The Royals and the Month of May...

[SubGod22]

That's the first I've ever heard of the Royals leaving rumor. They do fairly well financially in KC. They've been building the club the right way as well.

I love how fans of teams that purchase most of their talent come on here and tell us how much better they are because of that. Reminds me a lot of the BcS fans that basically do the same thing on here.

And personally, I've only seen the Royals lose once in person. Really wish I were able to go to more games if that were to hold true forever.

[ShockerFever]

That's the first I've ever heard of the Royals leaving rumor. They do fairly well financially in KC. They've been building the club the right way as well.

I love how fans of teams that purchase most of their talent come on here and tell us how much better they are because of that. Reminds me a lot of the BcS fans that basically do the same thing on here.

And personally, I've only seen the Royals lose once in person. Really wish I were able to go to more games if that were to hold true forever.

http://www.kansas.com/2012/05/08/2327366/glass-refutes-rumors-that-hes.html

Building a club usually requires winning at some point. Just sayin.

You need to check yourself, Sub. Marty made his typical swipe and ribbing of the Yankees/their fans and I ribbed him back. That's the only reason I posted in the first place. Where did I say anything about being better because we buy our talent? Don't bother looking because I didn't. No need to fly off the handle when me and Marty had some mild mannered bantering. It's not necessary to make things up for something so trivial.

And the NCAA/MLB amateur/professional comparison with the BCS statement isn't even remotely close to the same thing. Not even an apples to oranges comparison.

[martymoose]

Marty made his typical swipe and ribbing of the Yankees/their fans and I ribbed him back. That's the only reason I posted in the first place.

I wasn't really making fun of the Yankees, just saying I wished we had had a higher profile team in like the Yankees and Red Sox for the first bunch of games...maybe the guys would have gotten up more for the games and they would have gone differently, who knows. In terms of bandwagon fans, Boston seems to have gained a bunch in the department...I don't remember that many Boston fans at any games in the early 00's or even 5 years ago.

And personally, I've only seen the Royals lose once in person. Really wish I were able to go to more games if that were to hold true forever.

I used to be able to make it to a few more games...My kids are getting old enough to the point now where I can't leave them and go, they want to go too, which makes it a bit more costly. Not to mention now a trip to a Royals games usually ends in a trip to Worlds of Fun as well. Plus 2 nights in a hotel instead of crashing with friends.

[ShockerFever]

I wasn't really making fun of the Yankees, just saying I wished we had had a higher profile team in like the Yankees and Red Sox for the first bunch of games...maybe the guys would have gotten up more for the games and they would have gone differently, who knows.

It's possible. I understand where you're getting at and momentum is a powerful thing, especially early on in a season.

In terms of bandwagon fans, Boston seems to have gained a bunch in the department...I don't remember that many Boston fans at any games in the early 00's or even 5 years ago.

Totally 100% agreement there. Very, VERY annoying.

[SubGod22]

Royal talent: Moustakas' star on the rise in KC

KANSAS CITY -- They say hard work pays off, and it certainly seems to be holding true for Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas.

The player referred to as "Moose" by teammates, coaches and fans has become one of Kansas City's biggest young stars thanks to a hot bat and a flashy glove. When Moustakas is not hitting doubles off the wall, he's making diving stops to take away hits at the hot corner. Through 30 games, Moustakas is batting .311 with four home runs and 15 RBIs.

Moustakas' big numbers are refreshing for those who saw him hit just .182 over his first 53 games in the Major Leagues last season. He had a very hot finish to the 2011 season, though, hitting .379 from Aug. 17 to the end of the year. Moustakas' average over that stretch ranked second in baseball, trailing only Detroit's Miguel Cabrera.

The Unatomic Slider

Toward the end of last season, I wrote about Luke Hochevar and how I felt he turned the proverbial corner in his underwhelming career. Success, I thought, hinged on the development of a slider as his out pitch. It was so impressive, I dubbed it the Atomic Slider.

