Game 26: Kansas City @ Texas

Game Date: April 29, 2008
Royals 9, Rangers 5 / Box Score
WP: Mahay (1-0), LP: Jennings (0-5)
Royal Home Runs: Guillen (3)
Royals Record: 12-14

If you are a fan of pitcher's duels, then this wasn't a game you wanted to watch. But if you are a fan of the Royals, a win is a win. Brett Tomko was just slightly better than awful and he knows it. He gave up five earned runs on seven hits and three walks in just 3.1 innings. "It stinks,” he said after the game. "I'm just fighting it right now. My secondary pitches are garbage. I'm either throwing them straight into the ground or I'm hanging them."

Thankfully Jason Jennings was even worse and the Royals jumped on him for five runs in the first two innings. Mark Grudzielanek was right on every pitch he saw last night, going 4-for-6 with three runs scored. Jose Guillen hit a towering home run down the left field line and tied a career high with five RBI for the game. Mark Teahen swung the bat well, going 2-for-4 with 3 RBI. And finally, the Royals found a way to out slug an opponent. Let's hope we don't have to do that very often.

The bullpen did its job as always. Ron Mahay came into the game in the fourth and gave up no runs on two hits over the next 2.1 innings. Jimmy Gobble, Ramon Ramirez, and Joakim Soria closed out the game without allowing any runs. Ramirez and Soria have been especially tough this season. Ramirez dropped his ERA to 0.71 and Soria still hasn't give up a single run all year. That's incredible.

Tonight, Brian Bannister (3-2, 2.48) will go up against Kevin Millwood (1-2, 3.32). Bannister is 1-0 in his career against the Rangers with a 0.00 ERA. Millwood is 4-3 against the Royals with a 4.66 ERA.

How I Became a Royals Fan: Minda Haas

Name: Minda Haas
Location: Lincoln and Omaha, NE
Age: 19
Blog: Baseball and Other Things

Tell me a little about yourself. What do you do for a living? What do you like to do for fun? What are your hobbies?

Truth be told, baseball is the answer to all of these. I am a student working toward two journalism degrees that will hopefully allow me to be a sportswriter professionally. (As much as I love blogging, it sure doesn't pay the bills!) The coolest of my three part-time jobs is the one with the Omaha Royals, where I help do all the crazy on-field promotions that make the minor league experience what it is. In my free time, I read this and other fine Royals blogs, and occasionally play video games and guitar, sing in my church's choir, and follow other sports.

How old were you when you first started following the Royals?

I was born into it. I can't ever remember a summer day without the Royals. Even if I didn't actively follow them when I was very young, I was always somewhat aware of how they were doing because we always had the games on the radio, and my parents and older brothers would discuss the team over dinner. It didn't become an all-out obsession until early high school, but I've always followed the team to some extent.

Who was your first favorite Royals' player and why?

I suppose my first favorite Royal was Mike Sweeney. Because I'm as young as I am, he was big when I was "coming of age" as a baseball fan. When I made the transition from being vaguely aware of Royals happenings to being an active fan, Sween-dog was in the "Face of the Franchise" phase of his KC career, so it was easy to latch on to him as my favorite. I'm still fond of him, by the way, and was sad that he and the team weren't able to come up with some solution where he'd still be a Royal.

Can you remember the first time you saw a game at Royals/Kauffman Stadium? Describe your experience.

The first one I specifically remember wasn't actually until mid-July of 2001. I'm certain I went to games before that, but sadly that's the earliest one where I can recall specific details. The Mariners were in town, and of course that was Ichiro's rookie year so the stadium was packed with Ichiro-crazed fans. He promptly went 0-5 on the night, and was also the cause for the ejection of a Royals pitcher, and one of the most fiery on-field manager/ump arguments I have seen to this day. Let's take a moment to think about how far our pitching staff has come since then: Kris Wilson was KC's starter that night.

What is your favorite Kauffman Stadium memory?

That has to be Opening Day 2007. It was the kind of day that makes people get that fond, faraway look in their eyes as they describe seeing the greenest grass they've ever seen, and feeling the most perfect sunshine they've ever felt, and all of that. April 2, 2007 was exactly like that for me. I went with two of my brothers and two of their friends, and the day could not have been more flawless. It was the first time I had seen Curt Schilling pitch in person, and my Royals flogged him. I had never seen Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz bat in person, and Royal pitching held them to a combined 1-for-7. Royals fans everywhere were anxious to see if Gil Meche was an ace, a waste, or somewhere in between, and he went a beautiful 7.1 innings with only one run given up. On that day, the Royals had a taste of success, and a share of first place that would disappear the next day. But that slice of non-loserdom was the most glorious day of my baseball life.

