Royals Sign Kip Wells

If you want to know how desperate the Royals are for bullpen help right now with Ron Mahay and Ramon Ramirez hurt and with so many other guys tired or struggling, the Royals just signed Kip Wells. The Rockies designated him for assignment last week after going 1-2 with a 5.27 ERA in 15 appearances.

Wells has not even had a decent season since 2004 (I'm defining decent as having an ERA under 5.00). But with the Rockies picking up $3.1 million of his contract, the Royals are on the hook for just $90,000--so we're not taking much of a risk financially, but you have to wonder about our system when we can't even find a guy to bring up late in the season to eat a few innings out of the pen.

Wells may be in uniform for the game tonight in Cleveland.

Game 124: Kansas City @ New York

Game Date: August 17, 2008
Yankees 15, Royals 6 / Box Score
WP: Mussina (16-7), LP: Bannister (7-12)
Royal Home Runs: Gload (3)
Royals Record: 55-69

It was the Jimmy Gobble experience all over again. Trey Hillman left Brian Bannister in the game while the evil Yankees pounded him for ten earned runs in one inning. Hillman's choices were limited though since the bullpen was so tired. You just hate to see a guy get mauled like that. How much longer will Hillman keep Banny in the rotation?

The Royals got off to a great start, scoring three runs in the top of the first, but the evil Yankees answered with six runs in the bottom of the first. And they scored four more in the second. Joe Girardi certainly didn't call off the dogs. The Yankees scored four more runs in the eighth.

I couldn't wait for the game to get over. It's bad enough seeing the Yankees win, but seeing them annihilate the Royals is just too much to bear.

The Royals are off today. They will open a new series in Cleveland tomorrow night. Luke Hochevar (6-11, 5.44) will go up against Anthony Reyes (3-2, 3.67). Hochevar is 1-1 in his career against the Indians with a 4.00 ERA in 9.0 IP. Reyes is 1-0 against the Royals with a 0.00 ERA in 5.2 IP.

Game 123: Kansas City @ New York

Game Date: August 16, 2008
Yankees 3, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Robertson (3-0), LP: Fulchino (0-1)
Royal Home Runs: Gordon (14)
Royals Record: 55-68

Two runs shouldn't be enough to beat the evil Yankees, but it should have been enough yesterday--given the way Zack Greinke pitched (0 earned runs, 6 H, 2 BB, 5 K, in 6.2 IP).

Unfortunately three errors and a wild pitch by the Royals in the seventh inning allowed two runs to score, tying the game 2-2, and eventually forced it into extra innings.

The evil Yankees won in the bottom of the thirteenth inning when Brett Gardner, who is hitting .176, singled in the winning run.

Obviously, our bullpen was stretched, and they walked too many guys (5), but they kept the Yankees off the board until the thirteenth inning, which at least gave us a chance to overcome our poor defensive effort to win the game. But the Yankees bullpen was even better, not allowing any runs over the final 6.2 innings.

Mitch Maier had a nice day at the plate, going 3-for-5, raising his average to .352. David DeJesus was 2-for-6. And Mark Teahen was 2-for-4.

This afternoon, the Royals will look to win the series when Brian Bannister (7-11, 5.36) goes up against Mike Mussina (15-7, 3.30). Bannister is 1-1 in his career against the evil Yankees with a 9.45 ERA in 13.1 IP. Mussina is 17-7 against the Royals with a 2.96 ERA in 240.1 IP.

Royals Sign Eric Hosmer, Melville

It always come down to the final ten minutes with the Scott Boras clients and the Royals, but at least they got the deal done.

Eric Hosmer signed with the Royals for a $6 million signing bonus--the largest singing bonus the Royals have ever issued to a draft pick. That seems like an awful lot of money to give to the third over-all pick, but it is in line with the two players who were drafted in front of him.

Tim Beckham, the first player taken in the 2008 draft, received a $6.15 million signing bonus from the Rays. And Pedro Alvarez received a $6 million signing bonus from the Pirates.

The Royals also signed fourth round pick, Tim Melville.

Both players will report to the Arizona Instructional League.

Here's a list of players that the Royals signed from the 2008 draft.

Game 122: Kansas City @ New York

Game Date: August 15, 2008
Royals 4, Yankees 3 / Box Score
WP: Nunez (4-1), LP: Rivera (4-5), SV: Soria (33)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 55-67

Does anything in baseball compare to a win against the evil Yankees? Not in my opinion. Especially when the win comes in such heartbreaking fashion.

