*** Official 2016 Royals Repository, Version 1 ***

[suzzer99]

So everyone hates the intentional walk. How about this idea? Each team can designate one player before the game as their superstar. If that player gets a 4-pitch walk, it moves any other players on the base paths one base.

So throw one strike - then fine you can intentionally walk. You want to intentionally walk Bonds with the bases empty? Fine. But most intentional walks happen with runners on 2nd and/or 3rd. Moving those runners over would defeat the whole purpose.

Thoughts? I don't think it's any weirder than the infield fly rule, or balks, or that you can run on strikeout but catcher drops the ball, or about a hundred other weird rules that theoretically diminish the "purity of the game".


Btw for many years I had the idea for NFL overtime that if the team who gets the ball first scores, the other team should get one chance to beat (not tie) that score.

So if the first-touch team gets a FG, second team has one chance to beat that with a TD. If the first team gets a TD+1, second team has one chance to get a TD+2. First team has the balls to go for TD+2 and make it, they win. But they wouldn't because that would leave them vulnerable to a TD+1. The game never gets extended more than one possession.

This is BEFORE the new OT rule, which is very similar. But I still think mine would be infinitely better.

Someone really needs to put me in touch with Goodell and Manfred to sort this out.

[Demonpenz]

i like the intentional walk.

[Anyong Bluth]

No. Leave it be.

[DeepSouth]

Not shocking other than I somehow missed he was put on the waiver wire. It was news to me that somehow fell through the cracks & I missed it.
I can't find any announcement that he was placed on waivers. A couple of sites have articles about him clearing waivers. kansascity.royals.mlb.com doesn't have anything about him clearing waivers or being put on waivers. Seems pretty hush-hush? At this point, can the Royals keep him? Or, do they have to trade him or out-right release him?

[Dartgod]

I can't find any announcement that he was placed on waivers. A couple of sites have articles about him clearing waivers. kansascity.royals.mlb.com doesn't have anything about him clearing waivers or being put on waivers. Seems pretty hush-hush? At this point, can the Royals keep him? Or, do they have to trade him or out-right release him?

Royals reliever Joakim Soria has cleared waivers, according to a report Thursday from Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball. The procedural move would allow Soria to be traded to any team this month, despite the non-waiver trade deadline passing on Aug. 1. Still, a trade would appear extremely remote.

As a matter of procedure, teams can place any player on revocable waivers after the trade deadline. If a player clears waivers, he is able to be traded to any team. But if he is claimed during the waiver process, the original team can revoke the waiver request and retain the player. Soria, 32, was not claimed by any of the other 29 major-league teams.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article96486737.html#storylink=cpy
.

[ChiTown]

Love the way the team is playing right now. They look like they still have some fight in them. That's actually really nice to see.

The Royals are going to look back on July and see that is the month that really fucked them. A 7-19 month is hard to overcome when you weren't playing like world beaters prior to that. Had they somehow managed to go .500 in July, they would have been a half game out of the wild card and 3 games back of CLE right now.

[Anyong Bluth]

Love the way the team is playing right now. They look like they still have some fight in them. That's actually really nice to see.

The Royals are going to look back on July and see that is the month that really fucked them. A 7-19 month is hard to overcome when you weren't playing like world beaters prior to that. Had they somehow managed to go .500 in July, they would have been a half game out of the wild card and 3 games back of CLE right now.
It was a return of exactly what I posted before the season started they had to avoid, and what had screwed them prior to the past 2 seasons. The dreaded 1 month span they shit the bed.

[tk13]

Not shocking other than I somehow missed he was put on the waiver wire. It was news to me that somehow fell through the cracks & I missed it.

This time of year lots of guys are put on waivers in baseball. Teams can and will run whole batches of players through waivers, just to try and slide someone through. Even players they don't want to get rid of. If someone claims them, the Royals just pull them back. I wouldn't be surprised if guys like Kennedy and Gordon went through waivers too. It's the only way to make someone available for trades. Teams won't announce who they put on waivers.

[ChiTown]

So, I think it could take 88 wins to wrap up a widcard berth. It might look more like 89 or 90, but lets assume 88 gets you a spot. Here's my take on how the Royals can get it done with their remaining 41 Game Schedule.

Twins:
* 9 Games remaining with the worst team in the AL
* 6 Games in KC 3 Games @ Minny
* Got to dominate these remaining games
* Min Requirement 7-2 Record

Marlins:
* 3-Game Series in Miami
* Marlins have recently started to fall back to the pack
* They've lost 3 straight and are 3-7 in their last 10 games
* Got to take 2 outta 3 in FLA

Red Sox:
* 3-Game series in Bean Town
* The AL East is a meat grinder and Boston is primed to make the Playoffs.
* Outside of CLE on our schedule, this will be a very tough series for the R's
* Need to avoid the sweep and go 1 outta of 3

Yankees:
* 3-Game Series at Home
* The Yankees look like they are ready to die, they just don't know it yet
* They look like the odd man out, and should fall prey to the rising R's
* HAVE TO take 2 outta 3 from the Pinstripes (a sweep would be awesome)

Tigers:
* 6 Games - 3 Home/3Away
* The Tigers Bullpen is a ****ing mess, as displayed against the R's this week
* Their lineup still looks formidable, but they don't look like a team ready to make a run
* Really need to win both of these series and go 4 and 2

White Sox:
* 7 Games remaining - 4 Home 3 Away
* The White Sox are dysfunctional - Period
* They've got sdome great parts on that Team, but overall, it just doesn't fit
* If we can avoid giving up the long-ball, we can beat these guys all day
* Got to take both of the remaining series with them and go 5 and 2

Athletics:
* 4-Game Series at Home
* There is not much about the A's that scares me. This should be a layup for the Royals if we continue our hot streak when the A's get to KC
* I think we could sweep them, but I'm going with 3 and 1 for the Series win

Indians:
* 6 Games remaining: 3 Home/3 Away
* I'm thankful that we only have 3 away games left with the Tribe, as they are by far the most complete Team remaining on our schedule
* They look poised to finish strong
* I'm HOPING for a split 3 and 3

Next 41 Game Projected Record: 27-14 .658 win %

That gives us a final record of 88-74. Is it enough to squeak into the WC Game? That's going to depend upon what happens with Toronto/Balt/Boston and their remaining games. I hope they beat the shit outta each other and make it interesting for the Royals:D

[DeepSouth]

So, I think it could take 88 wins to wrap up a widcard berth. It might look more like 89 or 90, but lets assume 88 gets you a spot. Here's my take on how the Royals can get it done with their remaining 41 Game Schedule.

Twins:
* 9 Games remaining with the worst team in the AL
* 6 Games in KC 3 Games @ Minny
* Got to dominate these remaining games
* Min Requirement 7-2 Record

Marlins:
* 3-Game Series in Miami
* Marlins have recently started to fall back to the pack
* They've lost 3 straight and are 3-7 in their last 10 games
* Got to take 2 outta 3 in FLA

Red Sox:
* 3-Game series in Bean Town
* The AL East is a meat grinder and Boston is primed to make the Playoffs.
* Outside of CLE on our schedule, this will be a very tough series for the R's
* Need to avoid the sweep and go 1 outta of 3

Yankees:
* 3-Game Series at Home
* The Yankees look like they are ready to die, they just don't know it yet
* They look like the odd man out, and should fall prey to the rising R's
* HAVE TO take 2 outta 3 from the Pinstripes (a sweep would be awesome)

Tigers:
* 6 Games - 3 Home/3Away
* The Tigers Bullpen is a ****ing mess, as displayed against the R's this week
* Their lineup still looks formidable, but they don't look like a team ready to make a run
* Really need to win both of these series and go 4 and 2

White Sox:
* 7 Games remaining - 4 Home 3 Away
* The White Sox are dysfunctional - Period
* They've got sdome great parts on that Team, but overall, it just doesn't fit
* If we can avoid giving up the long-ball, we can beat these guys all day
* Got to take both of the remaining series with them and go 5 and 2

Athletics:
* 4-Game Series at Home
* There is not much about the A's that scares me. This should be a layup for the Royals if we continue our hot streak when the A's get to KC
* I think we could sweep them, but I'm going with 3 and 1 for the Series win

Indians:
* 6 Games remaining: 3 Home/3 Away
* I'm thankful that we only have 3 away games left with the Tribe, as they are by far the most complete Team remaining on our schedule
* They look poised to finish strong
* I'm HOPING for a split 3 and 3

Next 41 Game Projected Record: 27-14 .658 win %

That gives us a final record of 88-74. Is it enough to squeak into the WC Game? That's going to depend upon what happens with Toronto/Balt/Boston and their remaining games. I hope they beat the shit outta each other and make it interesting for the Royals:D
It also helps the Royals in the wild card race by beating Boston, NY, and Detroit since they are currently ahead of the Royals.

[mr. tegu]

http://66.media.tumblr.com/6bd9ace3d650b69ce17f319c66e71e7f/tumblr_mreczsWyFw1r8nxtno1_400.gif

[Bowser]

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:43.3796296296% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GP T6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAA AElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJRkRfFj0K0/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">🐐 #ForeverRoyal</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by @kcroyals on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-08-19T03:02:50+00:00">Aug 18, 2016 at 8:02pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
<script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>

So who is going to adopt this as their new avatar? LMAO

[Simply Red]

<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-version="7" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"><div style="padding:8px;"> <div style=" background:#F8F8F8; line-height:0; margin-top:40px; padding:43.3796296296% 0; text-align:center; width:100%;"> <div style=" background:url(data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GP T6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAA AElFTkSuQmCC); display:block; height:44px; margin:0 auto -44px; position:relative; top:-22px; width:44px;"></div></div> <p style=" margin:8px 0 0 0; padding:0 4px;"> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BJRkRfFj0K0/" style=" color:#000; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none; word-wrap:break-word;" target="_blank">🐐 #ForeverRoyal</a></p> <p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;">A photo posted by @kcroyals on <time style=" font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px;" datetime="2016-08-19T03:02:50+00:00">Aug 18, 2016 at 8:02pm PDT</time></p></div></blockquote>
<script async defer src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"></script>



I love Kuntz!

[Anyong Bluth]

This time of year lots of guys are put on waivers in baseball. Teams can and will run whole batches of players through waivers, just to try and slide someone through. Even players they don't want to get rid of. If someone claims them, the Royals just pull them back. I wouldn't be surprised if guys like Kennedy and Gordon went through waivers too. It's the only way to make someone available for trades. Teams won't announce who they put on waivers.
See, that's where I had my brain fart and forgot about having to put guys through the wire to be able to trade after the deadline.

Wonder why Soria's name was reported? I didn't see any other names pop up in my news feed.

[Dartgod]

I love Kuntz!

Who doesn't?


I mean, besides DenverChief...

[Anyong Bluth]

So, I think it could take 88 wins to wrap up a widcard berth. It might look more like 89 or 90, but lets assume 88 gets you a spot. Here's my take on how the Royals can get it done with their remaining 41 Game Schedule.

Twins:
* 9 Games remaining with the worst team in the AL
* 6 Games in KC 3 Games @ Minny
* Got to dominate these remaining games
* Min Requirement 7-2 Record

Marlins:
* 3-Game Series in Miami
* Marlins have recently started to fall back to the pack
* They've lost 3 straight and are 3-7 in their last 10 games
* Got to take 2 outta 3 in FLA

Red Sox:
* 3-Game series in Bean Town
* The AL East is a meat grinder and Boston is primed to make the Playoffs.
* Outside of CLE on our schedule, this will be a very tough series for the R's
* Need to avoid the sweep and go 1 outta of 3

Yankees:
* 3-Game Series at Home
* The Yankees look like they are ready to die, they just don't know it yet
* They look like the odd man out, and should fall prey to the rising R's
* HAVE TO take 2 outta 3 from the Pinstripes (a sweep would be awesome)

Tigers:
* 6 Games - 3 Home/3Away
* The Tigers Bullpen is a ****ing mess, as displayed against the R's this week
* Their lineup still looks formidable, but they don't look like a team ready to make a run
* Really need to win both of these series and go 4 and 2

White Sox:
* 7 Games remaining - 4 Home 3 Away
* The White Sox are dysfunctional - Period
* They've got sdome great parts on that Team, but overall, it just doesn't fit
* If we can avoid giving up the long-ball, we can beat these guys all day
* Got to take both of the remaining series with them and go 5 and 2

Athletics:
* 4-Game Series at Home
* There is not much about the A's that scares me. This should be a layup for the Royals if we continue our hot streak when the A's get to KC
* I think we could sweep them, but I'm going with 3 and 1 for the Series win

Indians:
* 6 Games remaining: 3 Home/3 Away
* I'm thankful that we only have 3 away games left with the Tribe, as they are by far the most complete Team remaining on our schedule
* They look poised to finish strong
* I'm HOPING for a split 3 and 3

Next 41 Game Projected Record: 27-14 .658 win %

That gives us a final record of 88-74. Is it enough to squeak into the WC Game? That's going to depend upon what happens with Toronto/Balt/Boston and their remaining games. I hope they beat the shit outta each other and make it interesting for the Royals:D
I feel like we're going to take 2 from Boston but give it right back and go 1 & 2 vs the Yankees. Surprisingly, go 4 - 2 against Cleveland, but piss away and lose another series with another nondivision team.

