Meche Hit Hard by M's

Game Date: May 25, 2007
Mariners 10, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Meche (3-3), LP: Hernandez (3-2)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 19-30

Two blowouts in a row after a successful road trip. That's not good. And neither is the fact that Gil Meche strained a muscle in his lower back and he kept trying to pitch through it. He said that he felt something in the second inning, but apparently it's an injury that he's had before, so he thought he could "battle through it." As a result, he left a lot of pitches up in the zone and he got hammered for seven earned runs in 4.1 innings.

We were never really in this game. Ichiro hit the second pitch of the game for a home run and the Mariners never looked back. It didn't hurt the Mariners cause to have Felix Hernandez on the mound. He didn't pitch his best game, but he didn't need to. The Mariners were up 7-0 after the fifth inning.

Let's hope that Meche's injury isn't serious. After the game he told reporters, "I'll be fine in two days, for my bullpen." 

Tonight, Brian Bannister (0-2, 4.39) goes up against Cha Seung Baek (1-2, 5.50). Bannister is 0-1 against the Mariners in his career with a 4.05 ERA. Baek is 1-0 against the Royals with a 1.08 ERA.

A Night to Forget

Game Date: May 24, 2007
Indians 10, Royals 3 / Box Score
WP: Sowers (1-4), LP: De La Rosa (4-4)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 19-29

Greg Gibson, the home plate umpire last night, had an extremely small strike zone for Jorge De La Rosa and De La Rosa was visibly upset after not getting a couple of calls in the first inning. John Buck tried to calm him down, but it didn't work. De La Rosa gave up five runs in the first inning, including a three run home run by Jason Michaels.

After De La Rosa lost his focus, he really became wild. He walked seven guys in 4.1 innings and he threw 98 pitches. Nine earned runs were tacked onto to his season totals, and I'm guessing that it's a night he'll try to forget. That probably won't be an easy thing to do.

The Royals looked like they might strike back in the first inning, but a horrible call at first base by umpire Tony Randazzo stunted the possibility. He punched out David DeJesus at first for a double play even though he was easily safe.

That's the way things go some nights. You pick up and move on.

I do question a couple of moves made by Bell last night though. He pinch hit for Mark Grudzielanek with Angel Berroa. Granted, the game was turning into a blow out at the time, but baring an injury, I can think of no other scenario in which I want to see Angel Berroa hitting in the three hole. For the record, he struck out twice and looked absolutely horrible doing so.

And Bell stuck John Buck in the eight hole again, behind Alex Gordon who is hitting .191 and Ryan Shealy who is hitting .222. Both Gordon and Shealy are swinging the bat much better than they were earlier in the season, but Alex Gordon doesn't provide a bit of protection behind Sweeney. He might some day, but not yet.

The Royals begin a new series at home tonight against Seattle. Gil Meche (3-2, 2.44) will go against Felix Hernandez (2-2, 2.77). Meche is 1-0 against Seattle in his career with a 0.00 ERA. Hernandez is 1-0 against the Royals with a 1.13 ERA.

Royals Blast Their Way to Another W

Game Date: May 23, 2007
Royals 11, Indians 7 / Box Score
WP: Duckworth (2-3), LP: Lee (2-1)
Royal Home Runs: Grudzielanek (2), Sweeney (6), Gordon (3), Buck (8)
Royals Record: 19-28

Things are going so well for the Royals right now that Alex Gordon, who is hitting .195, is confident. He's talking about the team being on a roll and during a post game interview last night, confidence oozed out of him.

Justifiably so.

The Royals have won eight of their last ten games. They just won their third straight series. With last night being the exception, their starting pitching is keeping them in ball games, and the bullpen is getting the job done. Just last night, after Brandon Duckworth replaced a struggling Scott Elarton, he retired nine straight hitters.

And guys like John Buck are on the verge of career years. Buck has eight home runs now, which ties him with A.J. Pierzynski for the most dingers by catchers in the Major Leagues. He also has a .630 slugging percentage which is better than any other catcher in baseball. All of this begs the question--why is Buck hitting eighth in the line up?

The Royals go for the sweep tonight against the Indians. Jorge De La Rosa (4-3, 3.59) goes against Jeremy Sowers (0-4, 7.13). De La Rosa is 1-0 against the Indians in his career with a 7.53 ERA. Sowers is 1-1 against the Royals with a 3.27 ERA.

Sweeney Behind the Dish?

