A friend sent me a link to a website called "WhatifSports.com" a couple of days ago. It's a site that is "designed to simulate games between past and present sports teams." Check out the link he sent to me that pitted the 85 Royals against the 05 Evil Yankees. Royals win 10-7. Bud Black pitched 8.1 innings to beat Kevin Brown. Steve Balboni was named the Player of the Game.
Oh, for 1985 again, huh?
Sunday, April 30, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
The Making of a Royals Fan
When I hear fans of good teams take shots at fans of bad teams, I don't believe that the offending fan even understands what it means to be a fan. I discount him as yet another bandwagon-jumper who claims he's been with the team since day one, but the empty stadium during that same era indicts most such "fans." But being a fan is about so much more than cheering during the good times and then slinking away into obscurity during the bad.
I met a man in church a few years ago. Everyone calls him Bear. He hadn't been to baseball game since the early 90s when he lived in Pittsburgh. He's never really considered himself a baseball fan, generally speaking, or of any team specifically. But as we became friends, he listened to me talk about the Royals and how I've been a fan since I was a little boy. I never imagined that it would prompt him to turn on the television one night a few weeks ago to watch a Royals game, but that's what happened.
He began asking me all sorts of insightful questions. He wanted to know how certain statistics are tabulated, what the difference between the American and National League is, and he even asked me what the difference between a four-seam and two-seam fastball is. He's curious about the strategy of the game and he's doing a little research on his own to find out more about the players on the Royals. Most of this happened during the 11-game losing streak. The goal is to win, but the struggle to build a winner is part of the fun and Bear already seems to understand that.
A couple of weeks ago Bear sent me an e-mail. He wanted to go to Kauffman Stadium to see a game. I took the day off yesterday and we ventured down for the series finale against the Twins. Bear and I had a great time talking on the three hour car trip to the stadium. When we got there, he seemed to be drawn to the field. So, we walked closer and I started explaining why the numbers 5, 10, and 20 on the bottom of the scoreboard are retired. And about where the monster home run that Emil Brown hit in batting practice last season landed (over the truck in left field). We watched the fountains, and the video display board. And the magical baseball atmosphere began to do its thing.
Bear and I headed to the Royals gift shop. He looked at Royals caps. He examined the Royals banners. And he looked at various other trinkets that intrigued him. Then I took him to the Royals Hall of Fame display. I rattled off everything I knew about each player and coach and he took it all in. As game time approached, he treated me to lunch, and then we took our excellent Club Box seats on the first base side—we had to have good seats for his first game.
Throughout the game, Bear stayed engaged. He listened as I complained about Redman not throwing strikes, and then about Bell leaving him in too long. He clapped when Berroa hit his first home run of the season. He commented about how hard Santana threw. He stayed optimistic even though we were down 6-1, and then 7-1, throughout most of the game. He cheered again when we posted a two-spot in the bottom of the eighth. And he never suggested that we leave early. In a sense, I witnessed the making of a real Royals fan, and maybe even a baseball fan.
Here's a photo of Bear at his first game in Kauffman Stadium:
I met a man in church a few years ago. Everyone calls him Bear. He hadn't been to baseball game since the early 90s when he lived in Pittsburgh. He's never really considered himself a baseball fan, generally speaking, or of any team specifically. But as we became friends, he listened to me talk about the Royals and how I've been a fan since I was a little boy. I never imagined that it would prompt him to turn on the television one night a few weeks ago to watch a Royals game, but that's what happened.
He began asking me all sorts of insightful questions. He wanted to know how certain statistics are tabulated, what the difference between the American and National League is, and he even asked me what the difference between a four-seam and two-seam fastball is. He's curious about the strategy of the game and he's doing a little research on his own to find out more about the players on the Royals. Most of this happened during the 11-game losing streak. The goal is to win, but the struggle to build a winner is part of the fun and Bear already seems to understand that.
A couple of weeks ago Bear sent me an e-mail. He wanted to go to Kauffman Stadium to see a game. I took the day off yesterday and we ventured down for the series finale against the Twins. Bear and I had a great time talking on the three hour car trip to the stadium. When we got there, he seemed to be drawn to the field. So, we walked closer and I started explaining why the numbers 5, 10, and 20 on the bottom of the scoreboard are retired. And about where the monster home run that Emil Brown hit in batting practice last season landed (over the truck in left field). We watched the fountains, and the video display board. And the magical baseball atmosphere began to do its thing.
Bear and I headed to the Royals gift shop. He looked at Royals caps. He examined the Royals banners. And he looked at various other trinkets that intrigued him. Then I took him to the Royals Hall of Fame display. I rattled off everything I knew about each player and coach and he took it all in. As game time approached, he treated me to lunch, and then we took our excellent Club Box seats on the first base side—we had to have good seats for his first game.
