Game Date: August 2, 2006
Game Score: Royals 7, White Sox 3 / Box Score
WP: Hudson (4-3), LP: Garcia (10-7)
Royal Home Runs: Teahen (13)
Royals Record: 38-69
Five solid starts in a row from Luke Hudson have me wondering if this guy might be more than just a stopgap measure in a revolving rotation. Since becoming a starter, he’s 3-0 with a 3.52 ERA and all of his starts, except for one, have been quality starts—and in the one exception, he only gave up one run in five innings. Last night he pitched seven strong innings against the White Sox and put the Royals in a position to win just before the rain started to fall.
When the rain did come, it didn’t mess around. The downpour forced a 1 hour and 46 minute rain delay, but when you win, it doesn’t matter.
In addition to Hudson’s performance, Royals’ fans had much to be happy about. Gobble, Peralta, and Nelson didn’t give up any runs in relief. Mark Teahen continued his red hot streak, going 3-for-5 with 3 RBI and a towering home run in the fifth inning that hit the right field foul pole. (Freddy Garcia tried to go inside on Mark and that just isn’t going to work right now.) David DeJesus was 2-for-5 with an RBI. Grudzielanek was 2-for-5. And Ryan Shealy was 3-for-3 with an RBI and a walk.
One player that I’m not real impressed with right now is Joey Gathright. He’s hitting .208 since coming to Kansas City and he doesn’t seem to be getting any better. He’s taken quite a few walks (14 in 31 games), so he does have an OBP of .322 with the Royals. But his speed was his selling point and he’s been thrown out while attempting to steal more often than he’s been successful (3 SB in 7 attempts). And I really haven’t seen him make any plays in centerfield that David DeJesus wouldn’t have made. But if you look at J.P. Howell’s performance the other night with Tampa Bay (3.2 IP, 6 ER, 9 H) and at his numbers over his 16 career starts (3-6 with a 6.60 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP), I guess the trade doesn’t look that bad.
Tonight, the Royals open a new series at home with the Twins. Jorge De La Rosa (3-2, 7.68) will make his second start since joining the Royals. He’ll go against Brad Radke (9-8, 4.91). Radke is 11-10 with a 4.28 ERA in his career against the Royals. De La Rosa has never started against the Twins.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Royals Lose in 10
Game Date: August 1, 2006
Game Score: White Sox 7, Royals 5 / Box Score
WP: Riske (1-2), LP: Burgos (2-4), SV: Jenks (29)
Royal Home Runs: Sanders (10), Berroa (7)
Royals Record: 37-69
This is not a recording. Ambiorix Burgos should not be a closer in the major leagues. I don’t say that because he’s wild, or because he’s unable to throw more than one pitch for a strike—although both of those statements are true. I say it because he simply can’t get guys out. His ERA is 5.40. You simply cannot give the ball to a guy to close the game out when he allows a run more than once every two innings.
After the Royals rallied in the eighth inning to tie the game 4-4, Burgos came in for the ninth and got the job done. Unfortunately, he walked Scott Podsednik to lead off the tenth inning and then balked to move Podsednik to second base. Joe Crede singled him in. Burgos got the next two guys, but Ross Gload doubled and drove in Crede. Brian Anderson followed him with another run scoring hit and this one was over. Well, actually Angel Berroa hit a home run in the bottom of the inning, but we couldn’t get a rally going.
We had our chances early in the game though. We had runners at the corners with one out in the second inning and Angel Berroa hit into a double play. Then, in the eighth inning, we had runners at the corners again with one out and this time Emil Brown hit into a double play.
On the positive side, Mark Teahen continues his tear. He as 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and he’s as locked in as a guy can be. He’s hitting the ball to all fields and pitchers don’t seem to have a clue how to get him out. They used to bust him inside and he’s all over that now. Then, in recent weeks, they started pitching him outside, and he’s driving that ball down the left field line—much like he did last night. Reggie Sanders had two hits in is return, including his tenth home run of the season in his first at bat.
