Zack Greinke: Start 4 of 33 in 2009

Royal Reflections is reliving all 33 of Zack Greinke’s 2009 starts in addition to his All-Star game appearance as we head into Spring Training 2010.

Game Date: April 24, 2009  
Detroit @ Kansas City 
Royals 6, Tigers 1 / Box Score
WP: Greinke (4-0) LP: Porcello (1-2)

	W/L	IP	ER	R	H	BB	K	PC	ERA	Record
Greinke	W	9.0	0	1	3	1	10	108	0.00	4-0

Zack Greinke is off to a 3-0 start and he still has not allowed an earned run. Kauffman Stadium in nearly full -- 36,363 have packed the stands. Greinke seems oblivious, saying this afterward: “I don’t know why there were so many people here today. I know it was fireworks night, and I guess there was a (Buck Night) giveaway.”

The truth is, there’s a murmur in the crowd, and in Kansas City. People are beginning to wonder if this might be the beginning of something special for Greinke. He has just been named the co-American League Player of the Week. He enters this game with a 34 consecutive scoreless innings streak. Will it continue?

The wind is blasting out of Kauffman Stadium to left field, gusting as high as 38-40 mph as the game begins. The temperature is 79 degrees – much warmer than Greinke’s last start at home on April 13 when the game time temperature was 43 degrees.

[ Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Zack Greinke (23) throws in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers on Friday, April 24, 2009, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/MCT) Photo via Newscom Photo via Newscom / Content © 2010 Newscom All rights reserved.]

Curtis Granderson leads off the game for Detroit. Greinke works him inside, then outside. When the counts gets to 2-2, Granderson fouls a couple of pitches off and then Greinke throws a change up that fools Granderson, who swings and misses for Greinke’s first strike out of the game. Placido Polanco singles up the middle. Up comes Magglio Ordonez who has a career batting average against Greinke of just .148. He reaches for an off speed pitch and pops up meekly to Alberto Callaspo at send base. Greinke throws a fastball on the outside of the plate at the knees to Miguel Cabrera for strike one and then gets him to hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

In the bottom of the first, Coco Crisp reaches on an infield single and two hitters later, Mark Teahen comes to the plate. Denny Matthews says, “If Teahen can get a hit, Coco Crisp can score – that figures to be enough runs for Greinke.” On cue, Teahen gets a 1-1 pitch to his liking and he launches it to left field. With the wind blowing out to left, it’s a no-doubter. Gone. The Royals lead 2-0. 

In the top of the second inning, Greinke gets ahead of Carlos Guillen 0-2. Two pitches later Greinke buries an off speed pitch that Guillen swings and misses. Strike out number two for Greinke. Gerald Laird singles to right field. Then Greinke walks Brandon Inge. A hit will end Greinke’s streak. But he gets Josh Anderson to ground into a 4-6-3 double play and the threat is over.

Alberto Callaspo leads off the bottom of the second and hits a 1-0 fly ball to right field. Ordonez moves back to make the catch, but the ball keeps carrying. The wind, even though it is mostly blowing to left field, pushes the ball over the fence and the Royals lead 3-0. It is Callaspo’s first Major League home run. He had 441 previous at bats at the big league level without a home run.

In the third inning, Greinke gets Ramon Santiago to hit a little flare to right center field. Mitch Maier slides and makes a nice catch. The crowd cheers. Granderson flies out to left field. And Polanco lines out to third. It’s a 9-pitch inning for Greinke and his first without allowing a hit. The streak has reached 37.

The Royals go in order quickly to end the third.

Greinke falls behind Ordonez in the fourth inning but he gets him to hit a comebacker to the mound. Greinke is settled in. His fastball has more zip that usual. He throws a 97 mph fastball to Cabrera with the count 1-2 and he misses with it, but you don’t get the feeling that he’s overthrowing. His fastball is just has a little extra on it tonight. He strikes out Cabrera swinging for his third strikeout of the evening. Guillen flies out to center and Greinke’s streak has reached 38 innings.

The Royals go in order in the fourth.

Laird falls behind Greinke 1-2 in the fifth, but Greinke hangs an off speed pitch and Laird drives the ball down the left field line. DeJesus plays the ball well, sliding to cut it off and he comes up throwing. It’s close at second, but Laird beats the throw. Greinke doesn’t seem phased. He throws two strikes to Inge that Inge just watches. A couple of pitches later, Greinke comes at him with a fastball up and away and Inge doesn’t have a chance as he swings and misses to become Greinke’s fourth strikeout victim. Greinke begins to work a little slower now and falls behind Josh Anderson 3-0. Miguel Olivo goes out to talk to Greinke. He eventually gets Anderson to line out to center for the second out of the inning. Laird moves up to third, but the throw from Aviles (the cut off man) hits Laird as he slides into third and gets away from Teahen. Greinke is backing up the play. He retrieves the ball and fires home, Laird is safe at home.

“It happens, that’s baseball,” Greinke says afterward. “It’s aggressive baserunning, aggressive fielding and it’s just baseball. You can’t predict anything. I got out of jams I shouldn’t have got out of, and then they score on a ball that maybe they shouldn’t have scored on. It evens out at the end.”

The streak ends at 38 innings.

Royals fans begin to applaud – quietly at first, then they begin to roar – to acknowledge Greinke’s streak. Greinke gets out of the inning on the next pitch. Now the real work begins. How will Greinke respond after giving up a run? It’s not an earned run, but it’s still a run and the Tigers are a bloop and blast from tying the game.

Not for long though.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, with Olivo on second base and Maier on first, Rick Porcello uncorks a wild pitch – his second of the inning – and the Royals have runners at second and third with one out. The Tigers bring their infield in. Crisp his a ground the ball to Cabrera at first base who makes a poor throw home, allowing Olivo and Maier to score. The Royals lead 5-1.

Greinke mows the Tigers down in the sixth inning in nine pitches.

The Royals get a man on in the sixth when Billy Butler draws a four-pitch walk, but they don’t score.

