Kansas City Royals @ Seattle Mariners Spring Training Thread (3/29)

[alnorth]

Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KC (16-11-3 spring)	2	5	0	0	0	0	9	1	0	17	22	0
SEA (14-15-2 spring)	0	8	1	0	0	1	1	1	0	12	18	3

Zack Greinke 2IP 8R 8ER 1BB 1K
Joel Peralta 1IP 1R 1ER 0BB 1K
Brandon Duckworth 2IP 0R 0ER 0BB 0K
Win, (2-0 spring) Ron Mahay 1IP 1R 1ER 0BB 1K
Juan Cruz 1IP 1R 1ER 0BB 2K
Kyle Farnsworth 1IP 1R 1ER 0BB 2K
Tim Hamulack 1IP 0R 0ER 0BB 1K

VS



Jarrod Washburn 6IP 7R 7ER 1BB 3K
Blown Save, (2 spring); Loss, (0-2 spring) David Aardsma 0.2IP 5R 5ER 2BB 0K
Roy Corcoran 0IP 4R 4ER 1BB 0K
Denny Stark 1.1IP 1R 0ER 1BB 0K
Shawn Kelley 1IP 0R 0ER 1BB 2K

Starting Lineups

KC

1. Coco Crisp, CF
1. Mitch Maier, pr/CF
2. David DeJesus, LF
2. Shane Costa, LF
3. Jose Guillen, RF
3. Ross Gload, RF
4. Billy Butler, 1B
5. Mike Jacobs, DH
6. John Buck, C
6. Brayan Pena, C
7. Alex Gordon, 3B
7. Willie Bloomquist, pr/3B
8. Alberto Callaspo, 2B
9. Tony Pena Jr, SS
9. Luis Hernandez, SS

SEA

1. Ichiro Suzuki, RF
1. Wladimir Balentien, pr/RF
2. Franklin Gutierrez, CF
2. Chris Burke, CF/2B
2. Freddie Guzman, 2B
3. Ken Griffey Jr, LF
3. Mike Wilson, LF
4. Adrian Beltre, 3B
4. Chris Woodward, pr/3B
5. Mike Sweeney, DH
5. Mike Morse, DH
6. Russell Branyan, 1B
6. Chris Shelton, 1B
7. Jose Lopez, 2B
7. Brent Johnson, CF
8. Kenji Johjima, C
8. Jamie Burke, C
9. Yuniesky Betancourt, SS
9. Reegie Corona, SS

[alnorth]

We are at about that time of year where the spring training games arent a joke anymore, no one's really experimenting and most of the roster decisions have been made (except 2B and the back of the rotation). Kind of like the last exhibition game in the NFL, the starters for both teams should be out there trying to win for at least half the game.

For this game, the Royals have announced that they will try to get work for these relief pitchers:

• Kyle Farnsworth
• Ron Mahay
• Juan Cruz
• Robinson Tejeda

Duckworth, Peralta, and a couple minor league guys I havent heard much about are also available today if needed.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Mahay needs some innings.

[Stewie]

MLB TV is showing this game, but it shows it starting at 4:00 Central Time.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Stewie

MLB TV is showing this game, but it shows it starting at 4:00 Central Time.

The Royals, Mariners, and MLB schedule all say its 3:05. Either MLB.tv is wrong, or they plan to break into the game in the 4th inning.

[KChiefs1]

for those with the sports package on Directv you can watch it on channel 687 on FSNWHD at 3:00pm.

[alnorth]

Well, that useless pile of suck is at SS today. When are we going to just cut him?

[doomy3]

I don't understand why we wouldn't be playing Teahan at 2B everyday right now.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by doomy3

I don't understand why we wouldn't be playing Teahan at 2B everyday right now.

Judging from Trey Hillman's comments the other day, I think Teahen is going to do a bit of everything. He might start a lot of games at 2B, but for now he seems to be penciled in as 2B/whatever. If Callaspo is going to play second when Teahen is giving other people a rest, then Callaspo needs some starts too.