Are you old enough to remember the 1985 season? If so, where were you when Darryl Motley caught the final out of Game 7? Describe your experience.

I wasn't even a twinkle in my father's eye yet. What a shame; I would love to know what Royals victory feels like.

Are you old enough to remember seeing George Brett play? If so, what is your favorite George Brett memory?

I was a toddler when he retired. Again, a massive shame--I love George Brett.

Tell me your favorite memory from the 2003 season when the Royals spent most of the season in first place in the AL Central.

2003 was a cool year for me, because my brother and I were both at the same high school that year (he was a senior). We were on the same newspaper staff, along with a bunch of other baseball fans, so newspaper working time was often accompanied by ESPN or the Royals on the radio. All season long, that group of students--mostly senior guys, plus me as a sophomore--kept tabs on the Royals. When Pena was named Manager of the Year and Berroa the Rookie of the Year, someone (probably my brother) printed out a bunch of copies of those news stories and plastered the newspaper room with it. Sheer triumph reigned for the handful of Royals fans in my high school that day.

Who is your favorite Royals player right now? Why?

Brian Bannister, all the way. Before I ever saw him pitch as a Royal, I could tell I was going to like him, and I thought the Mets were crazy for completing that trade. When he was in Omaha, I loved watching him. Even if I didn't have time to watch the game closely (around my job), I could tell that he had command over games, but not in an overpowering way the way someone like Randy Johnson might have. Before I knew of his sabermetric prowess, I saw that mental domination he had over hitters he faced--even when he didn't win.

Then came the call up. I started seeing him in interviews, and he was actually able to string together coherent and even insightful thoughts--I think we all know how rare that is among players. The more time went on, the more it was obvious that the brain inside his head was something to be treasured and something to be picked. I followed Bannister more closely and with more detailed attention than I have ever given a single player. I squealed with delight every time a different website interviewed him this offseason, and have bookmarked and re-read a lot of those interviews whenever I want to get excited about smart pitching (can I call it Bannyball?).

Also, I want the world to know that I just made my first jersey commitment--I've never bought a Royals' player jersey, but I did this week...and it is Brian Bannister.

What are your favorite memories of Mike Sweeney?

This one runs really, really deep for me. I'm Catholic, and had been finding everything out that I could about Sweeney and how he shares his faith. I was pumped to meet him when he rehabbed in Omaha last August, both because he had been my favorite Royal growing up and because of all the "Catholic stuff." The first time I really met him was that weekend in August (described in full detail here), but I ran into him again in January at a conference for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). He remembered me, asked how I was doing, and then...he told me he was proud of me. That meant a lot to me at the time, and still does. When I'm struggling with my faith life, I look back on things like that and it helps me see what I should be doing, what would make someone as genuinely good as Mike Sweeney proud of me.

What are your thoughts about the current Royals roster?

It's a little bit Swiss cheese-esque, but we have so many reasons to be hopeful. People are actually mentioning Royals players (pitchers, even!) when talking about building good fantasy teams, and I think that's a good sign. I'd love to have a shortstop who could get on base a little bit more regularly...or if TPJ could just go to the plate pretending he had two strikes. Maybe then he'd try to just get on base rather than swinging completely unrealistically for the fences until he's in a 2-strike hole. I love the bullpen, especially now that Nomo has been DFA'd. (That sounds so heartless, I know, but he struck me as such a weak link.) Joakim Soria is a delight--I'd hate him if he was in any division rival's pen, because once he comes in, he just gives that vibe that says, "This is it; I'm here so this game is over." I love having someone that exciting, and that worthy of boasting about in our pen.

Besides Mike Sweeney, have you ever met anybody who played for the Royals at an autograph session (or somewhere else)? Describe your experience.