Throughout the game, Bear stayed engaged. He listened as I complained about Redman not throwing strikes, and then about Bell leaving him in too long. He clapped when Berroa hit his first home run of the season. He commented about how hard Santana threw. He stayed optimistic even though we were down 6-1, and then 7-1, throughout most of the game. He cheered again when we posted a two-spot in the bottom of the eighth. And he never suggested that we leave early. In a sense, I witnessed the making of a real Royals fan, and maybe even a baseball fan.
Here's a photo of Bear at his first game in Kauffman Stadium:
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Redman Pulled Early
When Mark Redman can't throw his "fastball" for strikes early in the count, nobody is going to swing at a 77 mph change up that bounces two feet in front of the plate. I'm not sure why anybody would swing at such a pitch to begin with, but I know the chances are higher if he actually starts out 0-1 rather than 1-0. In the second inning today, Redman fell behind repeatedly and bounced a handful of pitches to John Buck, and unfortunately, Bell didn't yank Redman until he'd given up five runs in the inning. Spotting Johann Santana to a five-run lead, no matter how bad he's been pitching probably wasn't a great idea.
Mike Wood came in and stopped the bleeding and gave up just one run over the next four innings. But Santana was too good—striking out 10 and walking none. He had complete command of his change up and made several Royals hitters look foolish. But he started to tire and in the eighth we got a couple more runs off of him to make the score 7-3, but that's all we could do and that was the final score.
We had a couple of guys playing out of position again. Graffanino was at first. German was in center (probably our best option until DeJesus returns). Mientkiewicz sat because he had a sore shoulder. And this was probably the best line up we could have put out there today, but it's not good enough against a guy like Santana. On a positive note, Mike Sweeney had two hits today. Given that he missed so much time in Spring Training, let's hope that he's just about got his timing back. We desperately need his high average and his ability to drive in runs.
Tomorrow night we begin a new series against the A's. Joe Mays (0-2, 10.59) goes against Dan Haren (0-2, 5.60).
Mike Wood came in and stopped the bleeding and gave up just one run over the next four innings. But Santana was too good—striking out 10 and walking none. He had complete command of his change up and made several Royals hitters look foolish. But he started to tire and in the eighth we got a couple more runs off of him to make the score 7-3, but that's all we could do and that was the final score.
We had a couple of guys playing out of position again. Graffanino was at first. German was in center (probably our best option until DeJesus returns). Mientkiewicz sat because he had a sore shoulder. And this was probably the best line up we could have put out there today, but it's not good enough against a guy like Santana. On a positive note, Mike Sweeney had two hits today. Given that he missed so much time in Spring Training, let's hope that he's just about got his timing back. We desperately need his high average and his ability to drive in runs.
Tomorrow night we begin a new series against the A's. Joe Mays (0-2, 10.59) goes against Dan Haren (0-2, 5.60).
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Hernandez Outstanding in Debut
I'm guessing that not a single pundit in all of baseball thought that Runelvys Hernandez would throw seven shutout innings tonight and only give up two hits after his horrendous outings in Omaha, but somehow he pulled it off. He didn't even walk one hitter. His diving change up looked as good as ever, as evidenced by the 12 ground ball outs he recorded. And with the exception of Joe Mays, our rotation has finally put together a nice little run.And while our hitting wasn't quite what you'd hope for, it was good enough to get the 3-1 win. Grudzielanek was 3-for-4, including a triple to lead off the fourth inning that set up the Royals first run. Baker pitched us tough, but we finally broke through against him in the sixth inning on a Grudzielanek single, an RBI double by Stairs, and an RBI single by Brown. Now I'm hoping that we can come up big tomorrow and take the series.
Before the game, Mientkiewicz said something in the pre-game show that I thought was profound. He said that when the Royals win a game, the players are giddy in the clubhouse. And when they win a series, even the Kansas City media seems surprised. Mientkiewicz said that a win shouldn't produce giddiness and that home teams ought to win series. In other words, winning should be expected. Our clubhouse has desperately needed a guy like Mientkiewicz for a long time.
Tomorrow afternoon, we're sending Mark Redman (0-0, 4.91) against Johann Santana (0-3, 4.81). I'm planning to make the trip to KC for the game. Hope to see you there.
Elarton's Effort for Naught
Scott Elarton pitched shutout ball for seven innings last night, working his way out of a difficult jam in the seventh inning, only to see the bullpen blow the game. But first, regarding Elarton—the guy looked masterful. He only walked one guy, while allowing just three hits. His command was dead on, but I was most impressed with his curveball. He threw it for called strikes and he kept it down, so that when Twinkie players took a rip at one, they weren't able to do much with it.Now for the bullpen. You'd think that the set up guy (Sisco) would automatically get the call in a one-run game going into the eighth inning. But for some reason, Bell turned to Luke Hudson, who gave up three successive singles to Ford, Sierra, and Stewart in just seven pitches. I'm guessing that Twinkie hitters had no problem seeing Hudson's stuff. Throw in passed ball, a throw on a sacrifice fly from Emil Brown from short left field that bounced at least four times, and later an error by Mark Teahen, and that spells a 2-1 loss—as well it should.