Players go on streaks. They can fool fans into thinking a player is better (or worse) than he really is. Given Hochevar’s underwhelming career up to July 2011, it was easy to look at his solid second half and dismiss it as just a hot streak. A guy who made some quality pitches, got on a roll and rode it to a higher strikeout rate and a lower ERA. As someone who likes to look beyond the numbers, I thought there was more to Hochevar’s hot streak than just blind luck. It was the slider, damnit.

In the post from last year, I noted Hochevar began dropping his release point on the slider. This accomplished two things. First, it provided deception as it was leaving his hand at the same point as his sinking fastball. Second, the pitch had a tighter spin, therefore a stronger break.

The results were amazing. After getting a swing and a miss just 12 percent of the time on his slider in the first half, his swing and miss rate leapt to 23 percent once he dropped his release point. Even more impressive was that when Hochevar threw his slider in the second half, he threw it for a strike 74 percent of the time. It was a devastating pitch where his strikeout rate jumped from 4.6 SO/9 in the first half to 7.7 SO/9 in the second half.

So you can understand why I dubbed it the Atomic Slider.

This really is an interesting read. Especially if you're into the statistical analysis of release points and movement.

[SubGod22]

Fire Ned Yost (?)

I am not normally a big proponent of firing managers. I’ve been a Royals fan for a long time, and have seen plenty of managers come and go. I firmly believe managers do not normally make a big difference in a team’s record, especially for the better–no manager was going to make the 2006 Royals into contenders. Sure, you might get a short-term bump, but over the long haul, a bad team is a bad team.

But I do think the wrong manager can really screw things up. Over-managing a talented roster, or being unable to manage the various personalities in the locker room, or just plain bad decision making (think Grady Little in the 2003 ALCS) can wreck a team.

Which brings up the question, should Ned Yost be fired?

When Yost was hired, the Royals assured us he would be the perfect manager to guide the coming wave of talent to the promised land. After all, he had been a coach with the Atlanta Braves when their young players blossomed into a powerhouse in the early 1990s, and then he managed the Milwaukee Brewers through a turnaround in the middle part of the 2000s. Left unsaid was that Yost was fired from that job as the Brewers were choking away their postseason spot, and it was only after his dismissal that the Brewers woke up and finally clinched their playoff berth. So while Yost had undoubtedly played a role in turning those teams into winners, there was certainly a question whether he could finish the job.

Friday Notes

While I’m still trying to make sense of the current construction of the Royals roster, I guess I can safely say I’m happy to see them get away from the 13-man pitching staff. Though if any team can make it make sense to carry 13 pitchers, it’s the 2012 Royals who continue to get subpar outings from their starters more often than not. Still, the Royals are winning again at a reasonable clip and have rebounded quite nicely from their 12 game losing streak going 8-5 since the last loss of the streak. I think the youth on this team was one of the big causes of the losing streak, but also one of the reasons they’ve been able to bounce back so effectively since ending it.

• The starting pitching has continued to be atrocious and Jonathan Sanchez is paying the price for it (sort of) with a trip to the disabled list. There’s been a lot of speculation about how he doesn’t really want to play for the Royals and he’s not giving it his best effort and all that. While I agree that he didn’t seem too terribly thrilled when he met with the media after the trade this fall, I don’t think that’s necessarily a reason for his poor performance. It seems like everything that he did poorly prior to this season has just been magnified. Add in decreased velocity and he’s become much more hittable. Based on the velocity, I think he legitimately is hurt, which I question sometimes when the Royals make roster moves. My hope is that he can come back from this and be healthy and be good enough to bring something back in a trade for a team who needs a rental. I think that’s probably unlikely, but it’s a dream worth dreaming.

[SubGod22]

Holland sharp after being activated from DL

CHICAGO -- As expected, the Royals on Saturday activated right-hander Greg Holland from the disabled list. Fellow righty Nate Adcock was optioned to Triple-A Omaha.

Holland, who was on the 15-day DL with a rib injury, struck out three and walked one in the eighth inning of Kansas City's 5-0 win Saturday against the White Sox.

"He threw the ball good," manager Ned Yost said. "He looked like Greg Holland of last year and that's always encouraging."

