*** Official Kansas City Royals @ Houston Astros Game Thread (4/17) ***

[alnorth]

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KC (7-7)	1	1	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	5	9	0
HOU (5-11)	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1	5	1

Win, (1-2) James Shields 8IP 1R 1ER 2BB 12K
Wade Davis 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 1K

VS.



Loss, (2-1) Scott Feldman 6IP 5R 4ER 1BB 2K
Anthony Bass 3IP 0R 0ER 0BB 1K

Home Runs

none

AL Central

Final: CLE 5, DET 7
Final (game 1): TOR 0, MIN 7
Final (game 2): TOR 5, MIN 9
Final: BOS 3, CWS 1

Starting Lineups

KC

1. Norichika Aoki, RF
2. Omar Infante, 2B
3. Eric Hosmer, 1B
4. Salvador Perez, C
5. Alex Gordon, LF
6. Billy Butler, DH
7. Mike Moustakas, 3B
8. Alcides Escobar, SS
9. Jarrod Dyson, CF

HOU

1. Dexter Fowler, CF
2. George Springer, RF
3. Jason Castro, C
4. Jose Altuve, 2B
5. Marc Krauss, 1B
6. Chris Carter, DH
7. Matt Dominguez, 3B
8. Alex Presley, LF
9. Jonathan Villar, SS

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

No kidding... Traded way an everyday player in Myers that we could have locked up without paying much for a contract, but no, we pretty much rented a guy that starts every other 5 games for only 2 years. If Moore doesn't hold onto him after this year, this situation would have been horse shit.

The bolded part was always presumed to be nearly impossible from the very beginning.

The trade is arguably worth it if and only if the Royals make the playoffs in 2014. Thats the simple bar that DM must clear if he wants to credibly answer any criticisms about the trade.

[Mama Hip Rockets]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Why, cause we swept the worst team in baseball? So will everyone else. We are 7-7 after playing teams nobody expects to win, outside of 2 at Detroit.

Nobody expects Tampa Bay to win?

[Sure-Oz]

Royals MUST make it to the playoffs this year for GMDM to not get shit at the end of the season and going forward

[Anyong Bluth]

Good I just want there to be the same pressure applied to the Royals as Save Our Chiefs was able to muster in getting ownership's attention and accountability for FO guys as well as $$ spent or not spent if you really want to tell the fans you're committed to winning.

[Mama Hip Rockets]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

We've got him, a true 1, and probably 3 very good 3s. Though I have big hopes that Ventura will be a legit 2 by season's end or by the start of next year.

I'm pretty sure Ventura's a legit #1 already.

[Demonpenz]

Well Shields brought a Red Ass attitude to the Royals that they have sorely needed. They haven't had a tequilla whiskey drinking 'tude since Michael Tucker and Matt Stairs. Way too many milk and cookie guys for too long.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Good I just want there to be the same pressure applied to the Royals as Save Our Chiefs was able to muster in getting ownership's attention and accountability for FO guys as well as $$ spent or not spent if you really want to tell the fans you're committed to winning.

I admire the thought, but the biggest difference is that the Royals are not dependent on sellout attendance to make money, like the Chiefs are. That helps the Chiefs a lot more than the Royals.

Glass could cut the payroll into the 40s, draw 10,000 a game and still make tens of millions of profit.

The Royals should make every effort to re-sign Shields, though it's going to take a Greinke-like contract to do it. It's never been in the cards from Day 1, really.

That's why this year is such an important year in terms of making the playoffs. If they don't, the Wil Myers trade is a massive, massive failure.

[cmh6476]

I don't think they are going to make any attempt to re-sign shields, nor am I sure they should. Some combination of Ventura, Dwyer, Zimmer, Duffy, Vargas and Guthrie sounds fine to me. Our money needs to be spent on offense in my opinion.

[CaliforniaChief]

I know we won't retain Shields, but dammit I love that guy. Like 'penz said, he's a total red-ass bad-ass MF who just owns when he pitches.

Just once, I'd love to see us drop 100 million on a guy and throw a big middle finger to the Yankees and Dodgers.

And with his durability and effectiveness, he's my guy that I'd do it for.

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by thurman merman

I'm pretty sure Ventura's a legit #1 already.

Splitting hairs, but he hasn't proven shit yet- but I'm of like mind.

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief

I know we won't retain Shields, but dammit I love that guy. Like 'penz said, he's a total red-ass bad-ass MF who just owns when he pitches.

Just once, I'd love to see us drop 100 million on a guy and throw a big middle finger to the Yankees and Dodgers.

And with his durability and effectiveness, he's my guy that I'd do it for.

Somebody should start this on Kickstarter just in hopes it gets some pub and maybe some media attention.

Maybe shaming Glass will work- but I mostly doubt even that.

[cmh6476]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Somebody should start this on Kickstarter just in hopes it gets some pub and maybe some media attention.

Maybe shaming Glass will work- but I mostly doubt even that.

honestly, because it probably isn't the best use of those dollars if he were to spend them, looking at the pitching prospects making their way up. Now if those guys flame that's one thing, but so far they look like decent prospects for the bigs.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by alnorth

The bolded part was always presumed to be nearly impossible from the very beginning.

The trade is arguably worth it if and only if the Royals make the playoffs in 2014. Thats the simple bar that DM must clear if he wants to credibly answer any criticisms about the trade.

This is patently false. The only objective measure of a trade is this: who got the better end of the deal? That's it. Thus far, the player we acquired has been a complete stud. It would be foolish to blame him for the team failing to make the playoffs. DM said that he did this to win now and to prove to our guys (esp Butler and Gordon whom he named specifially) that he was committed to helping them get to the playoffs. Shield was instrumental in getting us to 86 wins last season by leading the AL in IP and quality starts.


If the everyday regulars don't produce then the playoff failure is on them, not Shields.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

That's why this year is such an important year in terms of making the playoffs. If they don't, the Wil Myers trade is a massive, massive failure.

Let's re-work your logic here: suppose Shields had come here and blew out his arm his first start and never pitched again. Suppose that, say, Duffy or Ventura took his place pitching lights out and we eked out a wild card appearance. Do you really argue that the trade (and only the trade) was somehow a "success" because we made the playoffs???

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

. If they don't, the Wil Myers trade is a massive, massive failure.

Your assuming Myers becomes a stud. What if he just becomes sort of "meh" like Moose?