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WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:30 PM
All Royals All The Time!

After consultation with others who peruse the game threads we decided to create this as a repository for all things Royals. Minor league news, AL (ahem) Central (thanks Vonne) news and anything Royals can be found here.

alnorth will continue the game threads as usual. But if you locate something of interest.. ANYTHING.. deals on apparel, best ways in/out of the stadium, giveaways, great stories from this season or from seasons gone by, rumors, trades, anything.... feel free to post it here.

If a big story breaks, you can still start a thread about it. There is merely an all inclusive thread that will make a easy for us all to keep up with all things Royals.


Welcome! "Grab a Brew... don't cost nuthin"...[spills beer on feet]


Courtesy of ari: Hey William... add this link to the opening post, if you want.

here. Free MLB radio... acts like you are a Holiday Inn customer... then you sign in with your MLB login.
http://guest.ichotelsgroup.com/in_room_entertainment/listen_to_mlb_gameday_audio.aspx?InnCode=ARBNC&SelectedLanguage=en-US

Mama Hip Rockets
05-03-2009, 07:32 PM
tony pena jr. on the 15-day DL! here's hoping he will never return!

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:33 PM
In minor league news the Royals Burlington, Ia affiliate has a LH pitcher down there that has been making some news.

Baline Hardy has struck out 25 in 18 innings while giving up exactly zero BB's.

His bio is below:

Biography:

Selected by the Kansas City Royals out of the University of Portland in the 22nd round (No. 655 overall) of the June 2008 First-Year Player Draft.

Highlights:2008
Made his professional debut and spent the entire season with the Idaho Falls Chukars of the (Rookie-level) Pioneer League...went 1-0 with four saves in 21 relief appearances...posted a 4.15 ERA, striking out 34 and walking eight over 34 2/3 innings...first professional win came in third outing June 24, as he held Ogden hitless, walking one and fanning two over three innings...first pro save came in sixth outing July 10, as he held Helena hitless, walking one while fanning two over two innings...did not allow a run in 12 of 21 appearances, including five straight outings Aug. 4-18, in which he gave up two hits and struck out 12 over 7 2/3 innings...struck out a season-high five Aug. 10 during that run, as he picked up a save with two perfect innings vs. Billings

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:33 PM
welcome Thurman [fistbump]

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 07:34 PM
Interesting update from Rany (www.ranyontheroyals.com):

Sunday, May 3, 2009
Royals Today: 5/3/2009.

After last night’s epic win, I tweeted, “Looking for another reason to take KC seriously? There's no way we win tonight's game last year...or the year before...or the year before...” Then I read the game recap, where I learned that Zack Greinke was thinking along the exact same lines: “We never win these kinds of games here,” he said. “Along about the seventh or eighth inning, I was thinking, ‘If we win this, things have changed.’ ”

We won. Maybe things have changed.

If you’re not a Royals fan, you may have difficulty understanding just how frightening it is when we play the Twins. The Indians may have dominated us more over the last 15 years, the White Sox may be the target of more personal hatred…but in the late innings of a tight ballgame, no team fills me with more dread than the Twins – and no venue frightens me more than the Metrodome. I’m willing to wager that in the span of time when the Royals were saddled with the worst bullpen of all time (1998-2006, roughly), no team stole more games from the Royals in the late innings than Minnesota.

This series looked like another data point for the theory that the Twins just have our number. Joe Mauer finally returned to the majors on May 1st, just in time to play the Royals – and homers in his first at-bat, then doubles in his second at-bat, then grabs four more hits yesterday. Last night they responded to Royal runs in the second, fifth, and sixth with rallies of their own. After the Royals rallied to tie in the seventh and take the lead in the eighth, Juan Cruz started the bottom of the inning with a pitch that was about 15 feet outside, a fitting introduction to a 24-pitch outing which included two walks, a single, a wild pitch, a passed ball, and just ten strikes. I was tempted to shut off the TV after Delmon Young’s single tied the game; the odds that the Royals would pull this game out were too slim to justify watching it.

But they did. They did because David DeJesus made two great hustle plays in left field in the eighth inning. They did because Ron Mahay came in and finally looked like the pitcher he was during the first half of last season, retiring Kubel-Mauer-Morneau in order in the eighth and ninth, and working into the tenth. They did because Coco Crisp masterfully worked Joe Nathan for a 12-pitch at-bat to lead off the ninth, and even though he eventually grounded out, he set the tone for a grueling 25-pitch inning which insured that Nathan wouldn’t come out for the tenth. From Dick Kaegel’s writeup: “Bench coach John Gibbons turned to Hillman after Crisp’s at-bat and said: “All we have to do is keep seeing some pitches, and hopefully we’ll only see Mr. Nathan for one inning.’”

The Royals won because after Mahay gave up a double to Brian Buscher leading off the tenth – which just missed clearing the fence – it was the Twins who, for a change, had problems with the fundamentals. Carlos Gomez, one of the fastest players in baseball, fouled off two bunt attempts before harmlessly flying out to center. And the Royals won because Trey Hillman decided to see what all this talk about using Joakim Soria for more than one inning was about, and brought him in to pitch in the 10th inning of a tie game. They won because after a wild pitch moved Bruscher to third, Tony Pena (who had apparently already broken the hamate bone in his left hand) made a nice play on a grounder to hold the runner at third, and then Billy Butler made a nice player on a grounder down the line.

But mostly, they won because after a half-decade of talking about the importance of on-base percentage, the Royals have finally figured out how to use the walk as an offensive weapon. Crisp didn’t swing at any of the six pitches he saw in the top of the 11th, the first three and the last of which were balls. Willie Bloomquist showed bunt, but pulled the bat back twice on pitches out of the strike zone, and realizing that there was no point bunting on a pitcher who couldn’t throw strikes, worked his own five-pitch walk. Butler grounded out, but Mark Teahen pinch-hit and walked on four pitches. R.A. Dickey relieved Craig Breslow and got John Buck down in the count, 1-2, but Buck worked the count full, fouled off two pitches, then took ball four to drive home the go-ahead run. Callaspo then hit a slow grounder to plate another. Against the best control pitching staff in baseball, the Royals had scored two runs, in the 11th inning of a tie game, without benefit of a hit.

Maybe things have changed. Much like this game went a long way towards eliminating doubt that the 2003 Royals were in it for the long haul, the fact that the Royals had the last word in a game that had ten lead changes tells me that they’re not going away anytime soon.

- Thanks to scoring 34 runs in their last four games, the Royals now rank a respectable 10th in the league in runs per game. A few days ago, there was a big disconnect between the Royals offensive stats and their run totals, due primarily to a poor performance with runners in scoring position. The team’s performance with RISP has evened out, as it tends to do, with some nice work the last few days.

The Royals have scored 112 runs and allowed 96; according to BP’s Equivalent Runs, they “should” have scored 114 runs and allowed 97. The difference is immaterial. The team is playing well because they should be playing well.

- You want to know the biggest single reason why the Royals are playing better than last year? The Royals have drawn 86 walks in 24 games; they rank 7th in the league in that category. The last time the Royals ranked in the top half of the AL in walks? 1989. Before that? 1980. I’m not saying the Royals should be putting Kevin Seitzer in their Hall of Fame yet. But it wouldn’t be a bad idea to start working on the portrait.

- The man leading the Royals’ foray into the land of plate discipline is Coco Crisp, who has 17 walks already. I’m as shocked as anyone. Crisp’s career high in walks is 50 – he’s on pace to get there before the All-Star Break. On the one hand, when a 29-year-old player is on a pace to basically double his career high in a category, you have to suspect it’s a small sample size fluke. On the other hand, walk rates are one of the most stable statistics in baseball. Guys hit .400 in April and .200 in May all the time; drawing 17 walks in a month and four walks the next is a much rarer event.

Crisp certainly has the look at the plate of someone who is looking to work the count at every opportunity. If you knew nothing about his track record, you’d think he absolutely could draw 100 walks in a season. But it’s hard to just ignore the track record. I mean, Crisp played for the RED SOX the last three years, a team for who plate discipline is akin to a religion, and never walked in even 10% of his plate appearances. Could Seitzer have really found a way to get Crisp to double his walk rate?

- If Crisp does draw 100 walks this year, he’ll be the first Royal to do so since, again, 1989. Who did it that year? Kevin Seitzer.

- Alberto Callaspo. My God. Batting average is subject to a lot of variation, but still – he’s hitting .382, he’s second in the league with 11 doubles, and he’s struck out just four times all year. He’s not going to hit anywhere near this well all season – one of the best hidden indicators of batting average is line drive percentage, and Callaspo’s mark of 18% this season is right around league average – but he’s a legitimate .300-plus hitter. He’s also spent all but two games this year batting 6th or lower in the lineup. Is there any legitimate reason why Callaspo shouldn’t be batting third?

- Willie Bloomquist. Um, yeah, I didn’t see this coming either. Before the season, the one reason to be a little intrigued about Bloomquist was that last season, his walk rate spiked, as he drew 25 walks in under 200 plate appearances and posted a very solid .377 OBP. My feeling was that the Royals would beat that out of him in quick order, but instead he’s maintained that discipline, already drawing eight walks. Throw in his defensive versatility and clubhouse presence, and that justifies a roster spot. Then add in a fluky batting average and some accidental power, and suddenly you have a guy who’s winning games for the Royals.

I mean, this next phrase is inarguable: Willie Bloomquist willed the Royals to victory last night. He singled in the first to set up a run. He homered with two outs in the fifth to tie the game. After hitting into a fielder’s choice in the seventh, he stole second base and then scored on Butler’s single. In the ninth he singled again, stole second again, but was stranded at third base. In the 11th he was sent up to bunt, but walked instead to key the three-run rally. It might not last for long, but for now: all hail The Golden Spork!

(That still doesn’t mean he has any business starting against a right-handed pitcher, mind you.)

- Can we all agree that the Sidney Ponson Experiment has failed? Please? Yes, Ponson has pitched well in three of his five starts – but the other two starts were so bad that he still has a 7.16 ERA. Meanwhile, Luke Hochevar is trying to become the Zack Greinke of the Pacific Coast League – after last night’s seven-inning shutout he’s 5-0 with a 1.13 ERA. Is common sense really that rare a commodity in the Royals’ front office?

“We looked at the video,” Hillman said. “We see stuff. Hopefully, sooner than later, it will play out. I plan on him making his next start if that’s the question.”

I think we have our answer.

- Should we be a little worried about Juan Cruz? It’s not just his performance last night, it’s the fact that in 11.1 innings, he has just six strikeouts. For a guy who had 158 Ks in 113 innings the last two years, it’s something which warrants watching.

- There is a body of evidence which suggests that when it comes to platoon splits, all hitters are essentially equal – if one player shows a larger platoon split than another, it’s likely due to pure luck.

I can only assume this evidence did not take into account the curious case of one Miguel Olivo.

Olivo is having a pretty awful year overall, but once again he’s hitting lefties: he’s 8-for-26 (.308) against them with a double, triple, and homer. The problem is that he’s 3-for-27 against RHP with 13 strikeouts. Watching Olivo, it’s pretty obvious the reason for the discrepancy: the man is completely hypnotized by the slider. He can neither identify nor lay off it.

Statistically speaking, Buck is a similar player, but his approach against RHP is much, much better, and I hope that Hillman eventually adopts a platoon of sorts, starting Buck against RHP and Olivo against southpaws (with Buck occasionally DHing). Olivo’s career line against RHP is .222/.258/.365. There’s no reason to give those numbers relevance any more than necessary.

- Finally, from the “Awkward Moments in Radio Broadcast History Department”: this week’s podcast is here. Towards the end of our interview with Keith Law, my connection to the studio suddenly died. I quickly called back in, and when Keith was still talking about Mike Moustakas when I finally got re-connected, I was hopeful that no one would notice my absence.

But then Keith finished his sentence, and there was a pause for a second…two seconds…five seconds, before my co-host Jason Anderson finally rescued us by saying, “I completely agree.” What I didn’t know was that just seconds before I got re-connected, Keith had started his sentence by saying, “Rany, I think this kind of up your alley too” – setting me up for a reply which never came. You can hear this exchange around 39 minutes in, if you’re the kind of person who, you know, holds up traffic to look at car accidents.

Also, this is a good time to point out that I should be making regular appearances promoting the show every Monday morning on The Border Patrol with Steven St. John and Nate Bukaty, usually a little after 9 o’clock.

Mama Hip Rockets
05-03-2009, 07:34 PM
welcome Thurman [fistbump]

why thank you.

VonneMarie
05-03-2009, 07:37 PM
Why do you keep referring to the AL West? Don't you mean the AL Central?

Mama Hip Rockets
05-03-2009, 07:38 PM
is anybody watching the white sox game on espn? carlos quentin just flied out/flew out with the bases loaded and 2 outs. he screamed a very loud f-word, and tried to cover his mouth with his helmet so no one could see. but you could totally see the "FUUUUUUCCCCCKKKK" coming out before he covered his mouth.

ROFL

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:38 PM
Because I'm and idiot. Al Central it is.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:39 PM
Dye may be back as early as Monday.

When I saw the highlight of this I immediately thought: "He's out for 6 weeks". Losing Dye would alter the balance in the AL Central and be a difficult void for the SOX to fill.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/whitesox/chi-04-sox-bits-chicagomay04,0,7606002.story

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Shortly after fearing Jermaine Dye would be lost for the remainder of the season, manager Ozzie Guillen said his valuable right fielder could return to the White Sox's lineup as soon as Monday night.

"If he tells me he's ready to go, yes," Guillen said of Dye, who suffered only a left hand bruise after getting hit Saturday by a pitch from Texas reliever Luis Mendoza.

Dye was in the trainer's room before Sunday night's game and didn't take batting practice.

But that's a nice consolation after Guillen initially thought Dye was lost for the year after getting hit.

VonneMarie
05-03-2009, 07:40 PM
Because I'm and idiot. Al Central it is.

Nope, you're stuck in the 80's. :)

Saulbadguy
05-03-2009, 07:41 PM
I feel this will last until the impending collapse and 12 game losing streak. Damnit, you can just feel this team is a cunts hair away from disaster. I'm enjoying it though.

Hammock Parties
05-03-2009, 07:42 PM
Why do you keep referring to the AL West? Don't you mean the AL Central?

used to be the AL west untill they added another division to each league

Mama Hip Rockets
05-03-2009, 07:47 PM
Interesting update from Rany (www.ranyontheroyals.com):


man, that guy rules.

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 07:47 PM
I feel this will last until the impending collapse and 12 game losing streak. Damnit, you can just feel this team is a ****s hair away from disaster. I'm enjoying it though.

It might happen, who knows...

But I'm going to be fucking shocked if we're able to go through the rotation 2 times without one of our pitchers putting the brakes on any prolonged losing streak. This assumes, of course, that Hochevar is soon to be part of the mix.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:48 PM
So Hernandez gets the call?

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090503&content_id=4539454&vkey=news_kc&fext=.jsp&c_id=kc


The Royals selected the contract of infielder Luis Hernandez from Triple-A Omaha to fill the roster spot.

"He's got the most time of the guys we have available logged at short at this point in time at this level," Hillman said. "He's hitting pretty good. My understanding is he's been playing well. He gives us another switch-hitter, which never hurts. He has a little bit of experience."

Hernandez spent the last two seasons in the Baltimore organization. He played 66 games in the big leagues with the Orioles from 2007-08.

Hernandez was a non-roster invitee at Spring Training. He was batting .292 (21-for-72) with 13 RBIs in 20 games for Omaha.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 07:49 PM
BTW, can anybody describe to me Soria's E in the 9th? WTF happened there?

BigMeatballDave
05-03-2009, 07:49 PM
I'm getting excited about this team, but I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop...

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 07:50 PM
BTW, can anybody describe to me Soria's E in the 9th? WTF happened there?

Weakly hit ball back to the pitcher, so Soria he had to hurry. Throw was to the home side, thus taking Butler into the runner. Wasn't able to make the catch.

BigMeatballDave
05-03-2009, 07:53 PM
I feel this will last until the impending collapse and 12 game losing streak. Damnit, you can just feel this team is a ****s hair away from disaster. I'm enjoying it though.I know how you feel, but I think our rotation is pretty good. We've yet to lose more than 2.

VonneMarie
05-03-2009, 07:53 PM
All you negative Nancys need to get the flip out. Let's keep this thread positive. P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E.

tk13
05-03-2009, 07:55 PM
Willie Bloomquist for president.

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 07:55 PM
All you negative Nancys need to get the flip out. Let's keep this thread positive. P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E.

We're a well-trained bunch.

But we're straight with Meche and Greinke. Does anyone really think the latter is going to lose tomorrow night? I sure don't.

KCUnited
05-03-2009, 08:01 PM
Willie Bloomquist for president.
http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/4561/capt39645b4b954947d48d2.jpg (http://img139.imageshack.us/my.php?image=capt39645b4b954947d48d2.jpg)

Great thread btw.

