The streak is finally over and it only took a recall of Minor League pitcher Kyle Davies to do it... well not entirely but it didn't hurt. Davies making his first start of the year earned his second career victory at the K by going 5 innings allowing 1 run on 5 hits. Not the best pitching performance we have seen this year but it was enough.
The Royals offense did just enough to beat reigning AL Cy Young award winner. DeJesus had a big night hitting his 4th home run to give the Royals a 1-0 lead in the third. The offense tacked on three more runs thanks to key hits from Buck, DeJesus, and Grudz.
Hillman did about everything he could to end this streak. He took Davies out after 5 innings and 100 pitches, Mahey pitched 1.1 innings, followed by Peralta for .2 innings, and Soria closed out the game by pitching the final 2 innings.
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Friday, May 30, 2008
Look at the '08 draft
With the Royals in an 11-game loosing streak, and find themselves an ugly 9.5 games out of first, I figure it would probably be healthy to look at something other than the Royals box score.
The draft is a tough thing to predict, nobody really knows who is going where, and teams are throwing out names to throw other teams off their guy. There is however, a general consensus on who the top guys are.
Buster Posey:
Position: Catcher
School: Junior at Florida State University
Birthdate: 03/27/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Posey is considered to be a gap-to-gap guy with occasional power to left field. He has good knowledge of the strike-zone and isn't afraid to take a walk. Posey is a versatile defender, only recently moving to catcher which means he has some work to do back there. He has an average to below average arm. He is projected to remain as a catcher at the Major League level which raises his stock.
Tim Beckham:
Position: Shortstop
School: Senior at Griffin High School
Birthdate: 01-27-1990
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Beckham is projected to have average power, but he has some flaws in his swing and could take awhile to develop fully. Beckham has good speed and is projected to have the tools to remain at shortstop. Labeled as a five-tool player Beckham will be hard to pass on but he does have a lot of work to do, particularly at the plate.
Pedro Alvarez:
Position: Third base
School: Junior at Vanderbilt University
Birthdate: 07/18/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 225
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Alvarez is considered a safe bet to be a productive hitter at the Major League level, he should hit for a solid average with average power to develop. It is somewhat a question mark on whether or not he can play third in the bigs as he has limited range and average arm; could be a future first baseman. Alvarez is a high energy guy that should move through any system quickly.
Justin Smoak:
Position: First Base
School: Junior at the University of South Carolina
Birthdate: 12/05/1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215
Bats: Switch
Throws: Left
Smoak is a big guy with a good bat, he is projected to be a 30-40 home run guy in the Majors and will also hit for a good average. Smoak is very limited defensively and is slow on the base paths. Smoak will either be a below average first baseman or a DH at the big league level but his bat will carry him.
Eric Hosmer:
Position: First Base
School: Senior at American Heritage High School
Birthdate: 10/24/1989
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Hosmer is a big left-handed bat who projects to hit for good average and plenty of power. Hosmer is good defensively and has a good throwing arm at first, but lacks speed on the base paths. Hosmer is considered to be the best high school bat in the draft and should move fairly quickly through the minors for a high school kid.
Aaron Crow:
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Junior at the University of Missouri
Birthdate: 11/11/1986
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Crow is a big right hander who has three plus pitches; a fastball that reaches 96, a hard slider, and a change-up. He has good command, especially with the fastball, and maintains his velocity well. Crow is aggressive and is perhaps the best college arm in the draft.
Brian Matusz:
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Junior at the University of San Diego
Birthdate: 02/11/1987
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Matusz has four pitches, all at least average. He throws a fastball in the low 90's, a slider, a plus change up, and his out pitch is a big curve. It has been noted that he doesn't work off his fastball as much as needed but he has good command and will throw any pitch at anytime. Matusz is argueably the top rated pitcher in the draft.
The draft is a tough thing to predict, nobody really knows who is going where, and teams are throwing out names to throw other teams off their guy. There is however, a general consensus on who the top guys are.
Buster Posey:
Position: Catcher
School: Junior at Florida State University
Birthdate: 03/27/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Posey is considered to be a gap-to-gap guy with occasional power to left field. He has good knowledge of the strike-zone and isn't afraid to take a walk. Posey is a versatile defender, only recently moving to catcher which means he has some work to do back there. He has an average to below average arm. He is projected to remain as a catcher at the Major League level which raises his stock.
Tim Beckham:
Position: Shortstop
School: Senior at Griffin High School
Birthdate: 01-27-1990
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 190 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Beckham is projected to have average power, but he has some flaws in his swing and could take awhile to develop fully. Beckham has good speed and is projected to have the tools to remain at shortstop. Labeled as a five-tool player Beckham will be hard to pass on but he does have a lot of work to do, particularly at the plate.
Pedro Alvarez:
Position: Third base
School: Junior at Vanderbilt University
Birthdate: 07/18/1987
Height: 6'2"
Weight: 225
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Alvarez is considered a safe bet to be a productive hitter at the Major League level, he should hit for a solid average with average power to develop. It is somewhat a question mark on whether or not he can play third in the bigs as he has limited range and average arm; could be a future first baseman. Alvarez is a high energy guy that should move through any system quickly.
Justin Smoak:
Position: First Base
School: Junior at the University of South Carolina
Birthdate: 12/05/1986
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 215
Bats: Switch
Throws: Left
Smoak is a big guy with a good bat, he is projected to be a 30-40 home run guy in the Majors and will also hit for a good average. Smoak is very limited defensively and is slow on the base paths. Smoak will either be a below average first baseman or a DH at the big league level but his bat will carry him.
Eric Hosmer:
Position: First Base
School: Senior at American Heritage High School
Birthdate: 10/24/1989
Height: 6' 4"
Weight: 210 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Left
Hosmer is a big left-handed bat who projects to hit for good average and plenty of power. Hosmer is good defensively and has a good throwing arm at first, but lacks speed on the base paths. Hosmer is considered to be the best high school bat in the draft and should move fairly quickly through the minors for a high school kid.
Aaron Crow:
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Junior at the University of Missouri
Birthdate: 11/11/1986
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 195 lbs
Bats: Right
Throws: Right
Crow is a big right hander who has three plus pitches; a fastball that reaches 96, a hard slider, and a change-up. He has good command, especially with the fastball, and maintains his velocity well. Crow is aggressive and is perhaps the best college arm in the draft.
Brian Matusz:
Position: Starting Pitcher
School: Junior at the University of San Diego
Birthdate: 02/11/1987
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 200 lbs
Bats: Left
Throws: Right
Matusz has four pitches, all at least average. He throws a fastball in the low 90's, a slider, a plus change up, and his out pitch is a big curve. It has been noted that he doesn't work off his fastball as much as needed but he has good command and will throw any pitch at anytime. Matusz is argueably the top rated pitcher in the draft.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Roster Moves: Butler down, Aviles up
We all expected some more roster moves but here is what we know so far. Billy Butler is being optioned to Omaha and Mike Aviles is being called up. Somewhat surprising, Butler hasn't been terrible but he has been struggling of late. Regarding Aviles about damn time, he has been tearing it up all year in Omaha, he will be starting tonight at shortstop.
More to come when on official release comes out.
Update: Here is the official release from Dick Kaegel. You have to figure there will be another move or two before to long, there are now 5 middle infielders on the 25-man roster...not good.