Mike Sweeney, who is in the final year of his contract, is already thinking about ways that he can stay in Royal blue. He knows that Ryan Shealy is the first baseman of the future and that Billy Butler will probably end up backing up Shealy when he's not DH'ing full time. So, Sweeney is saying that he's willing to go back to playing catcher again if it means staying with the Royals. Of course, the way John Buck is swinging the bat right now, that position doesn't appear to be up for grabs either. But you've got to admire a guy who wants to finish with the Royals.

I'm not usually one who thinks that teams owe players favors late in their careers. But Mike Sweeney might be the exception. He stayed in Kansas City when he could have easily signed elsewhere. He's endured the sometimes awful personnel that Allard Baird placed around him. He remained faithful to some terrible managers (Tony Pena comes to mind). He's changed his off-season workout routines nearly every season since he started getting hurt--looking for anything that would help him stay healthy so he could contribute again. And he's suffered through the boos from fans who don't seem to have a clue.

Now he's even willing to become a catcher again if it means staying in a Royals uniform. I'm guessing that nobody can see him lasting more than five or six games behind the dish because of his history of injuries. And I have no idea what such a move would mean for John Buck. And frankly, the idea seems a little out there to me, but how can you not respect a player who is willing to go to such lengths just to stay with a team that has been as bad as we've been over the past decade?

Royals Do it Again

Game Date: May 22, 2007
Royals 4, Indians 3 / Box Score
WP: Greinke (2-4), LP: Mastny (3-2), SV: Soria (10)
Royal Home Runs: Sweeney (5)
Royals Record: 18-28

If you look at Odalis Perez's overall numbers this year, you'll see the epitome of mediocrity. But over his last six starts, he's found a way to keep the Royals in the game for at least six innings, and while I'd like to see more from a guy who is making $7 million+, I'm happy that he's showing signs of improvement and just giving us a chance to win.

With the Royals down 3-1 in the sixth, Mike Sweeney launched another come from behind home run, this time a two-run shot, to tie the game 3-3. Then in the seventh, Mark Teahen drew a bases loaded walk and the combination of David Riske, Jimmy Gobble, Zack Greinke, and Joakim Soria took it from there, only giving up one hit over the final three innings.

The Royals have now won seven of their last nine games and finally appear to be showing signs of shaking off their 100-loss season persona. One can only hope.

Tonight, Scott Elarton (1-0, 5.23) goes against Cliff Lee (2-0, 4.15). Elarton is 2-0 in his career against the Indians with a 5.40 ERA. Lee is 7-3 against the Royals with a 4.70 ERA.

Royals Win Series with Rockies

Game Date: May 20, 2007
Royals 10, Rockies 5 / Box Score
WP: Peralta (1-2), LP: Ramirez (1-1)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 17-28

I didn't get to see either game this weekend, but I was glad to see that that the Royals bounced back today and took the series in Denver. They finished this 10-game road trip with a 6-4 record, which certainly is better than anybody could have realistically hoped for, and are now set to begin a nine game stretch of games at home against Cleveland, Seattle, and Baltimore.

The Indians are obviously off to a great start, and they are also 6-4 in their last ten games. Seattle is around .500 and are 4-6 in their last ten games. And Baltimore is below .500 and is 4-6 in their last ten games. Let's hope that our starting pitching continues to hold up through this home stand so we can turn our record around at home (currently 7-14).

The Royals are off tomorrow. Tuesday night Odalis Perez (2-4, 5.29) is scheduled to go against Fausto Carmona (5-1, 2.55). Perez is 1-0 in his career against the Indians with a 3.32 ERA. Carmona is 0-0 against the Royals with a 10.13 ERA.

Royals Win Third Straight

Game Date: May 18, 2007
Royals 5, Rockies 2 / Box Score
WP: Duckworth (1-3), LP: Corpas (0-2), SV: Soria (9)
Royal Home Runs: Brown (1)
Royals Record: 16-27

Another good outing from a starter and another come from behind win in a close ball game. Could this finally be the team we were convinced was going to be better this year?

It sure seems that way.

We even overcame a baserunning blunder by Angel Berroa (what's new?) in the seventh. The Royals exploded for five runs in the eighth that included a three run home run by Emil Brown (who stood and watched it as it eeked over the left field wall and into the first row of seats).

Run Emil. Run!

The Royals had 13 hits on the night, and the bullpen had another good night as well as Brandon Duckworth and Joakim Soria finished off the Rockies over the final 2.2 innings.

