What, no Royals bashing threads this morning?

Deberg_1990 · 04-17-2006, 08:12 AM

The song continues.....skid reaches 7

http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/14358319.htm

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Swept in Tampa Bay. The last time this happened, the Royals went on to lose 19 in a row. That was last year, of course. It only seems like yesterday.

The Royals ran their current skid to seven games Sunday afternoon in a 9-5 loss to the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. And the way things are going, mounting a challenge to that 19-game horror show no longer seems far-fetched.

Not with three games coming up in Chicago with the White Sox before returning home for nine games against the Indians, Twins and A’s. Not after losing successive games started by Seth McClung and Jason Hammel.

“It doesn’t feel the same as the last two years,” said Matt Stairs, one of just four current players who endured the 210 losses in 2004-05.

“The last couple of years, we lacked confidence. That’s not the case this year. It’s just a matter of people trying to do too much. That’s the biggest thing — hitting and pitching — some guys don’t realize how good they can be.”

This sweep follows three losses in New York, and Sunday marked the fifth time in six games that the Royals, 2-9, coughed up a lead.

Reliever Steve Stemle, who got a roster reprieve earlier in the day, blew a save and took the loss when he allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings after replacing starter Mark Redman.

That reprieve could be short-lived. Club officials planned to discuss possible personnel moves Sunday night on the charter flight to Chicago.

Stemle, 0-1, figured to lose his roster spot Sunday when the club activated Redman from the disabled list. Instead, the Royals chose to put right-hander Denny Bautista on the disabled list because of soreness in his right pectoral muscle.

“Nothing is going the way we wanted it to go,” manager Buddy Bell said.

Redman labored at times through his five innings but limited the damage to three runs and seven hits in an 87-pitch performance. He gave up a two-run homer to Jonny Gomes in the first inning and a leadoff blast to Damon Hollins in the second.

“That first inning,” Redman said, “I was just rushing a little bit. I just had to make some adjustments to find what was working and slow my body down. Physically, I was fine.”

He also handed a 4-3 lead to the bullpen.

It didn’t last long.

Stemle served up a one-out double to Hollins in the sixth that turned into the tying run when Tomas Perez’s two-out single hopped through the middle.

A four-pitch walk to pinch hitter Joey Gathright moved Perez to second before Carl Crawford ripped a two-run triple into the left-center gap for a 6-4 lead.

“It’s one of the funnest plays in all of sports,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said, “watching C.C. hit a triple. He runs hard and runs fast, and, gosh, he’s intense.”

The Devil Rays didn’t stop there.

Ty Wigginton’s two-run homer in the seventh boosted the lead to 8-4. Stemle departed after yielding Jorge Cantu’s one-out RBI single in the eighth.

The Royals have now allowed 82 runs in their 11 games, which translates to a nightmarish 7.45 earned-run average. The bullpen is even worse: 42 runs in 38 2/3 innings.

“I don’t know what to say,” Bell said. “When you don’t get innings out of your rotation, it’s always going to come back to haunt you. That’s been the case the last couple of days.”

Former Royal Brian Meadows, 1-0, got the victory despite allowing the go-ahead run in his only inning. Tampa Bay finished with 14 hits — two apiece from seven players. Crawford, Gomes and Wigginton each drove in two runs.

Mark Teahen had two singles and a triple in the Royals’ nine-hit attack. Shane Costa hit a two-run homer, but double-play grounders by Mike Sweeney in the third and David DeJesus in the eighth torpedoed scoring threats.

Hammel rebounded from a rocky big-league debut Tuesday, when he allowed seven runs to the Orioles in just 3 1/3 innings. This time, he made it through five innings and held the Royals to three runs and four hits.

Even so, the Rays optioned him back to Class AAA Durham immediately after the game.

Losing successive games started by Hammel and McClung, who has a 6.52 career ERA, amounts to an enormous missed opportunity by the Royals in a rugged 54-game opening stretch that includes 40 games against teams that won 83 games or more.

“I’m hoping we can learn from our mistakes,” Stairs said. “It is frustrating. We’re playing hard — but that doesn’t get you very far. We’ve lost seven in a row.”

And counting.