In the top of the seventh, Greinke strikes out Cabrera and Guillen swinging. He’s still throwing hard, 94 mph, and his control is getting better. He gets ahead of Laird 0-2 and Laird tries to lay down a bunt, but Olivo makes a nice grab in foul territory and the inning is over.

The Royals score a run in the seventh inning and increase their lead to 6-1. The Tigers don’t really stand much of a chance at this point. Greinke seems to be hitting his stride.

In the top of the eighth, Matthews begins to talk about Greinke saying he is “one of those streaks” that make you think about Don Drysdale and Orel Hershiser. And the way he’s completely overmatching big league lineups he says it makes you think of Tom Seaver, Sandy Koufax and Bob Gibson.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Matthews says. “I’m not comparing Greinke to any of those guys –  not yet – this is only his fourth start, but he is in one of those streaks that would be mindful of that type of pitching. He’s always had excellent stuff, and to a degree, he’s always had good command, but now it’s almost perfect. He has great confidence, he has a great feel for pitching, and he has everything going his way.”

Greinke strikes out Inge swinging as Matthews is talking. Then he strikes out Anderson and Santiago. Inning over.

The Royals get a runner on base in the eighth, but are unable to score.

Coming into the ninth, Greinke has retired 12 straight and he’s struck out five of the last six hitters he’s faced. Greinke picks up his tenth strikeout of the game to start the inning when he gets Granderson swinging. He jumps ahead of Polanco 0-2 before getting him to hit a little dinker out in front of the plate. Greinke throws him out for out number two. The crowd begins to chant “Let’s go Royals!” Greinke makes quick work of Ordonez, getting him to ground out to Butler at first and the game is over.

In four starts, Greinke still hasn’t given up an earned run. After the game, Royals fans could be heard shouting “Cy Young” and it doesn’t sound crazy. He has 29 starts to go, but this doesn’t look like a fluke. It doesn’t feel like a fluke. In fact, it prompts Bob Dutton to lead his article in the Star by asking this question: “Is this the night, after more than a generation, that baseball truly became relevant again in Kansas City? Maybe. Just maybe.”

What Greinke said:

“There was a real atmosphere here today,” Greinke said. “There probably couldn’t have been a better night.”

What players/managers said:

“He’s got such good stuff,” Tigers catcher Gerald Laird said. “You could tell the last couple of innings he kind of just turned it on. He sniffed that complete game, and that’s what the good ones do.”

“It’s fun to watch,” third baseman Mark Teahen said. “Tonight, more than anything — maybe it was just the energy or whatever — but he looked unhittable.”

What bloggers said:

“ … but the bigger story isn't whether or not Greinke should be a bigger story, but the mere baseball side of it. And the baseball side of it is pretty simple: Greinke is one of the best starters in baseball right now, so we can stop waiting for him to arrive. He's here.” (Royals Review)

“So, after four starts, his ERA sits at 0.00. After four starts, he has struck out 36 in 29 innings of work. His WHIP, if my calculations are correct, is 0.86. He is 4-0. And in this young season, he is the early front-runner for the AL Cy Young.” (Royalscentricity)

The Royals sign Scott Podsednik

The Royals signed Scott Podsednik to a one-year deal for $1.75 million with an option for 2011 (it’s a club option if Pod has less than 550 plate appearances and a mutual option if he hits that number).

[The Chicago White Sox's Scott Podsednik scores in the ninth inning against the Chicago Cubs. The White Sox defeated the Cubs, 5-0, at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois, Thursday, September 3, 2009. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune/MCT) Photo via Newscom / Content © 2010 Newscom All rights reserved.]

The 33-year-old, who will be 34 by the time the 2010 season begins, will hit leadoff and probably play center field – although Dayton Moore is leaving the door open for him to play left field, which would require moving David DeJesus back to center. I think that would be a bad decision after the way DeJesus played in left field last season.

I don’t have a huge issue with this signing, but I don’t really understand why Moore signed both Brian Anderson and Podsednik while also having Mitch Maier in the system. Podsednik had a solid season in Chicago last season, posting a .353 OBP, good for 14th in the AL among outfielders.

But the truth is, 2009 was Podsednik’s best season since his rookie season in 2003. He’s about to turn 34. He doesn’t steal as many bases as he used to (30 last season). And you have to wonder if his numbers from last season are repeatable. If he reverts to the numbers he put up in 2008 (.253/.322/.333) or 2007 (.243/.299/.369), he’ll end up being another in a growing list of light hitting outfielders on the Royals’ roster.

It’s understandable why Moore wanted to dismantle the 2009 roster – it was abysmal. But I’m not convinced that the moves he has made to acquire Jason Kendall, Chris Getz, Josh Fields, Anderson and Podsednik is better, offensively speaking, than Miguel Olivo, Mark Teahen, Alex Gordon, Alberto Callaspo and Coco Crisp/Mitch Maier – especially since Getz and Fields may not even be everyday players (assuming Alex Gordon and Callaspo hold on to their positions this spring).

And where does Mike Aviles fit into this mix? Assuming that Yuniesky Betancourt is the starting shortstop, and assuming that second and third base are covered, does Aviles become the 2010 version of TPJ who rarely sees playing time?

Last season Moore appealed to Royals fans asking them to “trust the process” as his acquisitions work their way through the minor leagues and eventually to Kansas City. Even so, maybe he learned that he didn’t give defense a high enough priority at the Major League level while trying to piece together a roster until his players arrive.

I have no idea how Kendall, Getz, Fields, Anderson and Podsednik match up defensively against Olivo, Teahen, Gordon, Callaspo and Crisp/Maier. I only know that Olivo, Gordon and Callaspo were not good defensively last season. In fact, at times, you wondered if the team could possibly be any worse defensively.

Will the moves Moore has made so far this off season make the team better defensively? I don’t know. But if they are considerably better, then I might be willing to tolerate an even lighter hitting team in 2010 with the expectation/hope that things will be different in 2011 and 2012.

But if they aren’t considerably better defensively, then Moore has assembled a roster that might be even harder to watch in 2010 than the 2009 version.