Update: There are now rumblings that Davies will be called up Saturday and Tomko will be moved to the pen. It appears Peralta will be the odd man out, or maybe Yabuta will see some time in Omaha.
More to come when on official release comes out.
Update: Here is the official release from Dick Kaegel. You have to figure there will be another move or two before to long, there are now 5 middle infielders on the 25-man roster...not good.
Update: There are now rumblings that Davies will be called up Saturday and Tomko will be moved to the pen. It appears Peralta will be the odd man out, or maybe Yabuta will see some time in Omaha.
Nunez to DL
This news came out late last night but I was busy trying to ignore all things Royals after the game.
Mark Dent of MLB.com reports that Nunez was added to the 15-day disabled list because of a right lat strain. This is a huge blow to the Royals bullpen as Nunez has been lights-out in the set-up role this year posting a 3-1 record and a 1.71 ERA.
To take Nunez' spot on the 25-man roster is Neal Musser. Musser has had an up and down season so far in Omaha, he is sporting an 0-4 record and a 3.07 ERA. The move, while not completely out of line, is a little strange because Musser now makes lefty number three in the bullpen. He is already on the 40-man roster so no move is needed to add him.
Hopefully this is the first of many moves the Royals will make in the next few days. Pena needs to take a little vacation in Omaha, but that would require him slipping through waivers but I think he would make it. Also Tomko needs to move to the pen and Davies should be called up to take his place.
Mark Dent of MLB.com reports that Nunez was added to the 15-day disabled list because of a right lat strain. This is a huge blow to the Royals bullpen as Nunez has been lights-out in the set-up role this year posting a 3-1 record and a 1.71 ERA.
To take Nunez' spot on the 25-man roster is Neal Musser. Musser has had an up and down season so far in Omaha, he is sporting an 0-4 record and a 3.07 ERA. The move, while not completely out of line, is a little strange because Musser now makes lefty number three in the bullpen. He is already on the 40-man roster so no move is needed to add him.
Hopefully this is the first of many moves the Royals will make in the next few days. Pena needs to take a little vacation in Omaha, but that would require him slipping through waivers but I think he would make it. Also Tomko needs to move to the pen and Davies should be called up to take his place.
Unbelievable
Last night's game was a new low, even for the Royals. In fact I had to wait to even post about it to avoid an expletive laden post, luckily Guillen provided the expletives after the game...more later.
So if you missed the game (good for you), but let me fill you in. Livan Hernandez, already 2-0 against the Royals was making his third start against our boys. The Royals loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first-then Guillen hit into a double play and then Olivo popped out. Perfect I thought, 3 hits and 1 run...sounds about right for this club.
As it turned out that 1 run was just the start for the offense tonight, they really poured it on against Hernandez, in 6+ innings the Royals scored 8 runs off 13 hits. Greinke also showed up tonight, he pitched 8 innings giving up only 3 runs.
So this is the set-up: Top of 9 and the Royals are up 8-3. In comes dependable Ramon Ramirez and his 2.14 ERA to close the door. Ramirez quickly strikes out Cuddyer, then Kubel singles, but Ramirez comes back and strikes out Young-two outs, up 5 runs...good bye losing streak. Then Ramirez throws a wild pitch, lamb then singles...then Harris...then Gomez. Out comes Hillman, obviously Rarmirez doesn't have it tonight-time to bring in Sor..er wait, Peralta!?!?
Peralta vs Monroe, 2 outs,2 on with the score 8-5...no sweat right? Couldn't be more wrong, Monroe homers to tie the score. 8-8, oh...my...god. Top of 10 and Peralta comes back out and quickly gives up the game winning home run to Morneau. The Royals lose 9-8 in 10 innings.
This loss has to fall on Hillman's shoulders, sure Soria pitched in back to back games but you need to bring in your closer in situations like this to put a streak to an end. Hillman, in the postgame, said that "I’m not willing to possibly jeopardize the rest of the season with one of the biggest strengths on our club", in reference to not bringing in Soria.
That wasn't the only curious decision Hillman made, DeJesus was pulled because of "hives" and he was replaced in right field by Gload. Why not put Gload at first and put Teahen in right field...he is the right fielder. That decision is curious because Gload failed to make a play on a fairly easy play in shallow right field which could of easily been the third out.
So on to Guillen, he had a few comments after the game, and I think they were much needed. “Too many babies in here,” Guillen fumed afterward in an otherwise hushed clubhouse. “They don’t know how to play the game and how to win games. That’s the problem here.
“Now I know why this organization has been losing for a while. Now I know. It doesn’t have anything to do with our manager. He cares more than anyone.”
It will be interesting to see how the Royals react to Guillens comments. It could fire them up and lead to some guys stepping up or it could alienate Guillen from all the "babies" in the clubhouse. I hope the players take these words to heart and step up because Guillen is absolutely right. These guys don't know how to win.
So if you missed the game (good for you), but let me fill you in. Livan Hernandez, already 2-0 against the Royals was making his third start against our boys. The Royals loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the first-then Guillen hit into a double play and then Olivo popped out. Perfect I thought, 3 hits and 1 run...sounds about right for this club.
As it turned out that 1 run was just the start for the offense tonight, they really poured it on against Hernandez, in 6+ innings the Royals scored 8 runs off 13 hits. Greinke also showed up tonight, he pitched 8 innings giving up only 3 runs.
So this is the set-up: Top of 9 and the Royals are up 8-3. In comes dependable Ramon Ramirez and his 2.14 ERA to close the door. Ramirez quickly strikes out Cuddyer, then Kubel singles, but Ramirez comes back and strikes out Young-two outs, up 5 runs...good bye losing streak. Then Ramirez throws a wild pitch, lamb then singles...then Harris...then Gomez. Out comes Hillman, obviously Rarmirez doesn't have it tonight-time to bring in Sor..er wait, Peralta!?!?
Peralta vs Monroe, 2 outs,2 on with the score 8-5...no sweat right? Couldn't be more wrong, Monroe homers to tie the score. 8-8, oh...my...god. Top of 10 and Peralta comes back out and quickly gives up the game winning home run to Morneau. The Royals lose 9-8 in 10 innings.
This loss has to fall on Hillman's shoulders, sure Soria pitched in back to back games but you need to bring in your closer in situations like this to put a streak to an end. Hillman, in the postgame, said that "I’m not willing to possibly jeopardize the rest of the season with one of the biggest strengths on our club", in reference to not bringing in Soria.
That wasn't the only curious decision Hillman made, DeJesus was pulled because of "hives" and he was replaced in right field by Gload. Why not put Gload at first and put Teahen in right field...he is the right fielder. That decision is curious because Gload failed to make a play on a fairly easy play in shallow right field which could of easily been the third out.
So on to Guillen, he had a few comments after the game, and I think they were much needed. “Too many babies in here,” Guillen fumed afterward in an otherwise hushed clubhouse. “They don’t know how to play the game and how to win games. That’s the problem here.
“Now I know why this organization has been losing for a while. Now I know. It doesn’t have anything to do with our manager. He cares more than anyone.”
It will be interesting to see how the Royals react to Guillens comments. It could fire them up and lead to some guys stepping up or it could alienate Guillen from all the "babies" in the clubhouse. I hope the players take these words to heart and step up because Guillen is absolutely right. These guys don't know how to win.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Who's to blame for the losing streak?