Odalis Perez started out pretty well—striking out two guys in the first inning, but he looked a little rusty (he hasn’t started since June 28) and he was working on a ridiculously low pitch count—so he exited after throwing just 69 pitches in four innings. He gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks. The one thing I’ll say about him is this—he seems to trust his pitches. He wasn’t afraid to throw his cutter over the plate to Jermaine Dye in the first inning and he ended up striking him out. His four-seamer comes in at around 91-92 mph and his breaking stuff was in the 78-80 range. That’s a big enough difference to keep hitters off balance. So, I’m anxious to see how he does in his next start.
Tonight, Luke Hudson (3-3, 4.82) goes against Freddy Garcia (10-6, 4.85). Garcia is 8-7 in his career against the Royals with a 5.63 ERA. Hudson has never started against the White Sox.
Game Score: White Sox 7, Royals 5 / Box Score
WP: Riske (1-2), LP: Burgos (2-4), SV: Jenks (29)
Royal Home Runs: Sanders (10), Berroa (7)
Royals Record: 37-69
This is not a recording. Ambiorix Burgos should not be a closer in the major leagues. I don’t say that because he’s wild, or because he’s unable to throw more than one pitch for a strike—although both of those statements are true. I say it because he simply can’t get guys out. His ERA is 5.40. You simply cannot give the ball to a guy to close the game out when he allows a run more than once every two innings.
After the Royals rallied in the eighth inning to tie the game 4-4, Burgos came in for the ninth and got the job done. Unfortunately, he walked Scott Podsednik to lead off the tenth inning and then balked to move Podsednik to second base. Joe Crede singled him in. Burgos got the next two guys, but Ross Gload doubled and drove in Crede. Brian Anderson followed him with another run scoring hit and this one was over. Well, actually Angel Berroa hit a home run in the bottom of the inning, but we couldn’t get a rally going.
We had our chances early in the game though. We had runners at the corners with one out in the second inning and Angel Berroa hit into a double play. Then, in the eighth inning, we had runners at the corners again with one out and this time Emil Brown hit into a double play.
On the positive side, Mark Teahen continues his tear. He as 3-for-5 with 2 RBI and he’s as locked in as a guy can be. He’s hitting the ball to all fields and pitchers don’t seem to have a clue how to get him out. They used to bust him inside and he’s all over that now. Then, in recent weeks, they started pitching him outside, and he’s driving that ball down the left field line—much like he did last night. Reggie Sanders had two hits in is return, including his tenth home run of the season in his first at bat.
Odalis Perez started out pretty well—striking out two guys in the first inning, but he looked a little rusty (he hasn’t started since June 28) and he was working on a ridiculously low pitch count—so he exited after throwing just 69 pitches in four innings. He gave up two earned runs on three hits and two walks. The one thing I’ll say about him is this—he seems to trust his pitches. He wasn’t afraid to throw his cutter over the plate to Jermaine Dye in the first inning and he ended up striking him out. His four-seamer comes in at around 91-92 mph and his breaking stuff was in the 78-80 range. That’s a big enough difference to keep hitters off balance. So, I’m anxious to see how he does in his next start.
Tonight, Luke Hudson (3-3, 4.82) goes against Freddy Garcia (10-6, 4.85). Garcia is 8-7 in his career against the Royals with a 5.63 ERA. Hudson has never started against the White Sox.
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
CNNSI: 'Moore Gets It'
CNNSI.com says that the Royals were “winners” at the trading deadline. Here’s what they say: “Dayton Moore has been a GM for all of five minutes, and he already gets it. The Schuerholz protégé showed he already knows how to hold a selloff (a necessity for a Royals exec) and topped it all off by landing Rockies first-base prospect Ryan Shealy, who was coveted by the Yankees and the Red Sox and who, according to one AL scout, is "Kevin Youkilis with big power.''