The positive side is that we've got a lot of divisional games and I think we'll fair really well and can win at least 65% of the Central games.

Need to make a strong finish against the remaining West teams, and a sweep of Miami isn't a must, but darn close if they want to make a serious charge.

[tk13]

See, that's where I had my brain fart and forgot about having to put guys through the wire to be able to trade after the deadline.

Wonder why Soria's name was reported? I didn't see any other names pop up in my news feed.

That's a good question. Have to wonder if the Royals floated it out there to get some trade buzz going with other teams. I don't think anyone would trade for Soria unless we eat the contract.

[Anyong Bluth]

That's a good question. Have to wonder if the Royals floated it out there to get some trade buzz going with other teams. I don't think anyone would trade for Soria unless we eat the contract.
I think they'd jump at the chance if they could something - anything in a prospect back and would eat 50% of his contract. He's been a worse signing than Omar.

[C3HIEF3S]

Does FSKC operate under Fox Sports Midwest? New to the area and have never had the option to watch on tv before. Any help is appreciated.

[Anyong Bluth]

Does FSKC operate under Fox Sports Midwest? New to the area and have never had the option to watch on tv before. Any help is appreciated.
FSNMW is essentially FSN St. Louis ever since they expanded from regional to city / local markets. FSNKC doesn't run 24 hour continuous programming. Typically the guide will just say Upcoming:[EVENT] with the future date and time when they’re off-air.

[WhawhaWhat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">During <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals">@Royals</a> 11-2 stretch, relievers Moylan, Soria, Strahm, Young and Flynn have this combined line: 27 IP, 11 H, 0 ER, 7 BB, 32 Ks</p>&mdash; Richard Justice (@richardjustice) <a href="https://twitter.com/richardjustice/status/767066822055165952">August 20, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Discuss Thrower]

Eiland for president.

[KChiefs1]

Just keep winning.

http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160820/be2d66f4acb9982597c8ec5d1f03032a.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Anyong Bluth]

Eiland for president.
He's not already?

[Prison Bitch]

Alex took off when I ripped him here. You're all welcome

[BigCatDaddy]

Alex took off when I ripped him here. You're all welcome

Can you dog Volquez now please?

[Prison Bitch]

Can you dog Volquez now please?

My next mark is Soria

If I pull this off I'm worth more than Eiland

[C3HIEF3S]

The Royals somehow managed to find a way for me to truly not give a shit about the Chiefs during baseball season once again.

[kgrund]

The Royals somehow managed to find a way for me to truly not give a shit about the Chiefs during baseball season once again.

That is sad because THIS Royals team is going now here. They have beat up on the God awful Twins and injury ridden Tigers. Get a grip.

[Prison Bitch]

That is sad because THIS Royals team is going now here. They have beat up on the God awful Twins and injury ridden Tigers. Get a grip.

What injuries did the Tigers have?

[suzzer99]

PB, maybe try a thread praising the Indians.

[suzzer99]

What injuries did the Tigers have?

Oldassitis

[ChiefsCountry]

That is sad because THIS Royals team is going now here. They have beat up on the God awful Twins and injury ridden Tigers. Get a grip.

For a dipshit who says he doesn't care about the Royals sure posts a bunch about them.

[mr. tegu]

We still need Seattle and Baltimore to have a nice sustained losing streak. I am not worried about the other teams in the hunt.

[C3HIEF3S]

That is sad because THIS Royals team is going now here. They have beat up on the God awful Twins and injury ridden Tigers. Get a grip.

I bet the Chiefs winning a playoff game against a garbage Houston team excited you.

[kgrund]

What injuries did the Tigers have?

They were missing five of their starters.

[BigCatDaddy]

That is sad because THIS Royals team is going now here. They have beat up on the God awful Twins and injury ridden Tigers. Get a grip.

This guy is the butt hurt Mets or Stros fan right?

[lewdog]

That is sad because THIS Royals team is going now here. They have beat up on the God awful Twins and injury ridden Tigers. Get a grip.

Please tell me of the last Chiefs team to sit atop the throne.

[KChiefs1]

Keep winning!
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160821/e6a0d36084d287ba38f7036a5f9b2575.jpg


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kgrund]

I bet the Chiefs winning a playoff game against a garbage Houston team excited you.

Way more than the Royals winning the World Series and I like the Royals, but it is just baseball.

[tk13]

Mariners have been playing real well too. Their schedule isn't brutal... but they do have a couple series with the Rangers coming up. Plus they play the Yankees next week, so one of them will have to lose.

[tk13]

Way more than the Royals winning the World Series and I like the Royals, but it is just baseball.

That's why 40 of your last 44 posts have been in Royals threads. I really don't care what you do, but get real.

[Chiefspants]

That's why 40 of your last 44 posts have been in Royals threads. I really don't care what you do, but get real.

LMAO

[KChiefs1]

Way more than the Royals winning the World Series and I like the Royals, but it is just baseball.



Judging by your posts, baseball is very important to you unless you like to troll Royals fans?

Your name isn't Jason is it?






Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Chiefspants]

Way more than the Royals winning the World Series and I like the Royals, but it is just baseball.

Yeah, beating a team led by Uncle Rico at QB sure was thrilling.

Will Alex and Andy reach their ceiling again in 2016? I can't wait to find out.

[bsroyals54]

This should come as no surprise, but Duffy has a Wade Davis-like SO / BB ratio, as a starter. Yea hes good

[BWillie]

So is there any chance Wade Davis comes back this season?

[C3HIEF3S]

So is there any chance Wade Davis comes back this season?

He'll start throwing bullpen sessions in Arizona next week. My guess is that he does. Probably early September.

[threebag]

Keep rolling up those wins boys. Go ROYALS.

[Prison Bitch]

Wish we could play the twins every game. 8-2 (or is it 10-2?) vs them this year


We owned them so badly last 4 years. In the 2000-2010 era we could never beat them

[Jerok]

Great pitching match up, but we are hot in all aspects and the twins are not, and all time bad defentirely. I predict 5 to 1 with 0 earned runs goven up by santana and 3 defensive errors.

[BigCatDaddy]

Great pitching match up, but we are hot in all aspects and the twins are not, and all time bad defentirely. I predict 5 to 1 with 0 earned runs goven up by santana and 3 defensive errors.

I wish they would blow it up, but not looking like they will.. Santana would be nice to have in the rotation next 2 years.

[mr. tegu]

Is Cleveland really that good? They are 70-51. They are 11-1 against Detroit and 9-3 against the White Sox. So they are only three games above .500 against the rest of their schedule. If those two teams had been doing anything against them things would look way different.

I realize you can say the same about the Royals beating up on Minnesota and the White Sox but we have obviously proven how good we are for a few seasons now and have dealt with lots of injuries this season. They can be caught.

[WhawhaWhat]

ROFL

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Ned Yost on if juggling the bullpen has been more difficult without Wade and Hoch: &quot;I wouldn&#39;t say it&#39;s more difficult, but it probably is.&quot;</p>&mdash; Rustin Dodd (@rustindodd) <a href="https://twitter.com/rustindodd/status/767391805465702400">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[C3HIEF3S]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dayton Moore tells <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a> radio that Mike Minor left Friday&#39;s game with shoulder stiffness. &quot;I don&#39;t anticipate him (in MLB) this year.&quot;</p>&mdash; Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767424138772348928">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;We&#39;re not too optimistic that he&#39;s going to be in a position to help us this year based on some news we got after the game last night.&quot;</p>&mdash; Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767424344498798592">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[ChiTown]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dayton Moore tells <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a> radio that Mike Minor left Friday&#39;s game with shoulder stiffness. &quot;I don&#39;t anticipate him (in MLB) this year.&quot;</p>&mdash; Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767424138772348928">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;We&#39;re not too optimistic that he&#39;s going to be in a position to help us this year based on some news we got after the game last night.&quot;</p>&mdash; Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767424344498798592">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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We have had an amazing run of pitching injury woes. JFC

[KChiefs1]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dayton Moore tells <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a> radio that Mike Minor left Friday&#39;s game with shoulder stiffness. &quot;I don&#39;t anticipate him (in MLB) this year.&quot;</p>— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767424138772348928">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;We&#39;re not too optimistic that he&#39;s going to be in a position to help us this year based on some news we got after the game last night.&quot;</p>— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767424344498798592">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Another Zimmer?



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[tk13]

Another Zimmer?


Minor actually pitched in the majors for several years and was the #2 on a Braves team that made the playoffs. If we could get that out of Zimmer at this point I'd be thrilled.

[Chiefspants]

Another Zimmer?



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Shoulder injuries can be more or less what UCL tears were to pitchers in the 1930's.

[C3HIEF3S]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Dayton Moore says Jason Vargas &quot;...in some type of role ... has an opportunity to pitch some innings for us in September.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a></p>&mdash; Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshVernier610/status/767426117301112832">August 21, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[Anyong Bluth]

That's why 40 of your last 44 posts have been in Royals threads. I really don't care what you do, but get real.
High five.

[Sure-Oz]

Bummed about Minor...maybe next season.

[BigCatDaddy]

Bummed about Minor...maybe next season.

Right now it would be nice if him or Vargas take one spot. I still think we need to pick up one more arm and maybe a few guys coming up to be options if someone got hurt

[Al Bundy]

http://www.sfchronicle.com/athletics/article/A-s-Billy-Butler-hurt-by-Danny-Valencia-in-9176251.php?t=877f7cb3e73d4cb4da&cmpid=twitter-premium

CHICAGO — Billy Butler missed the past two games against the White Sox because he was injured in an altercation with teammate Danny Valencia, The Chronicle has learned.

No one in the Oakland clubhouse would discuss the matter on the record, but no one denied that it occurred, either.

“No comment,” Valencia said after the team’s 4-2 loss to the White Sox. “What happens in the clubhouse stays in the clubhouse.”

Manager Bob Melvin would not comment on the incident, which occurred Friday night, according to sources. Melvin said Saturday only that Butler was out with nausea and vomiting, but he specifically ruled out the flu when asked if that was Butler’s ailment.

ALSO

OAKLAND, CA - JULY 24: Billy Butler #16 of the Oakland Athletics celebrates a solo homerun in the bottom of the eighth inning to regain the lead against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum on July 24, 2016 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Don Feria/Getty Images) A’s Billy Butler hurt by Danny Valencia in altercation, sources CHICAGO, IL - AUGUST 21: Khris Davis #2 of the Oakland Athletics is greeted by Marcus Semien #10 after hitting a two-run homer against the Chicago White Sox during the fourth inning on August 21, 2016 at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) Khris Davis hits 32nd homer, but A’s lose at Chicago
Nausea and vomiting typically are among the symptoms of concussions.

Valencia did not play in the finale in Chicago, quite possibly because of the altercation, though he also was 2-for-20 lifetime against White Sox starter Jose Quintana.

Butler and Valencia were teammates with Kansas City in 2014 as well as the second half of last year and this year in Oakland, and they are known to engage in a great deal of loud banter in the clubhouse and on the field

[KChiefs1]

Billy Butler Injured In Clubhouse Altercation With Danny Valencia

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/08/billy-butler-injured-in-clubhouse-altercation-with-danny-valencia.html


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[Jerok]

I heard Valencia said he didn't like barbeque and Billy Butler took offense

I heard Valencia said Billy was out of shape and Billy Butler said from his recliner "Come over here and say that"

I heard Valencia ran around Billy screaming "I can't break orbit captain, I can't break orbit"

I heard Valencia said that Billy was a student of the game, the diabetes game.

