Kansas City Royals @ Atlanta Braves Game Thread (4/16)

[alnorth]

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KC (7-6)	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	3	9	1
ATL (12-1)	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	4	X	6	9	3

Chris Getz hits his first home run since July 19, 2009



Jeremy Guthrie 7IP 2R 2ER 1BB 6K 2HR
Loss, (1-1) Kelvin Herrera ⅔IP 4R 4ER 1BB 0K 3HR
Aaron Crow ⅓IP 0R 0ER 0BB 0K

VS.



Kris Medlen 7IP 2R 1ER 0BB 5K 1HR
Win, (3-0) Eric O'Flaherty 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 2K
Luis Avilan ⅓IP 1R 1ER 0BB 0K
Craig Kimbrel ⅔IP 0R 0ER 0BB 1K

Home Runs

KC

Chris Getz, yes that Chris Getz. Really, I'm serious, (1) - Top 3rd solo shot to right

ATL

Juan Francisco, (2) - Bottom 2nd solo shot to right
Juan Francisco, (3) - Bottom 7th solo shot to center
Jason Heyward, (2) - Bottom 8th solo shot to left
Justin Upton, (8) - Bottom 8th solo shot to left
Dan Uggla, (3) - Bottom 8th solo shot to left

AL Central

Final: BOS 7, CLE 2
Final: CWS 4, TOR 3
Final: LAA 6, MIN 8
Final: DET 6, SEA 2

Starting Lineups

KC

1. Alex Gordon, LF
2. Alcides Escobar, SS
3. Eric Hosmer, 1B
4. Salvador Perez, C
5. Lorenzo Cain, CF
6. Mike Moustakas, 3B
7. Jeff Francoeur, RF
8. Chris Getz, 2B
9. Jeremy Guthrie, P
9. Kelvin Herrera, P
9. Aaron Crow, P
9. Billy Butler, ph

ATL

1. B.J. Upton, CF
2. Jason Heyward, RF
3. Justin Upton, LF
4. Evan Gattis, C
5. Dan Uggla, 2B
6. Juan Francisco, 3B
6. Jordan Schafer, pr
6. Luis Avilan, P
6. Craig Kimbrel, P
7. Chris Johnson, 1B
8. Andrelton Simmons, SS
9. Kris Medlen, P
9. Blake DeWitt, ph
9. Eric O'Flaherty, P
9. Ramiro Pena, 3B

[Al Bundy]

Cardinals Fan!!!!!! That's right THEY KNOW IT ALL!!!!

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

I wish DJ's Left Nut would stay the **** out of this thread.

Lets start trolling the Cardinals thread.

It's a game thread.

And quit pouting because you can't actually contribute.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

It's a game thread.

And quit pouting because you can't actually contribute.

no idea what that means

[alnorth]

The Royals are convinced that Herrera must have been tipping his pitches.

Herrera started the inning by retiring B.J. Upton on a grounder to third, but Heyward sliced a 98-mph fastball deep over the left-field wall. Upton followed by crushing a changeup.

Upton’s homer -- he seemed to be waiting on the 0-1 pitch — is what convinced the Royals that Herrera must be tipping. When Uggla turned around an 0-2 inside fastball...the Royals had little doubt.

“They say I was doing different little movements with my breaking ball and my fastball,” Herrera said. “But that’s no excuse. They just got me today. If I was (tipping pitches), I’m going to fix it.”

[Al Bundy]

You don't hit a guy because he's beating you. DJLN you are 100% wrong on the batters owning the inside part of the plate.

[Al Bundy]

**** Ned Yost.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

Actually good pitchers have owned the inside portion of the plate until the last 25 years (Steroid era). Now.. shut the **** up and go back to your thread.

Inside for effect, outside for outs.

It's been that way since well before the steroid era. Great pitchers are great pitchers precisely because they can claim dominion over the inside half. It keeps hitters honest and allows them to generate weak contact over the outer-half.