Talking baseball with Ryan McGee

Yesterday I had a chance to interview Ryan McGee, a senior writer for ESPN the Magazine and the author of “The Road to Omaha: Hits, Hopes, and History at the College World Series,” published by Thomas Dunne Books in 2008. He told me some great stores about the College World Series. Here's one of them:

"A former Miami Hurricane bat girl from the 1980s sent me the most unbelievable note," McGee said "and told me that Coach Ron Fraser – the great coach who built the Miami program in the 70s and 80s – has been very sick, really for the last year, and when the book came out last spring, the former Miami Hurricane bat girls took turns sitting by Coach Fraser's bed reading the book out loud to him. When I hear things like that it just absolutely takes me aback."

We also talked about the Omaha Royals, the Omaha area in general, Rosenblatt Stadium and the new stadium. Here's a link to the Q & A if you are interested.

Zack Greinke: Start 3 of 33 in 2009

Royal Reflections is reliving all 33 of Zack Greinke’s 2009 starts in addition to his All-Star game appearance as we head into Spring Training 2010.

Game Date: April 18, 2009  
Kansas City @ Texas 
Royals 2, Rangers 0 / Box Score
WP: Greinke (3-0) LP: Millwood (1-1)

	W/L	IP	ER	R	H	BB	K	PC	ERA	Record
Greinke	W	9.0	0	0	7	0	10	111	0.00	3-0

It’s Josh Hamilton Jersey Night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.  After the game, Jack Ingram will perform in concert. More than 37,000 people have shown up for the game that pits Kevin Millwood against Zack Greinke. The temperature is 73 degrees at game time. The stage is set for Ranger fans to enjoy what they are hoping is win.

Greinke enters the game with a 25 consecutive scoreless innings streak. He is 2-3 against the Rangers in his career with a 3.51 ERA in nine appearances, seven of which were starts. His control hasn’t been the greatest in his first two starts of the season. Will this be the night he finds it?

The Royals go down in order in the first inning.

Greinke comes out in the first throwing strikes, getting ahead of Ian Kinsler before he flies out to center. He gets ahead of Michael Young 1-2 before getting him to hit a ball back to mound. He gets ahead of Josh Hamilton 1-2 before striking him out swinging on a breaking pitch.

This doesn’t look like the Greinke we’ve seen so far this year. He’s been good, but not like this. In the first inning, he throws 10 pitches; 8 of are strikes.

The Royals get something going in the second inning. Billy Butler and Mark Teahen draw four pitch walks. Mike Jacobs flies out to right field and Alberto Callaspo singles to center, but Butler can’t score. Miguel Olivo comes up with a chance to do some damage, but he goes after the first pitch and flies out to center. Willie Bloomquist grounds out to end the inning and the threat is over.

Hank Blalock leads off the second inning against Greinke. Greinke throws an off speed pitch for strike one looking. Then he throws a 91 mph that Blalock fouls back. On the 0-2 pitch, Blalock sends a shot to right center. Coco Crisp dives, gets some leather on the ball and it squirts out of his glove. Blalock pulls up at third with a triple.

So long consecutive scoreless streak, right?

Not so fast.

Greinke gets Marlon Byrd to ground out to Mark Teahen at third base. He falls behind Nelson Cruz 3-0. The next pitch is a fastball at the knees that Cruz watches for a strike. The 3-1 pitch is 93 mph fastball that Cruz swings and misses. Greinke deals and strikes out Cruz swinging. Next up, Chris Davis. Greinke throws a 94 mph fastball that Davis fouls off. After Greinke missing with a fastball, Davis fouls off an off speed pitch.

Greinke brings the 1-2 pitch home and Davis swings and misses. Miguel Olivo drops the ball, but picks it up and tosses it to Billy Butler at first base. Inning, and threat, over. The streak continues.

Millwood keeps the Royals scoreless in the third inning.

Greinke enters the third after throwing 25 pitches in the first two innings. Jarrod Saltalamacchia leads off the inning and he takes the first pitch high for a ball. He lines the next pitch into the gap in right center field for a double. Elvis Andrus, the number nine hitter, lays down a sacrifice bunt and moves Saltalamacchia to third. Up comes Ian Kinsler with a chance to give the Rangers a lead. Kinsler is red hot, 12-for-20 on the home stand. Greinke gets ahead of him 0-2. Kinsler takes a ball and then fouls off two pitches. Greinke goes down and away to Kinsler, who tries to check his swing, but he’s rung up for the strikeout. Michael Young grounds out to second and Greinke is out of the inning.

The Royals go down in order in the fourth.

Josh Hamilton leads off the fourth inning. Greinke gets ahead of him 0-2 and then drops a 60 mph curve ball on him. It’s outside. Hamilton doesn’t bite. I used to get nervous when Greinke started tossing 60 mph curve balls toward the plate because he often did it just to look cool. But you start to get the feeling that there’s purpose behind it now. Greinke throws Hamilton an 84 mph slider and Hamilton swings and misses for Greinke’s fifth strike out of the game. There’s the purpose. Blalock singles to right, but Greinke comes back and strikes out Byrd. Going back in the Twitter archives, I described it this way: “Greinke set up Marlon Byrd and struck him out looking with a 3-2 93 mph fastball on the outside corner.” Ranger fans boo the call and you can understand their frustration. Cruz comes up and grounds into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

The consecutive scoreless inning streak stands at 29, and counting.

The Royals make a little noise in the fifth inning after Callaspo singles to lead off, but nothing comes of it.

In the bottom of the fifth, Davis hits a little comebacker to the mound. Greinke handles it. Saltalamacchia falls behind Greinke 1-2 and then strikes out swinging on a curve ball in the dirt – Greinke’s seventh strikeout of the game. Andrus singles to center on the first pitch. Kinsler is up with two outs and a runner on first. Greinke throws over to first a couple of times and fans boo again. Finally, Greinke throws a 2-2, 93 mph fastball to Kinsler who swings and misses for Greinke’s eight strikeout.

To the sixth inning we go, locked in an old fashioned pitcher’s duel.