[alnorth]

Top 1st

Crisp singles to center
DeJesus bunt fouls out to third
Guillen doubles to left, Crisp scores
Butler singles to center, Guillen to third
Jacobs sacrifices (fly) to center, Guillen scores
Buck strikes out (swinging) 2-3

2 runs, 3 hits

Bottom 1st

Suzuki flies out to left
Gutierrez bunt grounds out to pitcher
Griffey Jr singles to right
Beltre strikes out (looking)

0 runs, 1 hit

[alnorth]

Top 2nd

Gordon homers to deep right
Callaspo doubles to right
Pena Jr hits a bunt infield single to pitcher, Callaspo to third
Crisp singles to center, Pena Jr to third, Callaspo scores. Crisp to third, Pena Jr scores on an Error by SS
DeJesus fouls out to third
Guillen doubles to right, Crisp scores
Butler singles to right, Guillen to third
Jacobs sacrifices (fly) to right, Guillen scores
Buck flies out to center

5 runs, 6 hits, 1 error

Bottom 2nd

Sweeney singles to left
Branyan singles to right, Sweeney to second
Lopez singles to left, Branyan to second, Sweeney to third
Johjima singles to left, Lopez to second, Branyan to third, Sweeney scores
Betancourt hits an infield single to shortstop, Johjima to second, Lopez to third, Branyan scores
Suzuki reaches on a 5-2 fielder's choice, Betancourt to second, Johjima forced out at third, Lopez safe at home and scores
Gutierrez singles to center, Suzuki to third, Betancourt scores
Griffey Jr singles to center, Gutierrez to second, Suzuki scores
Beltre hit by pitch, Griffey Jr to second, Gutierrez to third
Sweeney doubles to center, Beltre to third, Griffey Jr and Gutierrez scores, Beltre thrown out at home 8-2
Branyan walks
Lopez doubles to left, Branyan to third, Sweeney scores
Johjima fouls out to catcher

8 runs, 9 hits

[alnorth]

With that Guillen double, all runs are now earned. Crisp still would have scored without the error

[KChiefs1]

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/blog/...=gammons_peter

Improved Royals could surprise in 2009
Peter Gammons
Sunday, March 29, 2009 | Print Entry


We all know that Kansas City is a small market. Fine. But we also know what it was like before any player made $3 million per year, when in the George Brett era -- from 1975 through 1989 -- the Royals averaged 89 wins a season, the ballpark was a model of civility, and their fan base was loyally rooted in small havens across Missouri and Kansas, from Columbia to Lawrence and dots along I-70, baseball's original road west of the Mississippi.

By the time of the 1994 strike, the franchise was already struggling to deal with the material realities. And since the strike, the Royals have had only one winning season and have averaged 94 losses. The smudged post-strike history is dotted with a refusal to fund the draft and poor ownership decisions. But now, with GM Dayton Moore apparently supported by the Glass family, there seems to be hope. This team that won 56 games in 2005 and last season won 75 is one of those franchises -- like the Reds and Giants -- that have been designated as this spring's fair-haired risers.

"We are getting better, I really believe that," says manager Trey Hillman.

"We have a ways to go, but there is progress. If we pitch and some of our young players improve the way we think they can, we will be improved.

How much? I don't know."

The American League Central is a fascinating division, running from the $83M payroll of the Indians to the $140M of the Tigers, with the Royals somewhere in the middle at $90M. Moore looked at a team whose .320 on-base percentage was 26th in the majors and whose .389 slugging percentage ranked second-to-last in the American League and acquired Coco Crisp and Mike Jacobs for relievers Ramon Ramirez and Leo Nunez, which necessitated signing Kyle Farnsworth.

Their front three starters -- Zack Greinke, Gil Meche, Kyle Davies -- can be very good if Greinke is what one other GM predicted (the 2009 Cy Young Award winner) and Davies is what he was in his last five starts of 2008. If the traditionally frustrating Farnsworth has taken to pitching coach Bob McClure, then along with Ron Mahay, the Royals' 'pen can be adequate in front of Joakim Soria.

Then it's a matter of the maturation of Alex Gordon, Billy Butler and Mark Teahen. If all that happens, can they win an additional 10 games to get to 85? It's possible.

Crisp was frightened by the death valley that is center and right-center field in Fenway Park. Is he a .400 on-base leadoff hitter? No, but he is a career .280 hitter, frees David DeJesus to bat behind him, and makes their outfield defense far better. Mike Aviles hit 20 homers between the minors and majors last season. Jacobs has made defensive strides this spring; now he has to improve on his career .318 on-base percentage to be a force.