They don't do it by hitting guys, though, as evidenced by guys like Gibson's HBP numbers. They do it by burying it in on the fists, shattering bats and bruising knuckles.

Y'all can pout and piss and moan because the mean ol' Cardinals fan took objection at the same thing that would've flipped you people the **** out had someone done it to you - doesn't bother me a bit.

But you're still showing your asses. Great pitchers didn't control the inner half by hitting guys and professional ballclubs don't respond to getting outperformed by hitting their opponent. In the long run, it will get your guys hurt.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Inside for effect, outside for outs.

It's been that way since well before the steroid era. Great pitchers are great pitchers precisely because they can claim dominion over the inside half. It keeps hitters honest and allows them to generate weak contact over the outer-half.

They don't do it by hitting guys, though, as evidenced by guys like Gibson's HBP numbers. They do it by burying it in on the fists, shattering bats and bruising knuckles.

Y'all can pout and piss and moan because the mean ol' Cardinals fan took objection at the same thing that would've flipped you people the **** out had someone done it to you - doesn't bother me a bit.

But you're still showing your asses. Great pitchers didn't control the inner half by hitting guys and professional ballclubs don't respond to getting outperformed by hitting their opponent. In the long run, it will get your guys hurt.

Where did I ever say hitting guys was the way to go? Good pitchers own the inside portion of the plate.

Ohh and Post 10,000!!!!

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

You don't hit a guy because he's beating you. DJLN you are 100% wrong on the batters owning the inside part of the plate.

No I'm not, though we may have a difference in definitions here.

Pitchers all recognize that hitters have the advantage from middle-in. It's where they can get the bathead out to pull the ball and it's where they can throw their hips out, pull in their arms and still make solid contact on a pitch that would've otherwise beat them. The inner-half of the plate is where a hitter has the advantage.

On the outer half, however, pitchers have all the advantage. They're forcing hitters to extend and take pitches. If a hitter hopes to pull the ball he has to either have freakishly fast wrists or cheat on the delivery.

When I say that pitchers have always given the inner-half to hitters, I mean they recognize that this is where the hitter will have the advantage. Now what separates the great ones from everyone else is that they will work that inner half in order to neutralize the hitter's advantages in that zone. But even those pitchers realize that you can't live inside; you come inside for effect and outside to generate outs. Granted, nothing is universal - they'll come inside for outs as well, but even the best pitchers are at a disadvantage when they're working on the inner half of the plate vs. the outer half.

It's why pitchers get so pissed off at guys that won't back off the plate when they pitch inside. Hitters have to be able to throw that pitch that will bust bats and sting hands. That's also why pitchers will absolutely drill a guy that starts diving out over the plate - at that point they have no safe place they can pitch. They have to have an area where they still have an advantage and that area is the outer half.

I think it was an old Koufax interview where I first learned all this crap but it stuck with me even as a kid and I've heard it said countless times since. You as the pitcher are entitled to the outer half and if you want to be great you try to earn the inner half. But you damn sure don't do it by hitting guys when you make a bad pitch.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Peyton's Princess

no idea what that means

It means that the extent of your baseball contributions is generally bitching about something and that I can muck up a game thread and it's fairly irrelevant. Tomorrow there shall be a new one and you can forget this one ever existed.

In short - Lighten up, Francis.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

No I'm not, though we may have a difference in definitions here.

Pitchers all recognize that hitters have the advantage from middle-in. It's where they can get the bathead out to pull the ball and it's where they can throw their hips out, pull in their arms and still make solid contact on a pitch that would've otherwise beat them. The inner-half of the plate is where a hitter has the advantage.

On the outer half, however, pitchers have all the advantage. They're forcing hitters to extend and take pitches. If a hitter hopes to pull the ball he has to either have freakishly fast wrists or cheat on the delivery.