Tonight, the Royals are looking to extend their winning streak to four games. Gil Meche (3-1, 1.91) goes against Taylor Buchholz (1-2, 7.52). Meche has never faced the Rockies. Buchholz is 1-0 in his career against the Royals with a 3.00 ERA.

Royals Keep Rolling

Game Date: May 17, 2007
Royals 7, A's 4 / Box Score
WP: Elarton (1-0), LP: Braden (1-3), SV: Soria (8)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 15-27

Scott Elarton was solid until the sixth inning yesterday. His command started to falter at that point, and he walked a couple of guys. He only threw 80 pitches, but given how long he's been out of the game, it's nice to see him making it into the sixth.

Zack Greinke struggled in relief (allowing all three inherited runners to score), but Jimmy Gobble, David Riske, and Joakim Soria shut the door on the A's the final 2.2 innings.

How nice is it to see the middle of the line up producing like they did yesterday? Mark Grudzielanek was 2-for-5 in the three hole. Mark Teahen was 2-for-4 with an RBI hitting clean up. And Mike Sweeney was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two walks in the five hole. Paul Phillips had a nice day, going 1-for-3 with 2 RBI and a walk.

A combination of good pitching and timely hitting got the job done and the Royals won their first road series this season.

Royals starters are putting together an impressive road trip. They are 2-1 with a 2.28 ERA and a BAA against of just .212. And amazingly, the starting staff now ranks fifth in the American League with a 3.97 ERA. How about that?

Now if we could just play a little better defensively and get some more timely hitting, perhaps we could gain a level of respectability. After 42 games last season, the Royals were 10-32. They are 15-27 this season after 42 games. Neither record is much to get excited over, but at least we can see a little improvement from one season to the next.

Tonight, the Royals begin interleague play in Denver. Jorge De La Rosa (4-3, 3.68) will go against Jeff Francis (2-4, 5.08). De La Rosa is 0-0 in his career against the Rockies with a 0.00 ERA. He's only had one inning of work against them. Francis is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA against the Royals.

Shealy Delivers RBI for Win

Game Date: May 16, 2007
Royals 4, A's 3 / Box Score
WP: Gobble (3-1), LP: Calero (0-3), SV: Riske (3)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 14-27

Don't look now, but Odalis Perez has put together a nice string of outings. Here are the numbers from his last five starts:

He's putting in at least six innings. He's minimizing the walks and hits he's allowing. And his ERA is dropping steadily. When I watch him pitch, I can't figure out why he's so hard to hit, especially for a team as disciplined as the A's are at the plate, but whatever he's doing, I hope he keeps it up.

Last night he gave up just one hit. He threw his change up down out of the strike zone and many of the A's hitters laid off it, but he found a way to sneak a few fastballs in on their hands when they must have been looking for something else.

Even though Joe Blanton was sitting our guys down (20 in a row at one point), Perez found a way to keep us in the game, and that's what this team has been sorely lacking in years past. In fact, if you look at the first six games of this road trip, the starting staff has a 1.66 ERA with a .199 BAA. And even though we're still struggling at the plate, we're 3-3 on this trip--thanks largely to our starters.

I was glad to see Ryan Shealy activated before the game. Billy Butler was optioned back to Omaha. This allowed us to go back to our normal defensive alignment, which isn't great, but it's better than what we've been putting out there the past week.

Unfortunately, with the Royals leading 2-0 in the seventh inning, Mark Grudzielanek thought that Mark Teahen was going to field a ball in short right field and when he didn't, Grud made an attempt and couldn't make the play. Jason Kendall singled later in the inning to tie the game 2-2.

When the A's took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the eighth, things didn't look good, but Esteban German drew a walk to lead off the Royals half of the ninth and he immediately stole second on Jason Kendall, who hasn't thrown anybody out this year. John Buck doubled German in to tie the game and Ryan Shealy shortened up his swing with two strikes and hit an RBI single to recapture the lead.

David Riske, who's also pitching well right now, came in and closed the door on the A's for his third save of the season.

This afternoon, Scott Elarton (0-0, 3.60) goes against Dallas Braden (1-2, 5.65). Elarton is 1-1 in his career against the A's with a 5.60 ERA. Braden has never faced the Royals.

Royals Lose in 11

Game Date: May 15, 2007
A's 5, Royals 4 / Box Score
WP: DiNardo (1-1), LP: Soria (1-2)
Royal Home Runs: Buck (7)
Royals Record: 13-27

A couple of bad calls were costly for the Royals last night. The first came in the fourth inning when Brian Bannister threw a breaking ball to Bobby Crosby over the outside corner for strike three, but it was called a ball. Crosby lined the next pitch into center for a two run single and that put the A's up 2-0.