In addition to struggling defensively, the Royals couldn't score against Kyle Lohse who had an ERA over 11.00 coming into the game. They got on base—but couldn't do anything about it. In fact, the Royals left 27 guys on base. Reggie Sanders was responsible for eight of them. You just can't expect to win when you do things like that.
Tonight, Runelvys Hernandez will make his first start of the season after proving very little in Omaha (1-2, 10.67). The Royals point to his "poor location" as his culprit while in the minors. Isn't that pretty important in the major leagues as well? Isn't it more important? And while the Royals claim that Hernandez is back on track physically, he has a long way to go to make amends with teammates. Wood and Sisco have voiced their displeasure with him. And he's refusing to talk to reporters. That's not going to make for a good mix if he gets shelled again tonight.
The Twinkies are sending Scott Baker (1-1, 3.31) to the mound against Hernandez. This going to be a tough one to watch.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Affeldt Shuts Down Indians
Behind another strong effort from Jeremy Affeldt, the Royals won their second straight game against the Indians yesterday. Affeldt gave up one earned run in 5.1 innings. He threw 94 pitches, which is more than I'd like to see in just five innings of work, but he rarely nibbled. Indian hitters worked the count, but Affeldt wasn't afraid to go after guys. He struck out six and in addition to spotting his fastball early in the count, and then changing speeds nicely with his curveball, he was also able to locate his cutter. And finally, on April 23, a Royal starter has a win.
Reggie Sanders got another day off (which again is an odd thing to me considering that today is an off day), and we had guys playing out of position again on defense, but we found a way to win anyway. Graffanino started at third and played adequately in the field (he also went 3-for-4 at the plate). Esteban German made a nice grab in center—especially for a guy who has never played the outfield before this season. He may turn out to be a valuable guy to have on our bench. Considering the fact that he's hitting .429 average right now, he'll probably see more playing time than originally anticipated.
As much as I've harped on Berroa this season, I've got to give him credit for playing a huge role in our 5-1 victory on Sunday. He was 4-for-4, and made a couple of great plays at shortstop—one of which was a marvelous diving stab to his right in the final inning that he converted into a double play to end the game. And after blowing Affeldt's last outing in Chicago by booting a ball, Berroa picked up Affeldt this time.
Mientkiewicz, who Bell penciled in as the clean up guy, continued to hit, going 2-for-4. And he made several more outstanding plays at first base on poor throws from infielders. He's turning out to be more valuable than I would have ever imagined.
Elmer Dessens had another excellent outing, going 2.1 innings and giving up no runs.
I don't have a ton of great photos from either game this weekend, but I'll post a few of them later today.
Tomorrow, we start a new series with the Twinkies by sending Scott Elarton (0-4, 4.07) against Kyle Lohse (1-1, 11.57). Let's see if we can extend the streak to three games.
Reggie Sanders got another day off (which again is an odd thing to me considering that today is an off day), and we had guys playing out of position again on defense, but we found a way to win anyway. Graffanino started at third and played adequately in the field (he also went 3-for-4 at the plate). Esteban German made a nice grab in center—especially for a guy who has never played the outfield before this season. He may turn out to be a valuable guy to have on our bench. Considering the fact that he's hitting .429 average right now, he'll probably see more playing time than originally anticipated.
As much as I've harped on Berroa this season, I've got to give him credit for playing a huge role in our 5-1 victory on Sunday. He was 4-for-4, and made a couple of great plays at shortstop—one of which was a marvelous diving stab to his right in the final inning that he converted into a double play to end the game. And after blowing Affeldt's last outing in Chicago by booting a ball, Berroa picked up Affeldt this time.
Mientkiewicz, who Bell penciled in as the clean up guy, continued to hit, going 2-for-4. And he made several more outstanding plays at first base on poor throws from infielders. He's turning out to be more valuable than I would have ever imagined.
Elmer Dessens had another excellent outing, going 2.1 innings and giving up no runs.
I don't have a ton of great photos from either game this weekend, but I'll post a few of them later today.
Tomorrow, we start a new series with the Twinkies by sending Scott Elarton (0-4, 4.07) against Kyle Lohse (1-1, 11.57). Let's see if we can extend the streak to three games.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
Losing Streak Ends
The losing streak is finally over. The Royals hammered the Indians tonight 11-5, boosted by timely hitting, and an abnormally wild Paul Byrd. And while Joe Mays pitched well for the first few innings, he started falling behind guys. And, with a 7-run lead in the fifth inning, he started walking guys. Bell removed him with two outs in the fifth inning and Mays wasn't happy. To a degree I can understand why he wasn't happy, but I hope he was dissatisfied with himself. He's the one who walked guys with a huge lead.