Royal reversal for Hochevar in win over Sox

Hochevar (3-3) settled in quickly after a 56-minute rain delay, striking out five and walking zero, while allowing only two runners past first base.

It was a complete 180 from Hochevar's previous two starts. On May 1 against the Tigers, Hochevar gave up nine runs on 12 hits in four innings. His next time out, he lasted only 2 1/3 innings as the Yankees touched him up for seven runs.

Hochevar said those two starts were out of his mind on Saturday.

"Just try to stay within my approach and continuing to battle like crazy and make good pitches," Hochevar said of the difference. "Obviously, my last two weren't what I wanted by any means, but sometimes things get tough and you've just got to keep fighting like crazy."

And this is why he's so frustrating. He has the ability. Moreso than Davies did. But this last start has earned him a few more before we start clamoring for him to just leave...
Francoeur presents mom with RBI surprises

CHICAGO -- Manager Ned Yost teased Jeff Francoeur on Sunday that even though the outfielder hadn't done anything in the Royals' first two days of their three-game series against the White Sox, Francoeur's mom, Karen, was still in the U.S. Cellular Field stands on Mother's Day.

After going 0-for-9 in the first two games, Francoeur gave his mom a Mother's Day to remember in Sunday's series finale, going 2-for-5 and hitting his first home run of the season in a 9-1 Royals' win.

Francoeur's first hit was the homer, a solo shot in the eighth inning, and he followed with an RBI single in the ninth.

Duffy slated for MRI on elbow after early exit

CHICAGO -- Royals left-hander Danny Duffy felt a twinge in his left elbow on his second pitch Sunday and exited the game after three batters in Kansas City's eventual 9-1 win against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Manager Ned Yost termed the injury "medial left-elbow tightness," and Duffy was to return to Kansas City on Sunday night to undergo an MRI on Monday.

Duffy, 23, said he felt fine during his pregame bullpen session before feeling tightness on the inner part of his pitching elbow. Three batters later, and 13 pitches in, catcher Humberto Quintero saw Duffy flick his arm and yelled to bench coach Chino Cadahia and Yost, who visited the mound with head trainer Nick Kenney. After a brief discussion, they removed Duffy from the game.

This is the last thing we need. Duffy has been off to a pretty good start and has been showing signs of continued improvement. If this ends up being more serious.....I don't even want to think about it.
Mendoza rescues Royals in rubber game win

CHICAGO -- The Royals needed Luis Mendoza to deliver in an unusual circumstance Sunday afternoon at U.S. Cellular Field.

With starter Danny Duffy removed after only 13 pitches with medial left elbow tightness, the Kansas City reliever did just that, tossing 5 2/3 innings of one-run ball as the Royals rallied for a 9-1 win over the White Sox to clinch their second straight series win.

Pinch-hitter Johnny Giavotella provided a go-ahead two-run double in the seventh inning off White Sox reliever Matt Thornton before the rest of Chicago's bullpen unraveled in the ninth, as Kansas City tacked on six runs to improve to 4-1 in rubber games this season.

"For me the big play of the game was Gio, by far. I'll be honest, our dugout was dead. We hadn't gotten close to [White Sox starter Philip] Humber," Royals outfielder Jeff Francoeur said. "Gio put together a huge at-bat against a guy who's not easy to hit. I thought that kind of livened us up and we were able to relax and have some good swings."

The Twinge

Sure, it’s nice to take two of three from the White Sox, but the last thing you want to see is Danny Duffy exiting just three batters into the game.

Not good. Not good at all.

According to the Royals website, Duffy felt a “twinge” in his elbow on his second pitch of the game. He lasted 11 more pitches before he was pulled.

The warning signs have been there… He had a start skipped at the end of April and in his return against the Yankees on May 3, Ned Yost said Duffy, “couldn’t command his curveball at all, but he was overpowering with his fastball.” This jives with an elbow problem… The pitcher with a sore elbow has issues with location. Velocity isn’t usually affected. Indeed, much has been made of Duffy’s velocity this season. According to PITCH f/x data collected by FanGraphs, Duffy’s fastball is averaging 95.3 mph this season. That’s second only to Stephen Strasburg. (Impressive, although we have to note prior to Sunday, four of Duffy’s five starts have been at home, where the radar gun runs a little on the warm side.)