But most important is the development of Gordon, Butler and Teahen. Each has a career OPS in the .750-.755 range, which would be graded as underachieving, especially since Butler's OPS his last two seasons in Omaha was .961.

"It's a matter of each one of them thinking about staying back and staying in the middle of the field," says hitting coach Kevin Seitzer. "We've really seen progress this spring, progress I believe they can take into the season. Teahen has had a great spring."

Teahen has also been the focus of a major experiment; he's been playing second base after a career at third and in the outfield. "I still think I'll probably mix and match with [Alberto] Callaspo," says Hillman. "But we've seen some very good instinctive plays from Teahen, plays that encourage us."

Within the AL Central, the Twins, Indians and White Sox are all likely capable of winning 90 games, but they are all flawed. The Tigers are very hard to read, and it's hard to ask owner Mike Ilitch -- with something like a 40-percent drop in season tickets -- to fund that payroll with some unmoveable contracts in a dreadful economy.

So if the bullpen holds, they find two starters out of the Brian Bannister/Sidney Ponson/Luke Hochevar/Horacio Ramirez group and Gordon, Butler and Teahen indeed make 50-100 point jumps in OPS, the Royals can contend and bring life back to a Middle American franchise with a proud tradition worth revisiting.

The Reds can contend in the NL Central. The Cubs still have issues to be determined, but before everyone puts Cincinnati in second place, the Cardinals could triple the number of starts for Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and surprise everyone again. And if the Brewers can straighten out their pitching and if their exceptionally talented everyday players all mesh, then they are going to be very dangerous.

But while the 2008 Reds were quantifiably one of the game's worst defensive teams, if Alex Gonzalez is healthy and Ramon Hernandez bounces back, they will be much better defensively with only one below-average position (third base). Johnny Cueto and Edinson Volquez are big-timers with high ceilings, Bronson Arroyo is as tough as it gets, they have five-hole pitching depth with Micah Owings and Homer Bailey. So if Aaron Harang is healthy, the Reds have good starting pitching and a deep bullpen. Can they win 83-86 games? Yes, they can, maybe more if Jay Bruce, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips all take off.

Remember, the Reds are 120 games under .500 over the past eight seasons.

It's easy to buy the notion that the Giants can contend. Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain are really good at the top of the rotation, Randy Johnson has changed speeds this spring and thrown in the 90s, and in his last start Barry Zito -- who maintains his delivery is coming back -- threw harder and with a better breaking ball than at any time this spring. Bruce Bochy is trying to fill out the bullpen in front of closer Brian Wilson, who could easily be mistaken for a Metallica roadie.

But as much as there is hope for Pablo Sandoval at third and Travis Ishikawa at first, there are questions about the defense on the left side of the infield and about how many runs the Giants can score.

Sure, they are improved, but the thought is that their pitching will allow the Giants to eat up a weak NL West division and win 87-90 games. The problem is, other than the Padres trying to rebuild from ground zero, the rest of the NL West isn't as bad as portrayed. The Dodgers probably have the best positional team in the league, although they have pitching depth issues. The Diamondbacks strike out a ton, but if Justin Upton, Stephen Drew and others improve and if they can line up the rotation and bullpen to the point of adequacy behind Brandon Webb and Danny Haren, the D-backs can be an 85-90 win team.

And I may be crazy, but the Rockies are nowhere near as bad as some think. They will badly miss Matt Holliday and Jeff Francis, but if they get stability behind Aaron Cook and Ubaldo Jimenez, if Ian Stewart blossoms, if Todd Helton comes back, this is a dangerous team; they have Dexter Fowler, Ryan Spilborghs, Carlos Gonzalez, Matt Murton, Brad Hawpe and Seth Smith for outfielders. That's a lot of talent.

The Royals, Reds and Giants are the spring improvement stories, all with huge questions, all playing in divisions that are playable. Let's see where Gordon, Bailey and Zito are come August. But for three teams that haven't had much to dream about the past few years, there is hope. That's what spring training is about.

[Jenson71]

Grienke falling apart

[alnorth]

Well, that was unpleasant. I'm not too worried though, Greinke should have been out undamaged several times.

In the Royals half of the inning they mashed a lot of solid hits, but Seattle kept finding holes through the infield for weak singles.