Then, in the bottom of the eleventh, Shannon Stewart tagged up on a sacrifice fly to center by Dan Johnson and tried to score. DeJesus made a good throw that one-hopped to Paul Phillips, who applied the tag on Stewart's thigh. It was close, but he was out. The umpire called him safe. I would have liked to have seen Phillips block the plate more than he did so the umpire wouldn't have had a chance to make a bad call, but that's the way this season has been going.

That's not to say that we didn't make some major blunders. In the fifth inning, Alex Gordon, who was playing first base again, nearly whiffed on a throw from Tony Pena and Gordon picked up another error. Then John Buck made a bad throw attempting to throw the runner out, but it's still a ball that Tony Pena should have caught at second. He didn't and the runner ended up at third. Bannister fought through the comedy of errors and didn't allow the A's to score that inning.

The Royals found a way to score three runs in the ninth to tie the game 4-4--the big hit coming off the bat of Tony Pena who got an assist from Nick Swisher who allowed the ball to bounce over his head and two runs to score. That looked like something that we would do.

We should have one this one in the 10th when we had the bases loaded with one out and Paul Phillips at the plate. But he hit a chopper to third and Chavez was able to get the force at home. I had a feeling then that we were going to lose.

And of course, we did.

Brian Bannister pitched well to start the game (2 ER, 5 H, 3 BB, 3 K in 6.0 IP). I liked the fact that he worked out of a couple of jams and really should have been out of the jam in the fourth if the umpire makes the right call.

Tonight, Odalis Perez (2-4, 6.05) goes against Joe Blanton (4-1, 3.48). Perez is 0-0 in his career against the A's with a 0-00 ERA in four innings of work. Blanton is 3-1 against the Royals with a 1.64 ERA.

Meche's ERA Dips Below 2.00

Game Date: May 14, 2007
Royals 2, A's 1 / Box Score
WP: Gobble (2-1), LP: Duchscherer (3-3), SV: Soria (7)
Royal Home Runs: Buck (6)
Royals Record: 13-26

Kevin Appier won 169 games in his career and he had a career 3.74 ERA. For those of you who are too young to remember, Apes was nearly as dominant as Gil Meche has been so far this season. But with the possible exception of Paul Byrd's 17-11 season in 2002 with the Royals, we haven't seen a starter around here like Meche since Apes. Of course, Appier did it for nearly a decade, and who knows whether Meche can keep this up, but for now it feels good to have a legitimate ace, doesn't it? 

He tossed seven innings yesterday against Haren and didn't give up an earned run--lowering his ERA to 1.91. He got out of trouble in the first (after giving up a lead off triple), second (he got a ground ball double play to end the inning), and seventh (after Mark Teahen misplayed a ball and Mark Ellis ended up a third--then Teahen threw him out at home) and he kept us in the game.

During the offseason, I kept saying that I hoped the Royals would sign a couple of innings eaters--guys like Jeff Suppan. Those are the types of guys who keep you in ball games and give you a chance to win--even against a top notch starter like Dan Haren. That's exactly what happened last night. Meche kept us in the game long enough for John Buck to hit a two run home run, and give us a 2-0 lead in the top of the ninth.

Brandon Duckworth, Jimmy Gobble, and Joakim Soria did their part. Well, actually Duckworth struggled and he walked the first two guys he faced, but Gobble picked him up. And Soria found a way to shut the door on the A's, even though he gave up a run.

We missed some opportunities to score early. The first one came when Shane Costa struck out with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning. In fact, he struck three times last night. I like Costa. I think he plays the game the right way. He hustles, he doesn't over-swing, and he accepts his role on the team. But why in the world did Bell have him hitting fifth, behind Sweeney? The way John Buck is swinging the bat right now, he'd be a better fit there. Even Esteban German would be a better fit there.

We missed another scoring opportunity in the seventh when we had runners at the corner with one out. John Buck hit a ball to Eric Chavez who threw out German at home. Buck needs to find a way to get the ball in the air, deep enough to score the run in that situation. But again, the advantage to having Meche on the mound was that he kept us in the game long enough to give us another chance to score. And we did.

Tonight, Brian Bannister (0-2, 4.60) will go against Joe Kennedy (1-2, 2.83). Bannister has never faced the A's. Kennedy is 3-0 against the Royals with a 4.33 ERA.