Anyway, after having difficulty commanding the curve in his first start since being skipped, Duffy really struggled in his next outing. Against the Red Sox on May 8, he walked five and consistently missed his spots up in the zone. He threw 102 pitches, but couldn’t get out of the fifth inning.

Then Sunday happened.

[SubGod22]

Bad isn't the right word to describe this news... Duffy likely headed for Tommy John surgery

ARLINGTON -- Left-handed pitcher Danny Duffy has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow and is likely headed for Tommy John surgery, pending further evaluation.The Royals announced the extent of the injury after Duffy underwent an MRI examination on Monday in Kansas City. The injury was diagnosed by head team physician Dr. Vincent Key of the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Duffy will get a second opinion from Dr. Lewis Yocum of Los Angeles at a time to be determined.

"The bad news is -- yeah, it stinks -- he'll probably be out a year," manager Ned Yost said. "The good news is when he comes back, the way they've been doing these surgeries, he's going to be every bit as strong or stronger, and ready to resume his career."

[SB Shock]

Bad isn't the right word to describe this news... Duffy likely headed for Tommy John surgery

that is to bad, but it is opportunity for somebody else to step. Hopefully the Royals can keep it the turn around and going and get squarely back into the Pennant race. Would be fun to be watching them in meaningful games this summer. So far so good tonight with a 3-1 lead over Texas.

[SubGod22]

I do think we may see Monty up soon. I believe he's scheduled to start for Omaha today. Mazzaro will go for the Royals. I expect a loss. I'd rather see Adcock get starts.

[SubGod22]

Chen stymies Rangers, keeps Royals rolling

For 6 2/3 innings, Chen stymied the Rangers on five hits and one run, and the bullpen finished up in style.

"He was changing speeds and throwing the balls on the corners," the Rangers' Adrian Beltre said. "He got a lot of calls from the umpire. He was throwing all around, down and in, up and away, and we were chasing."

A solo home run by Nelson Cruz roused the crowd of 38,702 at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, but it was the only damage inflicted on Chen. He baffled Josh Hamilton so well with his offspeed pitches that the Rangers' .400 hitter twice let his bat fly into the stands, making spectators scramble to safety.

"We stopped the hottest hitter on the planet," said catcher Brayan Pena.

On parades and rain

Ok, let’s get the bad news out of the way first. Danny Duffy has a tear in his UCL, is out for the season and will need Tommy John surgery. Someday, I swear the Royals will have a string of extraordinary luck. It just has to even out. The weirdest comment about the whole thing comes from an article by Dick Kaegel:

“[Royals Trainer Nick] Kenney said that Duffy has had a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament since 2010, but, like many pitchers, was able to adapt and continue pitching until Sunday.”

Should this be concerning? Is it common for pitchers to have some sort of tear in their UCL? Is it common to have them skip just one start after having a twinge in the elbow? It’s impossible to know but the important discussion should be around whether this could have been prevented or at least mitigated.

On the bright side, the Royals have and will be able to play good baseball and win games without Danny Duffy. He was one of the bright spots and he was clearly the most entertaining pitcher to watch. However, he only plays in less than a fifth of the games and in those he was pitching about half the innings. A single player can only have so much impact on the game, but he was a pretty significant player. On top of all that he was one of my favorite players on the team. I hope we see him compete on the highest level again.

Enough with the negative. There is a lot going on to be happy about right now. I present you with the following list of teams further out from first place than the Kansas City Royals:

[SubGod22]

Soria, Duffy can look to Chen for inspiration

ARLINGTON -- Royals closer Joakim Soria already has had Tommy John surgery this year and starter Danny Duffy apparently is headed in that direction. If they need inspiration about recovering from the reconstructive elbow surgery, they can look no further than teammate Bruce Chen.

Chen, 35, underwent the surgery after the 2007 season, missed '08 and by '09 was back in the Major Leagues. In 2010 and '11, he led the Royals in victories with 12 in each year and he's still going.