SPATCH
05-03-2009, 08:01 PM
We're a well-trained bunch.

But we're straight with Meche and Greinke. Does anyone really think the latter is going to lose tomorrow night? I sure don't.

i, for one, do not doubt the power of the SI cover curse

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 08:03 PM
Brandon Inge hit his 8th HR today for Tigers and get a look at Justin Verlander's line today:

7 innings pitched, 2 hits, 1 earned run, 2 BB and .... 11 K's in a 3-1 win over the Indians.

Cliff Lee lost again. Only gave up 3 runs but the Tigers lit him up for 12 hits.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 08:07 PM
+ or -, it's all welcome. I feel like Saul. But I think all AL Central teams are in the same boat. For further evidence, reference the near disaster to J. Dye last night.

They lose him and I don't see anybody available to pick up the slack.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 08:09 PM
CHISOX down 4-0 in the 6th to the Rangers. Danks get the hook with 1 out and runners at 1st and 3rd.

VonneMarie
05-03-2009, 08:09 PM
+ or -, it's all welcome. I feel like Saul. But I think all AL Central teams are in the same boat. For further evidence, reference the near disaster to J. Dye last night.

They lose him and I don't see anybody available to pick up the slack.

They have Quentin.

Chiefs_Mike_Topeka
05-03-2009, 08:11 PM
Weakly hit ball back to the pitcher, so Soria he had to hurry. Throw was to the home side, thus taking Butler into the runner. Wasn't able to make the catch.

Hey but on the bright side; Soria wasn't hung with an earned run! :clap:

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 08:13 PM
Hey but on the bright side; Soria wasn't hung with an earned run! :clap:

Soria clearly did it on purpose because...well...sometimes he gets bored.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 08:32 PM
I feel this will last until the impending collapse and 12 game losing streak. Damnit, you can just feel this team is a ****s hair away from disaster. I'm enjoying it though.

Hey, I meant to tell you after your last trip to the stadium, I can give you a short cut.

Instead of exiting at Manchester, get off on Van Brunt and go South to 31st. Go past 31st to the turnaround for 31st ST. You have to circle around to go back east. There is signage that says as much.

Circle around and GO PAST the two lights and make the immediate right onto Stadium Dr. This will take you (south)east to the 4 way STOP at Manchester and Stadium Dr. You go by the old Leeds plant. I forget what it is now. You can then go straight or turn R (south) to one of the other gates.

You'll never wait at that 4 way STOP again.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 08:58 PM
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090501&content_id=4521478&vkey=news_cle&fext=.jsp&c_id=cle

LaPorta got the call for the Indians, replacing Trevor Crowe. Kind of a bitch when you get called up only to get mowed down by Verlander in your MLB debut.

Outfielder Matt LaPorta, the key acquisition in last July's CC Sabathia trade with the Brewers, will join the Tribe at Comerica Park on Saturday, and he'll be joined by Luis Valbuena and Josh Barfield. All three players will be promoted from Triple-A Columbus.

The trio will take the place of right-hander Joe Smith, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rotator cuff, outfielder Trevor Crowe, who was optioned back to Columbus, and veteran infielder Tony Graffanino, who was designated for assignment.


Graff will catch on with somebody.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 09:03 PM
Ranger beat the CHISOX 5-1.

Tomorrow we get to face our old nemesis Fattolo Colon. It's time to kick his f'ing ass.

BWillie
05-03-2009, 09:10 PM
Can't we trade some prospects? Like Shealy or the Hawaiian dude? I guess we are just making sure Butler doesn't completely suck first.

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 09:26 PM
Can't we trade some prospects? Like Shealy or the Hawaiian dude? I guess we are just making sure Butler doesn't completely suck first.

I'm pretty you could get a double butterburger for Shealy. Small custard for KilahaaWhoeeeee.

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 09:30 PM
Can't we trade some prospects? Like Shealy or the Hawaiian dude? I guess we are just making sure Butler doesn't completely suck first.

I'm sure the Rays would give us Longoria for those two.

I think you have to ask: "What is it you want to accomplish by trading prospects"?

And then ask: "What is a prospect and can the Royals afford to trade them"?

Ceej
05-03-2009, 09:33 PM
When is Hochevar going to be called up?

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 09:36 PM
When is Hochevar going to be called up?

Expect him soon. And when they do call Hochevar, we will be able to cut loose the Human Thanksgiving Day Float.

Ceej
05-03-2009, 09:37 PM
Expect him soon. And when they do call Hochevar, we will be able to cut loose the Human Thanksgiving Day Float.

Yeah, I recall reading somewhere that Trey was going to give Ponson one more chance. Lets hope it's his last!

Jethopper
05-03-2009, 09:50 PM
im so happy about this thread!

WilliamTheIrish
05-03-2009, 09:51 PM
Some links for minor league affiliates:

Burlington Bees (A)

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t420

Idaho Falls (R-Adv)

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t444

Northwest Ark (AA)

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t1350

Burlington (NC) Royals (A)

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t483

Surprise, AZ Royals (R)

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/clubs/ip_index.jsp?sid=milb&cid=t412

Wilmington Blue Rocks (A)

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/index.jsp?sid=t426

Omaha Royals (AAA) Pacific Coast League

Hey, if anybody goes to the Monday game in Omaha, pick up an extra Warren Buffet bobblehead. LMAO I live for that.

beavis
05-03-2009, 10:34 PM
I was in a local watering hole on Saturday night starting in about the 8th inning, when I noticed something odd. Starting in the ninth, it got almost dead silent in this place that's usually loud enough to annoy me. People were consumed by what was going on in during the game. As soon as the last pitch was thrown, it went back to "normal" bar type volume.

I think in seasons past, it was a lot different. If there was a game on in the background, most people wouldn't pay much attention. I can't wait to see what happens to this town if they actually do make a playoff run. I know it's early, but we've suffered long enough dammit.

Or else, I could have just imagined it all, who knows.

beavis
05-03-2009, 10:35 PM
Yeah, I recall reading somewhere that Trey was going to give Ponson one more chance. Lets hope it's his last!

I think I read somewhere that they need to start Ponson one more time to officially delay Hochevar's service time a year.

DeezNutz
05-03-2009, 10:41 PM
From Dutton's piece about today's game, 5/03, in the Star: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/royals/story/1176696.html

1. I think they were reading the game thread because a couple of us we're flipping this kind of shit on Delano.

“We were trying every way possible on the bench to jinx him,” Royals shortstop Willie Bloomquist said. “Every inning from the fourth on, we kept saying, ‘This guy has a no-hitter going.’ But we kept not getting any hits until the seventh.”

2. Love this attitude from Meche. What underpins the following comment is that he's a "team guy." Not worried about personal stats; it's all about getting the win. Exactly what we need from our vet.

“I told Buck on the bench,” Meche said, “that I’m almost glad I gave up those two runs in the sixth because, just maybe, it made Baker relax too much. I don’t know. Whatever happened, it worked out perfect.”

Kyle DeLexus
05-03-2009, 10:54 PM
I was in a local watering hole on Saturday night starting in about the 8th inning, when I noticed something odd. Starting in the ninth, it got almost dead silent in this place that's usually loud enough to annoy me. People were consumed by what was going on in during the game. As soon as the last pitch was thrown, it went back to "normal" bar type volume.

I think in seasons past, it was a lot different. If there was a game on in the background, most people wouldn't pay much attention. I can't wait to see what happens to this town if they actually do make a playoff run. I know it's early, but we've suffered long enough dammit.

Or else, I could have just imagined it all, who knows.

Haha, we were at a Jazz bar on Saturday. They had on their website that they play all Royals games, so we figured we'd go catch the end there. They had the damn Celtics game on so we made them change it. There ended up being a huge crowd around watching the game and when we finally got the run in to make it 8-7 the place erupted with applause. The band thought everyone was cheering for them for some reason. We figured more people had caught Royals Fever at that point than the Swine Flu

Chiefs_Mike_Topeka
05-04-2009, 07:10 AM
Can't we trade some prospects? Like Shealy or the Hawaiian dude? I guess we are just making sure Butler doesn't completely suck first.


Butler has been playing pretty damn well at first. He is no gold glove; but as long as he keeps heating up at the plate we don't need him to be a gold glove.

Dartgod
05-04-2009, 07:26 AM
Has anyone bought seats in the Dri-Duck outfield section? I want to get 4 for tonight and they go on sale at the stadium at 10:00 AM. Just wondering how early I need to get there to make sure I get some before they sell out?

ChiTown
05-04-2009, 07:27 AM
Expect him soon. And when they do call Hochevar, we will be able to cut loose the Human Thanksgiving Day Float.

I'd be willing to bet Hochevar will be called up to pitch in the 4 game series with the Orioles at the K

Jethopper
05-04-2009, 07:33 AM
Greinke today!!!!!

Great Expectations
05-04-2009, 07:40 AM
Weakly hit ball back to the pitcher, so Soria he had to hurry. Throw was to the home side, thus taking Butler into the runner. Wasn't able to make the catch.

I think the throw also glanced off the runners leg before Butler had a chance to make the catch.

Dartgod
05-04-2009, 09:05 AM
Has anyone bought seats in the Dri-Duck outfield section? I want to get 4 for tonight and they go on sale at the stadium at 10:00 AM. Just wondering how early I need to get there to make sure I get some before they sell out?
I got some bad info from the ticket office yesterday. The Dri-Duck seats don't go on sale until 4:30 the day of the game. I did score some seats in the front row of section 105, overlooking the visitor bullpen. So we'll be out there tonight rooting for another victory for Zack and the Royals!

petegz28
05-04-2009, 09:24 AM
I got some bad info from the ticket office yesterday. The Dri-Duck seats don't go on sale until 4:30 the day of the game. I did score some seats in the front row of section 105, overlooking the visitor bullpen. So we'll be out there tonight rooting for another victory for Zack and the Royals!

Yea, I think those tickets are strictly walk-up. And you don't want to be there on a cooler evening.

Dartgod
05-04-2009, 09:27 AM
Yea, I think those tickets are strictly walk-up. And you don't want to be there on a cooler evening.
I would imagine you need to be in line by 3:00 or so to get those seats.

Demonpenz
05-04-2009, 09:31 AM
dry duck sells out fast unless it is a crappy game. I went there last monday and was the first fan in the staduim.

Dartgod
05-04-2009, 09:37 AM
dry duck sells out fast unless it is a crappy game. I went there last monday and was the first fan in the staduim.
How is the view from there?

Kyle DeLexus
05-04-2009, 09:41 AM
I'll be there also. We are going for the $5 seats tonight since it was an impulse game.

DeezNutz
05-04-2009, 09:41 AM
May 23rd. Is this the magical date for Hochevar's return so that the Royals can further control his FA years?

Caller on 810 claims this is the date.

ChiTown
05-04-2009, 09:45 AM
May 23rd. Is this the magical date for Hochevar's return so that the Royals can further control his FA years?

Caller on 810 claims this is the date.

I thought it was the 15th? Hmmm

Sure-Oz
05-04-2009, 10:06 AM
May 23rd. Is this the magical date for Hochevar's return so that the Royals can further control his FA years?

Caller on 810 claims this is the date.


His era is a sick 1.13 in AAA, what the hell

DeezNutz
05-04-2009, 10:08 AM
His era is a sick 1.13 in AAA, what the hell

Still not ready, yet. /Dayton, quickly glancing at his calendar/

Sure-Oz
05-04-2009, 10:14 AM
Still not ready, yet. /Dayton, quickly glancing at his calendar/

I hope he's learned an out pitch, but impressive none the less...

Cya ponson i hope

Deberg_1990
05-04-2009, 10:59 AM
So we are no longer allowed to create any more Royals threads? Everything gets thrown in here?

ChiTown
05-04-2009, 11:00 AM
So we are no longer allowed to create any more Royals threads? Everything gets thrown in here?

Unless you are receptive to a nice healthy does of anti-freeze.

Kyle DeLexus
05-04-2009, 11:01 AM
So we are no longer allowed to create any more Royals threads? Everything gets thrown in here?
Yep, Thats the new rules!
All Royals All The Time!

After consultation with others who peruse the game threads we decided to create this as a repository for all things Royals. Minor league news, AL (ahem) Central (thanks Vonne) news and anything Royals can be found here.

alnorth will continue the game threads as usual. But if you locate something of interest.. ANYTHING.. deals on apparel, best ways in/out of the stadium, giveaways, great stories from this season or from seasons gone by, rumors, trades, anything.... feel free to post it here.

If a big story breaks, you can still start a thread about it. There is merely an all inclusive thread that will make a easy for us all to keep up with all things Royals.


Welcome! "Grab a Brew... don't cost nuthin"...[spills beer on feet]

HemiEd
05-04-2009, 11:12 AM
I'm getting excited about this team, but I'm still waiting for the other shoe to drop...

This team is different, I don't think it is going to. Pretty damn exciting, been way too long. Last time I was this into baseball, they went on strike.

DeezNutz
05-04-2009, 11:52 AM
McClure on 810:

Said that he's been talking with Soria about the fact that if this team is going to contend, there are going to be times when he's expected to go 2 innings, and sometimes more than that. McClure referenced some of the old-timers who would regularly go 3.

Soria's response, according to Mac: "Hey, no problem."

Good to know that at least the team is aware of the importance of getting one of our best pitchers more involved.

alanm
05-04-2009, 12:15 PM
i, for one, do not doubt the power of the SI cover curseThe SI issue in question was out on the same day as his last pitching appearance. So he beat the curse. :)

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 12:18 PM
So we are no longer allowed to create any more Royals threads? Everything gets thrown in here?

Negative ghost rider. If you want to buzz the tower, (start a thread) feel free.

This is a nice repository that allows us to check in on minor league happenings, call up...

Oh wait.... Kyle already said it.

BigMeatballDave
05-04-2009, 12:22 PM
Last time I was this into baseball, they went on strike.
Same here. The end of the '94 season when they won like 14 straight. That was fun.

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 12:26 PM
If anybody has access to Petro ask him to look into this Baline Hardy kid down in Burlington with the 25-0 K- BB ratio.

HemiEd
05-04-2009, 12:55 PM
Same here. The end of the '94 season when they won like 14 straight. That was fun.

Yeah, I remember being out in NJ for a week, and the only way I could follow the games was the sports ticker at the bottom of a TV screen. Then, when the SOBs went on strike, it was enough to piss me off.

Only way I could follow the games this weekend, was on the computer. Not the same as watching it, but still pretty exciting.

Can we get this thread stickied?

DeezNutz
05-04-2009, 12:58 PM
Can we get this thread stickied?

Other posters have expressed some general annoyance at baseball threads in general. Stickying this mofo might result in the great board war of '09.

Of course, I'm down, cause fuck 'em. But I'm just saying...

Kyle DeLexus
05-04-2009, 12:59 PM
There should be a Royals or MLB subforum just for that reason.

Deberg_1990
05-04-2009, 12:59 PM
There should be a Royals or MLB subforum just for that reason.

This.

There used to be one i thought?

DeezNutz
05-04-2009, 01:00 PM
Not on board with the baseball subforum. Generates less traffic.

Demonpenz
05-04-2009, 01:04 PM
How is the view from there?

it's probably the worst view in the staduim, but you can still see whats going on. no compaints for 7 bucks and a free hat. The seats towards the end on the upper deck are the only seats I would imagine that are worse. The seats seem to be closer together out there too.

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 01:06 PM
There should be a Royals or MLB subforum just for that reason.

Sounds like a more fabulous idea for the Jayhawk baskerball threads.

My Motto: One board, One Chiefsplanet.

If you're going to subforum this, then get that other shite out. No?

And no need to sticky it. MLB transactions will keep this afloat.

Demonpenz
05-04-2009, 01:06 PM
worst view as meaning sitting in a seat you could probably climb a light pole and get a worse seat

Deberg_1990
05-04-2009, 01:09 PM
worst view as meaning sitting in a seat you could probably climb a light pole and get a worse seat

What are the dry duck seats?

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 01:14 PM
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090503&content_id=4550938&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

Dye may be out for the series.

DeezNutz
05-04-2009, 01:15 PM
http://chicago.whitesox.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090503&content_id=4550938&vkey=news_cws&fext=.jsp&c_id=cws

Dye may be out for the series.

Sox players already trying to protect their stat lines. No one wants to face Greinke.

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 01:15 PM
What are the dry duck seats?

Seats right next to the fountain in LC. Sponsored by Dri-Duck. They make all kinds of apparel.

Beautiful view. Bring binocs. I love it from there.

You'll get a cool shower from the foutain in the summer.

Fish
05-04-2009, 01:16 PM
How is the view from there?

My last time out I was in 103 first row. I was a little worried beforehand about how the seats would be. But I couldn't have had more fun in the Dri Duck seats. You can't see pitching position for shit, but overall the seats aren't bad at all for the price. On the cooler days, they've kept the fountains down to where there wasn't any spray off the fountains into the seats. I'd definitely recommend it. As an added bonus, you're in great position to heckle the other team. Only drawback I noticed was you had to climb the stairs a ways to get to a bathroom/hot dog/beer.