Plenty. I've been to a few of the Royals Caravan stops, and have waited outside of The K many times for autographs, but most of my meaningful contact with players has come at AAA-Omaha. (I should, however, point out that meeting Ryan Shealy in February of 2007 was one of only a tiny number of non-horrible things in my life that winter. That is the origin of my irrational fan-love for Shealy.) At work, my team sets up all our promotions-related stuff in the camera wells, which are right next to the dugouts. I always go on the Royals side of the field, so I am side-by-side with the team all the time. They love to throw random objects at us, anything from sunflower seeds to bubble gum (usually gum that has not been chewed) to softee baseballs. Angel Berroa is one of the most fun to be around; I've born the brunt of his love for practical jokes and startling people many times. It's cool to get to know a little bit about the O-Royals as people, rather than only as potential filler for the 40-man or whatever. And when I had an awkward tumble off the dugout, the first two people to come to my aid were Joey Gathright and pitcher Matt Wright. Without Wright there to remind me to breathe, I definitely would have fainted, which would have meant more time in the ER for evaluation and all that, so I think I owe him big time. The way Gathright tells the story is a little different; apparently he says that he "saved my life."

This series will run periodically here at Royal Reflections. If you'd like to be interviewed for this series, send Lee an email and he'll be in touch. Also, please note: all photos belong to the interviewees and are not to be copied and/or posted elsewhere.

Game 25: Toronto @ Kansas City

Game Date: April 27, 2008 
Blue Jays 5, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Litsch (3-1), LP: Meche (1-4), SV: Carlson (1)  
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 11-14

Gil Meche was better today (3 ER, 9 H, 1 BB, 3 K, in 6.2 IP), but I'm still trying to figure out how a guy throws 129 pitches in 6.2 innings. He faced 29 guys, so he averaged 4.44 pitches to every hitter. Toronto hitters are showing the ability to be patient at the plate this season (they are second in the AL with 102 BB and they have struck out just 130 times, which is third best in the AL), so they had something to do with Meche's high pitch count, but whatever happened to pitching to contact?

At the plate the Royals offense was just 6-for-31 (a .193 average) with no walks and five strikeouts. If that's not the definition of anemic, then I don't know what is. Jose Guillen was 0-for-4 and he's still well below the Mendoza line with a .177 average. Tony Pena was 0-for-3 and he's hovering around .150. Billy Butler's average is dropping, he's down to .283. And look at the guys who are hitting; David DeJesus was 1-for-4 with 2 RBI and he's hitting .351 now; Alberto Callaspo, playing in place of Mark Grudzielanek who is currently ailing with a bad back, was 2-for-4 and his average is at .351; and Ross Gload was 2-for-3 in the eight hole to bring his average up to an even .300.

The Royals are off tomorrow. They'll begin a new series in Texas on Tuesday evening. Brett Tomko (1-3, 5.25) is scheduled to go up against Jason Jennings (0-4, 7.46). Tomko is 1-3 in his career against the Rangers with a 7.01 ERA. Jennings is 0-0 against the Royals with a 0.00 ERA.

Tomorrow, I'll be posting another "How I Became a Royals Fan" interview, so check back.

Game 24: Toronto @ Kansas City

Game Date: April 26, 2008
Royals 2, Blue Jays 1 / Box Score
WP: Hochevar (1-1), LP: Marcum (2-2), SV: Soria (6)  
Royal Home Runs: Guillen (2)
Royals Record: 11-13

That was the Luke Hochevar that we've all been waiting for. He got his sinker going and coaxed 11 ground balls and three strikeouts in six innings of work. Afterward he said it was the first time in the big leagues that he wasn't battling adrenalin. In fact, in a rather Gil Meche-like statement, he said this: "I like to pitch on the verge of a fight, but when I get over-zealous, I come out of my delivery and try to throw it 100 miles per hour. In all reality, I just need to keep the ball down and throw it over the plate."

One wonders if anger management won't be a requirement for Royals starters soon.

The Royals still didn't generate much offense--just five hits and three walks in fact. But an RBI single by Ross Gload in the fourth and a Jose Guillen blast to left field was all the Royals needed to win this one.

The bullpen did it's job as well. The combination of Ron Mahay, Leo Nunez, Ramon Ramirez, and Joakim Soria kept the Blue Jays off the scoreboard, giving up two hits and three walks in the process.

The Royals will go for the sweep this afternoon. Gil Meche (1-3, 8.00) will go up against Jesse Litsch (2-1, 6.16). Meche is 4-4 against the Blue Jays in his career with a 5.13 ERA. Litsch is 0-1 against the Royals with a 2.70 ERA.