Honorable Mention
The Royals got “honorable mention” in the “winner” category at FoxSports.com regarding their recent trades. Here’s what they said: “New GM Dayton Moore made five trades in the final eight days before the deadline, acquiring young pitching in almost all of them. Two players he did not move, second baseman Mark Grudzielanek and left-hander Mark Redman, might clear waivers in August.”
Diaz was 'Expendable'
How about this for a little perspective from the Rangers website regarding the Diaz for Stairs trade:
“Both Chavez and Diaz were considered expendable, and [Rangers GM Jon] Daniels expressed relief and satisfaction that the Rangers were able to add to their Major League team without having to give up some of their best young prospects, including shortstop Joaquin Arias and pitchers John Danks, Thomas Diamond and Edinson Volquez. That was the goal, to improve the team now without hurting the future.”
I’m guessing that the Rangers wouldn’t have given us one of their prized pitching prospects for Matt Stairs, and Daniels is probably just saying what all general managers say after trading for a veteran at the end of his career—in that, they didn’t have to give up much to get him, but it’s still a little irritating to see in print, isn’t it?
“Both Chavez and Diaz were considered expendable, and [Rangers GM Jon] Daniels expressed relief and satisfaction that the Rangers were able to add to their Major League team without having to give up some of their best young prospects, including shortstop Joaquin Arias and pitchers John Danks, Thomas Diamond and Edinson Volquez. That was the goal, to improve the team now without hurting the future.”
I’m guessing that the Rangers wouldn’t have given us one of their prized pitching prospects for Matt Stairs, and Daniels is probably just saying what all general managers say after trading for a veteran at the end of his career—in that, they didn’t have to give up much to get him, but it’s still a little irritating to see in print, isn’t it?
The Trades
I don’t have a lot of in depth analysis to give you regarding the recent trades, but I will say that I’m optimistic because Dayton Moore is focused on getting good young arms, and based on his experience in Atlanta, he’s bound to be good at evaluating such things.
My only concern is that by trading away guys like Graffanino, Stairs, and Affeldt, is that we leave a void in the clubhouse. These guys have been around long enough to get the full baseball experience—the losing streaks, the winning streaks, the slumps, the hot streaks, the changing of managers, and the changing of general managers, the continual stream of trade rumors, and the criticisms of fans. All of that experience allows them to mentor younger players who have not had the same range of experience.
With that said, we’ve still got Grudzielanek, Mientkiewicz, Sanders, Sweeney, Elarton and Redman, but think about it. Elarton and Redman are really the only experienced pitchers we have, and both of them have only been with the team for half a season, and Elarton is probably done for the season. (Perez has quite a bit of major league experience, but from all I can tell, he’s got some issues to deal with.) I wouldn’t be surprised if Grudzielanek gets traded, even though the deadline has already passed. Mientkiewicz seems to be a great leader, but his days seem to be numbered with the acquisition of Ryan Shealy and with Justin Huber waiting in Omaha. Sanders and Sweeney are both hurt so often that they can’t be available as much as the young guys probably need them to be.
And that leaves us with a team full of guys who aren’t going to have many experienced veterans to turn to, or to correct them when necessary. I’m all for getting good young talent, but I think teams always need to keep a good mix of veterans around as well.
My only concern is that by trading away guys like Graffanino, Stairs, and Affeldt, is that we leave a void in the clubhouse. These guys have been around long enough to get the full baseball experience—the losing streaks, the winning streaks, the slumps, the hot streaks, the changing of managers, and the changing of general managers, the continual stream of trade rumors, and the criticisms of fans. All of that experience allows them to mentor younger players who have not had the same range of experience.
With that said, we’ve still got Grudzielanek, Mientkiewicz, Sanders, Sweeney, Elarton and Redman, but think about it. Elarton and Redman are really the only experienced pitchers we have, and both of them have only been with the team for half a season, and Elarton is probably done for the season. (Perez has quite a bit of major league experience, but from all I can tell, he’s got some issues to deal with.) I wouldn’t be surprised if Grudzielanek gets traded, even though the deadline has already passed. Mientkiewicz seems to be a great leader, but his days seem to be numbered with the acquisition of Ryan Shealy and with Justin Huber waiting in Omaha. Sanders and Sweeney are both hurt so often that they can’t be available as much as the young guys probably need them to be.
