He can put this on his mantle after he leaves next year to play for Nebraska

He learned that grand slam stroke in high school, you know.

They won't even move him out of the three hole, let alone sit him. Why should he work harder?

No accountability for Moose and Hosmer. Gordon and Butler had to work to he back...hosmer and Moose should be in AAA

Hopefully Moose is headed back to Omaha after Valencia returns from the DL. I have no idea what to say about Hosmer. Someone needs to help him fix his ****ing swing though.

Apparently Kendry Morales has signed with the Twins.

Twins? wtf

Morales would have been an improvement over Billy Butler, but you know they weren't going to DFA him and there's absolutely no trade value there.

Credit the Twins for trying.

Finnegan on the bump for TCU right now on ESPNU.

"He's grabbing his shoulder and wincing in pain!"

Finnegan today against Pepperdine:

6.1 IP
3 hits
2 runs (both in the 7th inning)
2 earned runs
2 walks
7 strike outs
2.12 ERA on day

TCU is up 3-2 in the eighth, and Finnegan would get the win if they hold on.

Brandon Finnegan will be our # 1 starter in the future. I love the pick.

Way too early to tell if you ask me. The MLB draft is such a crapshoot, even in the high rounds.

I'd be willing to bet we aren't the only team in recent years with draft picks like Christian Colon and Bubba Starling in our system.

Starling was an understandable miss in many ways, but analysts pretty much hated the Colon pick from the start. That one hurts, especially considering how tightly the Royals were linked to Sale.

That's not true, I've got the BB America handbook right here and they said he was "the best college bat available" in the draft and someone who should move quickly through the system into 2B at the big league level. His problems have been developmental (GEE WHIZ IMAGINE THAT!) as his career stalled at AA for whatever reason. He had a major weight gain that is attributed by some as the cause.

Yeah, I almost wonder had the Royals drafted Sale, if he wouldn't be the set-up man in the bullpen.

In Omaha.

Our development is just god-awful putrid.

The Chiefs and the Royals are similar in that fashion, to a degree. I firmly believe that had we drafted Russell Wilson instead of Donald Stephenson, that Wilson would currently be our third string QB. Hell, Pioli may have even cut him after TC.

Bringing out the best in their draft prospects doesn't seem to be a strong suit for either team. They hit on some, but miss and twice as many as they hit on.

Here's a pretty unflattering pre-draft evaluation. When you hear things like, "plays above his tools," it's pretty clear that his ceiling is limited. Dude was viewed by some as a utility infielder at best, not someone worthy of going #4 overall.

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/0/v7189...lege-shortstop

Twins DFA Jason Kubel to make room for Morales.

Colon was a consensus top 15 pick in that draft, and it was pretty uneven after the big 3 (Harper, Taillon and Machado were on a clear and different level). There was a lot of back and forth about who the fourth best player in that draft was. Basically, anybody after those first three and before 15-20 could have been taken at 4, and no one would have really been surprised.

The Royals took a middle infielder with a high floor who they thought could move quickly and at least have a plus bat at a MI spot. Universal thought was that he was a lock to stick at 2B and probably could stick at SS for at least a few year in the majors.

The Royals have not done a great job developing him, but the weight gain seems to be the biggest issue. He packed on about 20 pounds during his second offseason with the Royals and has never hit the ball with authority since.

He's also probably a guy that would have been exposed more if he hadn't had the opportunity to play with trampoline bats in college.

The painful thing about that pick is that apparently Chris Sale and Matt Harvey were the backup options. Ouch.

For who? AA Northwest Arkansas?

Absolutely brutal.

so does anyone else get a sense that since we're winning again we're kinda stuck with what we got and no moves are going to be made, either in the lineup or through callus/ senddowns? :(

Ortiz just hit a 3-run moonshot in the 9th to give the Red Sox a 5-3 lead over the tigers.

Boom mother ****ers I just watched this.

That was awesome. I had no idea Joba Chamberlain was even on the Tigers. It looks like he's had a pretty good year, but he looked really rattled out there tonight. Anybody know the scoop with their closer situation? Is Nathan officially demoted, or was he just not available tonight?

Nathan has like an 8 era he blows

I think since "in some ways, we won the World Series" last year, that no matter what, this team will stand pat.

Of course we aren't going to make the post season. You cannot place all the pressure the pitchers to win every game 3-2 or 2-1.

There are 99 games left. In order to win 85 this team of #9 hitters has to go 54-45. To win 90, 58-41.

Not a chance.

Ortiz knew exactly what was coming, got his pitch, a slider right down the pipe and just BLASTED it over the RF fence.

Yeah Nathan is terrible this year. His ERA is over 7, can't find how many saves he's blown so far though.

Seems like buying a closer through free agency is a bad idea. At least between Nathan and Balfour.

Nathan is 13/17 on save chances. Chamberlain is 2/4.

It's way too early to be making that statement. They have a much better record right now than they did last year at this time, and they ended up winning 86 last year.

They had the 2nd best record in baseball last year after the all-star break. Chances of that happening again are pretty low.

TM, I just cannot envision that same second half record while the pitchers carry, Butler, Achoki, Hosmer and Poooostakous. Carry one? Yes. But all 4 of these hacks? No way.

I pray I'm wrong.