Mike Wood came on in relief and pitched 4.1 innings without giving up any earned runs. He changed speeds nicely and often had hitters guessing. Wood seems to be a perfect fit for such outings and while he actually got the win, he really saved the game for the Royals. After Mays gave up four runs in the fifth inning, you couldn't help thinking that we'd find a way to lose this game. Thankfully, that didn't happen.
Mark Teahen didn't play tonight because he has a sore throwing arm. Sounds like he'll get the day off tomorrow as well. Esteban German took his spot at third and looked out of place. I can see Graf getting the start there tomorrow. Shane Costa still doesn't look comfortable in center. He doesn't seem to be able to pick up the ball. He misplayed a ball out there again tonight and it fell in for a double. As much as Shane is hitting, I still think we need to bring Guiel up to take over center until DeJesus gets back. Guiel hit his sixth home run of the season in Omaha tonight.
This afternoon, we got word that Runelvys Hernandez will probably be activated and start the game on Wednesday against the Twins in Kansas City. I have no clue what the Royals are thinking on this one. Hernandez is 1-2 with a 10.67 ERA in Omaha. Why not wait to see if he can get his ERA under double digits before bringing him up?
Tomorrow, we're sending Jeremy Affeldt (0-2, 8.10) against Jason Johnson (2-0, 1.83 ERA). Let's make it two in a row.
Mike Wood came on in relief and pitched 4.1 innings without giving up any earned runs. He changed speeds nicely and often had hitters guessing. Wood seems to be a perfect fit for such outings and while he actually got the win, he really saved the game for the Royals. After Mays gave up four runs in the fifth inning, you couldn't help thinking that we'd find a way to lose this game. Thankfully, that didn't happen.
Mark Teahen didn't play tonight because he has a sore throwing arm. Sounds like he'll get the day off tomorrow as well. Esteban German took his spot at third and looked out of place. I can see Graf getting the start there tomorrow. Shane Costa still doesn't look comfortable in center. He doesn't seem to be able to pick up the ball. He misplayed a ball out there again tonight and it fell in for a double. As much as Shane is hitting, I still think we need to bring Guiel up to take over center until DeJesus gets back. Guiel hit his sixth home run of the season in Omaha tonight.
This afternoon, we got word that Runelvys Hernandez will probably be activated and start the game on Wednesday against the Twins in Kansas City. I have no clue what the Royals are thinking on this one. Hernandez is 1-2 with a 10.67 ERA in Omaha. Why not wait to see if he can get his ERA under double digits before bringing him up?
Tomorrow, we're sending Jeremy Affeldt (0-2, 8.10) against Jason Johnson (2-0, 1.83 ERA). Let's make it two in a row.
Royals Lose Eleventh Straight
The 6-5 loss last night to the Indians extended our losing streak to eleven games, but at least we still have a little fight left. We were down by three runs early, but we fought back to tie the game in sixth inning—only to give up three more runs the next inning. But we rallied for two in the bottom of the ninth—falling one run short of extending the game.
With that said, you have to question the idea of pulling Mientkiewicz from the lineup and giving the start to Graffanino at first base. If this were a platoon situation, you could understand it, since Cliff Lee is a big lefty, but Mientkiewicz was right on the ball against Randy Johnson last week, and he doesn't appear to bail out against lefties, so the move didn't make a lot of sense. And it ended up hurting us defensively.
The left side of our infield is bad. Mientkiewicz makes Teahen and Berroa much better by scooping their bad throws and by coming off the bag when necessary. Nothing against Graf. He's just not a first baseman. And when Grudzielanek and Teahen made poor throws yesterday, Graf wasn't able to make either play. First basemen must be able to scoop the ball.
I suspect that David DeJesus' injury was one of the reasons that Graffanino was in the lineup. We really don't have a leadoff hitter when DeJesus is out, but since Graf handles the bat well, he's a good candidate in a pinch. But we've got to find a place for him to play defensively where he can excel. Right now, I'd even vote for having him play short, but for whatever reason, Berroa seems entrenched in there—even though he ran into another out on the bases last night.
The Royals added relief pitcher, Joe Nelson, to the roster before the game and they placed DeJesus on the DL. Nelson pitched one inning last night, striking out one, walking one, and he didn't give up any runs. He's the twelfth pitcher on the roster, and I'm thinking that the way things are going, we need at least twelve pitchers.
I'm headed to the K tonight to see Joe Mays (0-2, 11.68 ERA) go against former Royal Paul Byrd (2-1, 7.02).
With that said, you have to question the idea of pulling Mientkiewicz from the lineup and giving the start to Graffanino at first base. If this were a platoon situation, you could understand it, since Cliff Lee is a big lefty, but Mientkiewicz was right on the ball against Randy Johnson last week, and he doesn't appear to bail out against lefties, so the move didn't make a lot of sense. And it ended up hurting us defensively.