Angel Berroa: He's Back

This is a day I was hoping we wouldn't have to deal with. Angel Berroa has been recalled by Kansas City. Now we have two shortstops who don't hit for average or get on base often, and who commit too many errors in the field. But Pena is younger, has much better range, and I'd much rather see him playing short nearly every day as opposed to seeing Berroa there.

Perhaps Berroa will fill in at second and or third since he's been logging time at both positions in Omaha this season. I don't know, but I do know that our defense took another hit when Ross Gload went on the DL and Bell announced that Sweeney and Gordon are planning to split time at first base until Ryan Shealy returns. On the days that Gordon is playing first, Esteban German will probably play third, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Berroa get a start or two there as well.

Imagine the possibility of this infield some Sunday afternoon:

1B--Alex Gordon
2B--Angel Berroa
SS--Tony Pena
3B--Esteban German

Throw Billy Butler in left field and we've got ourselves an adventure.

Bats Finally Catch Fire

Game Date: May 13, 2007
Royals 11, White Sox 1 / Box Score
WP: De La Rosa (4-3), LP: Vazquez (2-2)
Royal Home Runs: Teahen (4)
Royals Record: 12-26

When the top of your line up goes 7-for-12 with 6 RBI, 5 BB, and 6 runs scored, you know you're in for a pretty good day. That's what DeJesus, German, and Teahen did yesterday. Throw in another great outing from Jorge De La Rosa and you have yourself a W. Finally. It's their first victory against the White Sox this season and just their seventh in thirty-two tries at U.S. Cellular Field.

Mark Teahen gave the Royals a 4-1 lead in the fifth inning when he hit a three run home run. De La Rosa kept White Sox hitters in check for seven innings and David Riske and Joel Peralta finally had good appearances. Riske pitched a scoreless eighth and Peralta finished the game with a scoreless ninth.

Tonight should be an interesting game in Oakland. Gil Meche (3-1, 2.15) goes against Dan Haren (3-2, 1.89). Meche is 2-7 in his career against the A's with a 4.34 ERA. Haren is 2-1 with a 2.60 ERA.

Another One Gets Away

Game Date: May 12, 2007
White Sox 5, Royals 4 / Box Score
WP: MacDougal (1-0), LP: Duckworth (0-3)
Royal Home Runs: Buck (5)
Royals Record: 11-26

Many of the names have changed, but the song remains the same in Kansas City. This was yet another game that shouldn't have slipped through our fingers. But, it did. More about that in a minute.

Scott Elarton didn't look as sharp as you like, but it's understandable, given that this was his first start since July of last year. He gave up two earned runs on six hits and two walks in five innings of work. He gave up a solo home run in the first inning to Juan Uribe on a high fastball. But he found a way to keep the Royals in the game.

The Royals had a chance to score first, but blew it. With a runner on third and one out, Mark Teahen, who was batting clean up, struck out. A throwing error in the second inning by Mark Grudzielanek led to a second White Sox run and they were up 2-0 early.

The Royals had a big fourth inning though against Mark Buehrle. Mike Sweeney hit an RBI double to make it 2-1, Chicago. Billy Butler hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game 2-2. And John Buck hit a two run home run with two outs to give the Royals a 4-2 lead.

But, Esteban German, who was playing shortstop for the first time in his career, booted a ball and the White Sox ended up scoring a run in the fifth inning to make it 4-3. The Royals held the lead all the way into the ninth. They had a chance to add some insurance when they loaded the bases with two outs, but Mark Teahen struck out again. Juan Uribe hit an RBI double in the bottom of the ninth with two outs off Joakim Soria to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

Again, it looked like the Royals might win after Emil Brown drew a walk in the tenth inning against Mike MacDougal and then ended up at third after MacDougal uncorked two pitches that were hard to handle. But with the go-ahead run on third and one out, Billy Butler hit a weak chopper to second, failing to get the run home. Alex Gordon struck out.

And you know the rest of the story. Jermaine Dye drove in the winning run in the bottom of the tenth.

Jorge De La Rosa (3-3, 4.06) goes against Javier Vazquez (2-1, 3.52) this afternoon. De La Rosa has never pitched against the White Sox. Vazquez is 4-1 against the Royals in his career with a 2.57 ERA.

2007 Royals Salaries

A number of people have been googling the salaries for various different Royals' players and finding Royal Reflections, so I thought I'd list them all here for you. This information comes from the USA Today. You can make the chart bigger by clicking on it.