First let me start off by saying that I have nothing groundbreaking to say here, I don't know why the Royals are playing like third graders and I don't know how to fix it-I'm just here to vent. So here is my list of people to blame for the streak.
1. Mark Teahen: 2-20 with 0 extra base hits, 1 RBI, and 7 walks. Teahen is a big guy (6'3" and 210 pounds) yet he has only 10 Extra base hits in 173 at bats. The Royals can not get that kind of production from a corner outfielder and get away with it.
2. Tony Pena jr: 3-21 with 0 extra base hits, 0 RBI, and 0 walks. I love the guys defense like everybody else but his production offensively is a real problem for this team.
3. Billy Butler: 4-26 with 0 extra base hits, 0 RBI, and 0 walks. The league has made their adjustments now it's up to Butler to counter. The kid is just to big to not drive the ball.
4. Mike Barnett: The Royals hitting instructor has to take some of the blame for the terrible production. The Royals are last in runs scored, home runs, and RBI. 26th in OBP and 29th in SLG.
5. Brian Bannister: He has had only 1 start during this streak but he has been pretty bad since the middle of April going 1-6, allowing 5 or more runs in 4 of those games.
6. Trey Hillman: Can you really blame the manager for a bad streak? As a fan, you bet I can. Hillman needs to instill some of his toughness on this team. Tony Musers' statement about a cookies and milk team has never fit any better. Marcum hit 3 batters Monday, nobody seemed to take offense.
7. Brett Tomko: Tomko has shown flashes of being decent this year but you wont find any evidence of that in his last 2 starts. 0-2, 10.1 IP allowing 11 ER.
8. Ross Gload: 1-11 with 0 extra-bats hits, 0 RBI, and 3 SO. So he hasn't played much but when he has he has been awful. "IchiGload" still hasn't seen a pitch he won't swing at.
9. Dayton Moore: Moore has gotten a lot of passes from fans and media but he needs to make a few roster moves to shake things up. If you aren't going to play like a Major Leaguer then you don't deserve to be on the 25-man roster.
10. Luke Hochaver: 0-2 in 12 innings, he has allowed 12 runs (8 earned) on 11 hits and 10 walks. Hochaver has pitched well, his only glaring problem is his walks. He allows far to many men on base and some bad defense has allowed those men to score.
Royals at Blue Jays (series II) Recap
The bleeding continued for the Royals during their four game trip to Toronto. The Royals were swept handidly by the birds and the Royals come back to Kansas City riding an 8 game losing streak and are now a season high 7 games out of first.
Game 1: Zack Greinke had his first truly rough game of the year lasting only 5 innings while giving up 6 runs. Halladay on the other hand had no trouble with the Royals struggling line-up, he tossed a complete game allowing only 1 run on 4 hits. Guillen drove in the only run for the Royals with an RBI single in the first.
Player of the Game: Jose Guillin (this is almost charity at this point) he went 1 for 3 with an RBI.
Game 2: The Royals offense remained silent once again as the Royals were blanked by Jesse Litsch. Litsch threw Toronto's second consecutive complete game and he only needed 103 pitches to do it. Hochevar went his normal 6 innings giving up 4 runs.
Player of the Game: Mark Grudzielanek...umm, he did have 2 hits in four at bats.
Game 3: Meche provided the Royals with a goldon opportunity to break this streak but the bats are still playing dead as they only managed 1 run against McGowan. The good news is McGowan only went 7 innings...way to get that starter out early guys!
Player of the Game: John Buck he went 2 for 4...I've got nothing clever to say, this is just sad.
Game 4: It was a banner day for the Royals offense as they scored 2 runs today, that's right, sadly the Royals lost again. Shaun Marcum tossed 7.1 innings allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits. You just have to love being an opposing pitcher facing the Royals, you just know your ERA is going to drop by a point.
Player of the Game: Mark Teahen went 2 for 4 with an RBI-he raised his average to .249.
Look at the numbers:
Game 1: Zack Greinke had his first truly rough game of the year lasting only 5 innings while giving up 6 runs. Halladay on the other hand had no trouble with the Royals struggling line-up, he tossed a complete game allowing only 1 run on 4 hits. Guillen drove in the only run for the Royals with an RBI single in the first.
Player of the Game: Jose Guillin (this is almost charity at this point) he went 1 for 3 with an RBI.
Game 2: The Royals offense remained silent once again as the Royals were blanked by Jesse Litsch. Litsch threw Toronto's second consecutive complete game and he only needed 103 pitches to do it. Hochevar went his normal 6 innings giving up 4 runs.
Player of the Game: Mark Grudzielanek...umm, he did have 2 hits in four at bats.
Game 3: Meche provided the Royals with a goldon opportunity to break this streak but the bats are still playing dead as they only managed 1 run against McGowan. The good news is McGowan only went 7 innings...way to get that starter out early guys!
Player of the Game: John Buck he went 2 for 4...I've got nothing clever to say, this is just sad.
Game 4: It was a banner day for the Royals offense as they scored 2 runs today, that's right, sadly the Royals lost again. Shaun Marcum tossed 7.1 innings allowing only 2 runs on 5 hits. You just have to love being an opposing pitcher facing the Royals, you just know your ERA is going to drop by a point.
Player of the Game: Mark Teahen went 2 for 4 with an RBI-he raised his average to .249.
Look at the numbers:
- The Royals are now 1-11 in four game series
- The Royals were outscored 23-4
- The Royals had 3 extra base hits in 128 at bats
- The Royals had 2 walks in 134 plate apperances
- The Royals defense had 3 errors, including Butlers first
- The Royals pitching gave up 15 walks to 19 strike outs
- The Royals are now 3-12 against the AL East
Friday, May 23, 2008
Royals @ Blue Jays (series II)
The Royals (21-26) begin a four game set against the Blue Jays (24-25) tonight in Toronto. The Blue Jays are playing well and the Royals are reeling a little bit...could be a rough end to a rough road trip.
Game 1: Zack Greinke (5-1, 2.18 ERA) against Roy Halladay (4-5, 3.38 ERA)
Greinke has been the most consistent of the Royals starters thus far this season, he has yet to allow more than. His last time out, against Florida, he pitched 6 innings allowing 3 runs in picking up his 5th win. Lifetime Greinke is 1-2, with a 4.05 ERA; in his last outing against Toronto he picked up a no decision despite pitching 7 innings with only 1 run allowed. Kevin Mench has hit Greinke the best going 4 for 10 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.
Halladay has been his normal spectacular self this season picking up a decision in every start. In his last start Halladay went 6.2 innings in picking up his 4th win. Lifetime Halladay is 7-3, with a 3.11 ERA; he has yet to face the Royals this season. The Royals are hitting a combined .113 against Halladay.
Game 2: Luke Hochevar (3-3, 4.29 ERA) against Jesse Litsch (5-1, 4.22 ERA)
Hochevar has been the Royals most consistent starter outside of Greinke, he has pitched at least 6 innings in every start except his first. In his last start he took the loss against Boston throwing 6 innings allowing 4 runs. Luke Hochevar won his only start against Toronto giving up only 1 run in 6 innings. Greg Zaun and Scott Rolen both are 1 for 2 with a double against Hochevar.
Litsch has been up and down for the Jays, mostly up however. Litsch won his last start against the Twins but only went 5.2 innings. He is 1-1 lifetime vs. the Royals with a 1.98 ERA, he picked up that win in his last outing against the Royals allowing 1 run in 7 innings. Teahen is 3 for 6 against Litsch in the past with a HR and RBI.