Crisp walks to lead off the inning. Three hitters later, Billy Butler drills a 2-0, two-out pitch down the left field line to drive in Crisp. It’s Butler’s birthday, but he’s the one delivering gifts. The Royals lead 1-0.

Young singles to lead off the inning for Texas. Hamilton flies out to center on the first pitch, Blalock flies out to left on the second pitch and Byrd pops out to second on the first pitch. It’s a five pitch inning for Greinke.

Olivo goes deep in the seventh inning – a line drive that barely clears the left field wall. It’s his first home run and RBI of the season. The Royals lead 2-0.

Greinke takes the mound for the seventh inning, his confidence apparently getting a boost from the combination of his repeated ability to work around base runners and the 2-0 lead the Royals have given him. He starts the inning by throwing a 66 mph curve for a called strike to Cruz. Then he tosses a 61 mph curve that Cruz flails at and misses. At this point, Cruz must be hoping to just make contact. He does, a foul ball down the right field line that Mitch Maier, who just entered the game to start the inning, catches for an out. Davis comes up and Greinke begins to pump up the velocity – going 94 mph on one fastball and then throwing a slider. He gets Davis to swing and miss a fastball for his ninth strikeout. Saltalamacchia grounds out to end the inning.

This feels like a turning point in the game. Greinke is in complete control, doing anything he wants to do. The only question now seems to be whether he’ll get the complete game shutout.
The Royals go down in order in the eighth inning.

Greinke gets Andrus to ground out in the bottom of the eighth. Kinsler singles and Hillman makes a call to the bullpen to get Joakim Soria up – justifiably so – because Hamilton is due up in two hitters. Soria begins to get loose as Greinke faces Young. Young crushes a hooking line drive to left field and DeJesus squeezes it for out number two. Greinke goes high with ball one to Hamilton. He fools Hamilton on the second pitch and Hamilton swings and misses. On the third pitch of the AB, Hamilton lifts a fly to center and the inning is over.

The Royals go down in order in the ninth inning.

Will Hillman send Greinke out? He’s at 96 pitches (66 strikes). On Twitter, I make the rather astute observation, “Soria looks like he’s staying put.”

And here comes Greinke.

Greinke gets ahead of Blalock 0-2 before getting him to ground out to second. He gets Byrd to hit a comebacker to the mound. Two outs. Nelson Cruz comes to the plate and after falling behind 1-2, he singles to left. Greinke has thrown 106 pitches at this point, but his velocity is still good. Soria is warm. Hillman walks out of the dugout and meets with Greinke and the infielders at the mound. Greinke apparently convinces Hillman that he has something for Davis. Greinke gets ahead of him 1-2. During the AB, Cruz moves to second base on fielder’s indifference.

“Let’s go Dav-is,” the crowd begins to chant repeatedly.

Andruw Jones comes out on deck to possibly pinch hit for Saltalamacchia if Davis reaches.

Greinke uncorks a wild pitch to Davis and Cruz moves up to third base. Greinke gets a new ball and begins to rub it.

He fires the 2-2 pitch, a called strike, and the game is over.

Greinke completes the shutout; the first of his career, and he runs his consecutive scoreless inning streak to 34.

What Greinke said:

“That kind of blew me away,” Greinke said when someone told him about Orel Hershiser’s record 59-inning scoreless streak after the game. “It’s just about impossible to get to 34 nowadays. Fifty-nine, that’s impossible. I would have been happy with 20.”

What players/managers said:

“It was tough. It was one of those nights,” Kevin Millwood said. “You’ve just got to tip your hat to him.”

What other people said:

“Is there any better pitcher right now than Zack Greinke?” Bob Dutton said to lead the story he filed for the game. “Anyone? Anywhere? How much better could anyone be than Greinke on Saturday night against the Texas Rangers?”

“The answer is no,” said someone who left a comment on the story. “There is no one better right now and after two decades, MLB has returned to KC.”

What bloggers said:

“The pro writers will have an eloquent way of saying this in their reports … ‘Greinke was friggin awesome!’ I mean what else needs to be said really? He dominated the game totally – we looked mostly stupid at the plate.” (Rangerfans.com)

“And as much as I mock Trey I do have to give him some props for letting Greinke go the distance. I’m sure somewhere somebody was screaming about his pitch count and how Soria was fresh but you know what sometimes you got to let a guy finish his masterpiece.” (Royally Speaking)

Zack Greinke: Start 2 of 33 in 2009

Royal Reflections is reliving all 33 of Zack Greinke’s 2009 starts in addition to his All-Star game appearance as we head into Spring Training 2010.

Game Date: April 13, 2009  
Cleveland @ Kansas City
Royals 4, Indians 2 / Box Score
WP: Greinke (2-0) LP: Carmona (0-2), SV: Soria (4)

	W/L	IP	ER	R	H	BB	K	PC	ERA	Record
Greinke	W	5.0	0	0	6	2	9	104	0.00	2-0

Entering the game, Zack Greinke had a streak of 20 scoreless innings that stretched back to the end of the 2008 season. He pitched well in his first start of 2009, but his control wasn’t great. Would his scoreless innings streak finally come to an end?

The temperature was 43 degrees at game time, making it one of those typical April games in Kauffman Stadium in which you better have a coat and some hot chocolate to sip on.

Greinke took the mound and struck out Grady Sizemore to begin the game. Shin-Soo Choo followed with a double to right field, bringing up the heart of the order for the Indians in Victor Martinez, Travis Hafner and Jhonny Peralta. Martinez reached on an infield single to first, but Greinke struck out Hafner on four pitches and Tony Pena Jr., who was playing shortstop, made a great play up the middle and threw out Peralta to end the inning.

In the Royals’ half of the first inning, Coco Crisp drew a walk and two hitters later, David DeJesus drew one as well. That set the stage for an offensive explosion. Mark Teahen singled in Crisp on a 1-2 pitch to give the Royals a 1-0 lead. Billy Butler followed him with an RBI double to deep center. And a couple of hitters later, Alberto Callaspo singled in Teahen to give the Royals a 3-0 lead.