The left side of our infield is bad. Mientkiewicz makes Teahen and Berroa much better by scooping their bad throws and by coming off the bag when necessary. Nothing against Graf. He's just not a first baseman. And when Grudzielanek and Teahen made poor throws yesterday, Graf wasn't able to make either play. First basemen must be able to scoop the ball.
I suspect that David DeJesus' injury was one of the reasons that Graffanino was in the lineup. We really don't have a leadoff hitter when DeJesus is out, but since Graf handles the bat well, he's a good candidate in a pinch. But we've got to find a place for him to play defensively where he can excel. Right now, I'd even vote for having him play short, but for whatever reason, Berroa seems entrenched in there—even though he ran into another out on the bases last night.
The Royals added relief pitcher, Joe Nelson, to the roster before the game and they placed DeJesus on the DL. Nelson pitched one inning last night, striking out one, walking one, and he didn't give up any runs. He's the twelfth pitcher on the roster, and I'm thinking that the way things are going, we need at least twelve pitchers.
I'm headed to the K tonight to see Joe Mays (0-2, 11.68 ERA) go against former Royal Paul Byrd (2-1, 7.02).
Friday, April 21, 2006
Gordon's Rookie Card
Alex Gordon's rookie card is apparently going for as much as $2,500 and he's never played a single inning at the major league level. Turns out that Topps wasn't supposed to release his rookie card since he didn't play at the major league level in 2005 and he wasn't on the 25-man roster when they went to print, but for some reason, an undisclosed amount of his cards were printed before Topps realized and fixed their error. You can read the full story in the Wichita Eagle if you are interested.
Joe Ruocco, the owner of Rock's Dugout, took a bit of a swipe at the Royals in the article when asked why he thinks people have so much interest in Gordon's card. According to the article, he said that he "believes the interest in the card is connected to Gordon being a high draft pick, as well as collectors considering it an extremely limited card." And then he said this, "It's not because he's with the Royals." I haven't collected cards in years, but I never remember rookie cards having value based upon the team a guy played for, but rather because he was putting up big numbers, so demand for his rookie card was high. I'm not sure why Ruocco said what he did, but maybe he's just frustrated like all the rest of us.
Joe Ruocco, the owner of Rock's Dugout, took a bit of a swipe at the Royals in the article when asked why he thinks people have so much interest in Gordon's card. According to the article, he said that he "believes the interest in the card is connected to Gordon being a high draft pick, as well as collectors considering it an extremely limited card." And then he said this, "It's not because he's with the Royals." I haven't collected cards in years, but I never remember rookie cards having value based upon the team a guy played for, but rather because he was putting up big numbers, so demand for his rookie card was high. I'm not sure why Ruocco said what he did, but maybe he's just frustrated like all the rest of us.
Apes Set to Return
Kevin Appier is set to make one final run at a return to the big leagues. He accepted the Mariners' invitation for extended Spring Training after he partially tore his right calf muscle in mid-March, and they are about to give him the ball in Tacoma where he'll work in blocks of four or five innings. His desire to prove that he can still pitch is strong, and his 90 mph fastball may just help him do it. Yes, he's throwing 90 mph again.Apes hasn't pitched at the big league level for two full years, but at 38, he's convinced he can still do it. And if you look at the Mariners' rotation, in which Jamie Moyer is the ace, you have to think that Apes has a shot. Nothing against Moyer. The guy knows how to pitch and he knows how to win. But that's the point. So does Appier. Now the question is, will his body cooperate? I sure hope so.
Thursday, April 20, 2006
And the Streak Hits Ten
If your team has lost nine games in a row, the last thing you do is give your two best hitters the day off—especially when the next day is an off day. But for some reason, Bell gave Sweeney and Sanders a vacation day and we ran an odd lineup out onto the field. Costa played right field—so much for the "he can play center" claim. Esteban German played center even though he has never played a single game in the outfield in his major league career. And of course, he misplayed a ball. And Paul Bako played again in place of Buck. That's not a huge drop off, and some might even say it's an improvement. But overall, this lineup looked like a few that Pena ran out whenever he wanted to waive the white flag.
And predictably, we did nothing at the plate (this is a glimpse at what a post-Sweeney lineup might look like). Jose Contreras, the number three guy in the Sox rotation, nearly no-hitting us. And while you'd like to see a solid single break it up, I'll take the check swing dribbler up the third base line that Mientkiewicz hit. Anything to avoid further embarrassment. We went on to get two more hits—but couldn't find a way to cross the plate, so we lost 4-0. The Royals only managed one run and eleven hits in three games in Chicago.
Scott Elarton wasn't sharp, and that didn't help matters. He walked five guys and gave up three earned runs in 4.1 innings. Hats off to Hudson, Dessens, and Burgos for not allowing any runs once they got the ball.