Game 3: Gil Meche (3-6, 5.58 ERA) against Dustin McGowan (2-4, 4.21 ERA)
Meche pitched well his last outing in Boston, yet picked up the loss. Meche is 4-5 with a 5.01 ERA lifetime against the Jays, and is 0-1 this year in one outing giving up 3 runs over 6.2 innings. Alexis Rios has given Meche fits going 10-13 against him in the past.
McGowan has been inconsistent so far this year for the Jays, especially in terms of innings per start but he has kept the score down fairly well. McGowan is 0-1 lifetime against the Royals and hasn't faced them this year. Alex Gordon is 3-3 with a HR and 2 RBI vs. McGowan.
Game 4: Brett Tomko (2-5, 5.76 ERA) against Shaun Marcum (4-3, 2.80 ERA)
Tomko continues his up and down season against the Blue Jays in which he is 2-0 with a 6.08 ERA. Tomko lost his last outing in Boston 3-6. Scott Rolen has done damage to Tomko in the past hitting .409 with a homer and 3 RBI.
Kansas City native Marcum has been really good this year, not allowing 4 runs in any start. He has also done well against the Royals with a career 2-1 record with a 1.05 ERA. Only Grudz has at least 2 hits in the past against Marcum as the Royals have a combined .114 BAA.
Game 1: Zack Greinke (5-1, 2.18 ERA) against Roy Halladay (4-5, 3.38 ERA)
Greinke has been the most consistent of the Royals starters thus far this season, he has yet to allow more than. His last time out, against Florida, he pitched 6 innings allowing 3 runs in picking up his 5th win. Lifetime Greinke is 1-2, with a 4.05 ERA; in his last outing against Toronto he picked up a no decision despite pitching 7 innings with only 1 run allowed. Kevin Mench has hit Greinke the best going 4 for 10 with 2 doubles and 2 RBI.
Halladay has been his normal spectacular self this season picking up a decision in every start. In his last start Halladay went 6.2 innings in picking up his 4th win. Lifetime Halladay is 7-3, with a 3.11 ERA; he has yet to face the Royals this season. The Royals are hitting a combined .113 against Halladay.
Game 2: Luke Hochevar (3-3, 4.29 ERA) against Jesse Litsch (5-1, 4.22 ERA)
Hochevar has been the Royals most consistent starter outside of Greinke, he has pitched at least 6 innings in every start except his first. In his last start he took the loss against Boston throwing 6 innings allowing 4 runs. Luke Hochevar won his only start against Toronto giving up only 1 run in 6 innings. Greg Zaun and Scott Rolen both are 1 for 2 with a double against Hochevar.
Litsch has been up and down for the Jays, mostly up however. Litsch won his last start against the Twins but only went 5.2 innings. He is 1-1 lifetime vs. the Royals with a 1.98 ERA, he picked up that win in his last outing against the Royals allowing 1 run in 7 innings. Teahen is 3 for 6 against Litsch in the past with a HR and RBI.
Game 3: Gil Meche (3-6, 5.58 ERA) against Dustin McGowan (2-4, 4.21 ERA)
Meche pitched well his last outing in Boston, yet picked up the loss. Meche is 4-5 with a 5.01 ERA lifetime against the Jays, and is 0-1 this year in one outing giving up 3 runs over 6.2 innings. Alexis Rios has given Meche fits going 10-13 against him in the past.
McGowan has been inconsistent so far this year for the Jays, especially in terms of innings per start but he has kept the score down fairly well. McGowan is 0-1 lifetime against the Royals and hasn't faced them this year. Alex Gordon is 3-3 with a HR and 2 RBI vs. McGowan.
Game 4: Brett Tomko (2-5, 5.76 ERA) against Shaun Marcum (4-3, 2.80 ERA)
Tomko continues his up and down season against the Blue Jays in which he is 2-0 with a 6.08 ERA. Tomko lost his last outing in Boston 3-6. Scott Rolen has done damage to Tomko in the past hitting .409 with a homer and 3 RBI.
Kansas City native Marcum has been really good this year, not allowing 4 runs in any start. He has also done well against the Royals with a career 2-1 record with a 1.05 ERA. Only Grudz has at least 2 hits in the past against Marcum as the Royals have a combined .114 BAA.
Royals at Red Sox (series I) recap
The Royals took on the Red Sox in Boston for a four game set and were clearly no match. The Royals were swept in the four game series and now find themselves 5.5 games out of first.
Game 1: Luke Hochevar ran into some bad luck in his first start in Boston, first Grudz dropped an easy pop up which lead to a 5 run 3rd inning, and second he faced Jon Lester. Lester had little problem with the Royals allowing only a couple of walks in completing the first no-hitter against the Royals since 1973.
Player of the game: I've never done this, but you have to give credit where credit is due...Jon Lester, enough said.
Game 2: This is the one that got away...sort of. The Royals trailed the entire game as Meche allowed 2 early but the Royals had several chances to get a run across. The Royals left 13 men on base and none hurt more than when in the 8th the Royals stranded runners at 1st & 3rd with only 1 out.
Player of the game: Gil Meche, he pitched 7 innings allowing only 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 8; he also picked up his 6th loss.
Game 3: Tomko started out well, allowing only 1 run through his first 4 innings. Things changed in the 5th when Tomko was hit for 4 runs-Tomko wouldn't see the 6th innings. Down 5-2 the punch less Royals offense was finished. What made this loss painful was that Bartolo Colon was making his first start of the year.
Player of the game: Alex Gordon, he went 1 for 2 with an RBI and 2 walks.
Game 4: The Royals offense finally showed up scoring 8 runs, thanks in large part to Guillin and Olivo. The bad news is that Bannister got hit hard giving up 7 runs in 5.1 innings, he also gave up his second gram slam of the year. Boston would hit another grand salomi as the cruised to an easy 11-8 win.
Player of the game: Miguel Olivo, he went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a home run and 5 RBI.
Game 1: Luke Hochevar ran into some bad luck in his first start in Boston, first Grudz dropped an easy pop up which lead to a 5 run 3rd inning, and second he faced Jon Lester. Lester had little problem with the Royals allowing only a couple of walks in completing the first no-hitter against the Royals since 1973.
Player of the game: I've never done this, but you have to give credit where credit is due...Jon Lester, enough said.
Game 2: This is the one that got away...sort of. The Royals trailed the entire game as Meche allowed 2 early but the Royals had several chances to get a run across. The Royals left 13 men on base and none hurt more than when in the 8th the Royals stranded runners at 1st & 3rd with only 1 out.
Player of the game: Gil Meche, he pitched 7 innings allowing only 5 hits and 2 runs while striking out 8; he also picked up his 6th loss.
Game 3: Tomko started out well, allowing only 1 run through his first 4 innings. Things changed in the 5th when Tomko was hit for 4 runs-Tomko wouldn't see the 6th innings. Down 5-2 the punch less Royals offense was finished. What made this loss painful was that Bartolo Colon was making his first start of the year.
Player of the game: Alex Gordon, he went 1 for 2 with an RBI and 2 walks.
Game 4: The Royals offense finally showed up scoring 8 runs, thanks in large part to Guillin and Olivo. The bad news is that Bannister got hit hard giving up 7 runs in 5.1 innings, he also gave up his second gram slam of the year. Boston would hit another grand salomi as the cruised to an easy 11-8 win.