In the ninth inning, with the scored tied 3-3, Esteban German plugged the gap with a one-out double and Mitch Maier reached first on an infield single, moving German to third. That's when Mariano Rivera buried a wild pitch that allowed German to race home for what turned out to be the winning run.

Things got a little dicey for Joakim Soria in the bottom half of the inning though. He gave up an infield single, and then picked off the pinch runner at first, followed by a ground out, another single, and a walk, and another infield single, before getting Giambi to fly out to end the game.

Mitch Maier played a huge part in the win. In the fifth inning with the Royals up 1-0 and guys on first and second base, Maier put down a beautiful sacrifice bunt that advanced both runners and set the stage for more runs. Andy Pettitte intentionally walked Mike Aviles to set up the double play, but Mark Teahen followed him with a ground rule double to left center, driving in two runs and giving the Royals a 3-0 lead.

Esteban German looks like he's finally coming out of his season-long slump. He was 2-for-3 with two doubles, two runs scored, and a walk. He's certainly going to get plenty of playing time for the rest of the season with Mark Grudzielanek on the shelf, so this may be his last opportunity to prove that he can be the everyday second baseman. He plays hard, so I'm rooting for him.

How about Gil Meche? He looked downright nasty at times--especially with his change up and curve ball--both of which he kept down. He didn't spot his fastball all that well, but he set up the fastball with his breaking stuff and it was effective enough to keep the Royals in the game. He gave up just one earned run on six hits and two walks, striking out eight, and lowering his ERA to 4.13. Too bad he didn't get the decision.

This afternoon, the Royals look to win the final series they'll ever play at Yankee Stadium when Zack Greinke (9-8, 4.09) goes up against Sidney Ponson (7-3, 4.27). Greinke is 2-3 against the evil Yankees in his career with a 6.25 ERA in 36.0 IP. Ponson is 10-7 against the Royals with a 4.38 ERA in 127.1 IP.

Game 121: Kansas City @ Chicago

Game Date: August 14, 2008
White Sox 9, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Broadway (1-0), LP: Davies (5-4)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 54-67

Well, at least we scored.

The Royals actually had the lead early on when Jose Guillen singled in Mitch Maier and Mike Aviles in the first inning. The White Sox scored three runs in the second to take the lead and the score remained 3-2 until the sixth inning when the Sox hit back to back to back to back home runs (Thome, Konerko, Ramirez, Uribe). After Uribe crossed home plate, the Sox were up 9-2 and every ounce of life that may have existed in the Royals dugout was gone.

Joel Peralta gave up the first three bombs. Robinson Tejeda gave up the fourth.

I understand that the White Sox are a first place team and all, but this was a downright embarrassing series for the Royals.  They were outscored 22-2. Unfortunately, life doesn't get any easier this weekend. The Royals open a new series against the evil Yankees tonight.

Gil Meche (10-9, 4.24) will go up against Andy Pettitte (12-9, 4.32). Meche is 3-4 against the evil Yankees in his career with a 4.64 ERA in 66.0 IP. Pettitte is 12-3 against the Royals with a 3.58 ERA in 133.1 IP.

Game 120: Kansas City @ Chicago

Game Date: August 13, 2008
White Sox 4, Royals 0 / Box Score
WP: Buehrle (10-10), LP: Hochevar (6-11)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 54-66

Luke Hochevar was good, just not good enough. Of course, no pitcher is good enough to overcome an offense that doesn't score. And for the second straight night, that was the case for the Royals in Chicago. After the game, Hillman called the offensive performance pathetic (they had just five hits in the game).

Can't argue with that.

With Banny struggling the way he is, it's nice to see Hochevar get a thing or two figured out. Back on June 25, he was 5-5 with a 4.60 ERA. Eight starts later he is 6-11 with a 5.44 ERA. So, Hochevar fell into a slump about the same time Banny did. But after the first inning, his pitches had nice life on them and he stayed in the game through seven innings.

The Royals have lost six of their last seven and the schedule doesn't get any easier. After the game in Chicago this afternoon, they will head to Yankee Stadium for a three-game series there.

This afternoon, Kyle Davies (5-3, 4.66) will go up against D.J. Carrasco (1-0, 2.57). Davies is 1-1 in his career against the White Sox with a 7.04 ERA in 15.1 IP. Carrasco is 0-0 in his career against the Royals with a 2.25 ERA in 4.0 IP.

With Carrasco on the mound, things should be interesting--given what happened earlier this month. I wonder if Miguel Olivo will be in the lineup...and I wonder if John Kruk will still be as clueless.

