals apparently decided to let him know that his spot isn't completely secure. They called up Andres Blanco from Omaha where he was hitting .282 with 1 HR and 14 RBI in 38 games.

I love watching Blanco play. Last night he made a great back-handed play in the hole at short and then he made a strong throw to get Pujols at first. As impressive as the play was, I just simply enjoy watching his continual hustle. He runs the bases hard. He lays out for balls on defense. And he looks like he actually cares—as opposed to Berroa who sometimes looks like he'd rather be doing anything except playing baseball.

Blanco hasn't had a good year defensively in Omaha though. He made 12 errors at shortstop there. In his limited amount of time in the big leagues over the past couple of seasons, he's made 7 errors in 50 games—so I'm not all that sure he's as good defensively as everybody thinks he is. He does have good range and a strong arm, but at times he has problems fielding the ball cleanly.

Today, he got the start at second base and Berroa returned to play short. They made a nice double play in the early innings, but if I had any say, I'd prefer to see Blanco given the starting shortstop position and Berroa given his walking papers. But I don't expect that to happen since we're on the hook for the next few years.

Bell, Baird Sound Calm

Part of me wants to hear Bell and Baird a little more animated about how horribly the Royals have played as of late than they were on the Royals pre-game show today, but part of likes hearing them simply talking baseball.

Bell spoke highly of Bautista's effort last night and spoke about needing more innings from starters. Baird spoke about not only keeping guys like Sanders and Grudzielanek past the break, but said that with Glass insisting that the Royals improve, that starting pitching is a top priority and that we'll be looking to improve our staff is possible.

I don't think anybody but Glass himself can say what the big changes are that he's been speaking about for weeks, but it seems to me that Bell and Baird are more focused on turning things around than they are with keeping their jobs. Unfortunately, some of the guys we've got on our roster right now aren't going to help them in that quest.

Royals Drop to 2-20 on Road

Another road game. Another loss. The Royals are now 2-20 on the road and on the verge of making more history—in the kind of way you don't want to make history. According to this article in the Star, we are now one of only four teams who have lost 20 of their first 22 games on the road. The other teams are: the 1904 Washington Senators, the 1988 Baltimore Orioles, and the 2005 Houston Astros. Our next series on the road is in New York where the Royals have 14 games in a row.

I'm amazed that we were even in the game yesterday. Runelvys Hernandez is pitching like he's in Omaha and we're watching his ERA rise with every start. It's at 6.75 now. He had a cramp in his left arm yesterday that caused him problems. He gave up 5 ER, 8 H, 3 BB in just 3.1 IP. He'll be examined upon his return to Kansas City. Even if it's something more serious than a cramp, does it really matter? Couldn't we call up somebody from Omaha and plug him into Hernandez's spot and hardly notice a difference?

--Kyle Snyder has a 4.24 ERA in Omaha with a 1.14 WHIP.
--Ed Yarnall has a 2.93 ERA with a 0.94 WHIP.
--J. P. Howell has a 5.67 ERA with a 1.44 WHIP.
--Adam Bernero has a 3.32 ERA with a 1.16 ERA.

Finding positives in a 6-5 loss in which your team leaves 13 guys on base is difficult. Burgos didn't get shelled. Actually he pitched two complete innings and only gave up one hit. So, it was a nice recovery. Esteban German continues to hit. He was 3-for-3 and he's still hitting a ridiculous .396. I'm even more impressed that he walked twice. Mark Grudzielanek was 3-for-4 with an RBI and a BB. Sanders finally got a hit—a two-run double. Mientkiewicz picked up a couple of hits and so did Buck. But when we needed the big hit, it didn't happen.

With two guys on base and two outs in the top of the ninth, Bob Wickman threw a curve ball that appeared to be up and in to Buck, but the umpire punched him out and the game was over. And with the loss, the Royals are now officially off to their worst start in franchise history after 38 games.

We head home to take on the Cardinals this weekend. Can you just imagine what Albert Pujols must be thinking right now? Tonight the Royals send Mark Redman (0-3, 6.03) (shouldn't he be in Omaha by now?) against Chris Carpenter (3-2, 1.98).

Berroa Walk Watch: 1 walk in 38 games. He's on pace for 4.26 walks this season.

Apes Getting Closer

Kevin Appier is getting closer to pitching at the big league level for the Mariners. He's put up decent numbers in Tacoma (1-2, 3.00 ERA, 20 K, in 27.0 IP) and the Mariners are in desperate need of pitching. The whispers have begun that he'll be with the big league team soon and you've got to feel good for the guy. He's 38 and has all the money he'll ever need, but he loves the game of baseball and since he can still perform at a high level, he doesn't want to quit. So he hasn't.

"One of two things has to happen for me not to play," Appier is quoted as saying recently in an article in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "One, I physically can't play. Two, I don't want to play anymore. Well, I want to play, and it seems like physically I can play. The passion is still there, and I don't feel finished yet, so here I am."