Player of the game: Miguel Olivo, he went 3 for 5 with 2 doubles and a home run and 5 RBI.
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Royals recap
It's been awhile since I've been able to post anything here, I've been busy with finals and working on relaunching my other site BaseballPivot.com...which should launch within the week.
So the Royals have had an interesting couple of weeks since my last post, lets recap.
The Royals hit bottom on May 10th by falling 6 games under .500 by losing their 3rd straight game to Baltimore.
The Royals finally beat Baltimore 4-0 on the 11th behind 8 shutout innings from Bannister and a perfect 9th by Soria.
Starting with that last game against Baltimore KC goes on to sweep the Tigers and then take 2 of 3 against the Florida Marlins. The Royals won 6 of 7 and crawled within 1 game of .500.
John Buck becomes a proud papa of two. Buck and his wife Brooke are now proud parents giving birth to twin boys, Cooper and Brody. Buck missed the Florida series and rejoined the Royals in Boston.
Joakim Soria and the Royals agree to a contract extension that could go through 2014 and could be worth as much as $32,350,000. I think this is a great move by the Royals, it locks a guy in for the foreseeable future and the option years means the Royals won't get burned. I only hope the Royals get it together and get Greinke under contract...more on that later.
Jose Guillen wins AL player of the week...what? That's right, our very own Jose Guillen has finally gotten it together by hitting .458 with 5 doubles, 2 homers and 13 RBI over the past week, and all of this while being hurt...amazing.
Mark Teahen hits his second home run of the year. Is this really news? Well yes, Teahen hasn't hit a home run since April 3rd against the Tigers-some 141 AB's. This is a corner outfielder folks.
Jon Lester throws a no-hitter against the Royals as they fall to the Red Sox 7-0. It is the first no-hitter against the Royals since Nolan Ryan did it back in 1973. I watched the first 3 innings of the game and it didn't look like Lester was throwing all that well, but then again as bad as the Royals bats have been this year anything can happen.
So there you have it, some good and some bad, but interesting none the less.
So the Royals have had an interesting couple of weeks since my last post, lets recap.
The Royals hit bottom on May 10th by falling 6 games under .500 by losing their 3rd straight game to Baltimore.
The Royals finally beat Baltimore 4-0 on the 11th behind 8 shutout innings from Bannister and a perfect 9th by Soria.
Starting with that last game against Baltimore KC goes on to sweep the Tigers and then take 2 of 3 against the Florida Marlins. The Royals won 6 of 7 and crawled within 1 game of .500.
John Buck becomes a proud papa of two. Buck and his wife Brooke are now proud parents giving birth to twin boys, Cooper and Brody. Buck missed the Florida series and rejoined the Royals in Boston.
Joakim Soria and the Royals agree to a contract extension that could go through 2014 and could be worth as much as $32,350,000. I think this is a great move by the Royals, it locks a guy in for the foreseeable future and the option years means the Royals won't get burned. I only hope the Royals get it together and get Greinke under contract...more on that later.
Jose Guillen wins AL player of the week...what? That's right, our very own Jose Guillen has finally gotten it together by hitting .458 with 5 doubles, 2 homers and 13 RBI over the past week, and all of this while being hurt...amazing.
Mark Teahen hits his second home run of the year. Is this really news? Well yes, Teahen hasn't hit a home run since April 3rd against the Tigers-some 141 AB's. This is a corner outfielder folks.
Jon Lester throws a no-hitter against the Royals as they fall to the Red Sox 7-0. It is the first no-hitter against the Royals since Nolan Ryan did it back in 1973. I watched the first 3 innings of the game and it didn't look like Lester was throwing all that well, but then again as bad as the Royals bats have been this year anything can happen.
So there you have it, some good and some bad, but interesting none the less.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Orioles @ Royals (series I)
The Royals (15-18) face the Orioles (16-18) for the first time this season and it could be a good time for the Royals as the O's have lost 5 in a row.
Game 1: Daniel Cabrera (2-1, 4.06 ERA) against Luke Hochevar (2-1, 4.86 ERA)
Cabrera, now the Orioles ace, is pitching well so far this year allowing 3 runs or less in his last 5 starts. Cabrera has dominated the Royals in the past going 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA against them in 6 starts. Mark Teahen is 4 for 6 with an RBI in the past against Cabrera.
Luke Hochevar has won his last two starts throwing 6 innings in each allowing a combined 3 runs. Hochevar has never faced the Orioles.
Game 2: Steve Trachsel (1-4, 7.43 ERA) against Gil Meche (2-4, 5.98 ERA)
Steve Trachsel is in a rough patch for the Orioles, he has only gone 3 innings in his last 2 starts while allowing 10 runs. Trachsel has gone 1-3 in 9 starts against the Royals with a 4.81 ERA. Mark Grudzeilanek is 16 for 41 with 6 doubles and 3 RBI against Trachsel.
Gil Meche coming off his best start of the year looks to keep it going against the O's. In 15 previous starts Gil is 4-4 with a 2.95 ERA against the Orioles. Brian Roberts has given Meche fits in the past going 13-30 with 1 HR and 4 RBI.
Game 3: Garret Olson (1-0, 2.08 ERA) against Brett Tomko (1-3, 4.98 ERA)
Olson has two starts under his belt this season and has done well going 6 plus in each allowing a combined 3 runs. Olson has never faced the Royals.
Brett Tomko, like Meche, pitched his best start of the year his last outing throwing 7 shutout innings allowing only 2 hits. Tomko has no decisions against the Orioles in one start but has a 7.11 ERA. Kevin Millar is hitting .600 with 1 HR and 5 RBI against Meche.
Game 4: Brian Burres (3-3, 3.19 ERA0 against Brian Bannister (3-4, 4.46 ERA)
Brian Burres is pitching well allowing 3 runs or less in 6 of is 7 starts. Burres has only faced the Royals for one inning of relief and pitched a scoreless inning; only Jose Guillen has a hit against Burres, going 3 for 7.
Brian Bannister is struggling losing his last 4 outings and raising his ERA from .86 to 4.48. Bannister has never faced the Orioles.
Game 1: Daniel Cabrera (2-1, 4.06 ERA) against Luke Hochevar (2-1, 4.86 ERA)
Cabrera, now the Orioles ace, is pitching well so far this year allowing 3 runs or less in his last 5 starts. Cabrera has dominated the Royals in the past going 3-0 with a 2.57 ERA against them in 6 starts. Mark Teahen is 4 for 6 with an RBI in the past against Cabrera.
Luke Hochevar has won his last two starts throwing 6 innings in each allowing a combined 3 runs. Hochevar has never faced the Orioles.
Game 2: Steve Trachsel (1-4, 7.43 ERA) against Gil Meche (2-4, 5.98 ERA)
Steve Trachsel is in a rough patch for the Orioles, he has only gone 3 innings in his last 2 starts while allowing 10 runs. Trachsel has gone 1-3 in 9 starts against the Royals with a 4.81 ERA. Mark Grudzeilanek is 16 for 41 with 6 doubles and 3 RBI against Trachsel.
Gil Meche coming off his best start of the year looks to keep it going against the O's. In 15 previous starts Gil is 4-4 with a 2.95 ERA against the Orioles. Brian Roberts has given Meche fits in the past going 13-30 with 1 HR and 4 RBI.