And that leaves us with a team full of guys who aren’t going to have many experienced veterans to turn to, or to correct them when necessary. I’m all for getting good young talent, but I think teams always need to keep a good mix of veterans around as well.
Hernandez Hit Hard
Game Date: July 31, 2006
Game Score: White Sox 8, Royals 4 / Box Score
WP: Contreras (10-3), LP: Hernandez (2-6)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 37-68
I kept waiting for Bell to throw in the towel. Runelvys Hernandez was getting beat down so far that he may never recover. But Bell let the beating continue—maybe to prove a point about Hernandez’s poor conditioning, or maybe, since Bell’s options were limited, he wanted to see if Runelvys had what it takes to fight his way out of trouble. Whatever the case, it didn’t work.
Hernandez gave up three runs in the first inning on three hits, two walks, and two balks. And then the White Sox brought out the whupping stick and hit three home runs over the next two innings off Hernandez. Alex Cintron, Jermaine Dye, and Joe Crede all went yard. Hernandez’s fastball had almost no life to it. His velocity was up in the 92-93 mph range, but it just didn’t move and his control was awful. He paid the price. His ERA now stands at 7.88 and I can’t help but wonder if maybe the Runelvys Hernandez experiment is about to come to an end in Kansas City.
Unfortunately, Hernandez put the Royals so deep in the hole that they couldn’t get back out of it. They got some good swings against Contreras (who had a ton of life on his fastball). Grudzielanek and Brown both had two hits off of him. Mark Teahen walked twice against him. But they never could come up with the big hit when they needed it. In the second inning, with one out and two runs in, Gathright grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. In the second inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Shane Costa popped up to third. If we could have taken advantage of one of those situations, the outcome might have been different.
Tonight, our line up should look a little more solid. Newly acquired first baseman Ryan Shealy will surely be playing first. And Reggie Sanders is set to return. Scott Dohmann showed up at Kauffman Stadium last night during the game, so he should be available if necessary tonight. And of course, Odalis Perez takes the mound for the first time in Royal blue. Should be a fun game to watch.
Perez is 4-4 with a 6.83 ERA. He’ll face Mark Buehrle who is 9-9 with a 4.81 ERA. Buehrle has made a career out of facing the Royals. He’s 13-6 against us lifetime with 3.24 ERA.
Game Score: White Sox 8, Royals 4 / Box Score
WP: Contreras (10-3), LP: Hernandez (2-6)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 37-68
I kept waiting for Bell to throw in the towel. Runelvys Hernandez was getting beat down so far that he may never recover. But Bell let the beating continue—maybe to prove a point about Hernandez’s poor conditioning, or maybe, since Bell’s options were limited, he wanted to see if Runelvys had what it takes to fight his way out of trouble. Whatever the case, it didn’t work.
Hernandez gave up three runs in the first inning on three hits, two walks, and two balks. And then the White Sox brought out the whupping stick and hit three home runs over the next two innings off Hernandez. Alex Cintron, Jermaine Dye, and Joe Crede all went yard. Hernandez’s fastball had almost no life to it. His velocity was up in the 92-93 mph range, but it just didn’t move and his control was awful. He paid the price. His ERA now stands at 7.88 and I can’t help but wonder if maybe the Runelvys Hernandez experiment is about to come to an end in Kansas City.
Unfortunately, Hernandez put the Royals so deep in the hole that they couldn’t get back out of it. They got some good swings against Contreras (who had a ton of life on his fastball). Grudzielanek and Brown both had two hits off of him. Mark Teahen walked twice against him. But they never could come up with the big hit when they needed it. In the second inning, with one out and two runs in, Gathright grounded into a double play with the bases loaded. In the second inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Shane Costa popped up to third. If we could have taken advantage of one of those situations, the outcome might have been different.