Deberg_1990
05-04-2009, 01:18 PM
Seats right next to the fountain in LC. Sponsored by Dri-Duck. They make all kinds of apparel.

Beautiful view. Bring binocs. I love it from there.

You'll get a cool shower from the foutain in the summer.

My last time out I was in 103 first row. I was a little worried beforehand about how the seats would be. But I couldn't have had more fun in the Dri Duck seats. You can't see pitching position for shit, but overall the seats aren't bad at all for the price. On the cooler days, they've kept the fountains down to where there wasn't any spray off the fountains into the seats. I'd definitely recommend it. As an added bonus, you're in great position to heckle the other team. Only drawback I noticed was you had to climb the stairs a ways to get to a bathroom/hot dog/beer.

Very cool. Nice affordable price out there at least. Close to the kids stuff out there to in case i bring my kids out there this summer.

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 03:02 PM
Twins activate Craine, option Morales to AAA Rochester.


http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/news/press_releases/press_release.jsp?ymd=20090503&content_id=4547052&vkey=pr_min&fext=.jsp&c_id=min


The Minnesota Twins announced after today's game that they will reinstate righthanded pitcher Jesse Crain from the 15-day disabled list prior to tomorrow night's game at Detroit. Crain was placed on the DL with right shoulder inflammation on April 20 (retroactive to April 18). He has appeared in seven games this season, going 1-0, 7.50 (6.0 ip, 5 er), allowing three hits with five walks and six strikeouts.
To make room for Crain on the 25-man roster, the Twins have optioned catcher Jose Morales to Triple-A Rochester. Morales batted .340 (16-for-47) with three doubles and two rbi in 19 games for the Twins this season.

Demonpenz
05-04-2009, 03:04 PM
i really liked that blue jay pitcher with all the tats. that guy looked nasty

teedubya
05-04-2009, 04:25 PM
Quiet Greinke making plenty of noise

Royals ace righty overcomes social anxiety to dominate


KANSAS CITY -- Emily Kuchar should have been on the Sports Illustrated cover instead of Zack Greinke.
That was Greinke's thought last week during a give-and-take with reporters after he'd been put on the prestigious magazine's cover. Somebody, naturally, cracked wise about SI's swimsuit issue.
"That's what my fiancee said, like I'm living her dream right now because she wants to be on the swimsuit calendar thing," Greinke said.
The Kansas City Royals' pitcher knows his girl.
"That's what I told him: 'You go ahead and make the cover -- thanks a lot!'" she said drolly.
Kuchar, who will marry Greinke after the season, is a model and an actress and a beauty pageant queen. A magazine cover is her thing.
It's not Greinke's thing. He was meeting with the reporters to talk about baseball. That's his love. He's a publicity agent's worst nightmare.
Shoot, he wouldn't even pose for an SI cover portrait. Instead you see his back, name and No. 23, warming up in the bullpen. That's Greinke -- hard at work on the dirt, not grinning for the camera.
Publicity?
"He'd rather not have it," Kuchar said.
Heaven knows he deserves it, though. On Monday night at Kauffman Stadium, Greinke will try to become the Major Leagues' first six-game winner this season. He's 5-0 and leads the bigs with a 0.50 ERA and 44 strikeouts. Until his last start, Greinke had not given up an earned run. He's looked unstoppable.
Texas Rangers president Nolan Ryan watched Greinke shut out his team with the eye of a Hall of Fame pitcher.
"I think it's pretty amazing what he's doing, given the way the league is hitting this year and the home runs that have been hit," Ryan said. "Obviously, he has a chance to have a special season."
How special?
"If he keeps pitching this way, he looks like a Cy Young candidate, no question," said another impressed victim, Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski.
One team's scout recited a list of the ultimate attributes a pitcher should possess and then drew a conclusion.
"Guys that have those things are All-Stars, and longevity will tell if they become Hall of Famers," the scout said. "Zack has that entire package, and that's what makes him so unbelievably unique."
Yes, if the 25-year-old Greinke can stay this course, he's on a ride to glory. The road's already been bumpy, though.

<table class="floatRight textSm" width="200" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr><td> <link href="http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/shared/poll/poll.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css"> <style> #pollContainer{display:none} .twoColumnPoll{width:49%;float:left} .twoColumnPoll div{float:left;margin-left:2px;} .twoColumnPoll .pollResultText{width:68%;} .twoColumnDivider{border-right:1px solid #a5a5a5;} .noResults {text-align:center; padding:8px} #submitButton{cursor:pointer} .waitCursor{cursor:wait} </style> Is Zack Greinke the best pitcher in baseball right now?
<form class="pollForm" name="pollForm"><input value="yes" name="keyword" class="pollKeyword" type="radio">1. Yes
<input value="no" name="keyword" class="pollKeyword" type="radio">2. No
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<script> bam.loadSync("/shared/scripts/bam/bam.poll.js"); $(function() { var poll_dbDMonkPs98rBR3tc28ix6yAoIg0 = new bam.poll.Poll({ key: "dbDMonkPs98rBR3tc28ix6yAoIg0", // campaign id showResults: "yes", // yes | no customSuccess: "", // URI submitImg: "", buttonText: "Vote >", sortOrder: "ascending", // ascending | descending sortType: "text", // text | number | last-name sortResultsByCount: "yes", // yes | no resultType: "percent", // percent | count showTotalVotes: "no", // yes | no columns: "1" // 1 | 2 }); poll_dbDMonkPs98rBR3tc28ix6yAoIg0.init(); }); </script> </td></tr></tbody></table> Folks can appreciate an athlete coming back from the ravages of cancer or a terrible accident. The physical part of a person's body elicits empathy. But mental challenges, such as Greinke's bout with social anxiety, aren't as readily understood.
Something gnawed at Greinke so much that in February 2006 Royals manager Buddy Bell noticed it during a bullpen session in Arizona. Bell and then-GM Allard Baird talked to Greinke and, with their support, he left the camp to seek help.
Greinke discussed the problem the other day at his media crunch.
"It wasn't as much pitching lows, it was more just dealing with stuff like this," Greinke said, surrounded by about 15 media, "where it used to bother me a bunch. I mean it doesn't really bother me as much anymore, it's just more annoying. I hated being around attention and stuff in the clubhouse, and I just hated being around that. I just really didn't like anything to do with being around people, for the most part."
A top Draft choice from Apopka (Fla.) High in 2002, Greinke was rushed to the Majors on May 22, 2004. The Royals were off to their most dismal start in history and Greinke, MLB.com reported, arrived like "a ray of sunshine through the dark cloud." He pitched five fine innings, left with a 4-2 lead and, right on cue, the bullpen blew it.
Greinke was 20 and looked 14, a fresh face with a fabulous arm who could lead the franchise to the Promised Land. Sort of how he's perceived today. Only then he wasn't ready. Even casual observers noticed that Greinke often seemed distant, sometimes bored, a lone figure on the field hours before a game while his teammates hobnobbed in the clubhouse.
Through his rookie season and 2005's horrendous 17-loss experience, Greinke remained remote.
That's all changed now, Kuchar will tell you.
"He's totally turned around, and it's amazing how much different he's been able to handle everything," Kuchar said.
"I don't know if he used to say one word when he was at the field. And now he's going there extra early. And I'm going, 'Hey, it's time to hang out! Why are you leaving for the field?' Because I was used to him leaving the second before he had to be out there. Now he's leaving a couple hours early. ... I'm so proud of him."
It took some doing for Greinke to cast off his demons. His family was caught off guard by the dilemma.
"You don't know how to deal with stuff until it happens to you, and you just kind of walk through it together," said Zack's father, Don Greinke, a retired teacher and coach. "We saw hints of it, of course, where he'd say things from time to time. But you don't think it's serious. You think you'll get through it at the time, but there was more to it, obviously."
Or as Zack Greinke himself put it: "I was just losing it."
But less than three months after he left camp on Feb. 25, 2006, to go home to Orlando, Fla., and psychological counseling, he was back at Surprise, Ariz., to resume workouts.
"I just wanted to make this clear," Greinke said upon his return. "I can't live without baseball."
The path back went through Wichita, Kan., where the Royals had their Double-A club teeming with several other top Draft choices such Alex Gordon, Billy Butler and Mitch Maier. Around guys of similar status and about the same age, Greinke was very content albeit restless, his manager Frank White recalled. On days he didn't pitch, Greinke arrived early for batting practice.
"He'd shag balls in center field like he was in a real game. He just wore himself out," White said.
"He was a real team guy. When a lot of guys came out of the game, they'd go to the clubhouse and get ice. But he'd stay on the bench the whole game. That was good for him, part of the maturing and what it was like to be part of the Minor League system."
Greinke didn't seem in any hurry, but by mid-September, he was back in Kansas City. Then he began the 2007 season in the Royals' rotation, faltered and went to the bullpen. That relief experience, as he later recounted, "changed everything," and he gained the work and success he needed. By season's end, he was starting again with beautiful results and he followed that by charging through 2008 at 13-10 with a 3.47 ERA.
"You talk about mental toughness. There isn't a game that he'll pitch in his life that'll put him on the spot more than what he's already gone through," said Baird, now in the Boston front office.
"What he's achieved speaks volumes about himself as a man and the support from his family, his fiancée and friends," Baird said. "It still comes back to him and I'll always have great admiration for that, and that goes well beyond what he does on the field."
What he's doing on the field this year has stopped baseball fans in their tracks. They want to see him pitch, hear him talk, read about him.
Greinke, as he'll do on Monday night against the White Sox, will gladly pitch for them. The rest of the stuff? No thanks.
Kuchar says that Greinke's naturally shy and quiet, and that disposition, coupled with the social anxiety of his past, makes him averse to the publicity fuss.
"He's had to adjust because he hasn't been so comfortable with that, but at the same time, he's humble," Kuchar said. "Yes, he knows he's good, but he doesn't like all the fame and he doesn't like to be in the spotlight. And I think that social anxiety or not, he would feel that way."
Royals pitching coach Bob McClure, in his playing days, also was uncomfortable by the public glare. But along with his pitching advice to Greinke, McClure added this: "I told him, 'Embrace some of this, because it only happens once in a while.'"
Greinke is hot right now. Imagine what the Royals might do with two Greinkes. His younger brother, Luke, is a pitcher who was drafted last year in the 12th round by the Yankees but underwent shoulder surgery and was released. So Luke is a free agent. Are the Royals listening?
"He's going to come up and see Zack in a couple weeks, and if he's healthy enough, maybe he'll throw for them," Don Greinke said with a chuckle.
Ouch, more publicity.
The proud father actually started a Web site for his elder son after he was originally signed, but it was phased out when his career bogged down.
"We kind of dismantled it, so I think Zack's relieved," Don Greinke said.
Kuchar, in vivid contrast, has her own polished Web site produced by her brother. She's been a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader (and was on the cover of their swimsuit calendar), Miss Daytona Beach USA, appeared in the movie "Sydney White" and recently filmed a commercial on the Bahamas beach. She's been dancing and entertaining since she was a kid and the site helps her get acting and modeling jobs.
"It's not because I think I'm amazing and 'Here, look at me,' but it's just my line of work," Kuchar said.
Kuchar and Greinke have been dating since they were in high school at Apopka.
"I was a library assistant, and all of a sudden, Zack started needing to do more homework in the library in the time I was in there. So that's where it kind of all began," Kuchar said.
Greinke had a little joke this spring when he revealed his engagement. He said Kuchar wanted the wedding to be Oct. 10. A baseball player getting married in October? Just when the playoffs are getting in gear?
"He loved telling that story about how I wanted October. I was like, 'I just threw it out there -- it's not like I was dead-set on it,'" Kuchar said.
The date was set for Nov. 21, suitably removed from the end of the World Series.
Perhaps the playoffs, as well as the wedding, will include something blue.
"We can hope," Emily said.

Pioli Zombie
05-04-2009, 04:41 PM
Supository?
Posted via Mobile Device

KCUnited
05-04-2009, 04:53 PM
Dri Ducks are great for afternoon games and Ponson games, but I wouldn't want them for Greinke, hard to see balls and strikes.

WilliamTheIrish
05-04-2009, 05:03 PM
With those three games in Minnesota done, we stand a chance to make some real headway in the division.

17 of our next 25 games are AT HOME! Of those 17 home games 11 are against the AL Central.

Here's the breakdown:

CHISOX: 5

Detroit: 3

Cleveland: 3

Out of division home games:

Baltimore: 4

Seattle: 2

VonneMarie
05-04-2009, 05:18 PM
With those three games in Minnesota done, we stand a chance to make some real headway in the division.

17 of our next 25 games are AT HOME! Of those 17 home games 11 are against the AL Central.

Here's the breakdown:

CHISOX: 5

Detroit: 3

Cleveland: 3

Out of division home games:

Baltimore: 4

Seattle: 2

We sure can't seem to beat Cleveland lately. They get on my nerves too.

Kraus
05-04-2009, 05:59 PM
We sure can't seem to beat Cleveland lately. They get on my nerves too.

We're 3 - 3 against them this year.

SPchief
05-04-2009, 06:04 PM
Dri Ducks are great for afternoon games and Ponson games, but I wouldn't want them for Greinke, hard to see balls and strikes.

I disagree with that. Sat there two fridays ago and you could see just fine in section 210. It's right where the cameras are.

Nzoner
05-05-2009, 07:54 AM
MLB Network last night was all over KC,at one point one of the guys even said something like,"I know we're talking about the Royals a lot tonight but what a story so far."

That was so good to hear.

WilliamTheIrish
05-05-2009, 09:03 AM
Rany is pretty good today.


http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/

Unfortunately, the otherwise-excellent Play Index at baseball-reference.com does not allow me to run queries like “lowest ERA for a pitcher six starts into a season” and “most opposing hitters brought to tears after an at-bat”. So this will have to do for now; if I find the time to raid the Baseball Prospectus database for more goodies, I’ll let you know.

LMAO

I love that guy.

teedubya
05-05-2009, 09:22 AM
Here is a comment by a Rany poster.

Devon (http://devonyoung.com/) said...Oh, you'll love this. Back almost a week ago, I saw this coming and did some stat checking.

As of right now, Greinke has this stat line 30 days into the season:

6-0, 0.40 ERA, 54 K's in 45 IP.

Here's the only other times a Royal won 6 games in the first 30 days of a season....

Appier was 6-1, 1.92 ERA, and 58 K's in 56 1/3. Appier ended '95 at 15-10 over 31 total starts...so he was only 9-9 with a poor 4.66 ERA after his hot start.

Saberhagen started off 6-0, 1.59 ERA, in 1987's first month...but then goes 12-10 with a 3.80 ERA for the rest of the year.

Splittorff had a great start in 1973's first month...5-1, 2.72 ERA... but he also dives into a 4.33 ERA & 15-10 to finish out the year (20-11 & 3.98 combined). Not really good numbers in '73....only a 102 ERA+ for the season after such a great start.

There's nothing else to compare Greinke's start to, in Royals history. But if history holds any weight here, it says Greinke will become about a .500 pitcher and his ERA will balloon after about his 7th or 8th start.

I'm hopin' history has as much effect on Zack Greinke as the Tigers offense. (he's actually 9-4 with a 2.86 ERA lifetime against them, not to mention his embarrassing them back on Apr 24)

He could be the 1st Royal to win 25 games...and if he does that, there'll probably be a lot of talk about him heading for 30.

Either way, as of now, he's already 1/3 of the way to one of the 12 best Royals pitchers win totals in the 23 years since after the '85 World Series (http://bb-ref.com/play-index/shareit/frSJ).

And here's a listing of the 10 winningest Royals pitchers from 1986 - 5/04/2009 (http://www.baseballmusings.com/cgi-bin/ComparePitchers.py?StartDate=03%2F15%2F1986&EndDate=05%2F04%2F2009&GameType=all&PlayedFor=7&PlayedVs=0&Park=0&SortField=Wins&SortDir=desc&MinPA=38&MinDEC=0&MinG=0&MinGS=0&MinCG=0&MinGF=0&MinW=38&MinL=0&MinSV=0&MinSHO=0&MinH=0&MinR=0&MinER=0&MinHR=0&MinBB=0&MinK=0&MinHP=0&MinBK=0&MinWP=0) (which is everyone with more than 39 wins in that span). Greinke's already 9th in that list, and he could end the season 5th on this list.

