2012 AL Central Catch-All thread

[Benchwarmerjim]

you guys should not fear the Twins starting pitching this year

[caulfield12]

Recall that the Royals tried to pry away Lowe from Atlanta in the offseason but were out-bid by the Indians, who agreed to eat about an extra $1 million in salary on Lowe’s existing contract.

 

It was that inability to get Lowe that led, in no small degree, to the Royals’ decision to acquire Sánchez from San Francisco in early November with minor-league pitcher Ryan Verdugo for outfielder Melky Cabrera.

 

The Royals made that deal knowing Sánchez was the proverbial box of chocolates: an enigma of inconsistency. And this, Tuesday night, was the wild Sanchie, who opened the first inning by hitting a batter (who eventually scored) and twice walked the bases loaded.

 

Sánchez, 1-1, escaped a three-walk second inning but paid dearly in the fifth when Shelley Duncan delivered a one-out sacrifice fly before Jack Hannahan gapped a two-run double to right-center.

 

“That was a good pitch,” Sánchez insisted, “but he put his bat on it and got a double. It wasn’t a hanging pitch. It was the right pitch.”

Maybe so, but the final numbers were grim. He walked seven in 42/3 innings while throwing just 56 of his 115 pitches for strikes.

 

Tony Sipp worked a one-two-three seventh for Cleveland before Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez wobbled through the final two innings in closing out Lowe’s victory. Perez got his seventh save.

 

So here we are. The Royals, at 3-14, have the majors’ worst record and find themselves saddled with a 12-game losing streak that ties for the third-longest in franchise history while still searching for answers.

“There have been a lot of missed opportunities,” Yost said, “but I felt our at-bats tonight were better with runners in scoring position. The way these kids continue to get after it, it’s hard for me to believe that we’ve lost 12 in a row.”

 

The Royals were four for 13 with runners in scoring position after going zero for 10 in Monday’s 4-1 loss to Toronto and a combined nine for 60 over the previous seven games. Even so, they left 11 runners on base in Tuesday’s loss.

 

The franchise record for consecutive losses is an appalling 19-game skid in 2005 that featured then-manager Buddy Bell’s memorable line: “Don’t ever say it can’t get worse.” There was a 13-game slide in 2006 and 12-game droughts in 1997 and 2008.

This streak already includes 10 straight losses at home, which ties the 1913 New York Yankees for the longest home skid at the start of a season. The Royals had hoped getting away from Kauffman Stadium might provide a path to firmer footing.

 

Nope.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2012/04/24/35743...l#storylink=cpy

[caulfield12]

you guys should not fear the Twins starting pitching this year

 

 

We're 4-1 against the Central this year, but until we prove we can beat both the Twins and Royals (yeah, I know they've lost 12 in a row but they've played us very well the last 2-3 seasons), then we can't claim to be a true contender.

 

Too bad you guys didn't keep the Red Sox cooled off before their arrival Thursday in Chicago.

 

Ever since Bard got Mauer out last night, it has been all downhill.

 

[Benchwarmerjim]

Monday night was a freak thing. Saltalamaccia's HR was golfed on a pitch below his knees, and Ross's 2nd HR was down and away and hit opposite field (something like the 5th RH batter to hit a opposite field HR at Target Field), but for the most part the starting pitcher have been throwing meatballs. i think the Oakland A's score plate hit 10 off this starting staff.

 

[Benchwarmerjim]

also, its really weird seeing someone other than Ozzie Guillen the Sox dugout

[justBLAZE]

also, its really weird seeing someone other than Ozzie Guillen the Sox dugout

 

like a wave or fresh air!

[caulfield12]

They deserved to lose

Lee Judge

The Kansas City Star

 

As I’ve been saying the last few days, I no longer am going to try to correlate winning and losing to intangibles. I don’t care if the Royals hold meetings or go on benders. I don’t care if Ned Yost throws a chair or stays calm. I don’t care if they eat crow or chicken dinners in the clubhouse. Hell, I don’t care if they sacrifice live chickens in the clubhouse — maybe it would help.