Mike Aviles, and the $1,000 Signing Bonus

If you haven't read Jeff Passan's column over at Yahoo! Sports about Mike Aviles, it's a great read.

He recounts how the Royals drafted Aviles in the seventh round of the 2003 draft and then offered him a $1,000 signing bonus. And how, even after winning the MVP of the Arizona Rookie League, and then making the Carolina League All-Star team, and then making the Texas League All-Star team, the Royals did not place him on the 40-man roster coming out of spring this year, so any team could have taken him as a Rule 5 guy for $50,000.

Obviously, none did. Thankfully.

Game 119: Kansas City @ Chicago

Game Date: August 12, 2008
White Sox 9, Royals 0 / Box Score
WP: Vazquez (9-10), LP: Bannister (7-11)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 54-65

Brian Bannsiter's string of starts without a win was extended to eight last night in Chicago. And you have to wonder what has happened to his season. Going into his start against the Cardinals in Kansas City on June 29, he was 7-6 with a 4.47 ERA. He gave up seven earned runs against the Cardinals and he hasn't been the same pitcher since. He was up in the zone last night and the White Sox hit three home runs off of him. Let's hope that he can figure things out soon.

Josh Newman, fresh up from Omaha, got a taste of what it feels like to be on the mound for the Royals as balls drop in and when fielders simply drop the ball. In the eighth inning, the score was just 4-0 in favor of Chicago when A.J. Pierzynski got a "double" on a pop fly that dropped in between Mike Aviles, Jason Smith, and David DeJesus. How many times has that happened this year? During the same inning, Jose Guillen dropped what he called an "easy fly ball" in left field. Before the inning was over, the White Sox scored five times.

Hopefully, the Royals can turn things around against the White Sox tonight. Luke Hochevar (6-10, 5.54) will go up against Mark Buehrle (9-10, 3.94). Hochevar is 0-1 against the White Sox in his career with a 4.80 ERA in 15.0 IP. Buehrle is 17-8 against the Royals with a 3.55 ERA in 233.0 IP.

Game 118: Minnesota @ Kansas City

Game Date: August 10, 2008
Royals 5, Twins 4 / Box Score
WP: Tejeda (1-2), LP: Breslow (0-1)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 54-64

I'm sure that when Trey Hillman inserted Tony Pena into the game yesterday as a pinch runner for Billy Butler in the eighth inning, he had no idea that Pena would end up hitting twice as the DH, but that's what happened. Here's how the Royals website set the scene for Pena's game-winning hit in the twelfth inning:

"Never mind the .148 batting average coming into the game. Never mind the 0-for-17 recent slide with sporadic at-bats. In an ironic twist of fate, Pena found himself in the designated-hitter slot late in Sunday's game against the Twins. He proceeded to go 2-for-2, including a game-winning single in the 12th that lifted the Royals to a 5-4 triumph at Kauffman Stadium."

Rather than falling into the "never mind" category, I'd say the situation falls more into the "even a broken clock is right twice a day" category. But who cares? A win is a win and it probably shouldn't have been.

Gil Meche walked seven guys. Seven. And he gave up four runs in 6.1 innings on 117 pitches. But the bullpen didn't allow the Twins to score another run and the Royals clawed their way back into the game in the eighth with two runs to tie the game, 4-4, and send it into extra innings.

Several guys had a nice day at the plate for the Royals. How about Jason Smith filling in at second base and going 2-for-5 in the nine hole? Mitch Maier continues to hit--he was 2-for-6. Mark Teahen was 3-for-5. And Tony Pena was 2-for-2.

So the Royals salvaged the final game of the series and knocked the Twins out of first place in the AL Central. The Royals also stayed ahead of the Indians by one game. When you look at the number of runs we've been outscored by this season (80), it's a miracle that we're not in last place, given that the Indians have outscored their opponents by seven runs.

The Royals are off today. They'll begin a new series in Chicago tomorrow night. That should be interesting. The rotation will get a bit of a shakeup since Zack Greinke is beginning to serve his five game suspension. Brian Bannister (7-10, 5.37) will get the start in the first game of the series. He'll go up against Javier Vazquez (8-10, 4.74). Bannister is 2-1 against the White Sox in his career with a 7.44 ERA. Vazquez is 7-2 against the Royals with a 3.24 ERA

Royals Trade Horacio Ramirez to White Sox

After the game tonight, the Royals announced that they have traded Horacio Ramirez to the White Sox for outfielder Paulo Orlando.