Next Installment

I'm planning to post the next "How I Became a Royals Fan" interview on Monday. I have some great interviews with Royals fans lined up for you and I hope you enjoy reading these as much as I do. If you are interested in being interviewed for the series via email, send me an email and I'll be in touch.

Game 23: Toronto @ Kansas City

Game Date: April 25, 2008
Royals 8, Blue Jays 4 / Box Score
WP: Nunez (2-0), LP: Burnett (2-2)  
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 10-13

How good is Zack Greinke? I don't think anybody really knows the answer to that question, but we're near the end of April and his ERA is 1.25. He pitched seven strong innings last night, giving up just one earned run on five hits, and even then he didn't want to leave the game when Hillman decided it was time to turn to the bullpen. Greinke said that he argued a little before giving in. That's nice to hear from a guy with such a laid back attitude.

Unfortunately Leo Nunez finally got hit hard, giving up three earned runs in the top of the eighth, but the Royals stormed back in the bottom half of the inning and scored six runs. With one out in the inning and the Royals down 4-2, Jose Guillen singled. Mark Teahen walked. Billy Butler singled in Guillen. Ross Gload grounded into a fielder's choice that allowed Mark Teahen to score. Esteban German (who pinch ran for Butler) moved up to second. With the score tied 4-4, John Buck doubled in German. After Tony Pena got an intentional walk, David DeJesus singled in Gload and Buck. And finally Alberto Callaspo singled to center, scoring Pena to make in 8-4 Royals.

Greinke didn't get the win, but he kept the Royals in a position to win and that's all you can ask a starter to do.

Joakim Soria pitched a scoreless ninth and unbelievably, the guy still hasn't given up an earned run yet this season. In fact, his numbers are downright sick. He's made nine appearances, throwing nine innings, and he's given up just two hits, he hasn't walked one guy, he has 11 strikeouts, five saves, and a 0.22 WHIP.

Tonight, Luke Hochevar (0-1, 11.57) will go up against Shaun Marcum (2-1, 3.42). Hochevar has never faced the Blue Jays. Marcum is 2-0 against the Royals in his career with a 0.48 ERA.

Game 22

Game Date: April 24, 2008
Indians 2, Royals 0 / Box Score
WP: Lee (4-0), LP: Bannister (3-2),  
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 9-13

Brian Bannister was good, but Cliff Lee was better.

In Bannister's mind, everything changed for him and the Royals in the sixth inning when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kelly Shoppach. Bannister found the ball and threw Shoppach out and he got the next two guys as well. But in the seventh inning, David Dellucci led off with a home run, and that's all the Indians needed.

Here's what Bannister said after the game: "I'm not saying this sarcastically, but Cliff Lee is the hottest pitcher on the planet right now. He's putting up Nintendo numbers, and I was stride for stride with him, It was a fun game and they beat me because they hit me literally. My shin is killing me."

Lee went on to pitch a complete game, three-hit shutout. Jose Guillen was the only guy who saw Lee well. He was 2-for-3. David DeJesus was the only other Royal to get a hit. Lee struck out nine and didn't walk anybody.

And now the losing streak stands at seven and it feels like nothing has changed from season past. The Royals are still struggling to score runs. Their defense still isn't as good as it needs to be (partially because we have too many guys playing out of position). And two starters (Bannister and Greinke) are trying to carry the weight for the other three.

This photo of Esteban German seems to capture the way most of us are feeling right now.

The Royals begin a new series at home tonight against the Blue Jays. Zack Greinke (3-0, 1.24) will go up against A.J. Burnett (2-1, 6.85). Greinke is 1-2 against the Blue Jays in his career with a 5.03 ERA. Burnett is 2-1 against the Royals with a 3.67 ERA.

Game 21

Game Date: April 24, 2008
Indians 9, Royals 6 / Box Score
WP: Carmona (3-1), LP: Tomko (1-3), SV: Betancourt (1) 
Royal Home Runs: DeJesus (1), Olivo (3)
Royals Record: 9-12

Bad pitching + Bad defense = another loss.

Brett Tomko pitched from behind in the count in his four brief innings and the Indians pounded him for six earned runs on eleven hits and two walks. I guess I shouldn't say brief innings. He threw 108 pitches and the game moved at a snail's pace. Fausto Carmona threw 98 pitches in the first five innings.

It was that kind of game.

The Royals got their hits. In Hillman's revamped line up, Gathright was 2-for-5 at the top of the order, DeJesus was 2-for-4 with an RBI, Butler was 1-for-5 with 2 RBI, Gordon was 2-for-3 with an RBI, and Olivo was 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.