"It's hard because you know you're going to miss at least a year," Chen said. "Some people take 12 months; sometimes to be where you were before, it takes 12-18 months.

"Soria and Duffy are very hard workers, so I have complete confidence that they're going to come back. And the medical staff here is very good, so I think they're in good hands. The bad part is we're going to miss them for at least a year, but the good part is they're going to come back the same, or better."

Streaking Moustakas on a roll for Royals

In the 22-game streak, Moustakas has a .346 (27-for-78) average with two walks, two hit by pitches, 11 runs, six doubles, four home runs and an on-base percentage of .420. During those 22 games, the team's record is 9-13.

Royals rock Rangers for fourth straight win

ARLINGTON -- How's four straight wins and a two-game sweep over the high-ridin' Texas Rangers sound?

Mighty good to the Royals, who got the drop on the Rangers, 7-4, on an 83-degree Tuesday night with 37,210 witnesses at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. The Royals have won six of the last seven games, and the four-game win streak is their longest of the season.

"When you win like this against some big teams, it's motivating," Royals center fielder Jarrod Dyson said. "It let us know we can do it. Just don't count us out."

Since the Royals lost 12 straight games, lowering their record to 3-14, they've won 12 of 18 games. That adds up to a 15-20 record, just five games under .500.

According To Plan

Games like the one the Royals played on Tuesday are fantastic. It’s a recipe for a great evening.

– They spotted Vin Mazzaro four runs before he ever took the mound. Wait… The Royals had a “big inning?” An inning where they scored more than one run and didn’t bunt? This is the Royals?

Adding to the confusion was leadoff man Jerrod Dyson clubbing the ball over the head of the right fielder for a leadoff double. What’s up with that? Joey Gathright never hit one off the wall.

Given the opportunity to play everyday, Dyson has exceeded expectations. That’s likely an understatement. On Tuesday, he reached base three times and saw a team high 24 pitches in five plate appearances. That is exactly the kind of stuff you want to see from your leadoff hitter. Oh, and all three times he reached… He scored.

[SubGod22]

Tradeable Assets

Being a Royals fan for the past 20+ years has meant looking ahead to the trade deadline to see what prospects could be had for proven commodities. With the state of the Royals rotation, this year’s deadline should be a little more interesting because while the team is looking for pieces to help them in the future, they also recognize that the future has the potential to be here awfully quickly. Because of that, a pitcher dominating in A ball, while enticing, probably isn’t going to be the focus of this team if it looks to unload any of its better players.

This year, they need to be looking to trade some of their young talent for a starting pitcher who they can slot at or near the top of their rotation. I’m going to list the top ten assets the Royals have to trade. Keep in mind that any one of these players won’t necessarily bring back an ace alone, but these are the guys in the order of the return I think they would get if they were alone. Hopefully this will lead to some fun discussion.

An interesting list. Some I'd entertain depending on what KC would be getting in return. Some I wouldn't even consider parting ways with. But neither would the author.

[SubGod22]

Royals can't hold lead in ninth, lose in 15

The six innings of free baseball were all made possible because of Jonathan Broxton's blown save in the top of the ninth inning. Handed a 3-1 lead, Broxton gave up a solo home run to Wilson Betemit, which cut the lead to 3-2. Chris Davis followed with a single, and pinch runner Ryan Flaherty came around to score from second on a J.J. Hardy single three batters later, tying the game.

"I didn't get the job done," Broxton said. "That's all that matters. Threw too many breaking balls that caught too much plate. I just didn't get the job done. I wasted a good start from [Felipe] Paulino. He threw the ball excellent, and we scored an extra run in the eighth. I didn't close the deal."

Perez hitting, nearing return

KANSAS CITY -- Injured Royals catcher Salvador Perez is getting closer to returning to the field.

Royals manager Ned Yost said on Thursday that Perez, who is on the 60-day disabled list recovering from a torn meniscus, has been hitting in the batting cages and he's about a month away from coming back.

"Sal's getting close," Yost said. "He's probably, hopefully three weeks to a month away. I watched him hit in the cage and he's swinging the bat well. He's going to probably start catching side sessions after the weekend, start taking BP on the field after the weekend. That's good. He's getting close."