One more thought. He's the 5th winningest Royal pitcher through seasonal age 25....Saberhagan (92), Gubicza (69), Appier & Busby (59), Gordon (56), Greinke (40 and counting).

teedubya
05-05-2009, 09:24 AM
Royalpug said...To save you some trouble Rany:
Top 3 pitchers to win first 6 games with lowest ERA:

1981 Fernando Valenzuela 0.33
1913 Walter Johnson 0.35
2009 Zack Greinke 0.40

Some other notables:

2009 Zack Greinke 0.40
2008 Cliff Lee 0.81 (won CY Award)
2000 Randy Johnson 0.93 (won CY Award)
1997 Pedro Martinez 0.79 (won CY Award)
1991 Roger Clemens 0.73 (won CY Award)

Zack's is probably the most impressive because he obviously pitched in a much more offensively prolific area.

DeezNutz
05-05-2009, 10:09 AM
http://www.kansascity.com/stargazing/story/1179068.html

Guy Fieri imposter interviewed during Royals telecast

Not to take away from Zack Greinke’s masterful shutout, but a Guy Fieri imposter was interviewed on-air last night during Fox Sports Net’s broadcast of the Royals game.

Guy Fieri, for those who don’t know, is the Food Network host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." He travels the country visiting these places. He has been to Kansas City before.

A call to PR person Rebecca Brooks confirmed it: It wasn’t Guy!

The imposter gave interviewer Joel Goldberg’s questions short, rude, one-word answers. He was acting like he wanted no part of the interview. He took a phone call during the interview. It was no doubt from his buddy Cletus, who said something like “hey, Buford, I see you on TV!”

My wife’s first reaction was “he looks awful!” It sounded nothing like Fieri. I have seen Fieri in the crowd at various sporting events before, though.

I was determined to never watch his show again, but at least it wasn’t really him. If you know who it was, shoot me an email.

I've always considered the real Fieri to be something of an imposter too, though. Until he visits Columbia's Broadway Diner and orders a "Stretch," I don't consider his show to be legit.

| Eric Winkler, ewinkler@kcstar.com

CaliforniaChief
05-05-2009, 10:55 AM
I looked back a few pages and didn't see this, but it appears Alex Gordon is ahead of schedule on his recovery. Hopefully his swing recovers as quickly as his hip is.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=4138004

Dartgod
05-05-2009, 12:29 PM
Just a heads up...

Coco Crisp is appearing on a live chat today at 2:00 PM. Access the chat from the Royals home page.


Coco Crisp, Outfielder
Coco Crisp (http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=424825) will join fans online for the next Royals Relay chat on Tuesday, May 5, at 2 p.m. CT.

http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/fan_forum/chat.jsp?c_id=kc&partnerId=ed-2144644-55421350&source=ed-2144644-55421350

DeezNutz
05-05-2009, 12:30 PM
Where is today's game thread?!?

al! al! Thread time!

Worried about Davies tonight. He's been going the opposite direction lately.

tomahawk kid
05-05-2009, 12:31 PM
Where is today's game thread?!?

al! al! Thread time!

Worried about Davies tonight. He's been going the opposite direction lately.

His curve ball hangs like it's on a tee.

That's his biggest issue.

CaliforniaChief
05-05-2009, 12:33 PM
With all the buzz around Greinke, you guys bring up a good point. Davies is probably the key for us. We know what Zack is, and can almost always count on Gil for good starts. If Davies can deal like he did early on, we're in great shape. If not, we'll have to struggle through it a lot more and put more wear and tear on the 'pen. I really think Davies is the key to our success. Hope he gets it done against a frustrated White Sox offense.

DeezNutz
05-05-2009, 12:37 PM
By the end of the year, I could see Davies being the #5.

Bannister and Hoch being the 4/5 or 5/4.

CaliforniaChief
05-05-2009, 01:27 PM
Just a heads up...

Coco Crisp is appearing on a live chat today at 2:00 PM. Access the chat from the Royals home page.

Decent chat, except that he outed himself as a Raiders fan. http://chiefsplanet.com/BB/images/smilies/roll.gif

Dartgod
05-05-2009, 01:36 PM
Decent chat, except that he outed himself as a Raiders fan. http://chiefsplanet.com/BB/images/smilies/roll.gif
Yeah, I saw that. I neg repped him.

CaliforniaChief
05-05-2009, 03:48 PM
Yeah, I saw that. I neg repped him.

Good move. I have to say it took a little notch off for me. But I still love how the guy plays, especially his patience and ability to make things happen on offense and defense.

joesomebody
05-05-2009, 04:09 PM
I disagree with that. Sat there two fridays ago and you could see just fine in section 210. It's right where the cameras are.I was in 103 Row A a few games back vs. Detroit. Seats are awesome for batting practice, however not perfect for the game. The wall is really thick, and at that angle you have almost no view of the deep outfield.

joesomebody
05-05-2009, 04:18 PM
http://www.kansascity.com/stargazing/story/1179068.html

Guy Fieri imposter interviewed during Royals telecast

Not to take away from Zack Greinke’s masterful shutout, but a Guy Fieri imposter was interviewed on-air last night during Fox Sports Net’s broadcast of the Royals game.

Guy Fieri, for those who don’t know, is the Food Network host of "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives." He travels the country visiting these places. He has been to Kansas City before.

A call to PR person Rebecca Brooks confirmed it: It wasn’t Guy!

The imposter gave interviewer Joel Goldberg’s questions short, rude, one-word answers. He was acting like he wanted no part of the interview. He took a phone call during the interview. It was no doubt from his buddy Cletus, who said something like “hey, Buford, I see you on TV!”

My wife’s first reaction was “he looks awful!” It sounded nothing like Fieri. I have seen Fieri in the crowd at various sporting events before, though.

I was determined to never watch his show again, but at least it wasn’t really him. If you know who it was, shoot me an email.

I've always considered the real Fieri to be something of an imposter too, though. Until he visits Columbia's Broadway Diner and orders a "Stretch," I don't consider his show to be legit.

| Eric Winkler, ewinkler@kcstar.comThat is funny. I saw the same thing. This prompted my roomate to say that Frei should come to Columbia and eat the "stretch."

For those that don't know, its a huge pile of hash browns covered with 3 fried eggs, then drown in chili, onions, and green peppers.

The diner doesn't open until midnight, and is located within walking distance of about 20 college bars. Sometimes there is a line clear around the building just to get in. (It's an old school dinercar type diner that seats probably 30 people at best.)

petegz28
05-05-2009, 04:23 PM
WTF is alnorth? Are we getting an alnorth thread tonight or are we going to have to chance minor league joo-joo on Davies?

alnorth
05-05-2009, 04:54 PM
WTF is alnorth? Are we getting an alnorth thread tonight or are we going to have to chance minor league joo-joo on Davies?

I just now got home. Unless someone else is really wanting to start it up, I'll put the game thread up in a few minutes

petegz28
05-05-2009, 05:01 PM
I just now got home. Unless someone else is really wanting to start it up, I'll put the game thread up in a few minutes

Nope.....it's all you man. And if someone starts the thread other than you I will petition for their immediate banning for the rest of the season. :D

WilliamTheIrish
05-06-2009, 08:25 AM
Seattle lost 2 of 3 to the Rangers including yesterday's 10th inning heartbreaker where the Rangers C Saltamachaccia hit a slam to effectively put the game away.

M's are 4-6 in their last 10, but are 8-5 on the road. Plus they get to face Pontoon, which can make any team lacking confidence feel good about themselves.

Like the Chiefs defense.

WilliamTheIrish
05-06-2009, 08:27 AM
M's lose Kelly to DL. Strained oblique.

http://seattle.mariners.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090505&content_id=4579482&vkey=news_sea&fext=.jsp&c_id=sea

Shawn Kelley, a rookie reliever who had performed so well this season that he was handling some of the most difficult late-inning assignments recently, threw three pitches in the 10th inning on Tuesday afternoon -- and then fell to the ground.
Kelley, one of the biggest surprises in Spring Training, entered Tuesday afternoon's series finale against the Rangers in the top of the 10th inning with a 1.54 ERA.

PunkinDrublic
05-06-2009, 08:47 AM
One thing that's encouraging is that the better we get the more likely Glass is to open up the purse strings and increase payroll. I for one wouldn't mind seeing us getting a big bat before the trade deadline.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 08:50 AM
You're right that it will be a very interesting June and July.

This team appears to be legit, not getting by on smoke and mirrors like '03, so what's Glass going to do? Will he pony up to try to make a serious run at this thing?

I'm surprised that there hasn't been more talk from/about Glass and KC's hot start. According to 810, the dude hasn't even been going to the games, which makes me a bit nervous, assuming this report is accurate.

Sure-Oz
05-06-2009, 08:55 AM
You're right that it will be a very interesting June and July.

This team appears to be legit, not getting by on smoke and mirrors like '03, so what's Glass going to do? Will he pony up to try to make a serious run at this thing?

I'm surprised that there hasn't been more talk from/about Glass and KC's hot start. According to 810, the dude hasn't even been going to the games, which makes me a bit nervous, assuming this report is accurate.

Id say come sept and we are in the hunt or leading towards the playoffs then id be worried if he wasnt there

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 08:58 AM
Id say come sept and we are in the hunt or leading towards the playoffs then id be worried if he wasnt there

Greinke has become a national story, though, so you'd think that Glass would have a very strong interest in being at the games for at least his starts.

Sure-Oz
05-06-2009, 09:03 AM
Greinke has become a national story, though, so you'd think that Glass would have a very strong interest in being at the games for at least his starts.

That shows how out of it i am, that is very true...i'd def. make it for every start of his at home...

Glass is def. a quiet owner and probably just cares what it takes to bring in money, which sucks

Deberg_1990
05-06-2009, 09:12 AM
You're right that it will be a very interesting June and July.

This team appears to be legit, not getting by on smoke and mirrors like '03, so what's Glass going to do? Will he pony up to try to make a serious run at this thing?



If we are still in it come late July, id like to see a trade for a big bat. Not sure who would be available though?

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 09:30 AM
Petro on a great Hillman rant.

"No participation ribbons" for Trey creating "a positive atmosphere" in the clubhouse.

"How about the manager paying attention to the game! I was like, "What?!?" Where was this move?" (alluding to the 7th, last night).

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 09:33 AM
"Because you win in spite of poor decisions does not make those decisions ok."

Making great points about the fact that Guillen was not pulled when he was on first, yet pulled him for the pinch runner when he reached third. lol.

Epic, epic stupidity on the part of the manager.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 09:35 AM
"Clearly I don't think so, but I'm just a guy armed with math. Apparently they don't do this at Kauffman Stadium."

petegz28
05-06-2009, 09:36 AM
Petro on a great Hillman rant.

"No participation ribbons" for Trey creating "a positive atmosphere" in the clubhouse.

"How about the manager paying attention to the game! I was like, "What?!?" Where was this move?" (alluding to the 7th, last night).

Well I am glad Hillman's total fuck up didn't go unnoticed. I figured it would not.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 09:39 AM
Well I am glad Hillman's total **** up didn't go unnoticed. I figured it would not.

Nope.

Dude just got killed by Petro. Absolutely correct and beautifully done.

tomahawk kid
05-06-2009, 09:43 AM
Well I am glad Hillman's total **** up didn't go unnoticed. I figured it would not.

Gambling is one thing, but pulling you're best 2 bats out of the lineup was just not smart.

Barnyard Trey indeed got lucky last night with Bloomquist and Buck bailing him out in the 11th.

WoodDraw
05-06-2009, 09:44 AM
I didn't mind Hillman's move, and I'm as critical of him as anyone. He was going all out for the win, and it backfired. In the end, everything worked out. It's all overblown bitching.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 09:52 AM
With Guillen, I agree with the point that was raised that the difference between him scoring or Maier scoring with 0 outs from 3rd is minimal at best.

Similarly, pulling a runner who is on 2nd with 0 outs just isn't the right move.

In the AL, it should be a mortal sin to pull your bats unless you're going for the win in the bottom of the 9th or in extra innings.

The team won in spite of Trey, yesterday.

CaliforniaChief
05-06-2009, 09:55 AM
On Glass...I wouldn't read too much into it. Perhaps he believes in the "joo-joo" as much as we do. He doesn't want to screw up a good thing. I don't question his increased willingness to do what needs to be done. He spent what needed to be spent to get Dayton Moore, ponied up for a long-term deal for Zack, and increased payroll dramatically. I have no doubt that he'll do what Dayton Moore asks of him if he thinks it might push us over the top.

Increased attendance wouldn't hurt in any decision to increase payroll, either. The moment people come out for the team and not the promotions is when we've got it.

Who might be available? It's awfully early to tell, but when it comes to teams that appear to be emerging sellers I would include:
Washington, Oakland, Baltimore, and the entire NL West except for the Dodgers.

I'd take Matt Holliday. He'll heat up.

Finally, ESPN's got a headline for Greinke on their MLB page. Check it out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn

tomahawk kid
05-06-2009, 10:05 AM
On Glass...I wouldn't read too much into it. Perhaps he believes in the "joo-joo" as much as we do. He doesn't want to screw up a good thing. I don't question his increased willingness to do what needs to be done. He spent what needed to be spent to get Dayton Moore, ponied up for a long-term deal for Zack, and increased payroll dramatically. I have no doubt that he'll do what Dayton Moore asks of him if he thinks it might push us over the top.

Increased attendance wouldn't hurt in any decision to increase payroll, either. The moment people come out for the team and not the promotions is when we've got it.

Who might be available? It's awfully early to tell, but when it comes to teams that appear to be emerging sellers I would include:
Washington, Oakland, Baltimore, and the entire NL West except for the Dodgers.

I'd take Matt Holliday. He'll heat up.

Finally, ESPN's got a headline for Greinke on their MLB page. Check it out.
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn

I was thinking Adam Dunn, who we probably should have singed in lieu of Farnsworth in the first place.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 10:09 AM
Many of us were on the Dunn bandwagon this off-season, and he'd be a great "get." DH him of course.

We're going to have an interesting problem when Gordon returns, though. If you can get a Dunn, he's the everyday DH, period. That forces Jacobs and Butler to be at first, and I don't want to see the former in the field every again.

Teahen should not be moved from 3B if he continues to hit...

Good problems to have, nonetheless.

CaliforniaChief
05-06-2009, 10:20 AM
If we acquired Holliday we could use him instead of DeJesus. That would be an offensive upgrade.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 10:21 AM
If we acquired Holliday we could use him instead of DeJesus. That would be an offensive upgrade.

Kind of.

DeJesus should be leading off and Crisp should be batting 2nd. Statistically, the two are better at these spots over the course of their careers.

MH is just a different type of hitter. Would LOVE to have him, though.

CaliforniaChief
05-06-2009, 10:29 AM
I'm not hating on DeJesus. He's been hitting better, it seems...and I, like you, am not concerned about his defense. I just think Holliday is a complete stud and, apart from his atrocious beginning, could be a HUGE part of our lineup. But I also know we'd have to give up some gold to get him. Players AND money. But I bet he could be locked in at a lot lower price now.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 10:34 AM
It's interesting that one of the concerns on Holliday was how he would perform outside of Coors, since his home/away splits weren't that great.

I think he'll snap out of it and become the hitter he's always been throughout his career, but it does raise eyebrows that he's out of Denver for the first time and off to a slow start.

teedubya
05-06-2009, 10:42 AM
Incidentally, 27 games is exactly 1/6th of the season (6 x 27 = 162). If you project the Royals with 16 wins in 1/6th, you get an expectation of 96 wins versus 66 loses. That's THIRTY games OVER .500

Demonpenz
05-06-2009, 11:12 AM
Gordon is going to have to ride the pine a bit when he comes back

Nightfyre
05-06-2009, 12:41 PM
Insofar as I can tell, we have good problems at every position except shortstop. Who are some candidates we could look at at that position? Hell just a viable option so we could send aviles to AAA to work on his bat would be tremendously valuable, imo.
Posted via Mobile Device

CaliforniaChief
05-06-2009, 01:58 PM
Insofar as I can tell, we have good problems at every position except shortstop. Who are some candidates we could look at at that position? Hell just a viable option so we could send aviles to AAA to work on his bat would be tremendously valuable, imo.
Posted via Mobile Device

Pardon me for lapsing into Yankee fan mode and thinking we could acquire anyone we'd like, but there are probably some SS's who could add punch to our lineup that might be available from teams who will likely be out of the race come trade deadline time:

Edgar Renteria, SF
Orlando Cabrera, Oak
Miguel Tejada, Hou

I'm not a huge fan of any of those guys but they'd be an improvement over what Aviles is doing. Hopefully this month he can turn it around. It would be huge if he could.

tomahawk kid
05-06-2009, 02:06 PM
Insofar as I can tell, we have good problems at every position except shortstop. Who are some candidates we could look at at that position? Hell just a viable option so we could send aviles to AAA to work on his bat would be tremendously valuable, imo.
Posted via Mobile Device

"Bucket"'s (we call him that because he steps in "the bucket" everytime he swings) swing is just unbelievabley bad.

Listening to Frank the other night, it sounds like he tried to help Mike correct it when he had him in Witchita without much avail.

It looks to like me like he's been able to get away with that f#cked up approach, even into the majors, up until scouts got a complete book on him.