When I say that pitchers have always given the inner-half to hitters, I mean they recognize that this is where the hitter will have the advantage. Now what separates the great ones from everyone else is that they will work that inner half in order to neutralize the hitter's advantages in that zone. But even those pitchers realize that you can't live inside; you come inside for effect and outside to generate outs. Granted, nothing is universal - they'll come inside for outs as well, but even the best pitchers are at a disadvantage when they're working on the inner half of the plate vs. the outer half.

It's why pitchers get so pissed off at guys that won't back off the plate when they pitch inside. Hitters have to be able to throw that pitch that will bust bats and sting hands. That's also why pitchers will absolutely drill a guy that starts diving out over the plate - at that point they have no safe place they can pitch. They have to have an area where they still have an advantage and that area is the outer half.

I think it was an old Koufax interview where I first learned all this crap but it stuck with me even as a kid and I've heard it said countless times since. You as the pitcher are entitled to the outer half and if you want to be great you try to earn the inner half. But you damn sure don't do it by hitting guys when you make a bad pitch.

This is what the Braves hitters did after the first home run given up by Herrera tonight.

[clyde05]

Tip my hat to Guthrie tonight, wish we could have gotten him more runs all our SP for that matter. Moose needs to get out of his slump and Hosmer too.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

Where did I ever say hitting guys was the way to go? Good pitchers own the inside portion of the plate.

Ohh and Post 10,000!!!!

You didn't. My initial consternation was not with you but rather with Deez. And ultimately, I don't think Deez really thinks anyone should've been drilled.

He was pissed - it happens. But there's no way he'd have ever said "yeah, Kimbrel should plant on into Hosmer's ribs" if the Royals put up 3 bombs in an inning. It's just not what you do.

Part of what makes baseball so great is the respect these guys have to have for each other. It's not football where you play 16 games and call it a year. There are 162 games; these guys do this shit every night. It's a little different now with interleague play, but for the most part you know you have to face these guys several more times this year and it's going to be a looooooong season.

You treat your opponent with respect in baseball because you're going to playing them the next day more often than not and you're almost certainly going to be playing them again soon even if its getaway day. Look at all the drama that was popping up around the Padres/Dodgers re-match because of the garbage from Quentin.

[Al Bundy]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

You didn't. My initial consternation was not with you but rather with Deez. And ultimately, I don't think Deez really thinks anyone should've been drilled.

He was pissed - it happens. But there's no way he'd have ever said "yeah, Kimbrel should plant on into Hosmer's ribs" if the Royals put up 3 bombs in an inning. It's just not what you do.

Part of what makes baseball so great is the respect these guys have to have for each other. It's not football where you play 16 games and call it a year. There are 162 games; these guys do this shit every night. It's a little different now with interleague play, but for the most part you know you have to face these guys several more times this year and it's going to be a looooooong season.

You treat your opponent with respect in baseball because you're going to playing them the next day more often than not and you're almost certainly going to be playing them again soon even if its getaway day. Look at all the drama that was popping up around the Padres/Dodgers re-match because of the garbage from Quentin.

It's the Royals... the players don't give a **** about winning. I saw it tonight, they are only here to cash a check. That is why teams like the Royals never fight back, no matter what.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

This is what the Braves hitters did after the first home run given up by Herrera tonight.

Huh?

Upton's blast was an inside changeup at his eyes. Uggla's was 99 and center-cut.

They weren't diving out there at all - Herrera was making it easy for them.

Watching that swing from Uggla makes me wonder if Alnorth wasn't right, though. Uggla was absolutely sitting dead red there. I don't really think Upton was (afterall, a righty hitting a hung changeup from another righty is about the easiest thing in the world). Heyward...I dunno - he looked like he was just doing what you were supposed to do against a power pitcher - sit fastball and adjust breaking ball. Heywards shown a slider-speed bat all year and he just happened to use Herrera's velocity against him.

I don't see that the Braves batters did anything 'wrong'.