I heard Valencia say that when Billy sits around the house, he literally sits around the house.

[WhawhaWhat]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqbPnoJVIAEt7S-.jpg:large

[ChiTown]

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CqbPnoJVIAEt7S-.jpg:large

That's fucking amazing. This little run has been hella fun

[Prison Bitch]

The sweep at Texas was a killer

[ChiefsCountry]

Hottest two teams in baseball, this weekend in Boston. We are also on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

[tk13]

This week was huge because this team is legit in the mix now. 3.5 games back with 38 to play is nothing. Only catch is there's so many teams in the mix, going to be a grind, but they at least have a legit shot now.

[PHOG]

Now this is real...:clap:

[Anyong Bluth]

These buttholes are sucking everyone in with wildcard hopes. I despise July so hard.

Don't get me wrong. It's cool they righted the ship. I had just made my peace with shifting my aim to next season after 7 - 20.

Duffy aside, any playoff run would look a lot rosier with another rental arm capable of tossing BBs.

[Anyong Bluth]

This week was huge because this team is legit in the mix now. 3.5 games back with 38 to play is nothing. Only catch is there's so many teams in the mix, going to be a grind, but they at least have a legit shot now.
Isn't it always the case since the 2 wildcard spots that there's a bunch of teams chasing at this point and teams really don't start dropping off until mid September?

[tk13]

Isn't it always the case since the 2 wildcard spots that there's a bunch of teams chasing at this point and teams really don't start dropping off until mid September?

No doubt since there are 2 wild cards, but every year's different. It feels like there's a whole blob of teams all packed together now. I honestly don't remember last year because the Royals were so far out in 1st at this point.

Two years ago, it felt a little different because the A's and Angels were way out ahead of everyone else. The A's fell apart though and made it an exciting finish for both spots.

[tk13]

Two years ago at this point:

Angels 73-50
Orioles 71-52
Royals 69-55

1. Athletics 73-51 +6
2. Mariners 67-57
2. Tigers 66-56
Yankees -3 GB
Blue Jays -3.5 GB
Indians -4.5 GB


So I guess not too different, other than the A's being way out in front in the WC. This year we have the Blue Jays, Red Sox and Orioles all up high in the mix with a lot of division games coming up.

[Simply Red]

I called this last month, you might recall.

[Simply Red]

well sort of

[Al Bundy]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don&#39;t understand all the negativity towards Danny Valencia. One of the better teammates/friends I&#39;ve had in this game.</p>&mdash; Eric Hosmer (@TheRealHos35) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealHos35/status/767557546915819521">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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[Sure-Oz]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don&#39;t understand all the negativity towards Danny Valencia. One of the better teammates/friends I&#39;ve had in this game.</p>— Eric Hosmer (@TheRealHos35) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealHos35/status/767557546915819521">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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Doesn't Hos not like Billy Butler too? I'm wondering what happened between Valencia and Butler...isn't DV known ti be a club house cancer

[lewdog]

Danny V is a "SWAG" boy and a total douche. Lots of reports that he can be a clubhouse disaster.

I could see why Hosmer likes him.

[Chiefspants]

Danny V is a "SWAG" boy and a total douche. Lots of reports that he can be a clubhouse disaster.

I could see why Hosmer likes him.

Moore is also known to trade guys who are negatively impacting the attitudes of other players.

He cut our best reliever in 2011 because of the effect he was having on the attitudes of the young LA players. It would make sense if Valencia was bringing out some of Hos' less desirable attributes.

[Sure-Oz]

@FlannyMLB: Valencia was not highly regarded in the clubhouse https://twitter.com/krew723/status/767510044292239361

[Sure-Oz]

Moore is also known to trade guys who are negatively impacting the attitudes of other players.

He cut our best reliever in 2011 because of the effect he was having on the attitudes of the young LA players. It would make sense if Valencia was bringing out some of Hos' less desirable attributes.
Exactly...there's a reason Valencia doesn't stick around long on teams. Not sure why Hosmers chiming in..

[Sure-Oz]

Moore is also known to trade guys who are negatively impacting the attitudes of other players.

He cut our best reliever in 2011 because of the effect he was having on the attitudes of the young LA players. It would make sense if Valencia was bringing out some of Hos' less desirable attributes.
Who was the reliever

[Mama Hip Rockets]

The sweep at Texas was a killer

Is this really the best time to bring that up? Can you not enjoy anything?

[Sure-Oz]

@jazayerli: In all seriousness, I bet Dayton - who says he traded for Cueto because he felt he owed it to his players - acquires someone by month's end.

[Sure-Oz]

@jazayerli: 3.5 games out. The Royals have made up 6 games on the wild card in 16 days, and 4 games in 8 days. This. Team.

[BigCatDaddy]

@jazayerli: In all seriousness, I bet Dayton - who says he traded for Cueto beuse he felt he owed it to his players - acquires someone by month's end.

Who the hell is going to clear waivers that we would get?

[Why Not?]

@jazayerli: In all seriousness, I bet Dayton - who says he traded for Cueto because he felt he owed it to his players - acquires someone by month's end.

I'm surely not going to complain if DM adds a starter, but wouldn't they have to clear waivers to be traded at this point? What SP out there would be a significant enough upgrade but would be able to be traded for at this point?

I think we're gonna ride our top 3 as far as we can go this year. In all honest, Eddie would rank amongst the top tier 4's in the league. If Duffy, Ventura, and Kennedy continue to pitch like they have, this team will be in the mix come late September.

[Chiefspants]

Who was the reliever

José Mijares. I had to look back a bit, it was actually in 2012. IIRC he was cut the day after the trading deadline and swooped up by San Fran. RoyalsCorner went ape**** at first. Mijares was only 27 and had a 2.56 ERA. Later it came out that he hated being on a "pretender like the Royals" and was a terrible influence for Alcides Escobar. It worked out for Mijares, as he ended up pitching in the playoffs for San Fran and scooped up a ring.

For a while, Dayton putting "team chemistry" as high as a priority as WAR was what caused him to be lambasted for this move as well as the Shields trade, but it's hard to argue with the results now. It also helped that he finally became willing to cut the talentless blackholes (Getz, Frenchy, Davies) that only brought grit and a locker room presence to the table.

[tk13]

I'm surely not going to complain if DM adds a starter, but wouldn't they have to clear waivers to be traded at this point? What SP out there would be a significant enough upgrade but would be able to be traded for at this point?

I think we're gonna ride our top 3 as far as we can go this year. In all honest, Eddie would rank amongst the top tier 4's in the league. If Duffy, Ventura, and Kennedy continue to pitch like they have, this team will be in the mix come late September.

Yeah I'm even more skeptical because a starter will probably cost too much.

I could certainly see them trading for a reliever, and I think maybe they should. Just give up a low level prospect or cash considerations. Just try to fill the gap until Wade gets back. Even though the bullpen is doing well the last couple weeks. With Strahm's emergence we could have a pretty good bullpen when Davis gets back.

[Why Not?]

I think this may be the most important week of the season(clearly this could change if we're a few out in late Sept). The Royals take their scorching hot play on the road against two playoff contenders. There is very little room for error. 3-3 is the bare minimum this week. 2-4 or worse turns the narrative again. By this time next week, we will have a much more realistic view of whether or not this team is contender vs pretender.

[Why Not?]

Yeah I'm even more skeptical because a starter will probably cost too much.

I could certainly see them trading for a reliever, and I think maybe they should. Just give up a low level prospect or cash considerations. Just try to fill the gap until Wade gets back. Even though the bullpen is doing well the last couple weeks. With Strahm's emergence we could have a pretty good bullpen when Davis gets back.

That's a good point. Shore up the pen a little more and ride out our winning formula.

[Simply Red]

They're infectious like no other team I've seen. If any team could do this - It'd be your very own Kansas City Royals.

[C3HIEF3S]

I'm surely not going to complain if DM adds a starter, but wouldn't they have to clear waivers to be traded at this point? What SP out there would be a significant enough upgrade but would be able to be traded for at this point?

I think we're gonna ride our top 3 as far as we can go this year. In all honest, Eddie would rank amongst the top tier 4's in the league. If Duffy, Ventura, and Kennedy continue to pitch like they have, this team will be in the mix come late September.

Ervin Santana could be one of those that could fit that, doubt it would happen though and I honestly have no idea what his contract situation is (too lazy to look right now).

Also, if Santana (or anyone) was put through waivers, a team could "block" the Royals essentially from trying to trade for him by putting a claim on him (or anyone they feel the Royals could be targeting).. resulting in the player's respective team to withdraw their waiver request.

[Chiefspants]

Ervin Santana could be one of those that could fit that, doubt it would happen though and I honestly have no idea what his contract situation is (too lazy to look right now).

Also, if Santana (or anyone) was put through waivers, a team could "block" the Royals essentially from trying to trade for him by putting a claim on him (or anyone they feel the Royals could be targeting).. resulting in the player's respective team to withdraw their waiver request.

2/27 remains on Ervin's deal.

Honestly I'd rather we get bit pieces and focus our money on locking up Danny.

[C3HIEF3S]

2/27 remains on Ervin's deal.

Honestly I'd rather we get bit pieces and focus our money on locking up Danny.

Agreed.

[KChiefs1]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don&#39;t understand all the negativity towards Danny Valencia. One of the better teammates/friends I&#39;ve had in this game.</p>— Eric Hosmer (@TheRealHos35) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheRealHos35/status/767557546915819521">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>

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He really hated Billy.




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[KChiefs1]

@FlannyMLB: Valencia was not highly regarded in the clubhouse https://twitter.com/krew723/status/767510044292239361



I thought Hosmer was a team leader & he supported Valencia? Interesting.




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[KChiefs1]

@jazayerli: 3.5 games out. The Royals have made up 6 games on the wild card in 16 days, and 4 games in 8 days. This. Team.



Damn at this rate they'll be in the #2 wild card spot by September 1.




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[Chiefspants]

He really hated Billy.




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Well...

If Billy had stayed in any kind of shape at all, even if it was his 2013 shape, we likely roll to a title in 2014.

I will always appreciate his clutch hits in the WC, though.

[C3HIEF3S]

Well...

If Billy had stayed in any kind of shape at all, even if it was his 2013 shape, we likely roll to a title in 2014.

I will always appreciate his clutch hits in the WC, though.

You're telling me this guy doesn't look in shape to you?!?!????????????????/
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0mQYDlCAAA_12C.jpg

[KChiefs1]

Someone should start a prediction thread about the final Royals record & where they finish.
http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20160822/057b378ec0d1af6b493930873dd673ed.jpg

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

Hottest team in baseball. Pitching hasn't allowed more than 1 run in what, last 6 ? We're 9-1 last 10 and 3.5 out from WC.

World series again bitches !

[duncan_idaho]

Re: Valencia... He's also a Miami guy, so not surprised Hosmer sided with him. But pretty sure Valencia's influence on Hosmer is one of the reasons the Royals dumped him for nothing.

He was too much of a douche for the Toronto clubhouse, doesn't that say it all?

The Twins don't seem to want to put Santana on waivers, so I assume they think he can help them compete in the next two years.

The Dodgers have put Kazmir out there, but that's about it as far as SP goes.


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[ChiTown]

Travel-Day for the Royals today. So no game tonight for our sizzling hot Team.

Tonight's Other Games of Interest:

* Astros @ Pirates - HOU tied with the R's for the last WC Spot - 3.5 GB

* Nationals @ Orioles - BAL clinging to the last WC Spot after losing 3 straight. Big Match-up in the DC Area

* Red Sox @ TB - BoSox are about as hot as KC right now .5 GB of TOR for the East Division

* Indians @ A's - Indians playing well, would love to see them get tripped up in Oak Town

* Yankees @ Mariners - Royals need to make up some ground on SEA. Go Yankees (puke!)

[ROYC75]

Hottest team in baseball. Pitching hasn't allowed more than 1 run in what, last 6 ? We're 9-1 last 10 and 3.5 out from WC.

World series again bitches !

Getting the cart too far out in front of the horse here, our road record is horrible, less this last road stand. If we clear that up, then it's possible, remember, 2 years ago we had a good road record, well over .500.