Now he's screwed. He's basically stepping towards third and fliging the bat at the ball every swing he takes.......

Arsonist
05-06-2009, 02:09 PM
Aviles showed so much potential last year and now I get that sinking feeling when he comes up to bat, kind of like when TPJ bats. I like the kid and I know that he can play at this level of ball, but he's gotta figure out how to hit the ball more.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 02:09 PM
"Bucket"'s (we call him that because he steps in "the bucket" everytime he swings) swing is just unbelievabley bad.

Listening to Frank the other night, it sounds like he tried to help Mike correct it when he had him in Witchita without much avail.

It looks to like me like he's been able to get away with that f#cked up approach, even into the majors, up until scouts got a complete book on him.

Now he's screwed. He's basically stepping towards third and fliging the bat at the ball every swing he takes.......

I don't disagree that his front side has been flying all year, and Buckets is an apt name for him.

I'd have to look at some tape, but his approach had to be different last year because he was successful taking the ball the opposite way all season, with power at times, and he couldn't have been doing this without taking his shoulder toward the pitcher.

petegz28
05-06-2009, 02:34 PM
I don't disagree that his front side has been flying all year, and Buckets is an apt name for him.

I'd have to look at some tape, but his approach had to be different last year because he was successful taking the ball the opposite way all season, with power at times, and he couldn't have been doing this without taking his shoulder toward the pitcher.

I think he steps out more this year than last which negates his shoulder. Lower body going one way, upper body going another. I mean even when he makes solid contact the ball rarely leaves the infield. How many times have you seen him hit the ball and it looks like it will be a solid hit coming off of his bat only to see it die right in front of an infielder? It is because he is taking all of his power out of the swing and he is all arms. That is why the only HR he has hit was pulled down the line.

Swirling the bat around is another problem but to a much lesser degree. But he has bad footwork. He also stands so far up in the box that he can't jump on anything inside, if you ask me.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 02:39 PM
I think he steps out more this year than last which negates his shoulder. Lower body going one way, upper body going another. I mean even when he makes solid contact the ball rarely leaves the infield. How many times have you seen him hit the ball and it looks like it will be a solid hit coming off of his bat only to see it die right in front of an infielder? It is because he is taking all of his power out of the swing and he is all arms. That is why the only HR he has hit was pulled down the line.

Swirling the bat around is another problem but to a much lesser degree. But he has bad footwork. He also stands so far up in the box that he can't jump on anything inside, if you ask me.

Shoulder flying is just another way of saying stepping in the bucket because if you're stepping directly toward the pitcher, you're more apt to stay closed on the front side.

Demonpenz
05-06-2009, 02:44 PM
aviles has to cheat inside, but not that much man. Low and away he is meat unless he bloops one in

petegz28
05-06-2009, 02:54 PM
Shoulder flying is just another way of saying stepping in the bucket because if you're stepping directly toward the pitcher, you're more apt to stay closed on the front side.

I agree except I think his problem is he is stepping one way and leaning another. Therefore getting no power on hits the opposite way that he actually gets good wood on.

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 02:55 PM
I agree except I think his problem is he is stepping one way and leaning another. Therefore getting no power on hits the opposite way that he actually gets good wood on.

I agree that he's completely asses and elbows right now.

Demonpenz
05-06-2009, 03:04 PM
alot of time what you can do and it looks like he is already do is take your left foot and point your toe towards the pitcher. When you stride you will torn it back but it will be so drastic it will close your shoulder

DeezNutz
05-06-2009, 03:13 PM
http://www.rotaryaction.com/images/airwolf2.jpg

WilliamTheIrish
05-06-2009, 05:02 PM
Looking ahead to the weekend:

The Angels are hanging tough in AL West. 11-13 without Vlad or John Lackey (who is scheduled for one more rehab start before rejoining the team).

Torii Hunter is off to a flying start (8 HR's). Mike Napoli has 4 and an OPS 1.165.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090425&content_id=4426336&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb

John Lackey (strained right forearm) worked two innings in extended spring training in Tempe. The reports that reached Scioscia were favorable on Lackey, a 2007 American League All-Star.

This news came on the heels of a strong showing by Ervin Santana (sprained right elbow) on Friday. Santana, a 2008 AL All-Star, also worked two innings under game conditions.

"John threw two innings, 30 pitches," Scioscia said. "He really looked good -- good velocity, command, all his pitches were working. He's moving along. He'll pitch again Thursday.

"Ervin came out great [Friday]. It's an important test. They've come out fine so far."

CaliforniaChief
05-06-2009, 05:44 PM
I think the Angels series is going to be a good one. I like our pitching matchups as they're pretty dinged up. However, the Angels are starting to heat up following an understandable funk in the wake of Nick Adenhart's passing.

I'm encouraged by our offensive production as of late, particularly in our ability to play back from behind. Again, the key for me is Kyle Davies. Lost in the excitement of yesterday's win was another very poor performance by Davies. I'm telling you we're going to need him to step up if we're going to win the division. I expect Bannister to be fine, Hochevar to step in...but Davies is the wild card.

alnorth
05-06-2009, 05:47 PM
baseball prospectus regularly runs a simulation of "the rest of the season" to determine postseason odds. They do this mostly a couple different ways, playing out the season 1 million times each way to get the odds.

One way is to throw out preseason PECOTA projections and only use this season's data. This obviously leads to weird skewed results early in the year, but gradually becomes more useful than PECOTA in the last month or so.

Under that method, the Royals are (obviously) very likely to go to the playoffs, behind only the Dodgers and Blue Jays (LOL).

Royals (43% division, 10% wild card, 53% playoffs)
Tigers (29% division, 10% wild card, 39% playoffs)
Indians (12% division, 6% wild card, 17% playoffs)
Twins (9% division, 4% wild card, 14% playoffs)
White Sox (7% division, 4% wild card, 10% playoffs)

The second method is to run the rest of the season with the PECOTA projections, which is more useful in the beginning of the year when teams are getting off to a good or bad start but would probably regress or improve.

Under that method, the Royals still have a decent shot, since we are 5 over .500 and PECOTA didnt think we'd be a bad team.

Tigers (41% division, 2% wild card, 44% playoffs)
Royals (22% division, 2% wild card, 25% playoffs)
Indians (17% division, 2% wild card, 19% playoffs)
Twins (11% division, 1% wild card, 12% playoffs)
White Sox (8% division, 1% wild card, 9% playoffs)

alnorth
05-06-2009, 09:04 PM
<table border=3 cellpadding = 4>
<tr> <td></td> <td> W </td> <td> L </td><td> PCT </td><td> GB
</td></tr>
<tr> <td> Kansas City </td> <td> 17 </td> <td> 11 </td><td> .607 </td><td> - </td></tr>
<tr> <td> Detroit </td> <td> 14 </td> <td> 12 </td><td> .538 </td><td> 2 </td></tr>
<tr> <td> Minnesota </td> <td> 13 </td> <td> 14 </td><td> .481 </td><td> 3.5 </td></tr>
<tr> <td> Chicago </td> <td> 12 </td> <td> 14 </td><td> .462 </td><td> 4 </td></tr>
<tr> <td> Cleveland </td> <td> 11 </td> <td> 17 </td><td> .393 </td><td> 6 </td></tr>
</table>

WilliamTheIrish
05-06-2009, 09:49 PM
I enjoy that graph, alnorth.

Early afternoon game tomorrow, al. You gonna start the thread?

WilliamTheIrish
05-06-2009, 09:56 PM
Jarod Washburn vs Brian Bannister tomorrow. Another get away game that starts at 1:10pm. Perfect day to watch the boys continue the streak.

WilliamTheIrish
05-06-2009, 10:03 PM
IN this streak the Royals have raised the team BA almost 30 points. From .238 to .265. Butler is up near .270 and even Mitch Maier with 2 hits tonight got his BA up above .200.

teedubya
05-06-2009, 10:28 PM
Streaks: W5
Last 10: 8-2
Home: 10-6 Road: 7-5
Runs Scored: 139
Runs Against: 109

Dartgod
05-06-2009, 10:31 PM
More good stuff...

The Royals have a winning record against each of the divisions in the AL.

East: 4-3
Central: 10-7
West: 3-1

tk13
05-06-2009, 10:34 PM
It's easy to get excited, I'm really excited how our offense is coming around, we're actually taking walks. I'm gonna wait before getting too hyped up on the playoff train. But if we keep playing like this we will be in the mix.

kcfanXIII
05-06-2009, 10:39 PM
i think royals fans will start to really like maier. he plays hard, and i think he will get better at the plate. especially with seitzer. he's done a great job with this lineup. seitzer is the reason i don't think we should send avilles down to AAA. let kevin work with him some more. its his best shot to get better.

teedubya
05-06-2009, 10:43 PM
P W L ERA
Z Greinke 6 0 0.4
J Soria 1 0 1.17
J Wright 0 0 1.45
R Tejeda 0 0 1.69
B Bannister 2 0 1.96
J Cruz 2 0 2.19
G Meche 2 2 4.14
D Waechter 0 0 4.5
R Mahay 1 0 5.19
K Davies 2 1 5.88
S Ponson 1 4 5.91
K Farnsworth 0 3 7.56
H Ramirez 0 1 7.71

beavis
05-06-2009, 11:04 PM
More good stuff...

The Royals have a winning record against each of the divisions in the AL.

East: 4-3
Central: 10-7
West: 3-1

Interesting.

We absolutely slaughtered the NL last year. I wonder if we can pull that off again.

DaWolf
05-06-2009, 11:23 PM
From the Whowouldathunkit file: The Royals are 11-3 when Willie Bloomquist is in the lineup...

KCCHIEFS27
05-07-2009, 12:16 AM
Looking ahead to the weekend:

The Angels are hanging tough in AL West. 11-13 without Vlad or John Lackey (who is scheduled for one more rehab start before rejoining the team).

Torii Hunter is off to a flying start (8 HR's). Mike Napoli has 4 and an OPS 1.165.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090425&content_id=4426336&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb&partnerId=rss_mlb

Nor do they have Ervin Santana,Kelvim Escobar..things should get better for them and they will win the West..

alnorth
05-07-2009, 12:22 AM
AL League Leaders: Shutouts

1. Zack Greinke - 2
T2. Every other pitcher in the AL - 0

alnorth
05-07-2009, 12:42 AM
Rob Neyer is about ready to climb on the bandwagon, and he briefly explains why he's been cranky about the Royals the last few years.

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/sweetspot/0-2-23/Might-Royals-be-for-real-.html

I have to admit that I'm warming up, just a little bit, to these 2009 Royals.

Yes, it's mostly because of Zack Greinke. But it's more than that.

For many years, the Royals offended my sensibilities. Not just because they lost. Because of how they lost. Eight or nine years ago, I came up with a silly little thing called Beane Count, which was a way of looking at how teams fared in a couple of sabermetrics-friendly measures: home runs and walks. How many you get, and how many you give up.

Here's how the Royals ranked in the American League Beane Count from 2002 through 2008: 13th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 14th, and 12th. You might think that they could have, just by getting a little bit lucky here or there, broken into the top 10 for a season. But this organization was run so phenomenally poorly that it just never happened.

Another important thing that never happened: A Royal pitcher striking out an enemy batter. Well, it rarely happened, anyway. Here's how the staff ranked in strikeouts from 2002 through 2007: 13th, 13th, 14th, 12th, 14th, and 13th. As you know, pitchers who strike out few batters put an immense amount of pressure on themselves and the fielders who love them. Last season, with Greinke joining Gil Meche in the rotation, the Royals jumped all the way to seventh in the league in strikeouts; it was their first top-10 finish since 1998 and their best showing since 1994 (when power pitchers David Cone, Kevin Appier, and Tom Gordon anchored the staff).

For many years, then, the Royals didn't do the things you have to do to win. Their hitters didn't hit home runs or draw walks. Their pitchers didn't limit home runs or walks, or strike out anyone at all. Last season seemed like a small step forward, with Meche and Greinke doing their thing. The other stuff, though ... As usual, the Royals finished with a decent batting average but completely crashed in the important categories: 13th in home runs, 14th in walks. The more things change ... right?

Which is why I was brought up short while watching the game on TV last night, and heard the following exchange between broadcasters Ryan Lefebvre and Frank White during a David DeJesus at-bat:

Ryan: [Royals Hitting coach] Kevin Seitzer saying in spring training that no matter what the result is, if a hitter sees at least eight pitches, it's a quality at-bat, and the Royals have just been wearing down the White Sox pitchers tonight. Long at-bat after long at-bat.
Frank: Well, I agree with him on that, because in the long run it's going to pay off. It's going to get that starter out of the game and get you into the bullpen, and you get a lot of bullpen guys who are one-inning guys. So their pitch count mounts pretty quick, and you really hurt the bullpen on that side.

--snip--

Ryan: Frank, here we go again -- from 1-and-2 to 3-and-2.

Frank: I think that's what good teams do, Ryan.

Why, yes; that's exactly what good teams do. It's wonderful to discover that someone associated with the Royals seems to have figured this out, all these years later. After last night's dramatic victory, the Royals are sitting in first place in the standings with a 16-11 record. More to the point, they rank eighth in the league in home runs (which is great, for them) and fifth in walks (which is incredible). Oh, and the Beane Count? At this moment,

Billy Beane's Athletics are last in the league, and Dayton Moore's Royals are first.

I never thought I would have occasion to write those words.

tk13
05-07-2009, 01:08 AM
If Neyer's jumping on the bandwagon, well, that's something. I totally agree with his premise, only thing about it is that he's pretty much ripped 95% of the moves Dayton made to actually build the current team. Seitzer so far has done an unbelieveable job. Coco Crisp looks like a legit leadoff hitter. And Willie Bloomquist, as much as some Royals fans have ripped him apart, he's really been a spark plug. Jacobs has done exactly what we brought him in to do, kinda streaky, lots of K's. But he's slugging .500+ while on pace to have nearly 70 walks.

Problem with the A's is everybody figured out their game and now there isn't nearly the same amount of market "inefficiencies". Lots of teams are going after the same things they are. I don't know what other rabbit they can pull out of their hat to catch up, because you'd think Beane would be on the hot seat eventually.

Coach
05-07-2009, 06:02 AM
I was just looking over the stats on the web, and I found something very intruging. The career record for ERA+ (with a minimum of 1,000 innings pitched) is held by closer Mariano Rivera, who has a career ERA+ of 199. The career record ERA+ amongst retired players is 148, held by Lefty Grove. Walter Johnson, Dan Quisenberry, Hoyt Wilhelm and Smokey Joe Wood are tied in second place with a career ERA+ of 146.

It's a shame that the Quiz isn't in the HOF. He sure deserves to be there.

KChiefs1
05-07-2009, 07:58 AM
Ten things to know about Zack Greinke.

1. Zack Greinke has a 1173 ERA+. I would wager than no pitcher in baseball history has had a 1173 ERA+ through six games.

2. There have been two complete game shutouts thrown in the American League this year. Greinke threw both of them. That makes for a fun “Shutouts” chart on Baseball Reference.

3. There have been eight complete games thrown in the American League. Greinke has three of them.

4. Greinke currently leads the league in wins, ERA, ERA+, shutouts, complete games, strikeouts, WHIP and he has not yet allowed a home run.

5. The league is hitting .242/.294/.337 against him with nobody on base.
But the league is hitting .109/.136/.125 against him with runners on base.
And the league is hitting .097/.097/.097 against him with runners in scoring position.

6. Greinke’s strikeout-to-walk ratio with runners in scoring position — 14-to-0.

7. Batters are hitting .171 against Greinke in the seventh inning and after.

8. Greinke has fallen behind 3-0 to a hitter only four times all year. He did not walk any of the four. He struck out two of them.

9. Greinke’s 0.40 ERA is so low, he could give up nine runs in an inning in his next start, get pulled, and his ERA STILL would be lower than 2.00.

10. This from brilliant reader Rob: Dating back to last year, Greinke has won nine consecutive starts, and in those nine starts he has an 0.69 ERA. How good is that? Well, legendary. There have been 50 pitchers since 1954 who have won nine or more consecutive starts. Greinke’s is the second-best.*

*The best of those by ERA?

1. Bob Gibson, 1968: 12-0, 0.50 ERA.
Note for posterity: Gibson completed all 12 of those games.

2. Zack Greinke, 2008-09: 9-0, 0.69 ERA

3. Steve Blass, 1968: 9-0, 0.70 ERA

4. Hoyt Wilhelm, 1959: 9-0, 0.79 ERA

5. Cal Eldred, 1992: 10-0, 0.95 ERA
Note for posterity: In 1997, Eldred led the league in losses.

6. John Tudor, 1985: 9-0, 0.97 ERA

7. Warren Spahn, 1961: 10-0, 0.99 ERA

8. Gaylord Perry, 1974: 11-0, 1.00 ERA
Note for posterity: I’m in Cleveland right now reminiscing about Perry’s amazing 1974. Only July 3, he was 15-1 with a 1.31 ERA. He seemed a legit threat to win 30 games. He promptly lost nine of his next 10 decisions.