Game 3: Garret Olson (1-0, 2.08 ERA) against Brett Tomko (1-3, 4.98 ERA)
Olson has two starts under his belt this season and has done well going 6 plus in each allowing a combined 3 runs. Olson has never faced the Royals.
Brett Tomko, like Meche, pitched his best start of the year his last outing throwing 7 shutout innings allowing only 2 hits. Tomko has no decisions against the Orioles in one start but has a 7.11 ERA. Kevin Millar is hitting .600 with 1 HR and 5 RBI against Meche.
Game 4: Brian Burres (3-3, 3.19 ERA0 against Brian Bannister (3-4, 4.46 ERA)
Brian Burres is pitching well allowing 3 runs or less in 6 of is 7 starts. Burres has only faced the Royals for one inning of relief and pitched a scoreless inning; only Jose Guillen has a hit against Burres, going 3 for 7.
Brian Bannister is struggling losing his last 4 outings and raising his ERA from .86 to 4.48. Bannister has never faced the Orioles.
Angels @ Royals (series II) Recap
The Anaheim Angels (22-14) took two of three from the Royals (15-18) in Kansas City. The three game set concludes the season series for the two clubs, that's right, the Royals and Angels won't face each other this season.
Game 1: Brett Tomko threw his best game of the season, going 7 innings allowing 0 ER on 2 hits. Still the Royals lost the game 4-0 as Ervin Santana pitched a complete game shutout-allowing only 4 hits. Anderson, for the Angels, did most of the damage with a 9th inning 3-run shot off Joel Peralta.
Player of the game: Brett Tomko, looked amazing allowing only 2 hits and no runs in 7 innings while striking out a season high 7.
Game 2: Bannister had another rough start allowing 5 runs in 6.2 innings and the Royals struggled to score runs (surprise surprise) against rookie Adenhart as the Royals lost again 5-3. Bannister's problem for the second week in a row was the long ball as he gave up a 3-run shot to Anderson in the 4th that got the Angels rolling. The Royals had 4 doubles, 1 a piece by Gload, Gordon, Olivo, and Butler.
Player of the game: Alex Gordon went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, he also had a walk.
Game 3: The bats finally break out for the Royals as they beat the Angels 9-4 in the final game of the series. David DeJesus had a 3-run homer in the second, and Gordon added a 2-run shot in the 4th; Guillen also went 3-3 with a pair of doubles. Greinke earned his 4th win pitching 7 strong innings allowing 3 runs and striking out 8.
Player of the game: David DeJesus continued hitting well going 1 for 4 with 3 RBI and a walk.
Look at the numbers:
Game 1: Brett Tomko threw his best game of the season, going 7 innings allowing 0 ER on 2 hits. Still the Royals lost the game 4-0 as Ervin Santana pitched a complete game shutout-allowing only 4 hits. Anderson, for the Angels, did most of the damage with a 9th inning 3-run shot off Joel Peralta.
Player of the game: Brett Tomko, looked amazing allowing only 2 hits and no runs in 7 innings while striking out a season high 7.
Game 2: Bannister had another rough start allowing 5 runs in 6.2 innings and the Royals struggled to score runs (surprise surprise) against rookie Adenhart as the Royals lost again 5-3. Bannister's problem for the second week in a row was the long ball as he gave up a 3-run shot to Anderson in the 4th that got the Angels rolling. The Royals had 4 doubles, 1 a piece by Gload, Gordon, Olivo, and Butler.
Player of the game: Alex Gordon went 2 for 3 with a double and an RBI, he also had a walk.
Game 3: The bats finally break out for the Royals as they beat the Angels 9-4 in the final game of the series. David DeJesus had a 3-run homer in the second, and Gordon added a 2-run shot in the 4th; Guillen also went 3-3 with a pair of doubles. Greinke earned his 4th win pitching 7 strong innings allowing 3 runs and striking out 8.
Player of the game: David DeJesus continued hitting well going 1 for 4 with 3 RBI and a walk.
Look at the numbers:
- 2-3, the Royals season record against the Angels.
- The Angels outscored the Royals in the series 18-20.
- The Royals were shutout for the 4th time this year.
- Bannister lost his 4th straight game, his ERA is now 4.48.
- Garret Anderson went 6-12 with 3 HR and 8 RBI in the series.
- DeJesus now leads the Royals in RBI with 16 in only 19 games.
- The Royals are 15-18 and only 2 games back in the Central.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Minor League Report
Omaha Royals (AAA)
Record: 15-14
Streak: L-2
Standings: 1st in the North
Who's Hot:
Mike Aviles: .344/.371/.680 with 6 HR and 26 RBI
Mitch Maier: .360/.373/.560 with 2 HR and 6 RBI
Shane Costa: .331/.367/.585 with 6 HR and 22 RBI
Kyle Davies: 3-2, 2.61 ERA with 1.19 WHIP 22/13 (K/BB)
Who's Cold:
Rhan Shealy: .196/.277/.458 with 8 HR and 15 RBI
Chris Lubanski: .236/.310/.438 with 4 HR and 15 RBI
Mike Stodolka: .237/.348/.339 with 1 HR and 5 RBI
Tyler Lumsden: 1-3, 7.39 ERA with 2.04 WHIP 10/16
Matt Wright: 0-1, 5.16 ERA with 1.90 WHIP 14/12
NW Arkansas Naturals (AA)
Record: 16-16
Streak: W-3
Standings: 1st in Texas North
Who's Hot:
Geraldo Valentin: .326/.363/.407 with 1 HR and 7 RBI
Carlos Rosa: 3-2, 1.38 ERA with a .85 WHIP 38/6
Julio Ceasar Pimental: 2-2, 3.09 ERA with 1.14 WHIP 30/9
Devon Lowery: 1-0 0.69 ERA with 1.00 Whip 17/5
Who's Cold:
The Naturals offense: .227/.314/.331
Rowdy Hardy: 0-2, 5.40 ERA with 1.67 WHIP 12/3
Wilmington Blue Rocks (A Advanced)
Record: 13-17
Streak: W-1
Standings: last in North
Who's Hot:
Joseph Dickerson: .323/.414/.505 with 2 HR and 14 RBI and 16 SB
Blake Wood: 1-1, 3.86 ERA with 1.02 WHIP 34/8
Everett Teaford: 2-1, 2.15 ERA with .92 WHIP 19/8
Tyler Chambliss: 1-0, 1.02 ERA with 1.13 WHIP 13/9
Who's Cold:
David Wood: .181/.207/.217 with 9 RBI
Anthony Seratelli: .157/.255/.270 with 2 HR and 9 RBI
Mario Santiago: 1-3, 5.23 ERA with 2.08 WHIP 18/8
Burlington Bees (A)
Record: 12-17
Streak: L-2
Standings: 6th in Mid Western
Who's Hot:
Adrian Ortiz: .344/.366/.416 with 6 RBI and 12 SB