[Anyong Bluth]

2/27 remains on Ervin's deal.

Honestly I'd rather we get bit pieces and focus our money on locking up Danny.
Yep. Pass. I liked Santana his 1st go round, but don't want to revisit him @ that price.

[Anyong Bluth]

You're telling me this guy doesn't look in shape to you?!?!????????????????/
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B0mQYDlCAAA_12C.jpg
It's technically a shape.


Pear shaped.

[BigCatDaddy]

Yep. Pass. I liked Santana his 1st go round, but don't want to revisit him @ that price.

Twins aren't going to let him go but that price is a bargin.

[Chiefspants]

Twins aren't going to let him go but that price is a bargin.

I'm more concerned about what he would prevent us from doing. Bringing Duffy back (a guy who loves the org and has openly stated he wants to be here for life) should be paramount.

[BigCatDaddy]

I'm more concerned about what he would prevent us from doing. Bringing Duffy back (a guy who loves the org and has openly stated he wants to be here for life) should be paramount.

I wouldn't be concerned about that.

[Lex Luthor]

Moore is also known to trade guys who are negatively impacting the attitudes of other players.

He cut our best reliever in 2011 because of the effect he was having on the attitudes of the young LA players. It would make sense if Valencia was bringing out some of Hos' less desirable attributes.

Your point is valid, but it's a bit of a stretch to say that Jose Mijares was the best reliever on that team. That was Greg Holland's breakout year with 91 Ks in 67 innings, Broxton had 23 saves, and Herrera, Collins and Crow were all decent that year.

[Why Not?]

Travel-Day for the Royals today. So no game tonight for our sizzling hot Team.

Tonight's Other Games of Interest:

* Astros @ Pirates - HOU tied with the R's for the last WC Spot - 3.5 GB

* Nationals @ Orioles - BAL clinging to the last WC Spot after losing 3 straight. Big Match-up in the DC Area

* Red Sox @ TB - BoSox are about as hot as KC right now .5 GB of TOR for the East Division

* Indians @ A's - Indians playing well, would love to see them get tripped up in Oak Town

* Yankees @ Mariners - Royals need to make up some ground on SEA. Go Yankees (puke!)


Thanks for this listing.

Astros seemed to have gotten right vs Balt this past weekend and the Pirates may rank as one of the year's biggest disappointments but the pitching matchup tonight seems to favor the Pirates

Orioles just seem to be a team on the brink of collapse. Normally, you chalk this up as a win for the Nats but Stras has been pretty shaky his past couple starts. Hope he rights the ship here

From my perspective some combo of Bos/Tor wins the east and a WC. So while it would be sweet for Tampa to win this series(or hell, a game in this series)it's not super imperative

Again, just my opinion, but I think the Indians are good enough to not have the major collapse necessary for us to catch them. Of course, it would be awesome to be wrong but I'm certainly not expecting anything from the A's

And while I certainly want the Yankees to take this series(not going to happen), they are close enough to us in the WC that it won't totally suck when the Mariners beat them

[Chiefspants]

Your point is valid, but it's a bit of a stretch to say that Jose Mijares was the best reliever on that team. That was Greg Holland's breakout year with 91 Ks in 67 innings, Broxton had 23 saves, and Herrera, Collins and Crow were all decent that year.

Yeah, I had originally thought that went down in 2011 so I spaced on the the pieces we had in the bullpen. However, we had just traded Broxton and Mijares was one of our most reliable pieces left. Dropping him for absolutely nothing seemed absolutely bizarre and attracted considerable criticism to GMDM until reports of Mijares' attitude eventually surfaced.

[Chiefspants]

I wouldn't be concerned about that.

If we can make it work I'm all for it, but it sounds like the Twins think they're due for a bounceback in 2017 and want to hold onto him.

[Lex Luthor]

Yeah, I had originally thought that went down in 2011 so I spaced on the the pieces we had in the bullpen. However, we had just traded Broxton and Mijares was one of our most reliable pieces left. Dropping him for absolutely nothing seemed absolutely bizarre and attracted considerable criticism to GMDM until reports of Mijares' attitude eventually surfaced.

It's funny how times change, isn't it? Back in those days we all thought GMDM was the devil, and we were all quick to criticize.

Now most of us realize that GMDM is pretty damn good at his job, and we're far more likely to give him the benefit of the doubt if he does something that appears to defy logic. (I said MOST of us, because every fan base has its share of prison bitches).

[BigCatDaddy]

If we can make it work I'm all for it, but it sounds like the Twins think they're due for a bounceback in 2017 and want to hold onto him.

Agree.
I'm more certain of a Duffy contract than any of the other big $ guys on the team. I think he is most difficult to replace and has the most desire to stay.

[BigCatDaddy]

It's funny how times change, isn't it? Back in those days we all thought GMDM was the devil, and we were all quick to criticize.

Now most of us realize that GMDM is pretty damn good at his job, and we're far more likely to give him the benefit of the doubt if he does something that appears to defy logic. (I said MOST of us, because every fan base has its share of prison bitches).

I think he has learned a bit on the job also.

[RockChalk]

The next 10 games will either put us right back into the mix or eliminate us...3 @ Twins, 3 @ Tigers, and 4 home against Twins. Go 8-2 or 7-3 and we are right back in the WC hunt at the least. .500 or worse in the next 10 will be the death knell.

Certainly exceeded my expectations. 3.5 back boys!

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Well then I guess there's only one thing left to do.

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Xir_ynJWsH8/hqdefault.jpg

[siberian khatru]

Interesting:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just spitballing here, but wouldn&#39;t be at all surprised if Mondesi gets sent down and Merrifield recalled before tomorrow.</p>&mdash; Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/767750881437626368">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
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What do you think? Mondesi is overmatched at the plate. Send him down until rosters expand Sept. 1, let a hot Whit (16 for his last 49) take over for awhile?

Or stick with the "we're winning with him regardless of what stats say" philosophy that fueled the Esky-at-leadoff stuff?

[BigCatDaddy]

I wouldn't mind seeing Colon take it over.

[DeepSouth]

Interesting:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Just spitballing here, but wouldn&#39;t be at all surprised if Mondesi gets sent down and Merrifield recalled before tomorrow.</p>&mdash; Rany Jazayerli (@jazayerli) <a href="https://twitter.com/jazayerli/status/767750881437626368">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

What do you think? Mondesi is overmatched at the plate. Send him down until rosters expand Sept. 1, let a hot Whit (16 for his last 49) take over for awhile?

Or stick with the "we're winning with him regardless of what stats say" philosophy that fueled the Esky-at-leadoff stuff?
Let's see, we've won eight straight so let's screw with the roster. I wouldn't do anything right now.

[Prison Bitch]

Golly I was just about to post that exact same idea.

[BigCatDaddy]

Let's see, we've won eight straight so let's screw with the roster. I wouldn't do anything right now.

True. His D and speed plays up. Just pinch hit in key at bats. They let him hit in those situations when it looked like we were done but are pinch hitting for him now.

[DeepSouth]

True. His D and speed plays up. Just pinch hit in key at bats. They let him hit in those situations when it looked like we were done but are pinch hitting for him now.
Less than two weeks before the September call-ups. Leave it alone until then. Don't mess with the mojo.

[carcosa]

Anybody with Insider access wanna post Olney's article about the MLB needing to fear the Royals!?

[Prison Bitch]

Less than two weeks before the September call-ups. Leave it alone until then. Don't mess with the mojo.

There winning inspite of him

[DeepSouth]

There winning inspite of him
Team sports can be funny. There might be something about his presence that makes them a better team.

[ChiefsCountry]

Team sports can be funny. There might be something about his presence that makes them a better team.

No they are all robots that are programmed to put out numbers.

[C3HIEF3S]

No reason to change anything on a run like this, IMO.

[Prison Bitch]

Team sports can be funny. There might be something about his presence that makes them a better team.

Meh, it's largely an individual sport. Mondesi didn't make Alex Gordon or Kennedy turn around their seasons, or put Duffy into the rotation, or heal Cain, or help Kendrys' BABIP


All would've happened with Whit

[duncan_idaho]

Anybody with Insider access wanna post Olney's article about the MLB needing to fear the Royals!?


On my phone so posting it is a chore, but Clifs:

Royals are red-hot, no one wants to see them in the playoffs because of their success in recent years (and zombie-like nature), need to perform well in Boston to keep moving the right direction.


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[Anyong Bluth]

Anybody with Insider access wanna post Olney's article about the MLB needing to fear the Royals!?
It's just his roundup, so there isn't much depth because he covers multiple topics.

MLB roundup: Royals again a force to be reckoned with; Jays' Sanchez gets a break

Young lefty pitcher Danny Duffy, right, has been a key to the Royals' resurgence this month. Getty Images
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10:28 AM CT
Buster Olney
ESPN Senior Writer
In the final hours before the start of the Kansas City Royals' season, manager Ned Yost hosted our broadcast crew in his office and was asked about any postseason hangover, following Kansas City's long, successful ride to the championship in 2015.

Terry Collins, the Mets' manager, had reached out to longtime friends like Jim Leyland and asked about that as he prepared for the start of the season, and Leyland and others told him that inevitably, yes, there would be a price to be paid, physical or mental, from the deep run into the previous October.

But Yost felt differently as the season began. His players, he thought, understood that they had a chance to create some rare accomplishments, and spring training had gone very well. No, Yost said, he didn't sense any hangover.

It may well be that the Royals didn't really experience any hangover, even as they slid below .500, and that their struggles were more about the failures of their starting pitchers, and their injuries, such as the season-ending knee issue that took down Mike Moustakas.

But here's the thing: The Royals have managed to get through that and climb back into contention, and now they should be the team that every other American League contender should fear the most.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

It's just his roundup, so there isn't much depth because he covers multiple topics.

thanks AB!

[DeepSouth]

Royals No. 17 prospect A.J. Puckett, fired five no-hit innings for Class A Lexington to lower his ERA to 3.09. The 2016 second-rounder notched four strikeouts and nine ground-ball outs and threw just 56 pitches (37 strikes)

Just 56 pitches in five innings. I hope this kid progresses quickly to the majors.

[WhawhaWhat]

Orioles just seem to be a team on the brink of collapse. Normally, you chalk this up as a win for the Nats but Stras has been pretty shaky his past couple starts. Hope he rights the ship here.

Strasburg to the DL with elbow soreness.

[Lex Luthor]

I think he has learned a bit on the job also.
What, you don't think Yuniesky Betancourt, Mike Jacobs, Jonathan Sanchez, Joey Gathwright and Jose Guillen were great acquisitions???

Yes, I have to agree. GMDM has learned a lot on the job.

[C3HIEF3S]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LHP Jason Vargas had his rehab assignment transferred to <a href="https://twitter.com/OMAStormChasers">@OMAStormChasers</a>. He will start tonight&#39;s 7:05 game vs. Nashville. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a></p>&mdash; Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/767804136427364352">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Sure-Oz]

Be nice if Vargas can help here late

[sedated]

What, you don't think Yuniesky Betancourt, Mike Jacobs, Jonathan Sanchez, Joey Gathwright and Jose Guillen were great acquisitions???

Yes, I have to agree. GMDM has learned a lot on the job.

I don't think GMDM had any intention of winning anything significant in his first few years. Filling out the major league roster without giving up a single legit prospect was all he was worried about.

[Chiefspants]

I don't think GMDM had any intention of winning anything significant in his first few years. Filling out the major league roster without giving up a single legit prospect was all he was worried about.

He did make some major missteps. He first tried to make a run at contention during the Greinke years. Iirc, he did this by destroying one of the top bullpens in the majors to acquire power hitter Mike Jacobs and leading man Coco Crisp. The next year Crisp was immediately injured and Jacobs couldn't hit the ball out of Kauffman Stadium. Meanwhile our bullpen became one of the worst in the majors while the young arms we traded excelled on other rosters.

He learned a lot from 2009-2010. To me the Greinke trade signified a massive change in philosophy for him. He stopped getting no defense "power" hitters (Yuni, Jacobs, and Guillen) who were doomed to fail at Kauffman and started prioritizing young and athletic players (Esky and Cain) who were optimized for Kauffman's dimensions. He also started seeking contact guys who's contact had a better chance of finding grass in Kauffman than any other park in the AL. He started building a roster that was primed to go 20 over .500 at home while holding their own on the road (though they've regressed a bit on that front in 2016).