9. Randy Johnson, 1999-00, 9-0, 1.09 ERA
Note for posterity: You know, there’s a case to be made that Randy Johnson is the greatest pitcher in baseball history. This is just a warning … that case might be coming.

10. Roy Oswalt, 2002, 9-0, 1.22 ERA.

Also worth pointing out Johan Santana’s 12-0, 1.28 ERA stretch in 2004, Pat Dobson’s 12-0, 1.77 ERA stretch in 1971 and Brad Radke’s 12-0, 1.87 ERA stretch in 1997.

And one more thing … remember when Bob Welch won 27 games in 1990? Well, he won 9 decisions in a row in the middle of that year. His ERA during the stretch — 3.59. Boy, that team scored a lot of runs for him.

http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/05/05/greinke-fun-facts/

WilliamTheIrish
05-07-2009, 09:01 AM
If Neyer's jumping on the bandwagon, well, that's something. I totally agree with his premise, only thing about it is that he's pretty much ripped 95% of the moves Dayton made to actually build the current team. Seitzer so far has done an unbelieveable job. Coco Crisp looks like a legit leadoff hitter. And Willie Bloomquist, as much as some Royals fans have ripped him apart, he's really been a spark plug. Jacobs has done exactly what we brought him in to do, kinda streaky, lots of K's. But he's slugging .500+ while on pace to have nearly 70 walks.

Problem with the A's is everybody figured out their game and now there isn't nearly the same amount of market "inefficiencies". Lots of teams are going after the same things they are. I don't know what other rabbit they can pull out of their hat to catch up, because you'd think Beane would be on the hot seat eventually.

If the royals that kind of OB% from Jacobs, I can live with him playing 1st base ... every 10th game.

eazyb81
05-07-2009, 09:06 AM
Neyer is such a little bitch. I despise that douche. Of course he'll jump back on the bandwagon when we start winning, all while patting himself on the back because they're finally doing what he KNEW they should do!!!!

And then we'll see him on ESPN as the face of a long suffering Royals fan, even though he is the biggest flip-flopping drama queen and has quit on this franchise more times than I can count.

**** Neyer.

I'll listen to him once he finally admits that he doesn't know as much as he thinks he knows, and that Dayton Moore has forgotten more about baseball than Neyer has ever known.

alnorth
05-07-2009, 10:09 AM
Neyer is such a little bitch. I despise that douche. Of course he'll jump back on the bandwagon when we start winning, all while patting himself on the back because they're finally doing what he KNEW they should do!!!!

And then we'll see him on ESPN as the face of a long suffering Royals fan, even though he is the biggest flip-flopping drama queen and has quit on this franchise more times than I can count.

**** Neyer.

I'll listen to him once he finally admits that he doesn't know as much as he thinks he knows, and that Dayton Moore has forgotten more about baseball than Neyer has ever known.

There is very little in this post I agree with. Neyer is one of the most respected writers out there, and his opinions about the Royals over the last few years are almost all logical and correct. Some Royals fans who want to hear good things about the team every year might not like a dose of realism that is deserved when the Royals management seemingly doesnt care about encouraging what is necessary to win.

Neyer is not on the bandwagon because they are winning, he is on because they are no longer ignoring what is required to win. Winning is just a by-product of that. If they were respectable in getting and limiting homers and walks but were under .500 because of bad luck, I'm pretty sure he'd still have good things to say.

teedubya
05-07-2009, 11:02 AM
Pedro Martínez (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedro_Mart%C3%ADnez) holds the modern record for highest ERA+ in a single season; he posted a 1.74 ERA in the 2000 American League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_League), which had an average ERA of 4.91, which gave Martinez an ERA+ of 285. While Bob Gibson (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Gibson) has the lowest ERA in modern times (1.12 in the 1968 National League (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League)) the average ERA was 2.99 that year (the so-called Year of the Pitcher) and so Gibson's ERA+ is 258, still highly impressive, but only sixth since 1900. 1968 was the last year that Major League Baseball employed the use of a pitcher's mound greater than 10 inches.<sup id="cite_ref-0" class="reference">[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjusted_ERA%2B#cite_note-0)</sup>

WilliamTheIrish
05-07-2009, 12:39 PM
One of the interesting aspects of Ponsoon the Pontoon pitching well, is it puts pressure on Davies to perform.

If the whale were to give the Royals that kind of effort in 3 of every 5 starts, it would be Davies pitching for his big league life.

I don't think it will happen, but the possibility exists.

WoodDraw
05-07-2009, 12:58 PM
There is very little in this post I agree with. Neyer is one of the most respected writers out there, and his opinions about the Royals over the last few years are almost all logical and correct. Some Royals fans who want to hear good things about the team every year might not like a dose of realism that is deserved when the Royals management seemingly doesnt care about encouraging what is necessary to win.

Neyer is not on the bandwagon because they are winning, he is on because they are no longer ignoring what is required to win. Winning is just a by-product of that. If they were respectable in getting and limiting homers and walks but were under .500 because of bad luck, I'm pretty sure he'd still have good things to say.

I got through many terrible Royals seasons by reading Rob and Rany on the Royals. Their shtick always had Rany offering the unbridled optimism with Rob reminding everyone that the Royals were still the Royals. Those two have a lifelong pass with me; they were great national writers blogging on the Royals, long before blogging went mainstream.

KCCHIEFS27
05-07-2009, 01:37 PM
grienke voted April's clutch player of the month..

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=4603492&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

luv
05-07-2009, 03:31 PM
The restaurant we went to for lunch today had the Cardinals game on. I was reading the closed captioning when the announcers got to talking about the Royals. They said they're on fire this year, and they think the Royals might have the best pitcher in baseball right now. Good job! :thumb:

PunkinDrublic
05-07-2009, 03:34 PM
Nice to keep winning. Let the tigers and white sux beat up on each other now.

Fish
05-07-2009, 03:40 PM
Aviles showed so much potential last year and now I get that sinking feeling when he comes up to bat, kind of like when TPJ bats. I like the kid and I know that he can play at this level of ball, but he's gotta figure out how to hit the ball more.

I'm pretty sure that's what we're seeing right now. As others have pointed out... Aviles pretty much got to do what he wanted previously as far as his swing was concerned. And nobody messed with that, because he was hitting well. But Seitzer isn't letting him get away with that. Seitzer is actually forcing him to improve his mechanics and become a better all-around hitter. That's very tough to do at this level. And it won't come quickly if it happens at all.

PunkinDrublic
05-07-2009, 03:45 PM
So much of our winning can be attributed can be made to Dayton Moores offseason moves. At the time they didn't raise much of an eyebrow but man are they paying off now. Crisp is the best leadoff hitter we've had in quite some time.

By the way where has Mecca been? The guys around to remind everybody how bad the Royals are when they are losing but never around when they are doing well.

Nightfyre
05-07-2009, 04:26 PM
And to think, we should be 21-8. We need better gameday decision making.
Posted via Mobile Device

KcMizzou
05-07-2009, 04:31 PM
By the way where has Mecca been? The guys around to remind everybody how bad the Royals are when they are losing but never around when they are doing well.Mecca hasn't been around at all for quite a while. I don't think it has anything to with the Royals.

BigMeatballDave
05-07-2009, 04:36 PM
Mecca hasn't been around at all for quite a while. I don't think it has anything to with the Royals.I noticed he was missing, too. He mentioned in a thread, can't remember which, that the Chiefs have never run a 3-4. Fact is, they have. He was wrong. He didn't stick around to face the music. I don't know if he's hiding from that or not. :D

Nightfyre
05-07-2009, 04:36 PM
And to think, we should be 21-8. We need better gameday decision making.
Posted via Mobile Device

My point is that the team is better than their record. That is impressive, imo.
Posted via Mobile Device

SPATCH
05-07-2009, 05:01 PM
i just want to say "big ups" to all my boyz who were posting in the game threads last year................ in july....... when we were 20+ games back

i'm talkin about Ari, nightfyre, deez, kc_mizz, PENZ, CoMo, SureOz, SPchief, BCDave, and KC mother fuckin' FISH

mad respect........ let's ride this wave and see where it takes us...

and i haven't been posting very much cause i got finals mother ****ers

Fish
05-07-2009, 05:09 PM
i just want to say "big ups" to all my boyz who were posting in the game threads last year................ in july....... when we were 20+ games back

i'm talkin about Ari, nightfyre, deez, kc_mizz, PENZ, CoMo, SureOz, SPchief, BCDave

mad respect........ let's ride this wave and see where it takes us...

and i haven't been posting very much cause i got finals mother ****ers

Us "True Royal Fans" were actually at the game last year... in july..... when we were 20+ games back.......:D

SPATCH
05-07-2009, 05:18 PM
Us "True Royal Fans" were actually at the game last year... in july..... when we were 20+ games back.......:D

i knew i would forget somebody... fixing that

BigMeatballDave
05-07-2009, 05:19 PM
I was watching the Fantasy segment on ESPNews last night and they said to sit Bannister today. Great advice...

SPchief
05-07-2009, 06:24 PM
http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Game On.
(Remember to tune in this evening at 7 PM; listen live at 810whb.com. Royals’ Assistant GM Dean Taylor is scheduled to be our guest this evening.)

I’ve always felt that for all the advantages that come with having access to a team, in the sense of being a beat writer or a reporter or at least having graduated from J-school, the biggest advantage of my lack of access – of being an outsider – is the luxury of being able to take a step back from the day-to-day minutiae of baseball, and analyze things from a distance. Perspective is hard to obtain from up close.


Well, this year I’ve started to shed the “outsider” label just a little. It’s been a tremendous opportunity to have a radio show and to have access to people inside the game. But it’s also made me so focused on keeping up with every Trey Hillman decision and the ebb and flow of every single game, every single day, that maybe I’ve been missing the big picture just a little bit.


So I took a step back after last night’s game and realized: dammit, we’re good. The Royals are 17-11, which as Bob Dutton pointed out is the first time the Royals are six games* over .500 since the end of the 2003 season. As Will McDonald points out, the Royals could lose their next 36 games in a row and still be ahead of their pace from 2006, just three years ago.


*: “Games over .500” is a very vague term in the way it’s used; some people will say a team that’s 82-80 is two games over .500, while others will say they’re one game over .500. The second answer is technically true, because a team that’s 82-80 is one game ahead of a team that’s exactly .500 (81-81). However, the first answer is usually what people mean. My personal method is to use “games over .500” to denote half-games – in other words, (wins – losses). When I want the second meaning, I’ll use “full games over .500”. At 17-11, the Royals are three full games over .500, which means if they play .500 the rest of the season, they’ll finish with (81 + 3 =) 84 wins.

All the hair-pulling over Trey Hillman’s decisions in April obscured the fact that the most important job for any manager isn’t pushing the right buttons in the late innings, it’s putting his players in position to succeed in the first place. And the best manager can’t win without the horses. The Royals have the horses. They lead the league in runs allowed. They rank only 9th in runs scored, but given that they’re fifth in the league in slugging average and in on-base percentage, they have the makings of at least a league-average offense. The Royals have won with less.


Zack Greinke gets all the press, and deservedly so. But the Royals have played better than .500 ball in the games that The Big Grein does not start. They lead the American League in Beane Count, a statistic that Rob Neyer invented years ago that distills a team’s performance to the two most immutable categories of the game, homers and walks. And yes, Rob’s put one foot on the bandwagon.


For all the talk about how the Royals have been winning games they never would have won in the past, the fact that the Royals won a couple of close games wasn’t definitive proof that they were a good team. Those of you who have been reading for a while already know this, but the hallmark of a good team is not the ability to win the close games – it’s the ability to win the blowouts. Winning one-run games is mostly a matter of luck; winning the eight-run games is mostly a matter of talent.


What was meaningful about the win against the Twins on Saturday, or against the White Sox on Tuesday, wasn’t that it they were the kinds of wins that characterized good teams; it was that they weren’t the kinds of losses that characterized bad teams. Specifically, bad Royals teams. More specifically, pretty much every Royals team from 1995 to 2007.


So we had, I thought, established over the last week that the Royals were not a bad team. But I looked at last night’s game as a litmus test for whether the Royals were a good team. Against another first-place team that seemed to be playing over its head, against a soft-tossing finesse pitcher who has sucked pretty much non-stop since the end of 2007, a good team would bust out the whooping sticks early and often.


Carlos Silva is exactly the kind of control artist who always seems to throw his best games against the Royals: before last night, he had a 4.10 ERA in 14 career starts against KC, and had walked just five batters in 83 career innings.


The verdict? The Royals grounded into two double plays and left five men on base in the first four innings – and still led 8-0. Sidney Ponson did his best Brian Bannister impression, and the three worst pitchers on the Royals’ roster held the Mariners to one run.


And that’s why I’m here to tell you: game on. This team is good, this team is for real, and it’s time to commit fully and hang on tight all season long. I’m not saying the Royals are going to win the division. But I’m saying that from this moment on, every game has playoff implications.


“Wait a minute,” some of you are saying, “how is this any different than 2003?” To which I can only say, “I knew 2003. 2003 was a friend of mine. This team, sir, is no 2003.”


Y’all remember 2003, don’t you? Tony Pena tossing a coin to decide whether Runelvys Hernandez or Jeremy Affeldt would start on Opening Day? Ken Harvey hitting walkoff homers? Mike MacDougal walking a tightrope every ninth inning? Everything about that season was surreal from the start. NO ONE thought, prior to the season, that the Royals had any hope of contention. Then they started 9-0, and 16-3, and even then the feeling wasn’t “we’re going to win”, it was “we’re winning!” The emotions that I recall were more about living in the moment than in expecting the winning ways to continue. They continued a lot longer than we expected, and when the Royals went into the All-Star break leading the division by seven games, you could actually start to believe that the magic might last into October. But it was still clear that they were winning with magic.


This year, even before the season began people around the game were talking about the Royals as a sleeper contender, to the point where it actually got annoying – the New York Times predicted the Royals to win the division. Those predictions weren’t made because people thought the Royals were well-versed in sorcery; they were made because people thought the Royals had a lot of talent.


Which they do. The Royals’ second-best starter is better than anyone in the rotation in 2003 – or in any year from 1998 to 2006. Their closer is one of the very best in baseball. Their leadoff hitter has a .363 OBP and catches everything in centerfield. Their DH does little but hit homers – but he does hit homers. Their first baseman is hitting .276/.370/.425 and is just scratching the surface of his potential. Their second baseman, batting 7th, is hitting .359 – and while no one thinks he’s a .359 hitter, a lot of people think he’s a .310 hitter. They have Zack Greinke. They have a pitcher who’s 5-0, 1.13 in Omaha and can’t break into the rotation. None of their players are pregnant.


The Royals are 17-11, and they’ve outscored their opponents by 30 runs, which projects to a…17-11 record. They’re winning even with one of their best players on the DL. In the last week, they’ve won games by bashing 11 extra-base hits around the park; by scoring eight runs in five innings off a pair of Quadruple-A pitchers (who were both sent down to Triple-A immediately after the game); by outlasting the Twins on the road with an 11th-inning rally triggered by four walks; by storming back from a 4-0 deficit after six innings with a five-run seventh; by rallying from a 5-1 deficit to the White Sox to win in 11 innings, even after the home plate umpire blew a call on the potential go-ahead run in regulation; and beaten Carlos Silva like the rented mule he is.


Oh, and somewhere in between Greinke threw another shutout.


And in the process of writing this, the Royals have won their sixth straight game. A night after their fifth starter allowed one run in 7.1 innings, their fourth starter throws six shutout innings, striking out seven. Tomorrow the nominal ace of the staff takes the mound. And then the day after that, The Greatest Show in Baseball rolls into Anaheim.


So yeah: it’s on. It’s most definitely on. The Royals are 18-11, they lead the division by 2.5 games, and unlike 2003, I’m not even excited about how they have played. I’m excited by how I think they will play. I think they will play well enough to contend, and maybe even win, the division. I think that it’s going to be the most enjoyable summer for Kansas City sports in a few decades. I think that many of the 32,713 kids who came out to the park this afternoon will be fans for life.


I think that the city is ready to embrace this team. Last night’s game garnered a 7.5 rating, the highest in the history of Fox Sports Kansas City. The previous highest-rated game was…the game before, with a 6.4 rating.


I think that we’re going to have a lot of fun over the next few months. I think that at some point, someone is going to see me walking around suburban Chicago with my Greinke jersey on and accuse me of being a bandwagon fan. I think that my wife is going to feel like a single mother in late September and October.


I think all of this will happen, but I don’t know. But I know one thing.


It’s on. It’s most definitely on.

eazyb81
05-07-2009, 07:23 PM
Wow, that's crazy that the two previous games were the highest-rated games in FSN KC history.