Tonight, our line up should look a little more solid. Newly acquired first baseman Ryan Shealy will surely be playing first. And Reggie Sanders is set to return. Scott Dohmann showed up at Kauffman Stadium last night during the game, so he should be available if necessary tonight. And of course, Odalis Perez takes the mound for the first time in Royal blue. Should be a fun game to watch.
Perez is 4-4 with a 6.83 ERA. He’ll face Mark Buehrle who is 9-9 with a 4.81 ERA. Buehrle has made a career out of facing the Royals. He’s 13-6 against us lifetime with 3.24 ERA.
Monday, July 31, 2006
Teahen Named AL PLayer of the Week
Mark Teahen has been named the AL Player of the Week, and justifiably so—he hit .400 (8-20) with a .900 slugging percentage, with 3 HR, 8 RBI, and 18 total bases.
Affeldt and Bautista Dealt to the Rockies
I haven’t seen this confirmed yet, but the guys over on the Royals Authority blog on the Most Valuable Network are reporting that: “…the Royals have acquired first baseman Ryan Shealy and right hander Scott Dohmann from the Rockies for Jeremy Affeldt and Denny Bautista.”
UPDATE: Yep, it's true. Here's the confirmation on the Royals website. Shealy was hitting .284 with 15 HR and 55 RBI with Triple-A Colorado Springs. Dohmann was 1-1 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 relief appearances with the Rockies. According to the article on the Royals website, Shealy and Dohmann will both report to Kansas City.
RR wishes both Affeldt and Bautista well.
UPDATE: Yep, it's true. Here's the confirmation on the Royals website. Shealy was hitting .284 with 15 HR and 55 RBI with Triple-A Colorado Springs. Dohmann was 1-1 with a 6.20 ERA in 27 relief appearances with the Rockies. According to the article on the Royals website, Shealy and Dohmann will both report to Kansas City.
RR wishes both Affeldt and Bautista well.
Royals Trade Matt Stairs
The Royals traded Matt Stairs today to Texas for 26-year old minor-league pitcher Joselo Diaz. Diaz has spent time in Double-A and Triple-A in the Rangers’ farm system this season, where he was a combined 2-0 with 4 saves and a 2.40 ERA. He was the closer in Oklahoma when the Royals obtain him.According to this, Diaz was originally signed as a free agent by the Dodgers in 1996 after going undrafted. If that’s true, then he was 16 when the Dodgers signed him—not very likely. He first started playing rookie ball in 2003—which seems a little late (he would have been 23). Whatever the case, he reportedly has a fastball that reaches 98 mph.
I hate to see Matt Stairs go. He wanted to finish his career in Kansas City and he’s been talking about moving into a coaching role when his career is over. That’s the sentimental side of me talking and usually it wins the battle, but in this case, if we truly got a guy who we can put at the end of our pen in place of MacDougal, then I’ll be happy.
RR wishes Matt Stairs well with the Rangers.
UPDATE: This article at Royals.com confirms that Diaz was originally drafted by the Dodgers when he was 16. It also says that he'll report to Omaha.
My only question now is--who is going to play first base tonight? Meintkiewicz is thought to still be on the shelf. Paul Phillips played there breifly last night, and I guess he could do it again tonight, but hopefully the call has already gone out to Justin Huber in Omaha. He's currently hitting .282 with 12 HR and 27 RBI in Omaha.
Injury Updates
Reggie Sanders is set to return to the Royals line up. This comes from an article on the Royals website: “Sanders, who has been out since July 16 with a strained right thigh, tested his legs before Sunday night's game against the Texas Rangers, taking batting practice, running the bases at full speed and doing drills as manager Buddy Bell watched. Sanders felt no pain and performed well, clearing the way for him to be activated Monday or Tuesday.”
Mike Sweeney is having more problems with his back in Wichita. This comes from an article in the Wichita Eagle: “Sweeney, a veteran Kansas City Royals star, joined the Wranglers on Friday as he attempts to rehab his injured back. He left the game after one at-bat. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sweeney tweaked his upper back while ducking under a beam in the dugout.” He went on to hit a home run the next night, and Bell is talking about sending Mike to Omaha in the days to come, so let’s hope that Mike’s back holds up.”