He's thought to be a good fit for long relief in Seattle, but he's worked his way into the rotation in Tacoma. And while his velocity is said to be good, he's also throwing a variety of pitches, including a two-seamer, a slider, a curve, a split-finger, and a cutter to get guys out.

RR will keep you up to date on his progress. Go Apes!

Too Much Westbrook

After the 5-0 loss in Cleveland tonight, we've lost the illusion that we're always going to have the Indians to beat up on. Our season record now stands at 5-3 against them and our overall record is now a pitiful 10-27—tying our all-time worst record (set in 2005) after 37 games. Oh, and we've lost five games in a row. Here we go again.

Jake Westbrook got 17 ground ball outs en route to pitching a complete game shutout. Affeldt, on the other hand wasn't sharp after not pitching in more than a week. He walked way too many guys (6) and when Graffanino made a bad throw to home from third base in the third inning allowing the runner to scramble back to third base, the bases were loaded for Travis Hafner—and Hafner did it to us again. This time he hit a grand slam and the game was really over at that point. Affeldt hung in and threw 110 pitches in 6 innings, but our offense couldn't get anything going—managing just six hits and no walks.

A few notes about personnel:

--Joe Mays was officially released yesterday. Good riddance.

--Shane Costa, who has been on the DL since April 29 with a left hamstring problem, is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment in Wichita today.

--Chris Booker was placed on the 15-day DL after his awful debut a few nights ago.

--Joe Nelson took Booker's spot on the roster.

Tomorrow afternoon in Cleveland, Runelvys Hernandez (1-2, 5.79) goes against Cliff Lee (2-4, 4.04).

Berroa Walk Watch: 1 walk in 37 games.

Burgos & Sisco Blow Game

This team doesn't have a clue how to win games. With a 4-3 lead going into the ninth inning, Burgos gave up a solo shot to Grady Sizemore to tie the score. After striking out Jason Michaels, Burgos walked Jhonny Peralta. After walking three guys the other night—the last time Burgos gave a game away—you'd think he would have learned his lesson, but our guys don't learn lessons. Burgos was removed for Sisco, and Sisco fell behind Travis Hafner 1-0. Hafner blasted Sisco's next pitch over the wall—game over. Royals lose 6-4.

The back end of our pen is in serious trouble. Nobody knows when Mike MacDougal will pitch again. Sisco has a 7.20 ERA and it's mid-May. It's time he took that inflated ERA to Omaha. Burgos, our supposed closer, has a 6.23 ERA and he's wild as all get-out. And maybe he ought to be in Omaha as well. Both guys can throw hard. But neither seems to understand how to pitch. The obvious problem is—we have nobody else to take their spots—which speaks volumes about our horrible scouting in recent years. Our minor league system seems almost depleted as the evil Yankees' system.

What more can be said?

Tomorrow night, Jeremy Affeldt (2-2, 5.33) goes against Jake Westbrook (3-2, 5.94).

A Trip to the 'Blatt

With the Royals being rained out last night, it was the perfect time to take in an Omaha Royals game. Here was the starting lineup:


I wish they'd get rid of all the advertising on their new scoreboard and make the players' names a little bigger and then list the stats of the players. I liked the old scoreboard better—even though it wasn't the greatest either.

Former Royal Miguel Asencio was on the mound for the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. The Royals sent left-hander Eddie Yarnall to the hill. You probably remember Asencio as somebody who showed a lot of promise in the Royals organization during the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He had Tommy John surgery and missed the entire 2004 season and he's been struggling to regain his form ever since. He didn't exactly look sharp last night either. He struggled with his control and he gave up 4 ER, 9 H and 1 BB in 7 IP. Here's a photo I snapped of his familiar release:


Eddie Yarnall looked impressive at times. He doesn't throw hard, but he has good command of his breaking ball and he retired the first 12 guys he faced before a Sky Sox player legged out an infield single in the fifth inning. He was recently moved to the rotation and he's sporting a nice 2.93 ERA and an unbelievably low 0.940 WHIP. Last night he gave up 2 ER in 5 IP. He also struck out 8 guys and didn't walk anybody. He's 30 years old, so it's probably now or never for him regarding the big leagues. Who knows, maybe he could teach our guys a think or two about throwing strikes. Here's a photo I took of him:


Ruben Gotay was 2-for-5 at the plate—including a two-out RBI triple in the seventh inning that broke a 2-2 tie. He's still a free swinger, even though he had some success against Asencio last night and looked rather uncomfortable against him. Here's a photo of Asencio striking him out early in the game:


Mark Teahen was 1-for-2 with 2 BB. Mark looked comfortable even though he has every reason not to. He's only hitting .120 since being sent down from KC. Here's a photo of him battling Asencio early in the game:


Omaha went on to win 6-4 on a bit of a cool night in front of 2,045 people.

Poll #2 Results

Finals Results of the RR Poll Question #2: What are your current thoughts about the Royals?