Greinke battled his control in the second inning, but he was able to sit down the Indians in order, picking up two more strike outs.

Craig Brown at Royals Authority chronicled the events of the third inning quite well in a post titled Gritty Greinke:

He walked Asdrubal Cabrera on seven pitches and then followed by walking Grady Sizemore on five pitches. In the at bat with Cabrera, he started him away with a strike on the outside corner and then came back inside, missing on three consecutive pitches. He lost him on a curveball that was borderline. With Sizemore, he missed on all four fastballs he threw, and all were up in the zone.

Greinke then struck out Shin-Soo Choo in a seven pitch at bat and gave up a single to Victor Martinez which loaded the bases. Four hitters into the inning, he had thrown 24 pitches and retired just a single hitter. He was in some serious hot water.

Perhaps frustrated with the fastball, Greinke went exclusively off speed. Of his eight pitches he threw to Travis Hafner and Jhonny Peralta, Greinke delivered six sliders and two curves. The result?  Two strikeouts. That’s pure Greinke. Unhappy with the fastball and in trouble? Screw it … Let’s go to the off speed. As a hitter, it has to play with their heads. “He can’t possibly throw me a fifth straight off-speed pitch, can he?”

Uhhh, yes. Yes, he can.

Back to the fastball in the fourth, and Greinke once again fell behind 3-1 to the leadoff man Ryan Garko before he ripped a fastball for a single to right. It was just that kind of night. Greinke struggled with command, yet was dominating at times.

“I don’t know how many times I’m going to be able to continue doing that,” Greinke said after the game. “The last two games, I’ve done well with people on base. Hopefully, it continues.”

Greinke fell behind Garko 3-1 to begin the fourth inning before Garko singled to right. Tony Graffanino followed with a a line drive to Mark Teahen in right that Teahen caught. A couple of hitters later, with two outs, Cabrera doubled to right field. Garko stopped at third.

Would this be the inning Greinke’s scoreless streak ended?

Nope.

Greinke struck out Sizemore to end the inning. Unfortunately, partially do to his control problems and partially do to his high number of strikeouts, Greinke’s had already thrown 84 pitches.

The Royals tacked on a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Mike Jacobs hit his first home run in a Royals uniform.

Greinke struggled again in the fifth. Victor Martinez singled on a 1-2 pitch with one out. Greinke got ahead of Hafner, who came up next, but then he missed with three successive pitches before finally striking him out. He fell behind Peralta 3-1 before getting him to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.

Hillman didn’t have much of a choice but to take Greinke out at the at point. He’d thrown 104 pitches and surely Hillman was wondering if Greinke’s ability to wiggle off the hook had been tested to the limit on that particular day.

Jeff Parker, from Royally Speaking, made this comment on Twitter: “It was really cold, that affected both Greinke and Carmona. Zack didn’t have his usual control which helped up his pitch count.”

The Royals’ bullpen gave up a couple of runs in the ninth, but Soria shut the door on the Indians to keep Greinke’s win intact.

Greinke extended his scoreless innings streak to 25, causing anticipation to build for this third start of the year, scheduled for April 18 at Texas.

What Greinke said:

“In the first inning, Tony [Pena Jr.] made an amazing play,” Greinke said. “Soon as it got by me, I knew it was gone. I was just real mad, but somehow he made the play. I don’t know how many times I can continue doing that, but the last two games I’ve been doing good with men on base. You’ve got to take the two wins, no matter how it happens. That’s as good as it can get.”

What players/managers said:

“You can’t say enough about what he did when he had to with runners on base,” Royals manager Trey Hillman said. “That’s when he was at his best. That’s what guys with his kind of stuff and his ability can do on occasion. Thankfully, he was able to do it in several innings.”

What other people said:

“We squandered too many opportunities,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “Greinke is a good young pitcher. We’ve seen him mature in the last couple of years.”  

What bloggers said:

“Greinke was weirdly ineffective, yet never really in serious trouble. (Well, he did load the bases against the heart of the Cleveland order, but it never felt in doubt.) Two or three years ago, he hangs a couple pitches and doesn’t strike out as many guys, and allows four earned runs in the process. Didn’t happen tonight.” (Royals Review)

“Greinke didn’t have his best stuff and still managed 5.0 innings of shutout baseball. He allowed 6 hits, 2 walks and struck out 9 hitters. He was in and out of trouble most of the game, but always made critical pitches in critical situations.  This is the kind of game that proves Zack is ascending to one of the game’s elite starting pitchers.” (Kings of Kauffman)

Zack Greinke: Start 1 of 33 in 2009

In 2009, Royals fans didn’t have a lot to cheer about with the exception of every fifth day when Zack Greinke took the mound. He had a magical season which culminated with him winning the American League Cy Young award. Royal Reflections will be reliving all 33 starts of Greinke’s 2009 starts in addition to his All-Star game appearance as we head into Spring Training 2010.

Game Date: April 8, 2009  
Kansas City @ Chicago
Royals 2, White Sox 0 / Box Score
WP: Greinke (1-0) LP: Floyd (0-1), SV: Soria (1)

	W/L	IP	ER	R	H	BB	K	PC	ERA	Record
Greinke	W	6.0	0	0	3	3	7	95	0.00	1-0

Zack Greinke had never won a game at U.S. Cellular Field going into this one. He was 0-6.

That was about to change.

He threw 17 pitches in the first inning, but he sat the Sox down in order. Afterward, Greinke said he was trying to be too fine – too perfect and that ran up his pitch count. He couldn’t possibly have known that as the season progressed, hitting the corners was going to become routine.

Dewayne Wise led off the bottom of the first with a ground out to first base. Two hitters later, Carlos Quentin became the first of Greinke’s 242 strikeout victims in 2009.

Greinke walked Jim Thome to lead off the second inning and then he fell behind Jermaine Dye, who singled to right on a 3-1 pitch, moving Thome to second base. You have to wonder how Greinke’s season might have turned out if Paul Konerko had blasted a three-run home run at that point. Would it have damaged Greinke’s confidence to the point that he just didn’t trust his stuff? We’ll never know because Greinke got Konerko to ground into a 6-4-3 double play and then he got A.J. Pierzynski to ground out to end the inning.