But if you can't pitch or catch, scoring six runs is usually not going to be enough.

There were a couple of nice things to point out in this one though:

The Royals were down 7-1 in the third and it looked like they were in for another drubbing, but they forced Carmona to bring his sinker up a little and when he did, they started hitting him and clawing their way back into the game. In the seventh inning, Olivo hit a two-run home run to bring the Royals to within three runs, which is at least a puncher's chance.

As bad as Yasuhiko Yabuta has been (he gave up two more runs last night), Ramon Ramirez has been stunningly good. He pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless ball last night, lowering his ERA to 0.87.

Royals Still Have Limited TV Schedule in Omaha

I'm still getting email from Royals fans who are upset, like I am, that Cox Communications has chosen not to carry all 140 games on FSN Kansas City in the Omaha market, even though the games are available to them. I never did get a straight answer from Cox about why, but by now you know that Cox made a financial decision.

Here's a link to an article in the Omaha World Herald from a couple of weeks ago that confirms that it was indeed a financial decision. Here's basically what it boils down to: "The costs incurred by Cox to broadcast the additional 40 games, however, would have been passed on to all customers, Peck said [she's a VP with Cox], and were not in the best interest of Cox's entire subscriber base."

Of course, that doesn't really explain the fact that Time Warner customers in Lincoln, Nebraska are able to see all 140 games without a rate increase. But at least it sounds like Cox has finally quit placing the blame on MLB for blacking out the games.

According to the article though, "Peck said Cox had not received many complaints over its scheduling decision." I don't know how she would define "many" but I've called several times, and if everybody who has emailed me telling me that they've called has actually followed through, then I highly doubt what Peck said.

I wish I had better news for you, but I don't. The answer is DirecTV.

Contest is Over

Just to update you on the MLB 08 The Show PS3 giveaway, five winners have been notified via email. As long as I hear back from all five this week, then the contest is over. I'll post the first names of the five winners when everything is wrapped up. If I don't hear from one or more of the winners, I'll re-open the contest for the remaining game(s).

And just because the contest is over doesn't mean you can't take advantage of the subscription box in the upper right hand corner of the page. By subscribing, you'll receive one email each night containing all of the posts for that day. If you don't use an aggregator of some sort, this is a great way to stay current with the blog.

Game 20

Game Date: April 22, 2008
Indians 15, Royals 1 / Box Score
WP: Sabathia (1-3), LP: Meche (1-3)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 9-11

This one had a Tony Pena/Buddy Bell-era type of feel, didn't it? All of us desperately want to believe that sometimes you get blown out--even when your ace is on the mound--and that it's just one game. I'm right there with you. But how can we not be thinking about Aprils past when the Royals are usually buried so deep in the AL Central standings that it zaps the energy from the team and the fan base for the rest of the season?

Trey Hillman is quoted as saying this in the Star after the game: "You can’t have a knee-jerk reaction. The preparation is good. The work ethic is good. Sometimes there is too much want. But they want to perform for the right reason."

It all sounds too familiar.

It's hard to point to any one thing right now as the problem, but if you had to, pitching would probably be it. Last night, Gil Meche was hoping to turn his season around by winning his second straight game. He's been struggling to put guys away when he's ahead in the count, but he found a way to win his last time out in spite of that. But that certainly wasn't the case last night. The Indians hit fastballs and curve balls when they were down in the count, which surely has Meche scratching his head this morning.

Here's what he said after the game: "I wish I could pinpoint one thing that I'm doing. The body feels good. The arm feels fine. I'm just not making pitches when I have to. I'm not getting ground balls when I have to get a double play."

The pitching problems don't just lie with Meche though. Yasuhiko Yabuta gave up two more earned runs in an inning and his ERA is now 9.82. And the underused Jimmy Gobble finally saw some action in a mop up role and he gave up three earned runs in 0.2 innings.

But when you are last in the major leagues in runs scored, you have more problems than just the pitching staff. The Royals managed just six hits last night and just four off of C.C. Sabathia who looked a lot like the old Sabathia.

The nice thing about baseball though is, you always have tomorrow. And tomorrow is today. Brett Tomko (1-2, 3.60) will go up against Fausto Carmona (2-1, 1.96). Tomko is 1-1 in his career against the Indians with a 4.81 ERA. Carmona is 3-0 against the Royals with a 2.95 ERA.