50% (5 votes) = Clean house and start over.
40% (4 votes) = I'll stick with them no matter what.
10% (1 vote) = I've stopped following them.

Voice your opinion on the new RR Poll Question #3 on the left side of the page.

Royals Collapse Again

First, the Royals hardly show up for an 11-1 drubbing against the Orioles on Saturday afternoon. Then, we simply gave one away yesterday. The blowout felt much better. At least it looked like we didn't belong in the same stadium (and that's saying something because Baltimore had lost 13 of the previous 17 games before this series started). No false pretenses. No false hope. Just one major league team taking it to another.

But the 8-7 loss yesterday was mind-bendingly bad. With a 7-4 lead going into the bottom of the ninth, Burgos walked the bases loaded. And of course, all three guys came around to score. Throw in an RBI single against Gobble and once again, the Royals lose on the road. Here's the thing—the Royals walked 12 times in the game (none of which were drawn by Berroa of course) and they had 9 hits. But they were a pathetic 4-for-19 with runners in scoring position.

Here's how Bell described the meltdown: "We find all kinds of ways. That's … that's … I can’t explain it. I don't know. I just don't have a whole lot to say about it."

I don't think I've ever seen a team this bad on the road. Going into the game yesterday, the Royals were hitting just .216 on the road—worst in the major leagues. The pitchers aren't much better on the road. They have a 6.10 ERA. And the Royals are now just 2-17 when playing away from Kauffman Stadium.

We get to do it all again tonight when Jeremy Affeldt (2-2, 5.33) goes against Paul Byrd (4-3, 6.52). Affeldt had a short outing his last time out, but he's still 2-1 with a 1.50 ERA in his last four starts and opponents are hitting just .232 against him during that stretch.

Berroa Walk Watch: 1 walk in 35 games.

Royals Fail in the Little Things

The 6-5 loss last night in Baltimore was the type of loss that is difficult to take. Getting out-pitched, or out-slugged, or even out-hit, is going to happen on any given night. But last night, when Angel Berroa tried to bunt Graffanino over to third with no outs in the eighth inning with the score tied 5-5, he couldn't get the job done. He bunted the ball right back to the pitcher and Graffanino was a sitting duck at third base. And then, Berroa got thrown out attempting to steal second. Have I mentioned yet this season how much better off I think the Royals would be without Angel Berroa?

The Orioles scored in the bottom of the eighth to go up 6-5. But when Stairs drew a lead off walk in the ninth, we had another shot. But Kerry Robinson fouled off two bunt attempts and then grounded into a double play. Bell isn't big on sacrifice bunts and you can understand why after seeing the way Buck blew one the other night, and the way Berroa and Robinson blew their attempts tonight. But at the major league level, players simply must be able to move runners. Unfortunately, we have so many free swingers on this team that asking them to bunt is like asking them to speak Greek.

And so, the mini-three game winning streak comes to an end. And the Royals drop to 2-15 on the road. They are 8-8 at home. Considering that 16 of their next 23 games are on the road, this could be one of the worst stretches of baseball you've ever seen. Hopefully getting Sanders back in the lineup will help alleviate a little of the pain.

Mark Redman (0-2, 5.76) goes against Kris Benson (4-3, 4.89) in Baltimore this afternoon.

Berroa Walk Watch: 1 walk in 33 games.

Royals Sweep Indians

The Royals completed the three-game sweep of the Indians this afternoon with a little bit of a dramatic flair. After losing a three-run lead in the top of the eighth inning, Aaron Guiel came right back and hit a solo home run in the bottom half of the inning to grab the lead again. Angel Berroa followed him with a solo shot and that was it. Burgos closed the door in the ninth (after blowing the save in the eighth). Royals 10, Indians 8.

We've now won 5 of our last 7 games. And this was our first three-game sweep of Cleveland in Kansas City since May 9-12, 2002. We last swept Cleveland in Cleveland on June 24-26, 2003. The Royals are now 238-233 all-time against the Tribe.

I'm not excited about how many runs our pitching staff gave up today though. Elarton gave up 5 ER in 6 IP. And Steve Andrade looked horrible, giving up 3 ER in 1.1 IP. But we won. And that's the object of the game.

The Royals offense has sprung to life even though we are missing our two best hitters. It seems like we have finally figured out that we aren't going to league the league in home runs. We're moving guys over. We're hitting line drives. We're actually working the count a little (but still not drawing many walks). And we're taking what pitchers are giving us.

Guiel was 2-for-4 today with the aforementioned home run. Berroa was 3-for-4. Bako was 2-for-4. Everybody else, except German, had at least one hit. And everybody, including German, had at least one RBI.

The Royals get a much needed off day tomorrow. Hopefully their bullpen can get a little rest because it's the last off day of the month. On Friday the Royals will open a series in Baltimore. Runelvys Hernandez (1-2, 4.91) goes against Kris Benson (4-3, 4.89).

Berroa Walk Watch: 1 walk in 32 games.