In the top of the third inning, Mike Aviles doubled with two outs and Coco Crisp followed him with a ground rule double to right field, giving the Royals a 1-0 lead.

That seemed to settle Greinke down and he came out throwing strikes in the bottom of the third. He got ahead of Alexei Ramirez 0-2 before striking him out. He got ahead of Josh Fields 0-2, but then walked him. He got ahead of Wise before getting him to pop out. And he got ahead of Chris Getz before Fields was thrown out at second trying to steal.

Greinke got ahead of the first two hitters in the fourth inning, but then he hit Quentin. Dick Kaegel recorded it this way: “There was one disquieting moment when, after Carlos Quentin absorbed a Greinke pitch on his back, he made a step toward the pitcher but was quickly diverted toward first base. Greinke thought Quentin’s reaction was probably residue from a wayward pitch over the batter back in the first inning.”

Maybe Greinke’s quest for perfection was causing him to be wild. Maybe he was wild and covered it by saying he was trying to be too fine. I tend to believe what he says though because he tends to say whatever is on his mind.

Whatever the case, he came back strong to strike out Thome and Dye to end the inning after hitting Quentin.

The Royals struck again in the top of the fifth inning. Aviles was in the middle of it again. He led off the inning with a single and he took second on a wild pitch. Crisp sacrificed him over to third and two hitters later, Mark Teahen singled him in to give the Royals a 2-0 lead.

Somehow, Greinke found his control in the fifth inning. He did give up a single to Pierzynski, the second hit of the game for the Sox, but Greinke got the next two hitters.

In the sixth inning, Greinke was fatigued. He struck out Wise to begin the inning but he fell behind the next two hitters, walking one of them and setting the stage for the possibility of Thome tying the game with a two-run home run. Again, you have to wonder if the 2009 season would have looked different for Greinke if Thome had taken him deep. But it didn’t happen. Greinke got him to line out on a 3-2 pitch to second base.

Trey Hillman let Greinke start the seventh inning. Greinke had thrown 93 pitches at that point. Dye led off the inning and got ahead 1-0. He singled the next pitch into center field and Hillman removed Greinke – justifiably so.

Greinke went on to get the W and removed the monkey off his back at U.S. Cellular. Not a bad way to begin his season.  

What Greinke said:

“I treated every batter like I didn’t want him to get a hit on me, maybe was a little too fine,” Greinke said. “I didn’t give in one pitch the whole game. If I threw a fastball, I wanted it to be right on the corner, knee high – or inside corner, waist to stomach high. I was trying to make the perfect pitch too much.”

What players/managers said:

“He was pretty darn good. I mean 95 [mph], just painting, inside, outside, up and down,” Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski said. “He had a good slider, a good curveball. That’s what he can do. We’ve seen him like that before and he’s tough. You have to match him pitch for pitch and Gavin tried.”

What other people said:

“Greinke fooled future Hall of Famer Jim Thome so badly on a slider that Thome was halfway to the dugout by the time home plate umpire Bill Hohn lifted his arm to signal strike three,” Joe Posnanski said. “Greinke got Jermaine Dye to miss a curveball by three blocks. Greinke threw the nastiest slider you ever saw to Chicago leadoff man Dewayne Wise, and Wise was able to just barely tick it with his bat. So Greinke threw another one that was 3 percent nastier, and Wise swung and missed and struck out, too. Untouchable. That’s all.”

What bloggers said:

“I don’t know how anyone ever gets a hit off of Zack Greinke, who was brilliant tonight. Greinke allowed just three hits, to go with three walks and seven strikeouts.” (Royals Review)

“When it was all said and done, Greinke had pitched six innings and allowed just 3 hits, 3 walks, a hit batter and struck out seven White Sox and, of course, allowed zero runs. I know Zack didn’t have his good control and, personally, I don’t really think he had great stuff.   What’s that tell you about the capabilities and the maturity of Zack Greinke?” (Royals Authority)

Reliving Zack Greinke’s 2009 season

Zack Greinke made 33 starts for the Royals in 2009 and he made an appearance in the All-Star game. It was a magical year that ended with a Cy Young award for Greinke. Over the next three months, I’m going to do a series in which we relive each start, as well as his All-Star game appearance.

I’ll include quotes from Greinke as they were recorded in various news stories. I’ll include quotes from various Royals bloggers, and maybe quotes from bloggers of the teams Greinke faced. And I plan to dig deep into the Twitter archives for quotes about Greinke from fans and players as the season progressed.

I hope you enjoy it. The series will begin tomorrow.

An update to the Royals Twitter Directory

I've updated the Royals Twitter Directory. I've checked all the links and added a new section for former Royals players. Have I missed anybody? If so, let me know. And if you are a Royals fan who would like to be added in the fan section, leave a comment with your Twitter user name.

You can always find a link to the directory on the right side of the page.

A Royal gift

Somebody knows how to tap into my inner-kid. What a Christmas gift! We might be in the middle of a blizzard, but who says we can't play inside?

From one Brian Anderson to another

So, Dayton Moore has gone and signed Brian Anderson, giving him a one-year deal and putting him on the Major League roster. I’m not sure what the point of signing another light hitting center fielder is, but this isn’t the end of the world. From the various accounts I’ve read, Anderson is far above average defensively and as bad as this team was on defense last season, any defensive help should be welcomed.

I have to tell you though, I still have a certain affinity toward the previous BA—the one who pitched for the Royals from 2003-2005. Of course, the two players have nothing to do with each other. It just gives me a reason to tell you a story about BA #1—well, really it’s about the 2005 season, but it involves BA #1.

In May 2005, a couple of newspapers I write for sent me into the Royals clubhouse to do two features. Ten days or so in advance, I applied for and received my media credentials for the games on May 12-13. The Royals were playing the Rays.

Two days before the series started, Tony Pena (the manager) quit during the series in Toronto and I’m thinking, “Uh oh, this might make it more difficult to get the interviews I need.”