He also never robbed the team of its strength ever again. Despite the temptations to break apart the bullpen in 2014, he kept the guys together and it was a big reason why we went back and won it all the following year.

[BWillie]

Less than two weeks before the September call-ups. Leave it alone until then. Don't mess with the mojo.

Knowing Ned that is probably what they will do. He's a guy who thinks the reason they won the World Series was because Escobar was leading off...and probably thinks the reason the Royals are on a tear is because of Mondesi's negative war and .540 OPS

[SAUTO]

Knowing Ned that is probably what they will do. He's a guy who thinks the reason they won the World Series was because Escobar was leading off...and probably thinks the reason the Royals are on a tear is because of Mondesi's negative war and .540 OPS

The team is winning.


Fuck war.

Where did mondesi touch you?

[WhawhaWhat]

Billy Butler told Danny Valencia's equipment rep that he doesn't wear their cleats, not just told them but then said that Valencia NEVER wears their cleats. Valencia popped him for it. Don't fuck with people's endorsement deals.

[ct]

He did make some major missteps. He first tried to make a run at contention during the Greinke years. Iirc, he did this by destroying one of the top bullpens in the majors to acquire power hitters Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp. The next year Crisp was immediately injured and Jacobs couldn't hit the ball out of Kauffman Stadium. Meanwhile our bullpen became one of the worst in the majors while the young arms we traded excelled on other rosters.

He learned a lot from 2009-2010. To me the Greinke trade signified a massive change in philosophy for him. He stopped getting no defense power hitters (Yuni and Guillen) who were doomed to fail at Kauffman and started prioritizing young and athletic players (Esky and Cain) who were optimized for Kauffman's dimensions. He also started moving away from power hitters, instead choosing contact guys who's contact had a better chance of finding grass in Kauffman than any other park in the AL. He started building a roster that was primed to go 20 over .500 at home while holding their own on the road (though they've regressed a bit on that front in 2016).

He also never robbed the team of its strength ever again. Despite the temptations to break apart the bullpen in 2014, he kept the guys together and it was a big reason why we went back and won it all the following year.

+ rep

[DJJasonp]

Billy Butler told Danny Valencia's equipment rep that he doesn't wear their cleats, not just told them but then said that Valencia NEVER wears their cleats. Valencia popped him for it. Don't **** with people's endorsement deals.

If this is true - and it sounds like it may be - you would think Oakland would designate Belly for assignment or put him on waivers.

cant see the guy sticking around....

A cheap move on Butler's part if this is true - who made him the clubhouse endorsement cop??

[BWillie]

Billy Butler told Danny Valencia's equipment rep that he doesn't wear their cleats, not just told them but then said that Valencia NEVER wears their cleats. Valencia popped him for it. Don't fuck with people's endorsement deals.
Not an advocate for violence, but seems like he had it coming. However, if they had real jobs Valencia would be the one getting fired.

[BWillie]

The team is winning.


Fuck war.

Where did mondesi touch you?
We are going to love Mondesi, but hes just over matched at the plate. His pitch recognition is horrendous. And its supposed to be, hes barely 21 and has never really shown he has the hit tool over any decent sample in the minors. He will get there. But we are no longer a team with no shot. Mondesi will be the better otpion in a year and a half, but Colon and Whit are better options right NOW.

Colon has 247 career abs with a .340 obp and 2.0 WAR. Not bad, hes not going to amaze you but hes not scared of the moment and is the best option at 2B right noe imo

[KChiefs1]

https://youtu.be/5hFUK3dXi6g







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[WhawhaWhat]

If this is true - and it sounds like it may be - you would think Oakland would designate Belly for assignment or put him on waivers.

cant see the guy sticking around....

A cheap move on Butler's part if this is true - who made him the clubhouse endorsement cop??

Susan Slusser, the A's beat writer, was on 810 as I was driving home and said they have friendly banter back and forth all the time in the clubhouse and on the field, she called it big brother, little brother type banter. Billy just went over the line this time.

[sedated]

He did make some major missteps. He first tried to make a run at contention during the Greinke years.

I still disagree. He traded those bullpen pieces because that was ALL he had, and had shown a knack for replacing them quickly. Yeah, I'm sure he learned from not being able to replace them as easily as he thought he could, but I still don't think GMDM had any hope or intention of trying to compete on the major league level. He knew there was too much work to do in the minors first.

[KChiefs1]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">LHP Jason Vargas had his rehab assignment transferred to <a href="https://twitter.com/OMAStormChasers">@OMAStormChasers</a>. He will start tonight&#39;s 7:05 game vs. Nashville. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash">#Royals</a></p>— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) <a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/767804136427364352">August 22, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>



A healthy Vargas in September & October could get us to a 3rd straight World Series.




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[C3HIEF3S]

Billy Butler told Danny Valencia's equipment rep that he doesn't wear their cleats, not just told them but then said that Valencia NEVER wears their cleats. Valencia popped him for it. Don't fuck with people's endorsement deals.

Seems like that is a pretty basic and common unwritten rule that Belly broke, is it not?

[Chiefspants]

I still disagree. He traded those bullpen pieces because that was ALL he had, and had shown a knack for replacing them quickly. Yeah, I'm sure he learned from not being able to replace them as easily as he thought he could, but I still don't think GMDM had any hope or intention of trying to compete on the major league level. He knew there was too much work to do in the minors first.

I think we might be whitewashing Moore's history a bit here. There was a lot of optimism after our strong finish in 2008. Believe it or not, many were stoked that not only did we avoid a 100 loss year, but a 90 loss year as well.

On paper, Zack Greinke was finally looking like an ace, Meche looked like a an anchor in a solid rotation, Kyle Davies (yes, that Davies) had a strong finish in 08 that made many believe he was turning the corner. There was hope that Brian Bannister was due for a bounceback year, and that Hoch would start flashing #1 stuff in his sophomore year.

Moore was hopeful that adding a leadoff hitter and a cleanup guy would bolster Billy Butler's production and give Alex Gordon the lineup protection he needed to finally breakout as a hitter. However, to bolster this lineup caused the Royals to depart with the strongest part of their 2008 team.

There was a definite excitement coming from the Royals FO after 2008. It was commonly said that if KC had gone 6-6 during an 0-12 stretch in May, the Royals would have finished with a .500 record.

Unfortunately, 2009 made it clear that Moore had a bad read on the talent of his team. He relied on no talent all grit guys like Yuni and Gload, pinned the offense in hitters and defenders not suited for the park like Guillen and Jacobs, and put his trust into "all faith" guys like Barnyard Trey, who proceeded to ruin Meche's career by leaving him out for 120 pitches a start. Moore originally defended this, questioning the science behind pitch counts and arguing it was more of a "feel thing." At the time, Moore didn't even seem to put a lot of stock into defense. Openly admitting that he "didn't understand" defensive analytics and put out a team that featured Billy/Jacobs at first, Guillen in left, Yuni at third, and Buck/Olivo at the plate. Even Alex Gordon was positioned at 3rd at the time, where he was never more than a mediocre defender.

Moore undeniably thought the Royals were in a position to compete in 2009. The leaps the team has made since illustrates his evolution as a GM, and there's no one I'd rather have at the lead of our organization.

In GMDM I trust.

[Anyong Bluth]

The team is winning.


Fuck war.

Where did mondesi touch you?
Low and inside.

[KChiefs1]

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/mlb-television-viewership-up-five-percent/



Two years ago, the Royals came out of nowhere to make the World Series. Last year, that momentum carried over to viewers as Kansas City led MLB teams in local ratings. After winning the World Series last year, Kansas City is still watching a ton of baseball. Ratings-wise the two teams from Missouri boast the top two spots in baseball, per Forbes.

Ratings are particular to markets and don’t directly translate into raw viewer numbers, as the figures are based on the percentage of households in that market. Or, rephrased: just because a greater percentage of people are watching games in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Pittsburgh, that doesn’t necessarily mean more total people are watching than in other markets. The chart below shows the raw number of households, on average, that are watching each game on the local channel.







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[nychief]

A healthy Vargas in September & October could get us to a 3rd straight World Series.




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You do know who Jason Vargas is don't you?

[Prison Bitch]

A healthy Vargas in September & October could get us to a 3rd straight World Series.




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Think about how that sounds

[KChiefs1]

Think about how that sounds



How does Dillon Gee sound?





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[KChiefs1]

You do know who Jason Vargas is don't you?



Vargas > Gee Whiz




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[duncan_idaho]

I think we might be whitewashing Moore's history a bit here. There was a lot of optimism after our strong finish in 2008. Believe it or not, many were stoked that not only did we avoid a 100 loss year, but a 90 loss year as well.



On paper, Zack Greinke was finally looking like an ace, Meche looked like a an anchor in a solid rotation, Kyle Davies (yes, that Davies) had a strong finish in 08 that made many believe he was turning the corner. There was hope that Brian Bannister was due for a bounceback year, and that Hoch would start flashing #1 stuff in his sophomore year.



Moore was hopeful that adding a leadoff hitter and a cleanup guy would bolster Billy Butler's production and give Alex Gordon the lineup protection he needed to finally breakout as a hitter. However, to bolster this lineup caused the Royals to depart with the strongest part of their 2008 team.



There was a definite excitement coming from the Royals FO after 2008. It was commonly said that if KC had gone 6-6 during an 0-12 stretch in May, the Royals would have finished with a .500 record.



Unfortunately, 2009 made it clear that Moore had a bad read on the talent of his team. He relied on no talent all grit guys like Yuni and Gload, pinned the offense in hitters and defenders not suited for the park like Guillen and Jacobs, and put his trust into "all faith" guys like Barnyard Trey, who proceeded to ruin Meche's career by leaving him out for 120 pitches a start. Moore originally defended this, questioning the science behind pitch counts and arguing it was more of a "feel thing." At the time, Moore didn't even seem to put a lot of stock into defense. Openly admitting that he "didn't understand" defensive analytics and put out a team that featured Billy/Jacobs at first, Guillen in left, Yuni at third, and Buck/Olivo at the plate. Even Alex Gordon was positioned at 3rd at the time, where he was never more than a mediocre defender.



Moore undeniably thought the Royals were in a position to compete in 2009. The leaps the team has made since illustrates his evolution as a GM, and there's no one I'd rather have at the lead of our organization.



In GMDM I trust.


Would have been interesting to see what would have happened had that 2009 team not lost Coco Crisp. They were in contention until that point, but lack of depth killed them.

Hillman was also an abortion of a manager who ruined Moore's first really good scouting victory (Meche).


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[KChiefs1]

Chapman walks, charged to Vargas. Wendle doubles him in, charged to Vargas. 3-0 Sounds.

Vargas: 3 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K. 67 pitches.


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[Chiefspants]

Would have been interesting to see what would have happened had that 2009 team not lost Coco Crisp. They were in contention until that point, but lack of depth killed them.

Hillman was also an abortion of a manager who ruined Moore's first really good scouting victory (Meche).


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Wait. Are you saying Mitch Maier wasn't good depth for Crisp?

[WhawhaWhat]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">When will they learn? <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DontRunOnBubba?src=hash">#DontRunOnBubba</a><a href="https://t.co/8VszSIXYrS">https://t.co/8VszSIXYrS</a></p>&mdash; Omaha Storm Chasers (@OMAStormChasers) <a href="https://twitter.com/OMAStormChasers/status/767887874305892352">August 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[KChiefs1]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article97184242.html






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[KChiefs1]

Looking at the scores & it's looking like a bad night.
Baltimore, Boston & Houston all winning.


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[tk13]

Orioles win. Nationals had a good shot to take the lead in the 8th and couldn't get it done. Britton is a total beast in the 9th for the Orioles. His ERA is 0.53.

[BWillie]

Would have been interesting to see what would have happened had that 2009 team not lost Coco Crisp. They were in contention until that point, but lack of depth killed them.

Hillman was also an abortion of a manager who ruined Moore's first really good scouting victory (Meche).