04-17-2006, 08:12 AM	Topic Starter
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $3914454	What, no Royals bashing threads this morning? The song continues.....skid reaches 7 http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansas...s/14358319.htm ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Swept in Tampa Bay. The last time this happened, the Royals went on to lose 19 in a row. That was last year, of course. It only seems like yesterday. The Royals ran their current skid to seven games Sunday afternoon in a 9-5 loss to the Devil Rays at Tropicana Field. And the way things are going, mounting a challenge to that 19-game horror show no longer seems far-fetched. Not with three games coming up in Chicago with the White Sox before returning home for nine games against the Indians, Twins and A’s. Not after losing successive games started by Seth McClung and Jason Hammel. “It doesn’t feel the same as the last two years,” said Matt Stairs, one of just four current players who endured the 210 losses in 2004-05. “The last couple of years, we lacked confidence. That’s not the case this year. It’s just a matter of people trying to do too much. That’s the biggest thing — hitting and pitching — some guys don’t realize how good they can be.” This sweep follows three losses in New York, and Sunday marked the fifth time in six games that the Royals, 2-9, coughed up a lead. Reliever Steve Stemle, who got a roster reprieve earlier in the day, blew a save and took the loss when he allowed six runs in 2 1/3 innings after replacing starter Mark Redman. That reprieve could be short-lived. Club officials planned to discuss possible personnel moves Sunday night on the charter flight to Chicago. Stemle, 0-1, figured to lose his roster spot Sunday when the club activated Redman from the disabled list. Instead, the Royals chose to put right-hander Denny Bautista on the disabled list because of soreness in his right pectoral muscle. “Nothing is going the way we wanted it to go,” manager Buddy Bell said. Redman labored at times through his five innings but limited the damage to three runs and seven hits in an 87-pitch performance. He gave up a two-run homer to Jonny Gomes in the first inning and a leadoff blast to Damon Hollins in the second. “That first inning,” Redman said, “I was just rushing a little bit. I just had to make some adjustments to find what was working and slow my body down. Physically, I was fine.” He also handed a 4-3 lead to the bullpen. It didn’t last long. Stemle served up a one-out double to Hollins in the sixth that turned into the tying run when Tomas Perez’s two-out single hopped through the middle. A four-pitch walk to pinch hitter Joey Gathright moved Perez to second before Carl Crawford ripped a two-run triple into the left-center gap for a 6-4 lead. “It’s one of the funnest plays in all of sports,” Rays manager Joe Maddon said, “watching C.C. hit a triple. He runs hard and runs fast, and, gosh, he’s intense.” The Devil Rays didn’t stop there. Ty Wigginton’s two-run homer in the seventh boosted the lead to 8-4. Stemle departed after yielding Jorge Cantu’s one-out RBI single in the eighth. The Royals have now allowed 82 runs in their 11 games, which translates to a nightmarish 7.45 earned-run average. The bullpen is even worse: 42 runs in 38 2/3 innings. “I don’t know what to say,” Bell said. “When you don’t get innings out of your rotation, it’s always going to come back to haunt you. That’s been the case the last couple of days.” Former Royal Brian Meadows, 1-0, got the victory despite allowing the go-ahead run in his only inning. Tampa Bay finished with 14 hits — two apiece from seven players. Crawford, Gomes and Wigginton each drove in two runs. Mark Teahen had two singles and a triple in the Royals’ nine-hit attack. Shane Costa hit a two-run homer, but double-play grounders by Mike Sweeney in the third and David DeJesus in the eighth torpedoed scoring threats. Hammel rebounded from a rocky big-league debut Tuesday, when he allowed seven runs to the Orioles in just 3 1/3 innings. This time, he made it through five innings and held the Royals to three runs and four hits. Even so, the Rays optioned him back to Class AAA Durham immediately after the game. Losing successive games started by Hammel and McClung, who has a 6.52 career ERA, amounts to an enormous missed opportunity by the Royals in a rugged 54-game opening stretch that includes 40 games against teams that won 83 games or more. “I’m hoping we can learn from our mistakes,” Stairs said. “It is frustrating. We’re playing hard — but that doesn’t get you very far. We’ve lost seven in a row.” And counting.
Posts: 66,914