How I Became a Royals Fan: Rick McGinniss

Name: Rick McGinniss
Location: Kansas City

Tell me a little about yourself. What do you do for a living? What do you like to do for fun? What are your hobbies?

I've been married to Jetta for 29 years and we have three grown daughters, two who live in MO and one who lives in DC. I've lived in Kansas City since 1987 when we moved out here so I could attend Midwestern Seminary. In 1994 we planted North Heartland Community Church in the KC Northland and I'm still the pastor there. I like to golf, work in the yard, build computers, and, of course, watch the Royals.

How old were you when you first started following the Royals?

I was 30 when we moved to Kansas City.

How did you initially become interested in the Royals?

The first time I remember actually seeing the Royals and paying attention was in the World Series when they beat St. Louis in 1985. I was still living in NJ, so I wasn't really a fan, but I watched the series.

Who was your first favorite Royals’ player and why?

George Brett.

Can you remember the first time you saw a game at Royals/Kauffman Stadium? Describe your experience.

The first time would have been Opening Day in 1988. I was working at a church as a youth pastor and our senior pastor, who was also a big Royals fan and a member of the Rotary Club, invited me to sell papers on the streets to raise money for their camps. That got me a free ticket and a free lunch at the stadium. It was awesome. I couldn't believe how beautiful the ballpark was. Twenty years later, I'm still amazed by it.

What is your favorite Kauffman Stadium memory?

I have two very distinct K-memories.

My wife and I were there the Opening Day when Slugger was "born." It was bitter cold--maybe 30-35 degrees, but sunny. They brought out this big wooden box on the back of a truck. The truck circled the stadium, then stopped in front of the Royals dugout. The box started shaking and out popped Slugger.

I was also there the night Mike Sweeney charged the mound and pounded Jeff Weaver. My youngest daughter and I were seated about 10 rows behind the Royals dugout. I remember telling her "that guy must've said something really bad for Mike Sweeney to do that."

Tell me your favorite memory from the 2003 season when the Royals spent most of the season in first place in the AL Central.

I don't remember anything in particular, just the feeling of wonder and amazement during the 16-3 start. Well, that and "Nostros Creemos" (we believe).

Who is your favorite Royals player right now? Why?

Grud--he's an old guy but he can still play with the best of them. Kinda reminds me of me. :)

What are your favorite memories of Mike Sweeney?

The guy could flat out hit. His batting song for many years was "Jesus Freak" by D.C. Talk.

What are your thoughts about the current Royals roster?

I'm very excited about the core of younger players and also the guys in the pipeline, especially at AA. I'm very interested to see how Rowdy Hardy does this year. He seems to have a Bannister-like approach. I'm not sure that TPJ will make it unless he hits better. I would like to see them swap Teahen and Gload on the field. Mark doesn't look near as comfortable in left as he did in right last year, even at the beginning of the year and Gload has played left. I love our pitching and I'm glad that the Nomo experiment is over. I hope they stick with Hochevar and move Bale to the bullpen. Other than that, we just need to be patient. This will be a very good team in the second half of the season.

Do you have any other memories about the Royals that you’d like to share?

I've went to observe Spring Training in Surprise for a few days in 2004 and again in late February of this year. It's a blast because you get to be right on top of the field in practices and in games. I was very interested to go this year because of the advent of Hillman and I have to say I was impressed. I saw an intrasquad game where he and a few of the other coaches actually got in the field and he literally coached the players after plays, asking them what they were thinking, explaining how he wanted it done. It was amazing. What was more amazing though, was how he stopped to talk with fans behind the dugout before the Cactus League games. I think Moore got the right guy for this group of players and for our future.

Here are a few of the pictures that Rick took during Spring Training this year:

Trey Hillman at work:

Zack and Billy play Texas hold 'em (sorta):

Billy Butler: the second coming of Sweeney?

This series will run periodically here at Royal Reflections. If you'd like to be interviewed for this series, send Lee an email and he'll be in touch. Also, please note: all photos belong to the interviewees and are not to be copied and/or posted elsewhere.

A Disappointing Series

Beyond the fact that the Royals were swept on Oakland this past weekend, the series was disappointing on so many other levels.

The Royals are under .500 for the first time this season. And I hate to ask the question, but I'll do it anyway...will the Royals see the .500 mark again this season? I hope so, but you have to wonder.