Paul Bako is just a few days away from rejoining the Royals. He’s on a rehab assignment in Wichita, working to overcome a torn oblique muscle on his right side.
Zack Greinke turned in a solid performance on Saturday night in Wichita. This comes from the Wranglers’ website: “Zack Greinke fired six shutout innings as visiting Wichita beat Arkansas, 8-2, in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. Greinke (5-2) held the Travelers (16-20) to three hits—all singles—while striking out five for the third straight start.” Still no word on when or if he’ll back in KC this year.
Scott Elarton is probably done for the season. This comes from the CBS Sportsline.com website: “RHP Scott Elarton may be lost for the season. Royals’ manager Buddy Bell said Elarton ‘is probably going to have something done to his shoulder,’ and that it was probably season-ending.”
Mike Sweeney is having more problems with his back in Wichita. This comes from an article in the Wichita Eagle: “Sweeney, a veteran Kansas City Royals star, joined the Wranglers on Friday as he attempts to rehab his injured back. He left the game after one at-bat. According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Sweeney tweaked his upper back while ducking under a beam in the dugout.” He went on to hit a home run the next night, and Bell is talking about sending Mike to Omaha in the days to come, so let’s hope that Mike’s back holds up.”
Paul Bako is just a few days away from rejoining the Royals. He’s on a rehab assignment in Wichita, working to overcome a torn oblique muscle on his right side.
Zack Greinke turned in a solid performance on Saturday night in Wichita. This comes from the Wranglers’ website: “Zack Greinke fired six shutout innings as visiting Wichita beat Arkansas, 8-2, in the opener of Saturday's doubleheader. Greinke (5-2) held the Travelers (16-20) to three hits—all singles—while striking out five for the third straight start.” Still no word on when or if he’ll back in KC this year.
Scott Elarton is probably done for the season. This comes from the CBS Sportsline.com website: “RHP Scott Elarton may be lost for the season. Royals’ manager Buddy Bell said Elarton ‘is probably going to have something done to his shoulder,’ and that it was probably season-ending.”
Rangers Thump the Royals
Game Date: July 30, 2006
Game Score: Rangers 15, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Koronka (7-6), LP: Redman (7-6)
Royal Home Runs: Brown (7)
Royals Record: 37-67
With visions of being trading dancing through his head, Mark Redman took the mound in Arlington last night and had his second worst outing of the season (his worst came home against the Twins on April 27, during which he gave up 5 earned runs in 1.2 innings). He didn’t walk anybody in his brief three inning stint, but he couldn’t get anybody out, and gave up six earned runs before he was removed from the game.
Things didn’t get any better when Brandon Duckworth took the mound. He gave up seven earned runs in 1.2 innings and injured his right elbow in the process. Sounds like he may be headed for the DL. Duckworth has only pitched out of the pen twice this season for the Royals, but he doesn’t seem at all comfortable doing it. He’s a starter. Much like Jimmy Gobble is a reliever. Why not get guys in their proper roles? I know that we’re trying to give some of the new guys a shot at the rotation, but Duckworth just doesn’t looked suited for relief work.
DeJesus had a couple of hits at the top of the line up. Esteban German had two more hits and a walk. And Emil Brown finally hit his seventh home run. Hopefully the Royals will see this game for what it was—a one-game blowout. They still won the series and now they get to return home for the next ten games. They begin a new series tonight against the White Sox, and then the Twins come in, followed by the Red Sox. Unfortunately, if you look at our schedule, we only play two teams with losing records the rest of the season (the Indians and the Mariners).
Tonight, Runelvys Hernandez (2-5, 6.80) goes against Jose Contreras (9-3, 3.52). Contreras owns us. He’s 6-0 in his career against us with a 1.93 ERA. Hernandez on the other hand is 2-5 with a 6.79 ERA against the White Sox. But Contreras has lost his last three starts. So, let’s hope that we can make it four in a row.