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Everyone says this. Why? I realize Meche had a 120 pitch outing or something one time trying to get the CG, but lots of pitchers have thrown that many pitches before and been fine right? Maybe im missing something from part of the story of how it was Hillman that ruined him

[C3HIEF3S]

Everyone says this. Why? I realize Meche had a 120 pitch outing or something one time trying to get the CG, but lots of pitchers have thrown that many pitches before and been fine right? Maybe im missing something from part of the story of how it was Hillman that ruined him

There are some pretty ridiculous pitch counts in years 2009 and 2010:
http://www.espn.com/mlb/player/gamelog/_/id/4105/year/2009

And it's not just the high counts, but the frequency of them, and that a lot of those 110-115+ counts were in like 6 innings of work or even less at times.

[Chiefspants]

Everyone says this. Why? I realize Meche had a 120 pitch outing or something one time trying to get the CG, but lots of pitchers have thrown that many pitches before and been fine right? Maybe im missing something from part of the story of how it was Hillman that ruined him

Not once, he averaged about 110-115 pitches a night, and Barnyard Trey left him out for something like 121 pitches and then 132 pitches in consecutive starts. Meche then missed the next few starts with a dead arm.

When he came back, one would think he was due for a pitch count, but not Barnyard Trey. He left him out for another 120ish pitch night because Gil "could take it."

Span that across 2 and half seasons, and Gil was never the same pitcher after that.

[duncan_idaho]

Everyone says this. Why? I realize Meche had a 120 pitch outing or something one time trying to get the CG, but lots of pitchers have thrown that many pitches before and been fine right? Maybe im missing something from part of the story of how it was Hillman that ruined him

He beat me to it. -----v

Not once, he averaged about 110-115 pitches a night, and Barnyard Trey left him out for something like 121 pitches and then 132 pitches in consecutive starts. Meche then missed the next few starts with a dead arm.

When he came back, one would think he was due for a pitch count, but not Barnyard Trey. He left him out for another 120ish pitch night because Gil "could take it."

Span that across 2 and half seasons, and Gil was never the same pitcher after that.

The huge pitch count after the complete game was probably the big one to point to, but Hillman routinely abused Meche.

Dayton Moore has made some mistakes, but none was worse than Trey Hillman.

[KChiefs1]

Off topic:

Kacie McDonnell is now in Boston working for NESN.


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[Prison Bitch]

RoyalsDevilMagic is back - we went from +3 wins in Base Runs and PyThag to +5 in about a week. We are ruining math models again. When your pen goes 29 straight scoreless innings (don't look now but even Soria is getting better), it happens

[Why Not?]

Looking at the scores & it's looking like a bad night.
Baltimore, Boston & Houston all winning.


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Yeah and looking at the schedule for the week, we should get used to bad news from a scoreboard watching perspective. Almost all of the teams ahead of us play garbage teams all week. I guess the Nats(a team I find to be, as usual, highly overrated)are ok, but not much else where. We almost need to go 4-2 this week to stay afloat.

[Anyong Bluth]

Yeah and looking at the schedule for the week, we should get used to bad news from a scoreboard watching perspective. Almost all of the teams ahead of us play garbage teams all week. I guess the Nats(a team I find to be, as usual, highly overrated)are ok, but not much else where. We almost need to go 4-2 this week to stay afloat.
Is what it is, so just get it done.

Said it 1000x, and I'll say it again for this team. You avoid months like July, which a few seasons ago happened in May, etc, etc... yada, yada, yada, then down the stretch it's way more manageable.

[Demonpenz]

So dumb when people say the Royals came out of no where. They were in it somewhat the year before.

[WhawhaWhat]

Off topic:

Kacie McDonnell is now in Boston working for NESN.

Trying to bag a Red Sox player now?

[Why Not?]

Is what it is, so just get it done.

Said it 1000x, and I'll say it again for this team. You avoid months like July, which a few seasons ago happened in May, etc, etc... yada, yada, yada, then down the stretch it's way more manageable.



Definitely

[Anyong Bluth]

Trying to bag a Red Sox player now?
What's more impressive?

Her list of jerseys chased, or the fact she manages to land a job in every damn town on her tour.

[Sure-Oz]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article97184242.html
*
AUGUST 22, 2016 2:42 PM

The Royals will not make the playoffs, and here are two reasons why

BY SAM MELLINGER

smellinger@kcstar.com
*
The Royals have lived in a strange otherworld for so long, with so much joy and so many doubters proven wrong that the following sentence is both absolutely true and perhaps a bit jarring:

They have virtually no chance at making the playoffs. Still.

This is true, even now, with eight straight wins and 11 of the last 12. This is true, even now, with a wild-card deficit cut from 9**1/2*games to 3**1/2*. This is true, even now, with the starting rotation soaring and Alex Gordon hitting and Paulo Orlando making a sneaky case for team player of the year.

This is true, even now, for two main reasons:

Math, and July.

The math is simple enough. Ninety wins is a good guess on what will be required for a wild-card spot. To get there, the Royals would need to win 26 of their final 38 games. They have not won 26 of 38 this year, which is probably self-evident, but even a year ago, when they won more games than anyone in the league, they did not have a stretch of 26-12.

The Royals won 26 of 38 during their finishing kick of 2014, but actually, combined with what they’ve done in the last two weeks this would be a 37-13 finish. The Royals have not won 37 of 50 since 1980, when George Brett was batting .400. In the last five years, only the 2013 Dodgers and 2015 Blue Jays have been that good over 50 games.

Which brings us to July. The Royals would not be in this situation if they did not do the baseball equivalent of turning an entire month’s worth of games into a flaming bag of human waste. The Royals won just seven games in July.

They had not won fewer in a month of at least 20 games since April 2012 — that was the year they were booed 16 minutes into the home opener, and did not win a home game until May.

They have not had a worse win percentage in a month (.269) since August 2008 — that was the year general manager Dayton Moore sensed the team quitting on manager Trey Hillman, making a rare appearance in the clubhouse to call them out, sparking an 18-8 September finish that actually had people debating whether Kyle Davies could be a viable big-league starting pitcher.

You probably noticed that the Royals’ win total and percentage were each worse in July than their May of 2013, which was so bad the team fired the hitting coaches, replacing them with Pedro Grifol and George Brett to, in Moore’s words, “rescue us mentally.”

The Royals finished off a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, running their winning streak to eight games. Danny Duffy won his 10th straight decision.

But that month is a fairly good reference point here. The Royals were eliminated from the playoffs in the last week of the season — back then, that was an accomplishment — and talked about how they’d have made it if not for that one rotten month. They were right, of course.

Take away May, and the 2013 Royals had a .582 win percentage, a pace for 94 wins.

Well, take away July, and the 2016 Royals have a .581 percentage.

This is the path of teams that are good enough to*almost*make the playoffs.

The Royals’ current situation is further complicated by the number of teams they are competing with. The Orioles are in the second wild-card spot right now, but merely catching them may not be enough. The Royals are one of five teams to begin Monday within four games of a playoff spot.

If you’re looking at the schedule, Tuesday’s series in Miami begins a stretch of 12 straight games against winning teams. It loosens some after that — 17 of their final 26 are against losing teams — but it’s not that simple. The Tigers have 10 left against the Twins, for instance.

Look, there’s a lot to feel good about right now. The Royals are playing as well as they have all season, and as well as they did at any point last season, when they were the best team in the American League.

In two weeks, Alex Gordon has gone from his manager — consciously or not —already talking about next year*to being one of the American League’s hottest hitters. The rotation has been holding the Royals back all season, but now has just three bad starts in the last 17. The bullpen hasn’t given up a run in more than a week.

These are all good things, and it’s true that playoff teams don’t necessarily need to be great teams. But they don’t often essentially give away an entire month of the season, either. This current streak has the feel of turning what could’ve been a miserable season into a more respectable one, but expecting the postseason now means ignoring the gravitational pull of baseball.

Of course, I thought the exact same thing two years ago, too.

Sam Mellinger:*816-234-4365,smellinger@kcstar.com*,*@mellinger

[DeepSouth]

More detailed article on the Valencia / Butler altercation;

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/butler-valencia-fight-in-a%e2%80%99s-clubhouse-exposes-chemistry-issues/ar-BBvWdt3?li=BBnba9I

[duncan_idaho]

More detailed article on the Valencia / Butler altercation;

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/butler-valencia-fight-in-a%e2%80%99s-clubhouse-exposes-chemistry-issues/ar-BBvWdt3?li=BBnba9I


This is why the national guys who suggested KC would look at Valencia in trade were so hilariously off base.

KC is aware of what a piece of crap teammate he is.


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[Archie F. Swin]

Busta....err....Bubba Starling is now 28th on the Royals top prospect list

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2016?list=kc

[nychief]

More detailed article on the Valencia / Butler altercation;

http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/butler-valencia-fight-in-a%e2%80%99s-clubhouse-exposes-chemistry-issues/ar-BBvWdt3?li=BBnba9I


i dunno... sure.... but Billy sounds like a real childish twat.

[ChiTown]

Busta....err....Bubba Starling is now 28th on the Royals top prospect list

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2016?list=kc


At 24, he's certainly still a prospect, but I think next season is make or break with Bubba in KC. Either he gets it and will be able to break into a lineup that will need some OF help in 2018, or he will be a part of a trade piece before the deadline next year. JMHO

[nychief]

Busta....err....Bubba Starling is now 28th on the Royals top prospect list

http://m.mlb.com/prospects/2016?list=kc


what a disappointment.

[KChiefs1]

what a disappointment.


Even bigger disappointment if you look at who the Royals could have drafted.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Prison Bitch]

Can people please stop referring to him as Raul ADALBERTO Mondesi like in the link? He's not the second coming of the messiah. He doesn't deserve a three name title

[DeepSouth]

Can people please stop referring to him as Raul ADALBERTO Mondesi like in the link? He's not the second coming of the messiah. He doesn't deserve a three name title
Is that why you no longer go by "Little Prison Bitch"? :D

[Why Not?]

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mellinger/article97184242.html
*
AUGUST 22, 2016 2:42 PM

The Royals will not make the playoffs, and here are two reasons why

BY SAM MELLINGER

smellinger@kcstar.com
*
The Royals have lived in a strange otherworld for so long, with so much joy and so many doubters proven wrong that the following sentence is both absolutely true and perhaps a bit jarring:

They have virtually no chance at making the playoffs. Still.

This is true, even now, with eight straight wins and 11 of the last 12. This is true, even now, with a wild-card deficit cut from 9**1/2*games to 3**1/2*. This is true, even now, with the starting rotation soaring and Alex Gordon hitting and Paulo Orlando making a sneaky case for team player of the year.

This is true, even now, for two main reasons:

Math, and July.

The math is simple enough. Ninety wins is a good guess on what will be required for a wild-card spot. To get there, the Royals would need to win 26 of their final 38 games. They have not won 26 of 38 this year, which is probably self-evident, but even a year ago, when they won more games than anyone in the league, they did not have a stretch of 26-12.

The Royals won 26 of 38 during their finishing kick of 2014, but actually, combined with what they’ve done in the last two weeks this would be a 37-13 finish. The Royals have not won 37 of 50 since 1980, when George Brett was batting .400. In the last five years, only the 2013 Dodgers and 2015 Blue Jays have been that good over 50 games.

Which brings us to July. The Royals would not be in this situation if they did not do the baseball equivalent of turning an entire month’s worth of games into a flaming bag of human waste. The Royals won just seven games in July.

They had not won fewer in a month of at least 20 games since April 2012 — that was the year they were booed 16 minutes into the home opener, and did not win a home game until May.

They have not had a worse win percentage in a month (.269) since August 2008 — that was the year general manager Dayton Moore sensed the team quitting on manager Trey Hillman, making a rare appearance in the clubhouse to call them out, sparking an 18-8 September finish that actually had people debating whether Kyle Davies could be a viable big-league starting pitcher.

You probably noticed that the Royals’ win total and percentage were each worse in July than their May of 2013, which was so bad the team fired the hitting coaches, replacing them with Pedro Grifol and George Brett to, in Moore’s words, “rescue us mentally.”

The Royals finished off a four-game sweep of the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, running their winning streak to eight games. Danny Duffy won his 10th straight decision.

But that month is a fairly good reference point here. The Royals were eliminated from the playoffs in the last week of the season — back then, that was an accomplishment — and talked about how they’d have made it if not for that one rotten month. They were right, of course.

Take away May, and the 2013 Royals had a .582 win percentage, a pace for 94 wins.

Well, take away July, and the 2016 Royals have a .581 percentage.

This is the path of teams that are good enough to*almost*make the playoffs.