Edward Cegarra: 1-2, 2.12 ERA with .82 WHIP 37-1
Alexander Caldera: 2-2, 2.67 ERA with 1.05 WHIP 28/6
Joe Augustine: 1-0, 2.17 ERA with 1.14 WHIP 31/10
Who's Cold:
Burlington Bees offense: .211/.278/.318
Zack Peterson: 0-2, 5.85 ERA with 1.50 WHIP 16/5
Eduardo Paulino: 1-2, 5.61 ERA with a 1.64 WHIP 22/7
Top 10 Prospects:
Record: 15-14
Streak: L-2
Standings: 1st in the North
Who's Hot:
Mike Aviles: .344/.371/.680 with 6 HR and 26 RBI
Mitch Maier: .360/.373/.560 with 2 HR and 6 RBI
Shane Costa: .331/.367/.585 with 6 HR and 22 RBI
Kyle Davies: 3-2, 2.61 ERA with 1.19 WHIP 22/13 (K/BB)
Who's Cold:
Rhan Shealy: .196/.277/.458 with 8 HR and 15 RBI
Chris Lubanski: .236/.310/.438 with 4 HR and 15 RBI
Mike Stodolka: .237/.348/.339 with 1 HR and 5 RBI
Tyler Lumsden: 1-3, 7.39 ERA with 2.04 WHIP 10/16
Matt Wright: 0-1, 5.16 ERA with 1.90 WHIP 14/12
NW Arkansas Naturals (AA)
Record: 16-16
Streak: W-3
Standings: 1st in Texas North
Who's Hot:
Geraldo Valentin: .326/.363/.407 with 1 HR and 7 RBI
Carlos Rosa: 3-2, 1.38 ERA with a .85 WHIP 38/6
Julio Ceasar Pimental: 2-2, 3.09 ERA with 1.14 WHIP 30/9
Devon Lowery: 1-0 0.69 ERA with 1.00 Whip 17/5
Who's Cold:
The Naturals offense: .227/.314/.331
Rowdy Hardy: 0-2, 5.40 ERA with 1.67 WHIP 12/3
Wilmington Blue Rocks (A Advanced)
Record: 13-17
Streak: W-1
Standings: last in North
Who's Hot:
Joseph Dickerson: .323/.414/.505 with 2 HR and 14 RBI and 16 SB
Blake Wood: 1-1, 3.86 ERA with 1.02 WHIP 34/8
Everett Teaford: 2-1, 2.15 ERA with .92 WHIP 19/8
Tyler Chambliss: 1-0, 1.02 ERA with 1.13 WHIP 13/9
Who's Cold:
David Wood: .181/.207/.217 with 9 RBI
Anthony Seratelli: .157/.255/.270 with 2 HR and 9 RBI
Mario Santiago: 1-3, 5.23 ERA with 2.08 WHIP 18/8
Burlington Bees (A)
Record: 12-17
Streak: L-2
Standings: 6th in Mid Western
Who's Hot:
Adrian Ortiz: .344/.366/.416 with 6 RBI and 12 SB
Edward Cegarra: 1-2, 2.12 ERA with .82 WHIP 37-1
Alexander Caldera: 2-2, 2.67 ERA with 1.05 WHIP 28/6
Joe Augustine: 1-0, 2.17 ERA with 1.14 WHIP 31/10
Who's Cold:
Burlington Bees offense: .211/.278/.318
Zack Peterson: 0-2, 5.85 ERA with 1.50 WHIP 16/5
Eduardo Paulino: 1-2, 5.61 ERA with a 1.64 WHIP 22/7
Top 10 Prospects:
- Mike Moustakas .210/.269/.310 3 HR and 7 RBI (2 HR and 3 RBI last 2 games)
- Daniel Cortes: 0-1, 1.35 ERA with a 1.28 WHIP (currently on the 7 day disabled list)
- Luke Hochevar: 2-1, 4.86 ERA with Royals
- Blake Wood: 1-1, 3.86 ERA with a 1.02 WHIP 34/8
- Danny Duffy: Season hasn't started
- Carlos Rosa: 3-2, 1.38 ERA with a .85 WHIP 38/6
- Julio Pimental: 2-2, 3.09 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP 30/9
- Matt Mitchell: 0-2, 4.29 ERA with a 1.48 WHIP 19/5
- Yasuhiko Yabuta: 0-0, 8.31 ERA with Royals
- Derrick Robinson: .277/.347/.339 with 8 RBI and 14 SB
Monday, May 5, 2008
Angels @ Royals (series II)
The Royals return home to kick off their longest homestand of the year against the Anaheim Angels;The two teams split their last meeting. The Royals stand at 14-16 and the Angels are 20-13.
Game 1: Ervin Santana (5-0, 2.47 ERA) against Brett Tomko (1-3, 6.26 ERA)
The Royals have avoided Santana thus far this season and that is a good thing as he is off to the best start of his career. Santana is 1-2 in 4 starts against KC with an ERA of 6.04. German has hit Santana the best going 5-8 with a HR and 3 RBI.
Tomko has been giving up a ton of runs lately, 16 in his last 14.1 innings to be exact. Tomko is 0-1 in 3 starts against Anaheim. Erick Aybar has hit Tomko the best going 4-6 with an RBI.
Game 2: Nick Adenhart (0-0, 22.50 ERA) against Brian Bannister (3-3, 4.05 ERA)
Rookie right-hander Nick Adenhart has only one Major League start, going just 2 innings againt Oakland on May 1st. No Royal has ever faced him in a MLB game.
Bannister after his 3-0 start has now last lost 3 in a row. His last outing against Texas he was rocked for 7 runs in just 3 innings. Bannister has never faced the Angels and only Hunter has had any plate appearances going just 2-9 with 1 RBI.
Game 3: Jared Weaver (2-4, 4.36 ERA) against Zack Greinke (3-1, 1.47 ERA)
Jared Weaver has been roughed up a little in his last 3 starts but is still sporting a respectable 4.36 ERA. Weaver lost his last start against the Royals going 6 innings and giving up 2 runs; for his career Weaver is 2-3 in 5 starts against the Royals with a sparkling 1.93 ERA. Jose Guillen has hit Weaver well going 6-16 with 4 RBI.
Zack Greinke has been everything the Royals have wanted so far this season allowing only 7 runs in 6 starts. Greinke is 0-2 in 2 starts against the Angels with an 8.49 ERA. Hunter is 6 for 19 with 2 HR's and 5 RBI.
Royals at Indians (series II) Recap
The Royals, who were swept by Cleveland in their first meeting, got revenge over the weekend by sweeping a rain shortened series. The Royals won the two games in similar fashion, good pitching with just enough offense.
Game 1: Luke Hochevar got his second straight win by pitching 6 innings allowing only 2 runs. Sabathia was on the mound for the Indians and dominated until the Royals finally broke through with 4 runs in the 7th. The Royals ended the game with 12 hits and won 4-2. Soria pitched the 9th and recorded his 7th save.
Player of the game: Luke Hochevar, he wasn't dominate but he was good throwing 6 innings allowing only 3 hits and 2 runs-he did walk 4 however.
Game 2: Meche pitched his best game of the season, and combined with Nunez and Soria to complete a shutout against the Indians. The offense scored only 2 runs against Cleveland, one un-earned, the other a 9th inning home run by Olivo.
Player of the game: Gil Meche, 7 innings pitched, 4 hits and 0 ER.
Look at the numbers:
Game 1: Luke Hochevar got his second straight win by pitching 6 innings allowing only 2 runs. Sabathia was on the mound for the Indians and dominated until the Royals finally broke through with 4 runs in the 7th. The Royals ended the game with 12 hits and won 4-2. Soria pitched the 9th and recorded his 7th save.