Game Score: Rangers 15, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Koronka (7-6), LP: Redman (7-6)
Royal Home Runs: Brown (7)
Royals Record: 37-67
With visions of being trading dancing through his head, Mark Redman took the mound in Arlington last night and had his second worst outing of the season (his worst came home against the Twins on April 27, during which he gave up 5 earned runs in 1.2 innings). He didn’t walk anybody in his brief three inning stint, but he couldn’t get anybody out, and gave up six earned runs before he was removed from the game.
Things didn’t get any better when Brandon Duckworth took the mound. He gave up seven earned runs in 1.2 innings and injured his right elbow in the process. Sounds like he may be headed for the DL. Duckworth has only pitched out of the pen twice this season for the Royals, but he doesn’t seem at all comfortable doing it. He’s a starter. Much like Jimmy Gobble is a reliever. Why not get guys in their proper roles? I know that we’re trying to give some of the new guys a shot at the rotation, but Duckworth just doesn’t looked suited for relief work.
DeJesus had a couple of hits at the top of the line up. Esteban German had two more hits and a walk. And Emil Brown finally hit his seventh home run. Hopefully the Royals will see this game for what it was—a one-game blowout. They still won the series and now they get to return home for the next ten games. They begin a new series tonight against the White Sox, and then the Twins come in, followed by the Red Sox. Unfortunately, if you look at our schedule, we only play two teams with losing records the rest of the season (the Indians and the Mariners).
Tonight, Runelvys Hernandez (2-5, 6.80) goes against Jose Contreras (9-3, 3.52). Contreras owns us. He’s 6-0 in his career against us with a 1.93 ERA. Hernandez on the other hand is 2-5 with a 6.79 ERA against the White Sox. But Contreras has lost his last three starts. So, let’s hope that we can make it four in a row.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Buck Leads Royals to Win
Game Date: July 29, 2006
Game Score: Royals 5, Rangers 3 / Box Score
WP: De La Rosa (1-0), LP: Millwood (10-7)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 37-66
Jorge De La Rosa struggled at times tonight against the Rangers. He certainly has good enough stuff to get guys out. His big, looping curve ball looks a lot like Affeldt’s. His fastball tops out at 93 mph, but he seems to be overthrowing it to hit that speed. He has better control when he’s in the 90-91 range. He gave up too many hits tonight (9), but he found a way to keep the Rangers from putting any run-scoring rallies. Instead, they scored both runs he gave up on solo home runs in the second inning. He went 6.0 innings and threw 92 pitches. Not a bad way to start his career as a Royal.
John Buck had a big night for the Royals, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI. Grudzielanek and Blanco had two hits each, and Mark Teahen walked three times. It’s incredible to see the strides that Teahen has made over the last six weeks. Makes me wonder where he’ll be hitting in the line up when Sweeney and Sanders return soon. Speaking of making strides, the Royals drew five more walks tonight (all of them off Millwood)—one of which turned into a run.
Tomorrow night, the Royals go for a sweep in Arlington. Mark Redman (7-5, 5.03) goes against Adam Eaton (0-1, 7.36).
Game Score: Royals 5, Rangers 3 / Box Score
WP: De La Rosa (1-0), LP: Millwood (10-7)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 37-66
Jorge De La Rosa struggled at times tonight against the Rangers. He certainly has good enough stuff to get guys out. His big, looping curve ball looks a lot like Affeldt’s. His fastball tops out at 93 mph, but he seems to be overthrowing it to hit that speed. He has better control when he’s in the 90-91 range. He gave up too many hits tonight (9), but he found a way to keep the Rangers from putting any run-scoring rallies. Instead, they scored both runs he gave up on solo home runs in the second inning. He went 6.0 innings and threw 92 pitches. Not a bad way to start his career as a Royal.