But now the losing streak stands at ten and people are talking. And googling. In the past couple of days, people have found this blog by googling things like "royals miserable" and "royal's losing streak 2005." I don't know what is worse—the fact that they are looking for such things or the fact that I've written about them. But as Royals fans, we are in this together, and since most of these inquiries are coming from the Kansas City area, I'm going to assume that Royals fans really do want to see things turned around, but they are just trying to become more informed about the team. Yeah, that might be a stretch, but I'd hate to think that our own fans are finding glee over our struggles.
On a positive note, Zack Greinke is back in camp in Arizona. The Star published an article about his return this morning. The guy is obviously struggling emotionally and you've got to feel for him. I'm proud of the way the Royals treated him though:
"I couldn't have done this without Allard, (manager) Buddy (Bell) and my parents," he says. "They’ve done so much more than they needed to do or should have done. I'm still amazed by it. When I left, I thought they'd just kick me out the door. The way they've done it, I wasn't expecting it. It's just been incredible."
What a great reminder that life is about so much more than baseball.
The Royals head home now to begin a series against the Cleveland Indians. I'm going to make it to the K for two of the three games. Hopefully I'll have some decent photos to post upon my return. Tomorrow, the Royals will send Mark Redman (0-0, 5.40) to the mound against Cliff Lee (1-1, 2.89).
And predictably, we did nothing at the plate (this is a glimpse at what a post-Sweeney lineup might look like). Jose Contreras, the number three guy in the Sox rotation, nearly no-hitting us. And while you'd like to see a solid single break it up, I'll take the check swing dribbler up the third base line that Mientkiewicz hit. Anything to avoid further embarrassment. We went on to get two more hits—but couldn't find a way to cross the plate, so we lost 4-0. The Royals only managed one run and eleven hits in three games in Chicago.
Scott Elarton wasn't sharp, and that didn't help matters. He walked five guys and gave up three earned runs in 4.1 innings. Hats off to Hudson, Dessens, and Burgos for not allowing any runs once they got the ball.
But now the losing streak stands at ten and people are talking. And googling. In the past couple of days, people have found this blog by googling things like "royals miserable" and "royal's losing streak 2005." I don't know what is worse—the fact that they are looking for such things or the fact that I've written about them. But as Royals fans, we are in this together, and since most of these inquiries are coming from the Kansas City area, I'm going to assume that Royals fans really do want to see things turned around, but they are just trying to become more informed about the team. Yeah, that might be a stretch, but I'd hate to think that our own fans are finding glee over our struggles.
On a positive note, Zack Greinke is back in camp in Arizona. The Star published an article about his return this morning. The guy is obviously struggling emotionally and you've got to feel for him. I'm proud of the way the Royals treated him though:
"I couldn't have done this without Allard, (manager) Buddy (Bell) and my parents," he says. "They’ve done so much more than they needed to do or should have done. I'm still amazed by it. When I left, I thought they'd just kick me out the door. The way they've done it, I wasn't expecting it. It's just been incredible."
What a great reminder that life is about so much more than baseball.
The Royals head home now to begin a series against the Cleveland Indians. I'm going to make it to the K for two of the three games. Hopefully I'll have some decent photos to post upon my return. Tomorrow, the Royals will send Mark Redman (0-0, 5.40) to the mound against Cliff Lee (1-1, 2.89).
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Affeldt's Outing Ruined
Here's the thing about Angel Berroa. He's a horrible fielder, who doesn't hit, and who doesn't run the bases well. And he often takes mental vacations during the middle of games. So why exactly is he on a major league roster? Granted, he has a strong arm and a little pop in his bat, but give me a sure-handed, light-hitting, hard-playing, run-of-the-mill shortstop any day over Berroa.
Bell said that Berroa was caught in between hops yesterday when Berroa committed the error that led to the 3-run fourth inning. It looked more to me like he nonchalantly approached the ball and failed to get in front of it and the ball skipped off the heal of his glove. If that play happens in little league, the shortstop is running laps for not staying with the ball and for not knocking it down with his body. But this is the major leagues—where prima donna's like Berroa are accepted and expected.
I certainly would have liked to have seen Jeremy Affeldt close the door on the White Sox after Berroa's two-out error, but when you give four outs to a team like the White Sox, they are bound to take advantage of it, and they did by winning the game 3-1. Afterward, Affeldt didn't make any excuses: "You’ve just got to make the pitch," he said about his battle with Juan Uribe, "and keep it from getting out of hand. I just had a little brain cramp."
Unfortunately, the Royals couldn't take advantage of an otherwise outstanding outing from Affeldt who pitched six innings, giving up no earned runs, striking out three, and walking three. Affeldt was aggressive—often getting ahead in the count, and he changed speeds much better this time out. He threw his change up for strikes the second time through the line up and he mixed in his devastating curve ball. This was the Affeldt all of us were hoping to see, and I'm thinking that as much as our bullpen needs a little help, our rotation needs Affeldt more.