Sure enough, that was true. I wrote about it in a post:

When I made plans to come to Kansas City and interview a couple of players for two newspapers I write for, I had no idea that I'd walk in to such chaos. Allard Baird was in the middle of a press conference yesterday when I got to the ball park. I slipped in and caught the tail end of it . . .

Most of the players weren't in a talking mood before the game yesterday and that was certainly understandable. The media had limited access to the players because the Baird press conference ran a little long and because the Royals kept the clubhouse closed longer than normal. The mood was what you would expect from a team whose eternally optimistic manager quit on them when the going got tough. Guys were a little down.

As I was walking from the clubhouse to the dugout, still hoping to get at least one interview before the game, I saw Ryan Lefebvre talking to Allard Baird. I waited for a minute and asked Baird if he was open to a brief interview. He was, so I hit record. I didn’t want to ask him about his search for a manager. Why would he tell me anything he wouldn’t tell other reporters? So, I asked him if he ever read any Royals blogs. There weren’t that many at the time, but you can read his brief reply here.

The Royals went on to win the rain-shortened game that night 7-5 on an RBI double by Mark Teahen and an RBI single by Ruben Gotay.

Thankfully, the clubhouse was quite a bit loser before the game the next day.

I was able to interview Jeremy Affeldt for one of the features I was writing and while I was waiting to get the other interview, with Tony Graffanino I believe, Brain Anderson (#1) came walking in. His locker was close to Affeldt’s. He plopped down on a stool and began talking to Affeldt. Nobody knew it at the time, but BA had just pitched in the final game of his career. He injured his elbow on May 8 against the Orioles. Later he had to have two Tommy John surgeries.

I don’t know if the seriousness of Anderson’s injury had been discovered or diagnosed yet. I just remember seeing a look of frustration on Anderson’s face as he talked to Affeldt. At one point, Anderson picked up a ball with his left hand and appeared to be showing Affeldt the pain he was feeling in his elbow during certain points of his delivery. Of course, they could have been talking about anything. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the Royals were awful at this point, and I couldn’t help but feel for Anderson.

 

[SCOTTSDALE, AZ - MARCH 8: Pitcher Brian Anderson #19 of the Kansas City Royals delivers against the San Francisco Giants during the Spring Training game at Scottsdale Stadium on March 8, 2004 in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Royals won 9-3. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) Content © 2009 Getty Images All rights reserved.]

Tony Pena had just quit on the team. They were 9-26 at this point. The season was basically over and it was just mid-May. They had no idea who their new manager was going to be. And Anderson was injured. In the big scheme of things, Anderson’s injury was not a big deal. But seeing the frustration on his face at that moment caused a shift inside me. I felt like I was looking at frustration personified.

The Royals only won 56 games that season. It was the worst season, winning percentage wise, of any in Royals’ history. Those were not good times for Royals fans or players. But I don’t see that particular losing season in some abstract fashion. Instead, I see the look of frustration on Anderson’s face and it gives me some perspective.

A Royal Reflections update

Life over at Fan Huddle didn't work out for Royal Reflections, so I'm going to resume posting right here. Thanks for sticking with me through the transitions.

As I began to think about new posts I want to write, I came to a realization about the tone of my posts. This blog has gained the reputation for having a positive tone, generally speaking. I like it that way. It suits who I am. On a scale of Ryan Lefebvre to Jason Whitlock, you'll find me sitting right next to Lefebvre.

You already know that though if you've been reading this blog for a while.

Sometimes people will tell me they can't really tell what my opinion is when I write a post here. That's probably because I'm a journalist who enjoys blogging. Having a foot in both worlds can be complicated sometimes. The truth is, I'm not always offering an opinion. Sometimes I'm just recounting a funny or touching baseball story, sometimes I'm just passing along a fact or an observation.

When I have an opinion to share, I share it. But I learned something about myself last season. When Dayton Moore made the deal for Yuniesky Betancourt, in what may turn out to be the turning point of Moore's career as the Royals' GM, I thought it was an awful move (there's an opinion for you). So did many of you. I voiced my opinion as such, but then, as the season wound down I found myself in the position of wanting to be correct in my assessment of Betancourt while at the same time hoping he played well. I didn't like that feeling. It sort of takes the fun out of the equation.

I don't plan to stop offering opinions as a result, but if you read a post that doesn't contain any, it's probably by design.

Royals showing interest in Ivan Rodriguez?

At the end of the 2009 season, John Buck had a certain tone in his voice that seemed resigned to the fact that he probably wouldn’t be back with the Royals next year. They gave Brayan Pena a decent look and Dayton Moore was pretty clear about going in a different direction regarding who the starting catcher would be in 2010.

Now we’re hearing the Royals are showing interest in Ivan Rodriguez. He’s 38 years old. He’s had a great career. But does anybody really think he’d be better than John Buck at this stage of his career? He hit 10 HR and drove in 47 runs while hitting .249 for Texas and Houston last season in 121 games. John Buck hit 8 HR and drove in 36 runs while hitting .247 in just 59 games for the Royals. And Buck is much younger.

Granted, Buck is going to cost the Royal more money, but I agree with Craig Brown at Royals Authority. Buck will only make around $3 million in 2010 and he’s an adequate catcher. What’s wrong with him being the Opening Day catcher? He certainly isn’t the problem with the Royals and bringing in another veteran who is past his prime wouldn’t be the solution if he were.

The Royals make several roster moves

Dayton Moore has been busy making roster moves over the past couple of weeks.

The following players were added to the 40-man winter roster:

Jeff Bianchi (2B-SS): The Royals drafted him 2005, but he’s been bit by the injury bug, with back and shoulder problems. This past season at Wilmington, and then NW Arkansas, he stayed healthy and put up good numbers: 9 HR, 70 RBI with a .308 AVG and .358 OBP in 128 games. He also stole 22 bases. He was named the organization’s defensive player of the year, so he seems to have it all. And at 23, he still has time to develop. You would expect him to start the year in Omaha.