John Buck had a big night for the Royals, going 3-for-4 with 3 RBI. Grudzielanek and Blanco had two hits each, and Mark Teahen walked three times. It’s incredible to see the strides that Teahen has made over the last six weeks. Makes me wonder where he’ll be hitting in the line up when Sweeney and Sanders return soon. Speaking of making strides, the Royals drew five more walks tonight (all of them off Millwood)—one of which turned into a run.
Tomorrow night, the Royals go for a sweep in Arlington. Mark Redman (7-5, 5.03) goes against Adam Eaton (0-1, 7.36).
The Rotation
With the acquisition of Jorge De La Rosa and Odalis Perez, the Royals starting rotation is going to look a little different in the weeks to come. It looks like Brandon Duckworth is going to the pen and so is Jimmy Gobble (which is a good thing since he’s 2-0 with 3.82 ERA in 30 relief appearances this season and just 1-3 with 6.15 ERA in six starts).
In no particular order, here’s our starting five as of right now:
1. Mark Redman
2. Runelvys Hernandez
3. Luke Hudson
4. Odalis Perez
5. Jorge De La Rosa
Hudson Sharp Again
Game Date: July 28, 2006
Game Score: Royals 11, Rangers 3 / Box Score
WP: Hudson (3-3), LP: Padilla (10-7)
Royal Home Runs: Teahen (12)
Royals Record: 36-66
Luke Hudson turned in another good outing, going six innings and giving up two earned runs, and that set the stage for Royals to win the first of a three game series in Arlington. Hudson struck out seven guys, while walking only one. His sinker was nasty, and he seemed to have complete control over all his pitches. In his four starts with the Royals this season, he’s 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA. Early in the season, he was getting pounded—so much so that he was designated for assignment in early May with a bloated 7.24 ERA.
Then something funny happened. His father and brother went to see him pitch and noticed that he using a different arm slot than he’d always used. Here’s the rest of the story from an article running on the Royals’ website: “[They] brought it to the attention of both the pitcher and Omaha pitching coach Tom Burgmeier. An adjustment was made, Hudson's arm soon felt stronger, and his command became sharp enough to warrant the Royals purchasing his contract again on June 30.”
The Royals had no problem hitting Padilla. They shelled him for seven earned runs in 3.2 innings. Mark Teahen was locked in again, going 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBI. DeJesus, Costa, and Blanco had two hits each. The Royals blew the game open early, and never looked back.
Tonight, newly acquired Jorge De La Rosa (2-2, 8.60) will go against Kevin Millwood (10-6, 4.53). Millwood is 3-1 in his career against the Royals with a 2.39 ERA.
Game Score: Royals 11, Rangers 3 / Box Score
WP: Hudson (3-3), LP: Padilla (10-7)
Royal Home Runs: Teahen (12)
Royals Record: 36-66
Luke Hudson turned in another good outing, going six innings and giving up two earned runs, and that set the stage for Royals to win the first of a three game series in Arlington. Hudson struck out seven guys, while walking only one. His sinker was nasty, and he seemed to have complete control over all his pitches. In his four starts with the Royals this season, he’s 2-0 with a 3.42 ERA. Early in the season, he was getting pounded—so much so that he was designated for assignment in early May with a bloated 7.24 ERA.
Then something funny happened. His father and brother went to see him pitch and noticed that he using a different arm slot than he’d always used. Here’s the rest of the story from an article running on the Royals’ website: “[They] brought it to the attention of both the pitcher and Omaha pitching coach Tom Burgmeier. An adjustment was made, Hudson's arm soon felt stronger, and his command became sharp enough to warrant the Royals purchasing his contract again on June 30.”
The Royals had no problem hitting Padilla. They shelled him for seven earned runs in 3.2 innings. Mark Teahen was locked in again, going 3-for-5 with a home run and 2 RBI. DeJesus, Costa, and Blanco had two hits each. The Royals blew the game open early, and never looked back.
Tonight, newly acquired Jorge De La Rosa (2-2, 8.60) will go against Kevin Millwood (10-6, 4.53). Millwood is 3-1 in his career against the Royals with a 2.39 ERA.
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