This afternoon, we're sending Scott Elarton (0-3, 3.60 ERA), back to the mound. He'll go against Javier Vazquez (0-1, 6.23 ERA).
Bell said that Berroa was caught in between hops yesterday when Berroa committed the error that led to the 3-run fourth inning. It looked more to me like he nonchalantly approached the ball and failed to get in front of it and the ball skipped off the heal of his glove. If that play happens in little league, the shortstop is running laps for not staying with the ball and for not knocking it down with his body. But this is the major leagues—where prima donna's like Berroa are accepted and expected.
I certainly would have liked to have seen Jeremy Affeldt close the door on the White Sox after Berroa's two-out error, but when you give four outs to a team like the White Sox, they are bound to take advantage of it, and they did by winning the game 3-1. Afterward, Affeldt didn't make any excuses: "You’ve just got to make the pitch," he said about his battle with Juan Uribe, "and keep it from getting out of hand. I just had a little brain cramp."
Unfortunately, the Royals couldn't take advantage of an otherwise outstanding outing from Affeldt who pitched six innings, giving up no earned runs, striking out three, and walking three. Affeldt was aggressive—often getting ahead in the count, and he changed speeds much better this time out. He threw his change up for strikes the second time through the line up and he mixed in his devastating curve ball. This was the Affeldt all of us were hoping to see, and I'm thinking that as much as our bullpen needs a little help, our rotation needs Affeldt more.
This afternoon, we're sending Scott Elarton (0-3, 3.60 ERA), back to the mound. He'll go against Javier Vazquez (0-1, 6.23 ERA).
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Royals Drop Eighth Straight
You know you are having a bad season when you're number two starter gives up six runs in five innings and his ERA goes down. I guess it could have been worse for Mays. He gave up five runs in the first inning. And it's the same old story:
"Just sitting there trying to aim the ball too much—not being aggressive and up in the zone," Mays said.
At least he's honest. He's nibbling, passive, and that almost always puts pitchers behind in the count and forces them to throw strikes on hitters counts. I don't know what the Royals ought to do about Mays. They are paying the guy $4 million to be a starter. But after the Lima fiasco last season, you have to be a little gun shy about a guy like Mays and you have to wonder if he's ever going to get it turned around. He hasn't had a good season since 2001 when he went 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA. But that's the only season in his six year career in which he's even been over .500 and it's by far his best ERA.
At some point, you've got to chalk this up as a mistake and take the ball from him. But of course, admitting a $4 million mistake won't be easy for Baird—who must already be looking around his office and wondering if this will indeed be his last season. Our problem of course is that we don't really have a number two starter to take his place, so we'd have to move another guy there who doesn't match up well with numbers twos on other teams. But somebody has to be at the top of the rotation and I hope that the next time through, Joe Mays is not one of those people.
Of course, it hardly mattered that Mays was awful last night. Jose Contreras one-hit us for seven innings and we lost 9-0. While his stuff was nasty, I'm getting a little tired of that being an excuse, aren't you? First it was Rogers, then it was Buehrle, and now it is Contreras. All three are fine pitchers and all three can be dominant at times, but that hardly excuses the .174 average of DeJesus, the .114 average of Sweeney, the .216 average of Teahen, the .220 average of Brown, and the .231 average of Buck.
Thankfully, Stemle was placed on the DL and Joel Peralta was called up to fill his spot—hopefully for good. He made 28 appearances for the Angels last season and was 1-0 with a 3.89 ERA. Peralta didn't look all that steady though when he came in last night during mop up duty. He gave up one run and he walked two guys in 1.2 innings.
Tonight, Jeremy Affeldt (0-1, 14.73) goes against Jon Garland (1-1, 13.94).
"Just sitting there trying to aim the ball too much—not being aggressive and up in the zone," Mays said.
At least he's honest. He's nibbling, passive, and that almost always puts pitchers behind in the count and forces them to throw strikes on hitters counts. I don't know what the Royals ought to do about Mays. They are paying the guy $4 million to be a starter. But after the Lima fiasco last season, you have to be a little gun shy about a guy like Mays and you have to wonder if he's ever going to get it turned around. He hasn't had a good season since 2001 when he went 17-13 with a 3.16 ERA. But that's the only season in his six year career in which he's even been over .500 and it's by far his best ERA.
At some point, you've got to chalk this up as a mistake and take the ball from him. But of course, admitting a $4 million mistake won't be easy for Baird—who must already be looking around his office and wondering if this will indeed be his last season. Our problem of course is that we don't really have a number two starter to take his place, so we'd have to move another guy there who doesn't match up well with numbers twos on other teams. But somebody has to be at the top of the rotation and I hope that the next time through, Joe Mays is not one of those people.