The Royals’ current situation is further complicated by the number of teams they are competing with. The Orioles are in the second wild-card spot right now, but merely catching them may not be enough. The Royals are one of five teams to begin Monday within four games of a playoff spot.

If you’re looking at the schedule, Tuesday’s series in Miami begins a stretch of 12 straight games against winning teams. It loosens some after that — 17 of their final 26 are against losing teams — but it’s not that simple. The Tigers have 10 left against the Twins, for instance.

Look, there’s a lot to feel good about right now. The Royals are playing as well as they have all season, and as well as they did at any point last season, when they were the best team in the American League.

In two weeks, Alex Gordon has gone from his manager — consciously or not —already talking about next year*to being one of the American League’s hottest hitters. The rotation has been holding the Royals back all season, but now has just three bad starts in the last 17. The bullpen hasn’t given up a run in more than a week.

These are all good things, and it’s true that playoff teams don’t necessarily need to be great teams. But they don’t often essentially give away an entire month of the season, either. This current streak has the feel of turning what could’ve been a miserable season into a more respectable one, but expecting the postseason now means ignoring the gravitational pull of baseball.

Of course, I thought the exact same thing two years ago, too.

Sam Mellinger:*816-234-4365,smellinger@kcstar.com*,*@mellinger


This is probably accurate. I'm just glad we have meaningful baseball in late August. As I've stated several times, at this point a winning record at the end of the season would represent a successful season to me. A little disappointing? Sure. But a decent season non the less especially considering July

[siberian khatru]

Brian McRae was on The Border Patrol on 810 this morning discussing the Valencia/Butler fight and clubhouse quarrels in general, and he mentioned the time when Tom Gordon pulled a knife on Bo Jackson. :eek:

Don't believe I've heard that before.

[WhawhaWhat]

Brian McRae was on The Border Patrol on 810 this morning discussing the Valencia/Butler fight and clubhouse quarrels in general, and he mentioned the time when Tom Gordon pulled a knife on Bo Jackson. :eek:

Don't believe I've heard that before.

I thought Bo and Gordon were buddies for the most part.

[Nightfyre]

If I were gonna get in a fight with Bo fucking Jackson, I would want to be armed - probably with something more than a knife.

[WhawhaWhat]

This is probably accurate. I'm just glad we have meaningful baseball in late August. As I've stated several times, at this point a winning record at the end of the season would represent a successful season to me. A little disappointing? Sure. But a decent season non the less especially considering July

Fescoe was playing the cheerleader this morning and ripping Mellinger hard over this column for being anti-KC. Fescoe is an idiot though and has no business being on the radio.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He does this a lot. Let me know if he mentions the time he used a show to be angry at me for not wanting Ned fired. <a href="https://t.co/q6IpwZSJH1">https://t.co/q6IpwZSJH1</a></p>&mdash; Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/mellinger/status/768088517008162816">August 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

[Nightfyre]

Wait - we're 4 games back of the wild card spot and folks want to throw in the towel? :shake:

[siberian khatru]

This is probably accurate. I'm just glad we have meaningful baseball in late August. As I've stated several times, at this point a winning record at the end of the season would represent a successful season to me. A little disappointing? Sure. But a decent season non the less especially considering July

Yeah, I think the hill is too steep to climb, the path to the postseason way too narrow. Our margin of error is almost zilch -- we pretty much have to win every series here on out, AND hope multiple teams cool off.

I'll say this, though: It wouldn't shock me if they pulled it off. And if they could stay mathematically alive going into the last week of the season (a la 2013), I won't be despondent.

[WhawhaWhat]

Wait - we're 4 games back of the wild card spot and folks want to throw in the towel? :shake:

Nobody is saying that. Just that they need to get to around 90 wins which means they have to go 26-12 down the stretch. That going to be really tough especially with an offense that has been bad as the Royals has been at points this year.

[KevB]

Nobody is saying that. Just that they need to get to around 90 wins which means they have to go 26-12 down the stretch. That going to be really tough especially with an offense that has been bad as the Royals has been at points this year.

Especially after having just won 8 in a row. Tough to hit a 34-12 stretch.

[ChiTown]

Fescoe was playing the cheerleader this morning and ripping Mellinger hard over this column for being anti-KC. Fescoe is an idiot though and has no business being on the radio.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He does this a lot. Let me know if he mentions the time he used a show to be angry at me for not wanting Ned fired. <a href="https://t.co/q6IpwZSJH1">https://t.co/q6IpwZSJH1</a></p>&mdash; Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/mellinger/status/768088517008162816">August 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Fescoe = Keitzman = Douchebags

[Prison Bitch]

Especially after having just won 8 in a row. Tough to hit a 34-12 stretch.

Probability theory says past events are irrelevant.

[tk13]

There's no doubt it's a uphill climb. There's just very little margin of error. Only thing I didn't like about that article is that the Orioles aren't on pace for 90 wins. They might get there, the Mariners might too, but that's all projection. As it stands today 88 or 89 wins might give you a shot. It certainly has the last two years.

[ChiTown]

There's no doubt it's a uphill climb. There's just very little margin of error. Only thing I didn't like about that article is that the Orioles aren't on pace for 90 wins. They might get there, the Mariners might too, but that's all projection. As it stands today 88 or 89 wins might give you a shot. It certainly has the last two years.

I think 88 puts you smack dab into the discussion going into the last week of the season. 90 may indeed be the magic number. But, I still think those AL East teams may beat the crap out of each other in Sept and could open it up to a team like KC with 88 wins.

I mapped out how I think they can get to 88 here:http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showpost.php?p=12375815&postcount=4509

[suzzer99]

Just win 8 more in a row and the picture gets a ton rosier.

[Discuss Thrower]

Fescoe was playing the cheerleader this morning and ripping Mellinger hard over this column for being anti-KC. Fescoe is an idiot though and has no business being on the radio.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">He does this a lot. Let me know if he mentions the time he used a show to be angry at me for not wanting Ned fired. <a href="https://t.co/q6IpwZSJH1">https://t.co/q6IpwZSJH1</a></p>&mdash; Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/mellinger/status/768088517008162816">August 23, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

There's nothing better than media-on-media violence. Unless it just gets petty like it did with Art Haines and the Springfield News-Leader.

[duncan_idaho]

Biggest issue is that the Red Sox and Jays are both on 92 win paces, so that squeezes you down to one spot that's in the 88-90 win range.

Logic would suggest one of those teams will separate and take the division. My money is on Boston. That really leaves you chasing just the one wildcard spot unless the second team plays at a much lower pace the rest of the way.


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[ChiTown]

Just win 8 more in a row and the picture gets a ton rosier.

Need to win tonight - it's our best pitching matchup of the series:
Ventura v Cashner

The next two games look bad:
Gee vs Fernandez

Volquez vs Koehler......although, Eddi is due for a nice road win. He's carrying a 6.18 ERA in away games this year:eek:

[Why Not?]

I know Royals Review garners mixed feelings around here but there's a pretty good article over there(I don't know how to link articles or any of that shit)on who we need to root for over the next 6 weeks. It breaks down all the matchups for the teams we are chasing or close to like the Yankees. We're pretty much going to need to stay as hot as we've been plus have the Twins and the Rays play at least .500 ball to end the year. Gulp.

[Why Not?]

Wait - we're 4 games back of the wild card spot and folks want to throw in the towel? :shake:


I'm not throwing in shit. I'm just not expecting a playoff berth. If it happens I'll be all the much happier.

[KevB]

Probability theory says past events are irrelevant.

I'm familiar with Statistics. That said, the balance of our season suggests a 34-12 stretch is unlikely. This isn't a Stats classroom.

[KevB]

Biggest issue is that the Red Sox and Jays are both on 92 win paces, so that squeezes you down to one spot that's in the 88-90 win range.

Logic would suggest one of those teams will separate and take the division. My money is on Boston. That really leaves you chasing just the one wildcard spot unless the second team plays at a much lower pace the rest of the way.


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You're right of course, but how sweet would it be if we combined with someone like the M's to knock the Jays and Orioles out of the playoffs?

[siberian khatru]

You're right of course, but how sweet would it be if we combined with someone like the M's to knock the Jays and Orioles out of the playoffs?

Peak butthurt

<img style="-webkit-user-select: none" src="http://media.tenor.co/images/019c94d05fcf758f1b6ec0f643ed6819/raw">

[BWillie]

This is why the national guys who suggested KC would look at Valencia in trade were so hilariously off base.

KC is aware of what a piece of crap teammate he is.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sounds like Billy Butler is 90% of the culprit to me. Not saying Valencia should have popped him, but total dbag move on Butler's part.

[BWillie]

I'm familiar with Statistics. That said, the balance of our season suggests a 34-12 stretch is unlikely. This isn't a Stats classroom.

The point is, the Royals winning 8 in a row has no effect on their ability to win 8 more in a row. That is the problem with the Mellinger article. It's like when you look at a roulette wheel and see it has rolled black 7 times in a row. Many people think that you should then bet on green or red, but the gamblers fallacy illustrates that it doesn't matter. Future events will occur at the same rate they always have regardless of past events.

But, as you know, either way going 34-12 is EXTREMELY unlikely for any team, including a 64 and 60 one.

[ARROW2]

The point is, the Royals winning 8 in a row has no effect on their ability to win 8 more in a row. That is the problem with the Mellinger article. It's like when you look at a roulette wheel and see it has rolled black 7 times in a row. Many people think that you should then bet on green or red, but the gamblers fallacy illustrates that it doesn't matter. Future events will occur at the same rate they always have regardless of past events.

But, as you know, either way going 34-12 is EXTREMELY unlikely for any team, including a 64 and 60 one.



Does anybody realize that there are only 38 games left and that getting to 90 wins requires a 26-12 record? ROFL I realize you are counting the past 8 but they are already in the books and shouldn't be counted when discussing what needs to be done THE REST OF THE WAY.

[ARROW2]

Royals will make the playoffs. Who wants to bet against the Royals?

[Nightfyre]

26-12 is a .684 winning percentage. That is high, but certainly within the realm of possibility. I wouldn't even count the division out at this point given that we play Cleveland six times still.

[cosmo20002]

Mark your calendars -

Our Wild Card game is scheduled for Tues, October 4. I assume we'll be playing in Toronto or Boston. Hopefully, it works out that we can start Duffy.

ALDS starts Thursday, Oct 6.
ALCS starts Friday, Oct. 14.

World Series Game 1 in KC vs the Cubs will be Tuesday, October 25

[Prison Bitch]

I'd like to kick the tires on Yasmany Tomas. He's clearly not able to play in the NL, he's a DH only. He has nice power with 26 bombs, is only 25 years old, and has 4/50 left on his deal. He'd be nice to fill Kendrys' spot. Cuthbert straight up?

[duncan_idaho]

I'd like to kick the tires on Yasmany Tomas. He's clearly not able to play in the NL, he's a DH only. He has nice power with 26 bombs, is only 25 years old, and has 4/50 left on his deal. He'd be nice to fill Kendrys' spot. Cuthbert straight up?


First: my no 1 rule as a GM would always be to trade with Dave Stewart if I can. He's a clown and in way over his head.

Knowing the DBacks, you might be able to get Tomas for practically worthless parts.

I wouldn't move Cuthbert for him, though. He's a good offensive performer and much cheaper.

If there's a team you could convince to take Joakim Soria, it's probably the DBacks, though. So who knows?

You're right of course, but how sweet would it be if we combined with someone like the M's to knock the Jays and Orioles out of the playoffs?


I'd be fine with knocking out the Orioles and then beating Toronto in the WC game.

Duffy would start the last game of the year the way the schedule breaks right now. Would be awesome if they go into that day not needing a win, having secured a WC spot, and able to save Danny for the next game.



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[KChiefs1]

I know Royals Review garners mixed feelings around here but there's a pretty good article over there(I don't know how to link articles or any of that shit)on who we need to root for over the next 6 weeks. It breaks down all the matchups for the teams we are chasing or close to like the Yankees. We're pretty much going to need to stay as hot as we've been plus have the Twins and the Rays play at least .500 ball to end the year. Gulp.



http://www.royalsreview.com/2016/8/23/12566358/rooting-for-others-in-a-playoff-chase



The Royals have won eight in a row and achieved full-on meme status with a fifteen of twenty stretch to start August, carried by their various Rally Mantises. It’s starting to feel like the playoffs might be a real possibility. Most projection sites still have the odds as long, and you can get more info about that from Shaun here.