Player of the game: Luke Hochevar, he wasn't dominate but he was good throwing 6 innings allowing only 3 hits and 2 runs-he did walk 4 however.
Game 2: Meche pitched his best game of the season, and combined with Nunez and Soria to complete a shutout against the Indians. The offense scored only 2 runs against Cleveland, one un-earned, the other a 9th inning home run by Olivo.
Player of the game: Gil Meche, 7 innings pitched, 4 hits and 0 ER.
Look at the numbers:
- This is only the Royals second sweep of the season in 6 opportunity's.
- Gil Meche's ERA of 5.98 is his lowest of the season since being at 4.50 after his first start.
- The Indians outscored the Royals 26-7 in their sweep, the Royals outscored the Indians 6-2 in their 2-game sweep.
- The Royals are 2 games out of first and stand at 2 games under .500.
- The Royals are 7-7 against the AL Central.
Royals at Indians (game V)
Royals get the chance to complete a quick 2-game set against the Cleveland Indians by sending Gil Meche to the mound. The Indians counter by sending young lefty Aaron Laffey to the mound.
Gil Meche had his best outing of the year, he threw 7 shutout innings and earned his second win of the season by defeating the Indians and Laffey 2-0. Nunez pitched a perfect 8th and Soria pitched a perfect 9th, notching his 8th save in 8 chances.
Laffey pitched a great game himself, matching zero's with Meche before an error lead to a run in the 5th. The Royals added one more in the 9th when Olivo added his 4th home run of the season.
Saturday, May 3, 2008
Royals at Indians (game IV)
This is going to be the last series that I'm going to do game previews and reviews for. I just don't have the time to give daily updates, and it is keeping me from writing more opinionated pieces that blogs should be used for. Instead I'm going to post a weekly preview which will run down the week's match-ups. I will still do the series Recaps for now, and hopefully with school ending in a couple of weeks I can get some fun stuff written.
Luke Hochevar (1-1, 5.91 ERA) get's the start in this one after the first game was postponed due to rain. He will be facing off against big lefty C.C. Sebathia (1-4, 7.87 ERA). Sebathia got his only win of the season against the Royals when he beat them 15-1 on April 22nd.
Box Score
Luke Hochevar had his second straight solid start going 6 innings allowing only 2 runs. Sabathia was also throwing a good game until the Royals strung together 6 hits in the 7th scoring 4 runs. Mahey, Ramirez and Soria closed out the game with Soria getting his 7th save.
Luke Hochevar (1-1, 5.91 ERA) get's the start in this one after the first game was postponed due to rain. He will be facing off against big lefty C.C. Sebathia (1-4, 7.87 ERA). Sebathia got his only win of the season against the Royals when he beat them 15-1 on April 22nd.
Box Score
Luke Hochevar had his second straight solid start going 6 innings allowing only 2 runs. Sabathia was also throwing a good game until the Royals strung together 6 hits in the 7th scoring 4 runs. Mahey, Ramirez and Soria closed out the game with Soria getting his 7th save.
Royals at Rangers (series I) Recap
After taking two of three against the Blue Jays the Royals went to Arlington to face the last place Rangers. Sadly the last place Rangers took care of the last place Royals and beating our boys two out of three.
Game 1: The Royals scored early and often (I think that's the first time all year that I've got to say that) and handled the Rangers 9-5. Brett Tomko couldn't take advantage for the easy win, instead he went 3.1 innings allowing 5 runs on 7 hits. The bullpen pitched 5.2 shutout innings. Guillen provided the lion's share of the offense going 2-4 with 5 RBI
Player of the game: Jose Guillen, he had a double and a home run, tying a career high with 5 RBI.
Game 2: The Rangers got to Bannister early hitting 3 home runs in 2 innings; the killer blow was a grand slam by Josh Hamilton in the 2nd. Bannister exited after 3 innings with the Royals down 7-1. The Rangers extended their lead to 11-1 before the Royals clawed their way back only to lose in the end 11-9.
Player of the game: David DeJesus, he had just one hit, a 3-run home run but he got the Royals comeback kick-started.
Game 3: Zack Greinke pitched possibly his best game of the season throwing 7 innings and giving up 2 runs, he also struck out a season high 9. If you've followed the Royals though you know where this is going, the Royals lose 2-1 on a total lack of offense by our whiffle bat swinging Royals.
Player of the game: Zack Greinke, 7 IP, 2 ER with 9 K's; season ERA of 1.47.
Game 1: The Royals scored early and often (I think that's the first time all year that I've got to say that) and handled the Rangers 9-5. Brett Tomko couldn't take advantage for the easy win, instead he went 3.1 innings allowing 5 runs on 7 hits. The bullpen pitched 5.2 shutout innings. Guillen provided the lion's share of the offense going 2-4 with 5 RBI
Player of the game: Jose Guillen, he had a double and a home run, tying a career high with 5 RBI.
Game 2: The Rangers got to Bannister early hitting 3 home runs in 2 innings; the killer blow was a grand slam by Josh Hamilton in the 2nd. Bannister exited after 3 innings with the Royals down 7-1. The Rangers extended their lead to 11-1 before the Royals clawed their way back only to lose in the end 11-9.
Player of the game: David DeJesus, he had just one hit, a 3-run home run but he got the Royals comeback kick-started.
Game 3: Zack Greinke pitched possibly his best game of the season throwing 7 innings and giving up 2 runs, he also struck out a season high 9. If you've followed the Royals though you know where this is going, the Royals lose 2-1 on a total lack of offense by our whiffle bat swinging Royals.
Player of the game: Zack Greinke, 7 IP, 2 ER with 9 K's; season ERA of 1.47.
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Royals at Rangers (game III)
Zack Greinke (3-0, 1.25 ERA) looks to carry the Royals to their second straight series win tonight when he faces off against Sidney Ponson (0-0, 1.69 ERA). Ponson has only made one previous start this year, he went 5.1 innings allowing 1 ER. Ponson however, has had a rough couple of years with a 5.24 ERA in '06 and a 6.93 ERA last year. What does that mean you ask? It means the Royals will probably make Ponson into Cy Young...I hope I'm wrong however, because Ponson is very hittable.
Box Score
This is one of those games where you are just kind of sick to your stomach afterwards. Greinke pitched 7 really good innings against the Rangers allowing only 2 solo shots while striking out a season high nine. Sidney freakin' Ponson however, "out pitched" Greinke throwing 8 innings of 1 run ball.
This is getting frustrating, what is it going to take for the hitters to wake up? They can't really be this bad can they? This is already the 10th time they have scored fewer then 2 runs in a game. Their record in those 10 games you ask...1-9. Now the Royals have lost 2-3 to the worst team in the league and now head to Cleveland to face a team that swept them in their last meeting.
Box Score
This is one of those games where you are just kind of sick to your stomach afterwards. Greinke pitched 7 really good innings against the Rangers allowing only 2 solo shots while striking out a season high nine. Sidney freakin' Ponson however, "out pitched" Greinke throwing 8 innings of 1 run ball.
This is getting frustrating, what is it going to take for the hitters to wake up? They can't really be this bad can they? This is already the 10th time they have scored fewer then 2 runs in a game. Their record in those 10 games you ask...1-9. Now the Royals have lost 2-3 to the worst team in the league and now head to Cleveland to face a team that swept them in their last meeting.
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