Of course, it hardly mattered that Mays was awful last night. Jose Contreras one-hit us for seven innings and we lost 9-0. While his stuff was nasty, I'm getting a little tired of that being an excuse, aren't you? First it was Rogers, then it was Buehrle, and now it is Contreras. All three are fine pitchers and all three can be dominant at times, but that hardly excuses the .174 average of DeJesus, the .114 average of Sweeney, the .216 average of Teahen, the .220 average of Brown, and the .231 average of Buck.
Thankfully, Stemle was placed on the DL and Joel Peralta was called up to fill his spot—hopefully for good. He made 28 appearances for the Angels last season and was 1-0 with a 3.89 ERA. Peralta didn't look all that steady though when he came in last night during mop up duty. He gave up one run and he walked two guys in 1.2 innings.
Tonight, Jeremy Affeldt (0-1, 14.73) goes against Jon Garland (1-1, 13.94).
Monday, April 17, 2006
Royals Embarrassed by the Rays
The Royals 9-5 loss last night was our seventh straight at Tropicana Field. If the Devil Rays ever lick their chops, it must be when they see us coming. The sad thing is they are missing Huff and Baldelli. With the exception of Greinke, we aren't missing anybody and they ran us out of town.
This was also our seventh loss in a row. And references to the 19-game losing streak from last season are already being made. I'm sure the joke writers for Leno and Letterman are huddled together to see if they can put a new spin on old story and still make it funny. The thing about jokes is—they always contain an element of truth. If they didn't, they wouldn't be funny.
This streak is different that last season though. Last season, we were about as fundamentally sound as a group of 35 year-old recreational league softball players. We missed cut off men. We had no clue how to run the bases. We swung for the fences on every pitch as if we'd never heard of the concept of situational baseball. And, as you remember, it was difficult to watch.
This season we are bad in a different sort of way—our pitching. Somehow we've amassed a staff who is absolutely terrified of the strike zone. Five of our twelve pitchers who have seen action this season have an ERA over 12.00. Our staff ERA is 7.45—the worst in MLB, by far. We've walked 58 guys in 93 innings. Opponents are hitting .315. And half way through the month of April, not one of our starters has won a game.
Redman made his season debut yesterday, and while he wasn't exactly sharp, after throwing 87 pitches in five innings, he left the game with a 4-3 lead. Stemle, in what is sure to be his last appearance in Royal blue for a while, gave up 6 ER in 2.1 IP and we had no chance after that. According to an article in the Star this morning: "Club officials planned to discuss possible personnel moves Sunday night on the charter flight to Chicago." Let's hope they follow through.
Affeldt has been placed back into the rotation because Denny Bautista went on the 15-day DL again. Mays is staying in the rotation (talk about a good plot for a horror movie). And Wood's spot start will be just that as he moves back into the pen—at least for now.
Tonight, the Royals will send Mays (0-1, 12.86) against Jose Contreras (1-0, 1.93 ERA). Contreras in 5-0 lifetime against us with a 2.23 ERA.
This was also our seventh loss in a row. And references to the 19-game losing streak from last season are already being made. I'm sure the joke writers for Leno and Letterman are huddled together to see if they can put a new spin on old story and still make it funny. The thing about jokes is—they always contain an element of truth. If they didn't, they wouldn't be funny.
This streak is different that last season though. Last season, we were about as fundamentally sound as a group of 35 year-old recreational league softball players. We missed cut off men. We had no clue how to run the bases. We swung for the fences on every pitch as if we'd never heard of the concept of situational baseball. And, as you remember, it was difficult to watch.
This season we are bad in a different sort of way—our pitching. Somehow we've amassed a staff who is absolutely terrified of the strike zone. Five of our twelve pitchers who have seen action this season have an ERA over 12.00. Our staff ERA is 7.45—the worst in MLB, by far. We've walked 58 guys in 93 innings. Opponents are hitting .315. And half way through the month of April, not one of our starters has won a game.
Redman made his season debut yesterday, and while he wasn't exactly sharp, after throwing 87 pitches in five innings, he left the game with a 4-3 lead. Stemle, in what is sure to be his last appearance in Royal blue for a while, gave up 6 ER in 2.1 IP and we had no chance after that. According to an article in the Star this morning: "Club officials planned to discuss possible personnel moves Sunday night on the charter flight to Chicago." Let's hope they follow through.
Affeldt has been placed back into the rotation because Denny Bautista went on the 15-day DL again. Mays is staying in the rotation (talk about a good plot for a horror movie). And Wood's spot start will be just that as he moves back into the pen—at least for now.
Tonight, the Royals will send Mays (0-1, 12.86) against Jose Contreras (1-0, 1.93 ERA). Contreras in 5-0 lifetime against us with a 2.23 ERA.
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