The Royals were outscored 26-8 by the A's. The Royals hit just .164 as a team. They drew nine walks but struck out 25 times. The Royals didn't steal any bases during the series. And unlike the first week of the season, the big hits with two-outs don't seem to be coming quite as often. The Royals are currently 28th in runs scored with just 63 in 19 games (a 3.31 RPG average).

Bannister was hit hard for the first time. That won't be the norm this season, but unfortunately it happened during a difficult stretch for the Royals who finished the road trip with a 2-5 record.

Luke Hochevar made his debut (this year) and gave up six earned runs in 4.2 IP. He pitched well for the first three innings, but in the fourth he seemed to be afraid to throw his fastball. He threw curves and change ups--especially when he was ahead in the count--and the A's were all over his breaking pitches. This should be an easily correctable problem though. 

The bullpen didn't perform well. They gave up 12 ER in just 9.1 IP (good for a 11.57 ERA). Thankfully Hideo Nomo, who gave up five earned runs in one of the games in just a third of an inning (and saw his ERA go to 18.69), has since been designated for assignment. Yasuhiko Yabuta was clobbered in one of the games (5 ER in 0.2 IP) and wiggled off the hook in another. He's been so wild (7 BB in 6.1 IP) that he hasn't given himself a chance to get hitters out. 

Emil Brown went nuts at the plate against the Royals. He was 6-for-15 with 4 RBI, 4 R, and a stolen base. He also missed the cut off man on one particular play in the first game of the series, so at least some things haven't changed.

And it was depressing to see Mike Sweeney wearing Oakland colors.

It's time to put all of that behind us as Cleveland and Toronto head in for six games. Tomorrow night, Gil Meche (1-2, 6.08) will go up against C.C. Sabathia (0-3, 13.50). Meche is 2-6 in his career against the Indians with a 5.32 ERA. Sabathia is 13-8 against the Royals with a 3.38 ERA.

How I Became a Royals Fan Series

I haven't gone anywhere. I've just been working on lining up interviews for the "How I Became a Royals Fan" series that I plan to begin posting here soon. I can't wait for you read them. I think you are really going to enjoy them. And if you'd like to be interviewed for the series, send me an email (Lee@LeeWarren.net) and I'll send you the questions via email I'd like you to answer.

And I'm interested in your take on this...down the road, I might also do this series in podcast format. I'd still make the transcript available here on the blog for those who would rather read the interviews, but it might be fun to listen to the give and take in your iPod as well.

Finally, I still have three MLB 08 The Show video games available for PS3. All you have to do to be eligible to win is to subscribe to this blog (in the top right hand corner), then confirm your subscription. I'm not going to tell which magical number confirmed subscriber you need to be in order to win, but you might as well give it a shot now. Even if you don't win a free copy of the game, you'll begin receiving Royal Reflections posts in your email box once a day, so you won't have to remember to check the blog regularly. And of course, you can unsubscribe at any time.

Game 17

Game Date: April 18, 2008
A's 13, Royals 2 / Box Score
WP: Gaudin (1-1), LP: Bannister (3-1)
Royal Home Runs: None
Royals Record: 9-8

We all knew it would happen eventually. Brian Bannister wasn't sharp and he paid the price. It didn't help that the Royals played a horrendous game defensively, although officially, they didn't commit an error. There's not much to analyze with this one though.

Emil Brown drew first blood with an RBI single in the first. He ended up 3-for-5 with 3 RBI. He also had a throw from left field in which he missed every cutoff man imaginable, but that's Emil Brown. You've gotta take the bad with the good.

Mike Sweeney didn't play in this one, but I was sure hoping he would. As In Dayton We Trust has already pointed out, Sweeney was interviewed by Ryan Levebvre and said some of the most graceful things you'll ever want to hear about the Royals, but that doesn't surprise me. Sweeney has always been a class act.

Yasuhiko Yabuta and Hideo Nomo were both hit extremely hard again. Yabuta gave up five earned runs in just 0.2 IP (his four BB didn't help) and Nomo gave up three earned runs in just 0.1 IP. Again, the Nomo experiment must be getting close to an end. And hopefully Yabuta will turn things around.

The Royals will look to even the series this evening. Zack Greinke (3-0, 0.75) will go against Greg Smith (1-0, 2.08). Greinke is 1-0 in his career against the A's with a 2.66 ERA in 23.2 IP. Smith has never faced the Royals.