I'm not disagreeing with anything that you're writing here, but when your highlight video shows you chopping grounders and short-hopping the first baseman, you probably at least sip from the dick sock; someone in the FO who saw this kid play should have been able to understand this.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p>Since 5/13/14, Eric Hosmer sports a .167 AVG (18/108), .202 OBP with a .241 SLG. 4 BB 25 K. 52B, 1 HR, 8 RBI. <a href="https://twitter.com/SSJWHB">@ssjwhb</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/nate_bukaty">@nate_bukaty</a></p>&mdash; Conrad McGorkin (@ConradMcGorkin) <a href="https://twitter.com/ConradMcGorkin/statuses/475959486784348161">June 9, 2014</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

I can see why he's hitting third in order on most nights.

he thought Moose was feeling lonely at the bottom.

I remember MNchiefsguy blasting me for saying Hosmer sucked and that 1B who don't produce power have no value. I would love to hear his answer now but I'm guessing it isn't forthcoming.

ROSS GLOAD!!

JOE RANDA

MICHAEL TUCKER!

DEE BROWN!

What will you do to celebrate the 3 year anniversary of Mike Moustakas being called up to the majors?

Hal Morris says hello.

Have diarrhea from eating Taco Bell breakfast.

Hopefully he can turn it around. Moose is just stuck in a rut right now.

http://www.mikehanback.com/ckfinder/...0crack%201.jpg

Looks like the Captain's farewell game at the K will be a rain out.

All that money and the Yankees can't stop the rain on command. Pfffffffft!

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rsRjQDrDnY8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Their offense sucked last year too.

Aahhahhaha David Lough is in the Top 15 for All-Star voting from the fans. Why do they let the fans vote? Fans are stupid. They should get no say in the All-Star game. It is a travesty that War Machine Alex Gordon isn't in the Top 5, let alone Top 15 for AL Outfield All-Star Voting. And this stuff counts for World Series home field advantage.

Ridiculous, David F****** Lough. Batting .196 while Alex Gordon has 3.4 WAR.

People, by WAR metrics Alex Gordon is the 5th best non-pitcher player in baseball. Mike Trout also 3.4 WAR.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?...s_mlb&c_id=mlb

Meh, you beat me to it.

Does anyone here really think that we would be having a "tribute to Jeter" if he played for the Mariners or Rangers?

Larry Sutton/Jeremy Giambi/Matt Stairs/Calvin Pickering

I actually liked Matt Stairs. He was a good pinch hitter as well.

Going to be tough to get this game in. I really hope we do though because we are playing well right now and the Yankees are not. It is a conspiracy!

I was listening to the game yesterday on the radio and was confused what team he was playing for.

Ya, take take the long rain delay. I don't care if it finishes at 3am and screws the Yankees flying out.

I just realized that as crappy as this season has seemed so far, they're only 1 game under .500 and 4 games back of the Tigers.

Hopefully they can find a way to actually win some division games at some point.

Just looking at a list of the supposed top 50 prospects after the MLB Draft, understanding its completely subjective, looks like:

Royals 2 (Zimmer, Mondesi)
Indian 3 *including top overall
Twins 5
White Sox 1
Tigers 0

Others of note:
Pirates 5
Cubs 5

Don't think we get tonight's game in. The rain on the radar is from outskirts of St. Louis's suburbs all the way past Hays, Kansas.

Pretty steady rain here right now. We probably aren't playing tonight. I imagine they will just save the effort and call the game soon.

Game's been called. Most reporting no make up yet. But 41 news says it's Aug 25th

Game is postponed

:cuss:

I think you hit on why it feels so crappy. We can't beat the teams in our division.
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Shows how important pitching is, that we won 86 last yr and are nearly .500 now. Although King (Bill) James once calculated the value of pitching and offense and found pitching was only 45% of total value and the rest offense. I have no idea how he calc'd that.

They're only 3 out of a WC spot.

That's baseball though... this isn't football. If you just hang around .500 you'll be in the mix. You just need to make a run at the end. What you can't do is put yourself in a rut the first two months like the Royals usually do.

If you win 60% of the games you are at 97 wins.

Um, that's exactly what the NFL has become too.

This... Rep...

From Rany:


Kottaras: 3hr in 5 at bats
Erica Hosmer and Fat-ass: 3hr in 486 at bats

Have to think that'll even out at least a little over the rest of the season. That's how thing usually go in baseball.

2001 Barry Bonds thru June 9th: 32 Home Runs
2014 K.C. Royals thru June 9th : 28 Home Runs

It's incredibly disappointing that:

1) Eric Hosmer seems to be unable to avoid completely screwing himself up in the offseason. I don't know what happened to the guy who had it figured out last year, but he disappeared some time between the end of the season and the start of spring training.

2) Billy Butler has continued to slide. At this point, it looks like the guy's just done. We're 1/3 of the way through the season, and there's no sign that anything is changing. What a disappointment. I expected this slide to come from him eventually, but figured he'd at least make it to 30 before it happened.

If those two guys are just .750 OPS players (basically slightly below-average for their positions) this team is 4-5 games better right now... which puts it right there with Detroit for the division.

Confirmed, the Yankees will have to come back on August 25th, time TBD.

Which is exactly why if we fail to make the postseason (and we will fail), the Shields deal wasn't the reason. It was first and foremost Fat-Ass becoming a piece of shit, and secondarily the loser duo at the hot corner. Nobody else comes close to the blame these 3 turds share

Sooooooo should I drop Jedd Gyorko AND Carl Crawford or just drop Gyorko, DL Crawford, and sign a slapdick?

What an exciting race!!

I dropped Gyorko a month ago. He's wasting a spot on your roster.

So the Rays need a closer (for what, really?). Do they have a clutch hitter we could trade at the deadline for Greg Holland?