Collins getting his kicks with plenty of K's

KANSAS CITY -- Royals reliever Tim Collins might want to start spelling his last name with a 'K.' It would certainly be appropriate.

The lefty has been on quite the strikeout kick lately, having set down seven of the last nine batters he's faced via strikeouts entering Thursday's series finale against the Orioles.

Collins struck out five of the six batters he faced in two innings of relief Tuesday night against Texas. On Wednesday, Collins pitched the 10th frame of the Royals' 4-3 loss in 15 innings against Baltimore -- striking out two of the three batters he faced.

Royals promote Coleman, Teaford to boost 'pen

KANSAS CITY -- Needing a pitching transfusion after a 15-inning game, the Royals on Thursday recalled left-hander Everett Teaford and right-hander Louis Coleman from Omaha and optioned right-handers Nate Adcock and Vin Mazzaro to the Triple-A club.

The move gives manager Ned Yost needed flexibility with his bullpen and also with the starting rotation.

"We need the arms, it's as simple as that," Yost said. "Our bullpen guys have been going two days on, one day off, two days on. We need extra protection in the middle and we need protection in the long guy. We can't get these guys any type of break."

Advancing The Timeline

Nate Adcock had a hell of a start last night, making just one mistake in five innings of work. Unfortunately, Adcock’s ‘start’ began in the 11th inning and his one mistake, a rotund slider to Adam Jones, ended up costing the Royals the game. While Adcock gets the loss, it is hard to put much blame on him. The Royals had this game thanks to seven shutout innings from Felipe Paulino (18.2 innings over 3 starts now, with just 5 runs allowed) and two timely hits only to see Jonathan Broxton blow the save by giving up two runs in the ninth.

Having entered the game with a 14-0 record when leading after 8 innings, so the odds were that something bad was due to happen. What the team does in the aftermath will determine if Wednesday night’s loss was ‘just baseball’ or a punch in the gut that sends this team into a funk.

Back to Adcock, however. Despite or actually, because of his excellent five innings of work last night, Nate may well find himself heading back up I-29 to Omaha this afternoon. A roster move is likely and Adcock’s the guy that is out of commission for at least the next three days. He can wave at Everett Teaford as they pass…probably not the last time that is going to happen this year.

When it comes to roster moves, however, that one is not the eye catcher. Before yesterday’s game, the Royals announced that Wil Myers and Jake Odorizzi had both been promoted from Northwest Arkansas to Omaha. Those moves, very simply, mean that both could make their major league debuts by the All-Star Break and almost certainly puts them in position (with good performances, of course) to break camp with the big club for Opening Day 2013.

[SubGod22]

The Merry Go Round

Eight different pitchers have started a game for the Kansas City Royals thus far in 2012. That’s eight different starters in just 37 games…..in a schedule that has included five off-days (that includes rainouts). Along the way, the Royals have employed thirteen different relievers: fourteen if you want to include Mitch Maier.

While those numbers are really quite shocking given we are not quite a quarter of the way through the season, they are not unexpected to most Royals’ fans. Going in, we knew the starting pitching was problematical and the bullpen would be relied upon heavily. We also knew that there was considerable bullpen depth, even after Joakim Soria went down and Blake Wood and Greg Holland.

Of the many criticisms that can be leveled at Ned Yost and Dayton Moore, one has to compliment them on the ability to manage the merry-go-round between Kansas City and Omaha. They have maneuvered the roster admirably. We may have laughed at the idea of two, sometimes three, long men in the pen, but damn if they weren’t needed…often less than 24 hours after being called up.

The problem, and Ned Yost has already said as much, is that the bullpen simply cannot keep up this pace. Even as the Royals, with the recall of Everett Teaford and Louis Coleman, cycle through the second time around the bullpen ride they still have Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, Kelvin Herrera and Jose Mijares all on a pace to pitch almost 80 innings. The return of a hopefully healthy and effective Greg Holland will ease that burden some, but it is still going to be a grind for the relief corp.

Must say that I agree with this piece.