KC is going to be a fun place to be this summer if the team continues to play well.

beer bacon
05-07-2009, 07:51 PM
Wow, that's crazy that the two previous games were the highest-rated games in FSN KC history.

KC is going to be a fun place to be this summer if the team continues to play well.

I'm surprised by how high we have climbed in all the offensive categories:

Batting average: 14th in MLB - 10th in AL
Runs: 10th in MLB - 7th in AL
Slugging: 9th in MLB - 6th in AL
OBP: 12th in MLB - 5th in AL
Walks: 13th in MLB - 5th in AL
RBI: 14th in MLB - 9th in AL
HRs: 14th in MLB - 8th in AL
Doubles: 8th in MLB - 7th in AL
Triples: 2nd in MLB - 1st in AL

Right now we are top in the MLB in ERA. If our hitting keeps up...

Chiefless
05-07-2009, 07:59 PM
It's hard not to get your hopes up after reading that Rany piece

KcMizzou
05-07-2009, 08:53 PM
It's hard not to get your hopes up after reading that Rany pieceIt's on.

KChiefs1
05-07-2009, 08:56 PM
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bg1 align=left><TD colSpan=22>American League Central</TD></TR><TR class=bg4 id=special align=left><TD align=left width="19%">Team</TD><TD align=right width="5%">W</TD><TD align=right width="5%">L</TD><TD align=right width="7%">Pct.</TD><TD align=right width="7%">GB</TD><TD align=right width="9%">Home</TD><TD align=right width="9%">Road</TD><TD align=right width="9%">East</TD><TD align=right width="9%">Cent.</TD><TD align=right width="9%">West</TD><TD align=right width="6%">L10</TD><TD align=right width="6%">Strk</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Kansas City (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/KC)</TD><TD>18</TD><TD>11</TD><TD>.621</TD><TD>-</TD><TD>11-6</TD><TD>7-5</TD><TD>4-3</TD><TD>10-7</TD><TD>4-1</TD><TD>8-2</TD><TD>W 6</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Detroit (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/DET)</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>.519</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>8-5</TD><TD>6-8</TD><TD>2-5</TD><TD>6-5</TD><TD>6-3</TD><TD>5-5</TD><TD>L 1</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Chi. White Sox (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/CHW)</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>.481</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>7-6</TD><TD>6-8</TD><TD>5-5</TD><TD>5-6</TD><TD>3-3</TD><TD>4-6</TD><TD>W 1</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Minnesota (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/MIN)</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>16</TD><TD>.448</TD><TD>5</TD><TD>9-8</TD><TD>4-8</TD><TD>3-8</TD><TD>5-6</TD><TD>5-2</TD><TD>4-6</TD><TD>L 3</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Cleveland (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/CLE)</TD><TD>11</TD><TD>18</TD><TD>.379</TD><TD>7</TD><TD>5-7</TD><TD>6-11</TD><TD>6-8</TD><TD>5-7</TD><TD>0-3</TD><TD>4-6</TD><TD>L 1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

luv
05-07-2009, 09:00 PM
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=2 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=bg1 align=left><TD colSpan=22>American League Central</TD></TR><TR class=bg4 id=special align=left><TD align=left width="19%">Team</TD><TD align=right width="5%">W</TD><TD align=right width="5%">L</TD><TD align=right width="7%">Pct.</TD><TD align=right width="7%">GB</TD><TD align=right width="9%">Home</TD><TD align=right width="9%">Road</TD><TD align=right width="9%">East</TD><TD align=right width="9%">Cent.</TD><TD align=right width="9%">West</TD><TD align=right width="6%">L10</TD><TD align=right width="6%">Strk</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Kansas City (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/KC)</TD><TD>18</TD><TD>11</TD><TD>.621</TD><TD>-</TD><TD>11-6</TD><TD>7-5</TD><TD>4-3</TD><TD>10-7</TD><TD>4-1</TD><TD>8-2</TD><TD>W 6</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Detroit (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/DET)</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>.519</TD><TD>3</TD><TD>8-5</TD><TD>6-8</TD><TD>2-5</TD><TD>6-5</TD><TD>6-3</TD><TD>5-5</TD><TD>L 1</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Chi. White Sox (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/CHW)</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>14</TD><TD>.481</TD><TD>4</TD><TD>7-6</TD><TD>6-8</TD><TD>5-5</TD><TD>5-6</TD><TD>3-3</TD><TD>4-6</TD><TD>W 1</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Minnesota (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/MIN)</TD><TD>13</TD><TD>16</TD><TD>.448</TD><TD>5</TD><TD>9-8</TD><TD>4-8</TD><TD>3-8</TD><TD>5-6</TD><TD>5-2</TD><TD>4-6</TD><TD>L 3</TD></TR><TR class=bg2 vAlign=center align=right height=17><TD align=left>Cleveland (http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/teams/page/CLE)</TD><TD>11</TD><TD>18</TD><TD>.379</TD><TD>7</TD><TD>5-7</TD><TD>6-11</TD><TD>6-8</TD><TD>5-7</TD><TD>0-3</TD><TD>4-6</TD><TD>L 1</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

Wow. I haven't followed baseball closely for a while now. Didn't Detroit used to suck? Royals are having a stellar year so far. Congrats.

beer bacon
05-07-2009, 09:36 PM
Wow. I haven't followed baseball closely for a while now. Didn't Detroit used to suck? Royals are having a stellar year so far. Congrats.

Detroit should be good. They have a ton of good hitters.

beavis
05-07-2009, 09:40 PM
Rany rocks.

I don't know what I'll do if the Royals actually went to the playoffs. I've spent so many summer evenings out at the K watching terrible teams. I always felt like I was waiting for a day that would never come. It's almost surreal.

Hammock Parties
05-07-2009, 09:44 PM
man im loving it this year. our boys in blue just keep on fighting and fighting and giving kansas city a good name again. I've always said, baseball, unlike football, gathers fans from their respective cities, much like a college atmosphere. Football there are many fairweather fans that root for the hot ticket. baseball has those fans as well, but not anywhere near the multitude of the NFL. Baseball is and always will be America's sport!!

oh yah, GO ROYALS!!!

KcMizzou
05-07-2009, 09:48 PM
man im loving it this year. our boys in blue just keep on fighting and fighting and giving kansas city a good name again. I've always said, baseball, unlike football, gathers fans from their respective cities, much like a college atmosphere. Football there are many fairweather fans that root for the hot ticket. baseball has those fans as well, but not anywhere near the multitude of the NFL. Baseball is and always will be America's sport!!

oh yah, GO ROYALS!!!The fun thing about having a good baseball team, is the fact that you have a game to follow damned near every day.

Hammock Parties
05-07-2009, 09:49 PM
The fun thing about having a good baseball team, is the fact that you have a game to follow damned near every day.

my wife hates that fact, but me? i fucking love it!! Baseball, every single fucking day!!! WOOHOO

teedubya
05-07-2009, 10:29 PM
I think I am more excited about this team's progress so far, than I was for the 2008 Jayhawks. My first love growing up was Royals baseball... seeing it come back excites the shit outta me.

Don't get me wrong... 2008 was a magical year for the hawks and 2010 could be... but since they are always good, seeing the Royals potentially resurrect into a good/great team is surprising and very exciting.

I want to go to a Royals playoff game. Period. And I want to take my 7 year old son! That would be sweet tits, right there!

teedubya
05-07-2009, 10:47 PM
id be curious to see attendance numbers from the past few years, and see where we are trending...

CaliforniaChief
05-08-2009, 08:27 AM
I'll be interested to see the kind of buzz they're generating on the road. I am especially excited to see how Zack plays on Saturday, with an improving Angels team. I still don't see any reason why we can't sweep them or win at least 2 of 3. I'm so excited for Saturday.

teedubya
05-08-2009, 08:38 AM
heh... holy shit. 0.90 ERA?

Hochevar eyeing return to Majors
Former first-rounder lowers ERA to 0.90 with gem

By John Torenli / Special to MLB.com
05/07/09 11:22 PM ET
Luke Hochevar was disappointed when he didn't make the Kansas City Royals' starting rotation out of Spring Training.
The 2006 first overall Draft pick isn't letting it affect his performance at Triple-A Omaha thus far this season.
Eager to prove he belongs back in the Majors, Hochevar continued his dominant start Thursday, striking out nine over a season-high eight scoreless frames in the Royals' 3-2, 10-inning loss to the Memphis Redbirds.
"When you get sent down, obviously you want to prove that you belong up there," Hochevar admitted. "But that really hasn't been a huge factor. I just think everything that I've worked on and picked up over the past couple of years is finally coming together."
Is it ever. Hochevar (6-0), who was the odd man out of the Royals' starting five just before camp broke, may force the organization to take another look at its decision.
After going 6-12 with a 5.51 ERA in 22 starts with Kansas City last year, he emerged victorious in each of his first five starts with Omaha and was three outs away from a sixth win in a row before the Royals' bullpen squandered a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning Thursday.
The 6-foot-5 right-hander lowered his ERA to a minuscule 0.90 with his latest gem. He has struck out 30 while walking 10 over 40 brilliant innings.
"Getting a year of experience at the big league level and learning what I need to do to be successful at that level has really helped me," Hochevar said. "Everything is still coming together -- my delivery, execution and focus as well as my situational pitching."
Though the Royals have jumped out to an early lead in the AL Central and boast the Majors' top team ERA at 3.62, there could be a place for Hochevar at the big league level sooner rather than later.
But those decisions are left to the Kansas City braintrust as Hochevar continues to control the only thing he can: opposing batters.
"Everybody up there is pitching extremely well," he noted. "They're leading the league in pitching, going out getting wins and putting up quality starts. When you see that happen and you see a team start to click, you want to be a part of that. I want to be in that environment and help win ballgames. But I have to keep my nose to the grindstone."
Locked in a classic pitchers' duel with Memphis' Evan MacLane on Thursday, Hochevar never let up. He struck out the side around a one-out single by Casey Rowlett in the opening frame and escaped a two-out jam in the second before cruising through the Redbirds' lineup the rest of the way.
Brandon Yarbrough led off the eighth with a single to center field and moved to second on Donovan Solano's sacrifice. But Hochevar made sure the game remained scoreless, inducing a comebacker off the bat of Jon Jay and getting Rowlett on a grounder to first with his 97th and final pitch of the night.
MacLane matched Hochevar through the first seven innings, but left after yielding two runs on seven hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 frames.
"MacLane pitched extremely well," Hochevar said. "When you go against a guy that's going pitch-for-pitch with you, you have to get locked in. You can't give an inch, which makes your execution more important on every pitch."
John Torenli is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Demonpenz
05-08-2009, 08:39 AM
the fact our strikeout numbers are so high are really hiding the fact our defence is below average.

KCUnited
05-08-2009, 08:40 AM
Hoch with the Gubiczullet.

Sure-Oz
05-08-2009, 08:40 AM
Nice to see Hoch get his K's up a bit...at first it was not too good

Demonpenz
05-08-2009, 08:42 AM
is there any way Grienke takes the roll for the joker in the next bat man

irishjayhawk
05-08-2009, 08:45 AM
the fact our strikeout numbers are so high are really hiding the fact our defence is below average.

Some days I agree with that. Somedays I don't.

That said, we're turning a ton of double plays....

Demonpenz
05-08-2009, 08:47 AM
Grienke sent in to strike out tornado's

Demonpenz
05-08-2009, 08:53 AM
Help sent for midwest tornado's (atchison Times)


In a move that stunned most people and babies. Zack Grienke has been sent out to tornado hunt, in hopes to ruin their shit before they get started. With his 4 pitches he hopes to confuse, destroy, possibly even make love, to f4 and f5 tornado's. Mayor Mayerson from atchison ks issued this statement

"Zack Grienke will be sent out to stomp a mother fucking hole in those tornado's asses"

It is unsure if Catcher Miguel Olivo will be sent out with him, due to the fact his swings and misses maybe the actual cause of the tornado's


*Stock footage of Olivo striking out, then stock footage of miguel signing autographs, and more stock footage of olivo in watermelon eating contest"


Fans from across the state have lined up to see Zack in action

WHOOOO HOOO ZACK BABY WHOO HOOO one fan yelled
WHOO HOO I WANT TO FUCK YOU...
Sick dude wtf some other fans exjaculated

teedubya
05-08-2009, 09:04 AM
I heard on Jim Rome... he was talking about Greinke... said, there were no adjectives to describe him that were good enough... said a major leaguer told him, that Greinke has "Fuck You Stuff"... sick.

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 09:35 AM
Hochevar was stellar in Omaha again last night. Hi line:


8 innings - 5 hits - 0 runs - 0 earned runs - 0 BB - 9 K's

He got a no decision because the pen coughed up the lead. The back end of the rotation from davies on down needs to be pitching with Hochevar's picture in their locker.

Cause he's taking somebodys job.

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 09:36 AM
Shit, repost. Ari beat me to it.

Sure-Oz
05-08-2009, 09:36 AM
Hochevar was stellar in Omaha again last night. Hi line:




He got a no decision because the pen coughed up the lead. The back end of the rotation from davies on down needs to be pitching with Hochevar's picture in their locker.

Cause he's taking somebodys job.

It's great to see him continue it, i know the highest pitch count he's had has been 80 or so. Know how many he threw last night?

He is the Zack Grienke of the minors, his era is down to 0.90:eek:

Great Expectations
05-08-2009, 09:50 AM
97

Jenson71
05-08-2009, 10:09 AM
Hochevar was stellar in Omaha again last night. Hi line:




He got a no decision because the pen coughed up the lead. The back end of the rotation from davies on down needs to be pitching with Hochevar's picture in their locker.

Cause he's taking somebodys job.

:drool::drool:

I want his big ears to grace Kauffman so badly.

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 10:58 AM
http://kansascity.royals.mlb.com/mlb/minorleagues/team_index.jsp?c_id=kc


...former top pick Luke Hochevar struck out nine in eight scoreless frames before Omaha fell to Memphis, 3-2

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 11:09 AM
Nice write up for Matt Palmer, tonight starter for the Angels. Former Missouri State grad.

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=4613022&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana


ANAHEIM -- As he surveyed the baseball landscape, a graduate of Missouri State University with a degree in horticulture, Matt Palmer always figured he could find a place in the sun and make a career flower with sufficient care and nurturing.

He'd planted seeds, starting in 2002, in places such as Salem-Keizer, Ore.; Hagerstown, Md.; Norwich, Conn., Fresno, Calif. He entertained visions of creating something long and lasting on the mound, whether as a closer or a starter. It just never seemed to take root.

And now, remarkably -- four years after he had all but abandoned hope -- Matt Palmer has blossomed at age 30.

His two starts have resulted in wins. He's been good and the Angels needed that after the Adenhart ordeal..
12.1 innings 9 hits 5 BB's 5 ER. .196 BAA.

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 11:15 AM
Angels recently optioned Brandon Wood to Salt Lake. He kicked ass in 'Zona.

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090506&content_id=4585904&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 12:45 PM
Wish I could find more info on Blaine Hardy. He pitched again last night and gave up an ER plus an inherited run in one inning of work (2 run HR). He didn't walk anybody and didn't K anybody.

He has 28 K's and ZERO BB in 23.2 innings.

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 12:50 PM
For those that haven't followed it, Chris Hayes is blogging during the season for AAA Omaha. It's pretty good. He did an interview with MiLB.com that I enjoyed.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=580358&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

Here's a link to the blog itself.

http://discohayes.mlblogs.com/

alnorth
05-08-2009, 01:08 PM
For those that haven't followed it, Chris Hayes is blogging during the season for AAA Omaha. It's pretty good. He did an interview with MiLB.com that I enjoyed.

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=580358&vkey=news_milb&fext=.jsp

Here's a link to the blog itself.

http://discohayes.mlblogs.com/

(edit: Just noticed you said he was at Omaha. He might get to Omaha later this year, but he's at AA NW Arkansas right now)

Chris "Disco" Hayes is a very interesting story, and he's become a bit of a cult favorite among hard-core Royals fans. (Now that Rowdy Hardy has kind of faded out) I'm really rooting for him to make it. He was given his nickname during an interview with Rany, who was the guy who originally called Soria the Mexicutioner.

Last year the Arizona Fall League asked him to write a guest blog (http://aflroyals.mlblogs.com/archives/2008/11/chris_hayes_guest_blogger.html), no topic just on whatever. His entry was so hilarious that he was immediately given his own blog and Rany did a two (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8472) part (http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=8479) interview of him for baseball prospectus. Rany's evaluation (http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/02/my-interview-with-chris-disco-hayes.html) of him as a prospect after the interview was also hopeful.