Dreaming about Royals playoff chances right now involves passing multiple teams whether they aim for the wild card or the division. The Royals won't play all of those teams. Even when the Royals are still scheduled to play a team ahead of them there are not always enough remaining games for the Royals to do everything themselves. So the Royals will have to count on some other teams to do some of the work for them. Which teams are those?

National League

This one is pretty obvious. Royals fans can generally root for whoever they want as most games featuring an NL team will have no impact on them. If an NL team plays a team ahead of the Royals, root for the NL team because an NL team win does not otherwise affect the Royals playoff chances. The only NL team the Royals face for the rest of the season is Miami/Florida starting tonight; it would be nice if they'd go ahead and roll over and give the Royals a sweep.

American League

Teams behind the Royals

There are a bunch of teams who have won fewer games than the Royals. Much like the NL you can root for whomever you want as long as they’re not playing the Royals or a team ahead of the Royals. Teams in this category include the Twins, White Sox, Angels, Athletics, and Rays. If you want a more detailed look at these, MrAndersonmm has an excellent FanPost on the topic.

Teams ahead of/tied with/near to Royals

Texas, Seattle, Houston, Toronto, Boston, Baltimore, New York, Cleveland, and Detroit are all ahead of, tied with, or very near to the Royals. This is the group where things get a bit more complicated.

If any of these teams are playing any of the teams behind the Royals, root against these teams. But what about if these teams are playing each other? The quick answer is to root for lots of extra innings and blown leads. The longer answer requires things be broken down a bit. Keep in mind that all of this assumes the Royals will also take care of their own business, winning most or all of their remaining games.

Texas

This one is actually pretty easy: Root for Texas against any of the others. Texas has a pretty strong 7 game lead in the West and the best record in the American League. Therefore, it benefits the Royals far more for the Rangers to hang on to that division and punish the other wild card hopefuls. If Texas lets Seattle or Houston pass them, then both teams would likely end up with 90+ wins, bad news for the Royals. The Rangers have series remaining against Cleveland, Seattle, and Houston during which they can really help out the Royals by helping themselves.

Seattle

Alternately, Royals and Royals fans should be rooting against the Mariners. The Mariners aren’t close enough to winning the division to remove them from the wild card race that way. They’re also far enough ahead of the Royals, with no remaining head-to-head games between them, that the Royals will need someone to take the Mariners out for them.

Houston

The Astros are currently a half game ahead of the Royals. It's still probably safe enough to root for them against the other teams in competition - so long as they lose to the other teams and the Royals win, they won't be an issue.

Toronto, Baltimore, Boston

These three teams get listed together because they’re all bunched together at the top of the AL East and the AL Wild Card. It seems very likely that one of them will win the division and at least one will get a wild card spot. There are two methods that seem entirely reasonable for choosing the teams to root for/against out of this trio.

Because the Royals still have three games remaining against Boston and none remaining against the other two, you might choose to root against them. If the Royals sweep the Red Sox in their series - an unlikely result, but then this is all an exercise in the unlikely, anyway - they would cut the distance between them and the Red Sox in half all by themselves. A little help from other teams and the Royals could knock Boston out, entirely.

If you don't think the Royals can beat the Red Sox - or you are reading this a week after it was posted and you already know the Royals didn't beat the Red Sox - then it makea more sense to root against Baltimore. Baltimore is already behind Boston and they have the toughest remaining schedule of the three by winning percentage.

BlitzAce71
New York

The Yankees are currently tied with the Royals in the wild card standings, but the Royals control their own destiny in this matchup because the two teams still go up against each other three more times. It may go against every fiber of your being, but if you want the Royals to make the playoffs their best chance lies in the Yankees beating all the other teams in the running as well as getting swept in KC.

Detroit

The Tigers are currently ahead of the Royals in both the wild card and the division by two games. So they might seem like an obvious choice to root against when they play other contenders. However, the Royals have six more games against them so the boys in blue don’t need anyone’s help to pass them. That means we are going to spend a lot of time rooting for the Tigers, unfortunately.

Cleveland

This initially seemed like the hardest choice to make. The Cleveland baseball team owns the second best record in the AL, and a commanding eight game lead over the Royals in the division. Rooting for Cleveland would mean giving up any hope for the safest playoff path, single game randomness being what it is. But rooting against Cleveland when they play other contenders would mean sacrificing hope for a wild card spot in order to make a run at the increasingly difficult to achieve division title.

After examining the Indians schedule, however, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that the Indians don’t play any of the teams on the "Root Against" list for the reason of the season, so we can just go ahead and keep rooting against them without fear. The bad news is that not playing against any of the teams on that list means their competition is not as stiff as it could be, so the road to the Royals winning the division requires even more luck than it might have otherwise.

Cleveland will play four against the Astros, four against the Rangers, and have multiple series remaining against both the Royals and Tigers; it is not impossible for the Royals to catch them if Cleveland loses most of those games. Unfortunately, Cleveland hasn’t lost more than three in a row at any point this season. They also continue to exhibit the same luck the Royals had last year with late inning heroics and amazing come-back wins.

Even if the Royals can't pull it off, it sure is a lot more fun and a lot harder to complain about draft positioning and lack of deadline deals when the team wins enough to keep things interesting. Scoreboard watching will keep us all entertained during the interminable delays while the Royals or their opponents employ shifts or deploy their relievers.



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[Prison Bitch]

First: my no 1 rule as a GM would always be to trade with Dave Stewart if I can. He's a clown and in way over his head.

Knowing the DBacks, you might be able to get Tomas for practically worthless parts.

You'd enjoy Cameron's takedown of that front office today:
http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/how-to-solve-a-problem-like-the-diamondbacks/




I wouldn't move Cuthbert for him, though. He's a good offensive performer and much cheaper. If there's a team you could convince to take Joakim Soria, it's probably the DBacks, though. So who knows?

After Sal, he's prob our top trade chip, maybe Mondesi.

[suzzer99]

If the freaking Indians opponents could hold a lead going into the 8th inning in the last 5 games we'd be 5.5 games back right now.

[Bowser]

If the freaking Indians opponents could hold a lead going into the 8th inning in the last 5 games we'd be 5.5 games back right now.

This. The sheer amount of 8th and 9th inning comebacks/walkoffs they've had this year is borderline insane.

[carcosa]

If the freaking Indians opponents could hold a lead going into the 8th inning in the last 5 games we'd be 5.5 games back right now.

too true :shake:

[Great Expectations]

I'm only expecting to win one of three against Miami. Before the last series I was hopin for 3 out of four and then 2 out of 3, so we will still be on pace. We have our top 3 pitchers going against Boston. Need another 2 wins there.

[ChiTown]

I'm only expecting to win one of three against Miami. Before the last series I was hopin for 3 out of four and then 2 out of 3, so we will still be on pace. We have our top 3 pitchers going against Boston. Need another 2 wins there.

I'm REALLY hoping we take 2 of 3 against the Marlins. Got to win tonight with Ventura on the mound against Cashner, and hope that Volquez can pull his head outta his ass and get the win on Thursday. He's due.

I fully expect to drop 2 of 3 in Bean Town - even with our best pitchers going

[siberian khatru]

I'm REALLY hoping we take 2 of 3 against the Marlins. Got to win tonight with Ventura on the mound against Cashner, and hope that Volquez can pull his head outta his ass and get the win on Thursday. He's due.

I fully expect to drop 2 of 3 in Bean Town - even with our best pitchers going

I apologize for being Debbie Downer, but I think Duffy's due for a beating there. Although effective, he hasn't had his best stuff the last couple of times out, and if he's not really sharp I'm afraid that lineup is gonna punish him.

[BigCatDaddy]

I apologize for being Debbie Downer, but I think Duffy's due for a beating there. Although effective, he hasn't had his best stuff the last couple of times out, and if he's not really sharp I'm afraid that lineup is gonna punish him.

Thanks Sam!

[carcosa]

I apologize for being Debbie Downer, but I think Duffy's due for a beating there. Although effective, he hasn't had his best stuff the last couple of times out, and if he's not really sharp I'm afraid that lineup is gonna punish him.

I think he'll be really sharp.

[Sure-Oz]

Passan was on parkins basically saying Valencia has a subterranean personality and is a toxic clubhouse guy. He's entitled and arrogant basically and almost all front offices don't care for him. Butler is a guy that doesn't like people talking about him and was made fun of alot etc and tends to lash out like he did here. Said Butler could've diffused the situation but it was one of those things.

Thinks Hosmer and the younger Royals didn't care for him much and probably made fun of him too. Said he was friends with Gordon. hochevar basically thr older guys.

Butler apparently gets butthurt easily by anyone. So he's the fat kid that's made fun of for his weight and iq...said Billy would laugh it off alot but it def effected him.

[Simply Red]

I apologize for being Debbie Downer, but I think Duffy's due for a beating there. Although effective, he hasn't had his best stuff the last couple of times out, and if he's not really sharp I'm afraid that lineup is gonna punish him.

You just say this because you live in Florida - Duffy will yell 'FIRE IN THA HOLE!!' tonight about the 8th inning when he's fanned 12 and in under 90 pitches.

[SAUTO]

Passan was on parkins basically saying Valencia has a subterranean personality and is a toxic clubhouse guy. He's entitled and arrogant basically and almost all front offices don't care for him. Butler is a guy that doesn't like people talking about him and was made fun of alot etc and tends to lash out like he did here. Said Butler could've diffused the situation but it was one of those things.

Thinks Hosmer and the younger Royals didn't care for him much and probably made fun of him too. Said he was friends with Gordon. hochevar basically thr older guys.

Butler apparently gets butthurt easily by anyone. So he's the fat kid that's made fun of for his weight and iq...said Billy would laugh it off alot but it def effected him.
That sucks.

I always thought Billy was probably a good dude.

[Why Not?]

You just say this because you live in Florida - Duffy will yell 'FIRE IN THA HOLE!!' tonight about the 8th inning when he's fanned 12 and in under 90 pitches.



This would be awesome!!!!!!

If only he was pitching tonight. But hopefully Yordano fulfills your prophecy.

[Why Not?]

That sucks.

I always thought Billy was probably a good dude.



I'm not sure being easily hurt by people fucking with him disqualifies him from being a good dude. It just makes him a dude you have to not play to rough with. Almost all of us probably have a buddy that is similar.

[SAUTO]

I'm not sure being easily hurt by people fucking with him disqualifies him from being a good dude. It just makes him a dude you have to not play to rough with. Almost all of us probably have a buddy that is similar.

I was saying it sucks that they picked on him

[Canofbier]

That sucks.

I always thought Billy was probably a good dude.

I might have mentioned it a while back, but when my little brother had his teeth knocked out by an errant pitch in little league and had to be hospitalized, Butler wrote him a quick letter to the effect of "I've been there too, buddy, hang in there!" I don't miss his production in recent years, but I'll always remember that little kindness.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Royals Fan still want to release Ventura?

[Prison Bitch]

Any way Strahm can be a starter?

[BigCatDaddy]

Any way Strahm can be a starter?

Someone stated earlier right now he only has 2 pitches.

Good fastball
Great curve
Change-up is shit

[ChiTown]

Someone stated earlier right now he only has 2 pitches.

Good fastball
Great curve
Change-up is shit

Bingo. Has to work on the change up, or develop another pitch if he wants to be a starter. His curveball is nasty though

[Great Expectations]

A hard slider might be a good option for his third pitch. The difference in speed between the hook and fastball is nasty.

[Simply Red]

This would be awesome!!!!!!

If only he was pitching tonight. But hopefully Yordano fulfills your prophecy.

:eek: my error.

[duncan_idaho]

I haven't seen Strahm's changeup live, but his fastball/slurve combo is strong.

Hopefully, Duffy can show him whatever he did to turn his changeup into an elite pitch, because it is nasty now after being fringe at best for years.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[duncan_idaho]

Chris Tillman, Orioles best starter, to DL with shoulder issue.

:grinch:

[Sure-Oz]

That sucks.

I always thought Billy was probably a good dude.
Yeah I kindve feel bad for him. No dislikes from me.

[Why Not?]

I was saying it sucks that they picked on him



Oh yeah, duh. That makes way more sense

[Why Not?]

:eek: my error.


Hey buddy, it worked out all the same