Jarrod Dyson (OF): The Royals drafted him in 2006. Looking at his Minor League numbers, he’s a stolen base threat with no power. In 234 games, he’s stolen 107 bases; he’s been caught 24 times. He has 0 HR, 62 RBI with a career .270 AVG and .343 OBP. He hasn’t played higher than Double-A. He may be another prospect we’ll see begin the season in Omaha.

Jordan Parraz (OF): The Royals acquired him in the Tyler Lumsden trade with the Astros. I had a chance to watch him in Omaha last season and the guy has a cannon of an arm in right field. He played in Idaho Falls, NW Arkansas and Omaha, putting up the following combined numbers in 81 games: 8 HR, 52 RBI, .348 AVG with a .432 OBP. He looked every bit as good as those numbers when I saw him play. He missed the final weeks of the season with an injury, but I’m excited to see him play in 2010 in Omaha, and maybe even Kansas City.

Manuel Pina (C): Pina was part of the trade the Royals made with the Rangers for RHP Danny Gutierrez. The Royals also got Tim Smith (OF) in the deal. Pina’s a 22-year-old catcher who started to show some power at the Double-A level last year; hitting 8 HR and driving in 42 in 321 AB. He is a career .251 hitter with a .308 OBP. Putting him on the roster is a good indication of how thin the Royals are at the catching position.

Blake Wood (RHP): The Royals drafted Wood in 2006 and he’s spent the past four seasons in the Minor League system. He’s posted solid number is rookie ball, but he hasn’t been stellar in Double-A. Last season in NW Arkansas he was 2-8 with a 5.83 ERA in 17 appearances (13 of which were starts). I’m honestly not sure what the Royals see in him that would warrant putting him on the 40-man roster, at least at this stage in his career, but surely they see something or they wouldn’t have made the move.

The following players were dropped from the roster:

Doug Waechter (RHP); opted for free agency.

Devon Lowery (RHP); opted for free agency.

Julio Pimentel (RHP); received an unconditional release.

Tug Hulett (2B); was designated for assignment.

DiNardo opts for free agency; DeJesus doesn’t win Gold Glove

As we anxiously await the news announcing Zack Greinke as the 2009 AL Cy Young award winner, we have some other Royals news to discuss:

Lenny DiNardo and Yasuhiko Yabuta opted for free agency rather than accepting outright assignments to Omaha.

After watching DiNardo in Omaha for most of the 2009 season, I really hate to see him go. He didn’t pitch well for Kansas City after being called up late in the season, but, as I said in a story I wrote for Examiner.com about DiNardo, I wonder if he would have performed better if they had used him as a reliever since that’s where he’s excelled previously in the big leagues. In 102.0 IP as a reliever, he’s 1-3 with a 3.97 ERA. In 155.0 IP as a starter, he’s 9-15 with a 6.27 ERA.

The Royals paid $500,000 to buy out a 2010 option on Yabuta, and justifyably so. They would have been on the hook for $4 million otherwise. I really don’t know why he would opt for free agency though because his numbers at the big league level were awful with the Royals over the past two seasons. In 43 relief appearances, he’s 3-4 with a 7.14 ERA and a 1.819 WHIP. He performed much better in Omaha this season, going 2-1 with a 3.55 ERA with a 1.23 WHIP in 45.2 IP. He should have been happy to accept an assignment to Omaha.

David DeJesus did not win a Gold Glove in spite of not committing a single error in 2009. No doubt about it, he had a great defensive season—including 13 outfield assists, but he wasn’t one of the three best defensive outfielders in the AL. He had a lot of assists because the league knew he didn’t have a strong arm when he was playing centerfield. For whatever reason, he adapted well to left field and he threw out a bunch of guys who tried to take an extra base on him. But he didn’t always take the best route to the ball. I suspect that will come with time. I hope he settles in to become the everyday leftfielder for years to come because he’s well suited for the position, but he’s not a Gold Glove winner. At least, not yet.

The Royals signed Wilson Betemit to a minor league contract. Looking over his numbers, he looks like a poor man’s Mark Teahen. He can play all four infield positions and he shows a little power at times. Dayton Moore pointed out that he has a .324 career OBP. Considering that the Royals had a .318 OBP as a team last season, I guess Moore thinks Betemit is an improvement. The problem is, the Royals ranked 26th out of 30 teams in that category. So, while Betemit is slightly above the Royals average, he’s nothing to get too excited about. He’s also never played more than 115 games at the big league level for one team in any one season. He’ll just be yet another option in a crowded infield this Spring and it’s always good to have options.

Mark Teahen traded to the White Sox

A few days ago I was sitting in a conference center out in the boonies of New Mexico when I fired up my computer in one of the few places on campus with internet access and read an email saying there was a rumor going around that Mark Teahen had been traded to the White Sox.

I’ve been working 13 hour days and haven’t had much time to follow everything that’s been said since the trade became reality. I’ll leave the evaluation of the statistics of the players involved to others. But from my perspective this trade doesn’t make a lot of sense for the Royals.

Dayton Moore traded a decent everyday player in Mark Teahen for two players who play positions that we presumably have covered. I can see how the trade will help the White Sox. I can’t really see a ton of upside for the Royals, unless both Josh Fields and Chris Getz end up taking over for Alex Gordon and/or Alberto Callaspo. But even if they don’t, I guess they’ll add depth to the roster. And Getz does have options, so the Royals have a little wiggle room if they don’t have a place for him to start the season.

Moore cited eligibility as being an important factor in the trade, saying he wants to get as many zero-to-three guys as he can, which makes sense from an economic standpoint, but in reality, isn’t that just admitting you want to stay in a perpetual rebuilding process?

I’m indifferent about the trade, in a baseball sense. Not so much in the personal sense. I liked the fact that Mark Teahen was part of our ballclub. He never complained about being moved around defensively from one year to the next. He genuinely seemed to like playing for the Royals. He did a ton of work in the community. And, generally speaking, I enjoy cheering for the same group of core players for the long haul.

Mark Teahen has been one of those players.

It’s true that he never quite became the player we thought he might. But I’m still hoping he’ll turn into the player—even though he’ll be playing for another team.