Quick history: undrafted out of college, he pitched 1 year with an independent team, pitched in South America, then was invited to a couple tryouts. After failing to get signed in the first tryout he heard the Royals were having an open tryout for all comers, so he drove over to Surprise and was the only guy signed out of that open tryout. Since then, he's pitched well enough to get promoted to AA, but this year has been easily his best so far. He's throwing one of the best lines for NW Arkanses with a 3-0 record out of relief, 0.96 ERA, 1.07 WHIP in 18.2 IP. He's a submarine pitcher which means he doesnt get (and doesnt need) many strikeouts, because he has a rediculous groundball/fly ratio of 3.90

alnorth
05-08-2009, 01:19 PM
The last two questions in that MiLB interview were so hilarious, they have to be reposted here

MiLB.com: Including yourself, there are seven individuals with the name "Chris Hayes" who have their own Wikipedia entries. Do you foresee a coming Chris Hayes revolution, in which more and more people with that name assume a place of prominence in American society?

Chris Hayes: First and foremost, I'm flattered you've typed my name in a Wikipedia search. Secondly, I just tried it and this is fun. We have an ex-NFL player, an ex-NHL player, Huey Lewis & The News' guitarist and backup vocalist, an Australian politician, a Canadian sky diver, and a journalist. You may say, "Wow, we'd make an outstanding team of superheroes that could attack via gridiron, ice, or through the air ... all while singing and lying our way past our enemies and then spreading the word of our work across the world." You'd be correct.

But here's the bad news I have to break -- all seven of those Chris Hayes' are me. You need proof? I'll just give you some coincidences that may just have you scratching your head.

The NFL-er and I both did not get drafted in 2005. Neither the NHL-er nor I are engraved on the Stanley Cup. With the publication of this article, both the musician and I are in The News. The politician and I come from down under. The baseball player and I are strikingly good-looking.

The journalist and I are both, well journalists ... and we were married in Chicago in 2007 ... though not to each other. So you see, it's not that there's a community of Chris Hayes' taking over the world, it's that I'm taking over the world and one Wikipedia article just can't handle me. I'm so big, I need seven articles.

What's that? I only mentioned six? OK, fine ... I wouldn't be caught dead jumping out of a plane.

MiLB.com: Finally -- have you ever spent time on an actual submarine? If not, then isn't a little disingenuous for you to have adopted such a style?

Chris Hayes: Has your tongue ever literally been in your cheek? A little hypocritical on your part here, eh?

CoMoChief
05-08-2009, 01:45 PM
Nice write up for Matt Palmer, tonight starter for the Angels. Former Missouri State grad.

http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090507&content_id=4613022&vkey=news_ana&fext=.jsp&c_id=ana




His two starts have resulted in wins. He's been good and the Angels needed that after the Adenhart ordeal..
12.1 innings 9 hits 5 BB's 5 ER. .196 BAA.

I've met Palmer before. He good friends with my best friend's older brother. Nice guy, though he was hammered when I saw him.

Kraus
05-08-2009, 02:22 PM
Greinke voted April's Pepsi Clutch winner
Right-hander led Majors in wins, ERA, strikeouts for month

By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
KANSAS CITY -- If ever a team needed a rousing start to a season and a fresh face to inspire it, it was the Kansas City Royals.

They got both this year when they finished the first month in first place with pitcher Zack Greinke providing electrifying heroics.

Greinke powered through April with a 5-0 record, a 0.50 ERA and 44 strikeouts -- all figures that led the Major Leagues. He pitched two shutouts and of the Royals' 12 victories, he was responsible for 42 percent.

Fans worldwide could find no better clutch performer and voted Greinke the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Month Presented by Pepsi.

It is one of two MLB-sanctioned, Pepsi-sponsored awards as part of an ongoing multi-platform marketing campaign involving Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Pepsi, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary as the Official Soft Drink of Major League Baseball. This is the third year for the Clutch Perfomer award.

Greinke began this season with a solid background of achievement in 2008. He wound up the year with 14 consecutive scoreless innings and he boosted that streak to 34 with his first 20 innings this season.

Warming up slowly, Greinke pitched six shutout innings in a 2-0 victory at Chicago on April 8 and five more scoreless innings in a 4-2 win over Cleveland on April 13.

Suitably loose, he opened all cylinders on April 18 at Texas, going the distance in a 2-0 decision. It was a seven-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

Now all of baseball was watching closely. Echoes of Orel Hershiser's record scoreless streak of 59 innings in 1988 rang out although, in fact, only Zack's 20 innings this year could apply toward a record.

Next up: Detroit on April 24. Greinke got through four shutout innings but then his magic ran out. Gerald Laird led off the Tigers' fifth with a double. On the second out of the inning, a fly to center field, Laird advanced to third base. Shortstop Mike Aviles' relay throw hit Laird and bounced away.

Greinke, backing up third base, pounced on the ball and threw to home but catcher Miguel Olivo couldn't apply a tag and a run, albeit unearned, was home. Even so, his string of innings without an earned run reached 43 as he posted a 6-1, complete-game victory.

In his last start of the month, April 29 against Toronto, the Blue Jays stopped that streak in the first inning. But Greinke remained dominant and went seven innings for an 11-3 victory.

In winning the April award, Greinke outpolled some strong competition: Jason Bay of the Boston Red Sox, Jason Kubel of Minnesota Twins, Johan Santana of the New York Mets, Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs, and Michael Young of the Texas Rangers.

Any player at any position can win. All-Star sluggers, slick-fielding shortstops, run-of-the-mill starting pitchers, you name it. This is purely a recognition of the Major Leaguer who carried his team in one form or another, regardless of contract, past accomplishments or shoe endorsements. All that matters here is who performed best when the game was on the line, offensively or defensively.

At the conclusion of the 2009 regular season, fans will have the opportunity to vote on the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Year Presented by Pepsi award winner from among six finalists selected by a special MLB.com editorial panel.

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

teedubya
05-08-2009, 03:30 PM
From another thread:::

http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/5/8/869119/royals-rotation-fip-tra-tra+

http://www.statcorner.com/blog/2008/10/rotation-slots-by-tra.html

Royals rotation - FIP, tRA, tRA+ (http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/5/8/869119/royals-rotation-fip-tra-tra+)



Zack Greinke - 1.39, 1.35, 174 (#1 starter level)
Gil Meche - 2.46, 2.85, 146 (#1 starter level)
Kyle Davies - 5.62, 7.01, 66 (#5 starter level - below replacement level)
Sidney Ponson - 4.70, 5.15, 102 (#3 starter level)
Brian Bannister - 4.05, 3.49, 133 (#1 starter level)

AVERAGES. (based on 2007 and 2008 data)

<code>#1 STARTERS: 130 tRA+</code>
<code>#2 STARTERS: 112 tRA+</code>
<code>#3 STARTERS: 100 tRA+</code>
<code>#4 STARTERS: 91 tRA+</code>
<code>#5 STARTERS: 76 tRA+</code>

MARKERS.

These represent the breakpoints between each slot. For example, between a 95 and a 106 tRA+ would be rated as a #3 starter. Below 86 and you’re a #5, above a 118 and you’re a #1.

<code>1 - 2 BARRIER: 118 tRA+</code>
<code>2 - 3 BARRIER: 106 tRA+</code>
<code>3 - 4 BARRIER: 95 tRA+</code>
<code>4 - 5 BARRIER: 86 tRA+</code>
<code></code>
So, as of today, the Royals have three starters who, so far, have pitched better than an average #1 SP.

KChiefs1
05-08-2009, 04:50 PM
http://www.royalsreview.com/2009/5/8/869673/is-soria-the-same-pitcher-as-last

Is Soria the Same Pitcher as Last Year?


In a FanShot I stated the Soria was not getting the same amount of break from pitch to pitch. I decided to compare his results so far this year to Spring Training, the WBC and last using Pitch F/X data.

Here are some unrelated points to the on the game on 5/07/09, I found useful/interesting in my work and maybe some else will also:


Soria is not a very consistent pitcher in the amount of break on all of his pitches. I think this is what makes him good. Hitters don't see the same stuff from him twice.
Soria never threw when Pitch F/X system was set up in spring training (4 appearances) or in the WBC (2 appearances) so I can't see if changes happened pre-season..
He rarely uses the slider, curve and change-up compared to the fastball, at times never using one or more of the non-fastball pitches at all.
For the above reasons, I am pretty much only able to look at the average differences in Soria's fastball until he has thrown more non- fastball pitches this season to look at those pitches. With his fastball, there is a major change from this season to previous seasons in that it is breaking ~2 more inches more in the horizontal direction. All of the other factors measured by Pitch F/X remain constant (e.g. speed, release, etc).. Here are his averages for the past 3 seasons:

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle width=86 height=34>Season</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle width=110>Horizontal Break</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle height=18>2007</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle>-1.0</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle height=18>2008</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle>-1.3</TD></TR><TR><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle height=18>2009</TD><TD style="BORDER-RIGHT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-TOP: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 1px solid; BORDER-BOTTOM: #000000 1px solid" align=middle>-3.5</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

As you can see, his fast is just breaking more, which leads us back to yesterday were Soria just seemed frustrated on the mound. His extra 2 inches of break on his fastball was putting his fastball out of the strike zone on few occasions. Here is a graph of his actual fastball and the location of the same fastball in 2 inches less of break:

http://cdn0.sbnation.com/imported_assets/152958/3513824570_809de38cc2_o_medium.jpg (http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/152958/3513824570_809de38cc2_o.jpg)

Although it might just be a strike or two difference during that in inning, it sure would have help with the way his was struggling. I am going to keep an eye on his pitches and will give an update in the future, especially after he has thrown enough non-fastballs to make some kind of good conclusion considering how variable he is with those pitches.

WilliamTheIrish
05-08-2009, 05:24 PM
I'm glad you guys posted that stuff from royalsreview.com.

I love that site but wasn't sure anybody else would be as interested in it. Good to know there are at least two other nerds on the board.

(And NO, I don't play fantasy baseball.)

teedubya
05-08-2009, 06:28 PM
Hey William... add this link to the opening post, if you want.

here (http://guest.ichotelsgroup.com/in_room_entertainment/listen_to_mlb_gameday_audio.aspx?InnCode=ARBNC&SelectedLanguage=en-US). Free MLB radio... acts like you are a Holiday Inn customer... then you sign in with your MLB login.

chiefqueen
05-08-2009, 06:29 PM
Why can't we create a Royals (or MLB) sub-forum than having this "monster" thread?

VonneMarie
05-08-2009, 07:31 PM
Greinke voted April's Pepsi Clutch winner
Right-hander led Majors in wins, ERA, strikeouts for month

By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
KANSAS CITY -- If ever a team needed a rousing start to a season and a fresh face to inspire it, it was the Kansas City Royals.

They got both this year when they finished the first month in first place with pitcher Zack Greinke providing electrifying heroics.

Greinke powered through April with a 5-0 record, a 0.50 ERA and 44 strikeouts -- all figures that led the Major Leagues. He pitched two shutouts and of the Royals' 12 victories, he was responsible for 42 percent.

Fans worldwide could find no better clutch performer and voted Greinke the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Month Presented by Pepsi.

It is one of two MLB-sanctioned, Pepsi-sponsored awards as part of an ongoing multi-platform marketing campaign involving Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Advanced Media and Pepsi, which is celebrating its 12th anniversary as the Official Soft Drink of Major League Baseball. This is the third year for the Clutch Perfomer award.

Greinke began this season with a solid background of achievement in 2008. He wound up the year with 14 consecutive scoreless innings and he boosted that streak to 34 with his first 20 innings this season.

Warming up slowly, Greinke pitched six shutout innings in a 2-0 victory at Chicago on April 8 and five more scoreless innings in a 4-2 win over Cleveland on April 13.

Suitably loose, he opened all cylinders on April 18 at Texas, going the distance in a 2-0 decision. It was a seven-hitter with no walks and 10 strikeouts.

Now all of baseball was watching closely. Echoes of Orel Hershiser's record scoreless streak of 59 innings in 1988 rang out although, in fact, only Zack's 20 innings this year could apply toward a record.

Next up: Detroit on April 24. Greinke got through four shutout innings but then his magic ran out. Gerald Laird led off the Tigers' fifth with a double. On the second out of the inning, a fly to center field, Laird advanced to third base. Shortstop Mike Aviles' relay throw hit Laird and bounced away.

Greinke, backing up third base, pounced on the ball and threw to home but catcher Miguel Olivo couldn't apply a tag and a run, albeit unearned, was home. Even so, his string of innings without an earned run reached 43 as he posted a 6-1, complete-game victory.

In his last start of the month, April 29 against Toronto, the Blue Jays stopped that streak in the first inning. But Greinke remained dominant and went seven innings for an 11-3 victory.

In winning the April award, Greinke outpolled some strong competition: Jason Bay of the Boston Red Sox, Jason Kubel of Minnesota Twins, Johan Santana of the New York Mets, Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs, and Michael Young of the Texas Rangers.

Any player at any position can win. All-Star sluggers, slick-fielding shortstops, run-of-the-mill starting pitchers, you name it. This is purely a recognition of the Major Leaguer who carried his team in one form or another, regardless of contract, past accomplishments or shoe endorsements. All that matters here is who performed best when the game was on the line, offensively or defensively.

At the conclusion of the 2009 regular season, fans will have the opportunity to vote on the Major League Baseball Clutch Performer of the Year Presented by Pepsi award winner from among six finalists selected by a special MLB.com editorial panel.

Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
Sweet!

alnorth
05-08-2009, 07:40 PM
Why can't we create a Royals (or MLB) sub-forum than having this "monster" thread?

no more subforums, please. This works just fine.

Mama Hip Rockets
05-08-2009, 08:19 PM
Hochevar was stellar in Omaha again last night. Hi line:




He got a no decision because the pen coughed up the lead. The back end of the rotation from davies on down needs to be pitching with Hochevar's picture in their locker.

Cause he's taking somebodys job.

why is he still in AAA? seriously. there is no excuse.

WilliamTheIrish
05-09-2009, 08:25 AM
Useless stat of the day:

The Royals are 37 -20 since Sept. 1 08.

WilliamTheIrish
05-09-2009, 08:25 AM
Ari, that link is the shizzzz.

Thanks.

WilliamTheIrish
05-09-2009, 08:37 AM
I'm pretty sure everybody saw this last night, but in case you didn't Curtis Granderson made an incredible, leaping, over the wall catch to rob Grady Sizemore of a game winning homer. It was probably the best defensive play of the year in the AL.

http://detroit.tigers.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090508&content_id=4626582&vkey=recap&fext=.jsp&c_id=det



And Justin Verlander is rounding into form, which is not good news for the AL Central.

He has been nearly unhittable in his last three starts :

23 IP 11 hits 1 ER 5 BB 31 K's

That's the Verlander that can make the Tigers the favorite for the division.

Dartgod
05-09-2009, 09:00 AM
I just picked up two tickets for the May 23 game at Busch Stadium vs. the Cards. Any idea on how the rotation will play out and who the starter might be?

Please let it be Grienke, please let it be Grienke.

WilliamTheIrish
05-09-2009, 10:41 AM
Why can't we create a Royals (or MLB) sub-forum than having this "monster" thread?

One Board, One ChiefsPlanet.

chiefqueen
05-09-2009, 11:00 AM
I just picked up two tickets for the May 23 game at Busch Stadium vs. the Cards. Any idea on how the rotation will play out and who the starter might be?

Please let it be Grienke, please let it be Grienke.

According to my calculations Grienke will NOT pitch in STL

Grienke next few starts

tonight
5/15 (tix are going very fast, Fri. night, buck night, you know the drill)
5/21
5/26
The following start may be on 5/31 because the Royals both 5/28 & 6/1 off. If Trey does not skip anyone Zach would pitch on 6/2.

WilliamTheIrish
05-10-2009, 10:35 AM
Now would be a really good time for Davies to pitch as though his big league career is on the line.

Because it is.

DeezNutz
05-10-2009, 10:40 AM
Now would be a really good time for Davies to pitch as though his big league career is on the line.

Because it is.

Yep.

He still has an option, so I expect Davies down and Hoch up (soon) if the former continues his current trend.

WilliamTheIrish
05-10-2009, 10:43 AM
We need to salvage this finale. I don't want to have to break a losing streak in Oakland.

WilliamTheIrish
05-10-2009, 10:54 AM
Looking ahead to Tuesday:

Looks like possibly

Trevor Cahill (1-2, 3.82 ERA, 1.52 WHIP)

against

Sid Ponce De LePontoon (1-4 5.91 1.57 WHIP and

KChiefs1
05-10-2009, 05:52 PM
Soria to the DL & Hochevar has been called up.

WilliamTheIrish
05-10-2009, 05:54 PM
Ugh. And. Good.

KChiefs1
05-10-2009, 06:06 PM
Soria to the DL
Hochevar up and will start Tuesday
Ponson to bullpen

per Joel Goldberg

DeezNutz
05-10-2009, 06:22 PM
Soria to the DL
Hochevar up and will start Tuesday
Ponson to bullpen

per Joel Goldberg

Wow. And so close to getting another year.

KChiefs1
05-10-2009, 07:38 PM
Wow. And so close to getting another year.

I wonder what's up with Soria.:(