Orlando, 22, was sent to Single-A Wilmington. Obviously the scouts must see something in his potential because his numbers in the minor leagues are nothing to get excited about. You can see them all here.

This season, in 111 games in A-ball, he's hitting .264, with a .310 OBP and he has 9 HR and 42 RBI. He's never hit more than nine home runs in a season. His career AVG is .260 and his career OBP is .303. He does steal bases (28 this season; 77 for his career).

Horacio Ramirez on the other hand put up good numbers out of the Royals' pen. He had a 2.59 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP in 15 appearances.

As I have in the past, I'll assume that Dayton Moore and staff know more about the player we are obtaining than I do. So I'll reserve judgment.

Eric Hosmer Update

If you are wondering what is happening with Eric Hosmer, the Royals' first round draft choice this year, check out Sam Mellinger's recent post about him.

Game 117: Minnesota @ Kansas City

Game Date: August 9, 2008
Twins 7, Royals 3 / Box Score
WP: Liriano (2-3), LP: Greinke (9-8)
Royal Home Runs: Olivo (11)
Royals Record: 53-64

This one wasn't on television in the Omaha market so I didn't have a chance to see it, but I listened to some of it on the radio. Unfortunately I tuned in after Greinke was already taken out of the game, but one glance at his line score pretty much says it all (9 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 5.0 IP).

The Royals left 17 guys on base, so this was the second straight night in which they just couldn't come up with the big hit. Throw in Alex Gordon's error in the sixth inning that led to two runs and you have a recipe for a loss.

That's four straight losses for the Royals and they are now just one game up on Cleveland. Let's hope they can find a way to salvage the final game of the series against the Twins tomorrow.

Gil Meche (10-9, 4.17) will go up against Scott Baker (7-3, 3.86). Meche is 6-5 against the Twins in his career with a 4.66 ERA in 85.0 IP. Baker is 4-2 against the Royals with a 2.98 ERA in 48.1 IP.

Game 116: Minnesota @ Kansas City

Game Date: August 8, 2008
Twins 4, Royals 1 / Box Score
WP: Slowey (8-8), LP: Davies (5-3), SV: Nathan (31)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 53-63

Just when you start to get comfortable with the Royals winning, they go on a losing streak.

Kyle Davies was about as bad as I've ever seen him. He walked five guys and gave up three runs on 69 pitches before being yanked from the game after just 2.1 innings. Our bullpen was well rested after the day off, but Joel Peralta went longer than normal (3.1 innings--no runs, one hit). Horacio Ramirez and Ramon Ramirez finished the final 3.1 innings, giving up a run.

Kevin Slowey wasn't dominant, but he was good. The Royals had little trouble getting on base against him, but they only found a way to score once. The Royals even got something going against Joe Nathan in the ninth when they loaded the bases against him and brought the winning run to the plate, in the form of David DeJesus, with two outs. But Nathan got DeJesus to bounce out and the game was over.

Player Updates

Mark Grudzielanek

We may have seen the last of Mark Grudzielanek in Royal blue. He announced yesterday that he has a torn deltoid ligament on the left side of his right ankle. It won't require surgery, but it takes four to six weeks to heal. If it takes closer to six, he probably won't return this year.

Grud is a free agent after this season and the Royals haven't approached him about a contract for next season. I know he's 38 and only has a year or two left, but statistically speaking, he isn't showing any signs of decline at this point (his .345 OBP is better this year than his career average of .332), so I wouldn't mind seeing the Royals re-sign him to one more contract.

Esteban German is our utility guy right now, and it looks like that is his destiny here in KC. Alberto Callaspo can hardly be counted as the heir apparent at second base given his arrest in June for suspicion of driving under the influence (not his first run in with the law) and subsequent vanishing act after being placed on the DL. Mike Aviles could certainly handle the position, but that would mean we'd need to acquire a different shortstop to replace him because Tony Pena isn't the long term answer.

So, re-signing Grud makes sense.

John Bale

Remember John Bale--the guy who broke his hand back on May 2 when he punched a door? It looks like his season may be over. He's been pitching in Omaha with the hopes of returning to Kansas City, but he's 0-2 with an 8.22 ERA in Triple-A. And, according to Hillman, Bale's fastball is topping out at 87 mph. Now, David Boyce is reporting that Bale has "suffered another setback with his left shoulder to the point that it's starting to look doubtful he will pitch for Kansas City again this season."

Yasuhiko Yabuta

Yabuta cleared waivers and has been assigned to Omaha. Was there ever a doubt that he would clear waivers?