 

From now on, I am going to correlate winning and losing to playing the game well. (Novel concept, but let’s try it for a while and see how it goes.) So if playing a game well is how you win, the Royals deserved to lose this one.

 

When a team’s pitching staff walks nine batters, hits another and every run it gives up was one of those walked or hit batters who scored, that team deserves to lose. For a while I thought the Royals were playing well but losing. Now I think they’re playing poorly and losing. That can change tomorrow night, but a team with little margin for error can’t give the other guys 10 free base-runners, let four of them score and blame it all on bad luck.

 

 

The bad

Yost said the players need to find the right emotional level and stay there. I can’t get in their heads, but from the outside, I see a team that sometimes is aggressive when it should be cautious and other time is cautious when it should be aggressive. On Tuesday night, I thought that happened to third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez.

 

In the eighth inning with two outs, Eric Hosmer on second base and Mike Moustakas on first, Mitch Maier (who played a helluva game) doubled down the right-field line. Moose is neither the fastest guy on the team nor the slowest, but I figured he would score, considering the situation. That would have made the score 4-3.

The Indians’ right fielder, Shin-Soo Choo, did not exactly bust it going after the ball, and I figured it was a done deal, but Eddie held up Moose at third base. To make matters worse, you can be more aggressive sending the runner when the throw comes from right field. The catcher loses sight of home plate when he turns to receive the throw from right field. Then he has to turn back, find the runner and apply the tag. (We have a video on the site called “The catcher’s blind spot” that demonstrates this play.)

 

Now add the fact that Choo and Cleveland first baseman Casey Kotchman are both left-handed, and the decision looks even worse. Throws from lefties tail toward the first-base side, and the Indians’ catcher, Carlos Santana, would have been pulled even farther from home plate when receiving the ball. You might wonder whether a third-base coach should know all this in an instant, but when I was watching a game with Jason Kendall last season, he knew all this before the fielder picked up the ball — and Kendall was holding a beer in one hand at the time.

 

So when Chris Getz doubled to lead off the ninth inning on Tuesday night, he should have been the tying run but wasn’t. After Alex Gordon moved Getz to third, it’s possible Chris could have scored the tying run on Billy Butler’s groundout to the shortstop. But, to be fair to Eddie, that wasn’t likely. If that had been the case, the Indians would have moved in their infielders. Maybe there is reason Eddie did what he did, but right now I don’t get it.

After Eddie held up Moose, Alcides Escobar had the tying run in scoring position, worked the count to 2-0 and then took a 90 mph four-seamer down the middle, another decision I don’t get. The table was set. I thought Esky would be looking for a fastball in a fastball count, and he got one in the middle of the strike zone. Esky hit the ball hard 3-2, but it was a one-hopper back to the pitcher.

Read more here: http://royals.kansascity.com/games/361/#storylink=cpy

[Leonard Zelig]

[Kyyle23]

I feel bad for High Mileage, KC is breakin some hearts early

[chw42]

Detroit down 9-1 to Seattle.

[caulfield12]

Boston all over the Twins again.

 

Not sure who's worse off, will go with the Royals for now. Boston up 6-1 already in the 3rd.

 

 

[High Mileage]

Royals finally win one. Streak over at 12. FML.

 

Alex Gordon went 3 for 5, 3 RBI, a double, and a homer. Added 30 points to his average.

 

Billy Ray Butler had two homers, he's been hitting well.

 

Eric Hosmer with 5 homers now, it would be awesome to see him in the Derby this year.

[caulfield12]

Whether you’re overweight, have a gambling problem or haven’t won a baseball game in 12 attempts, this piece of advice applies: “You didn’t get in trouble in one day. You ain’t gettin’ out of trouble in one day, either.” This bit of wisdom was given to me by the Pittsburgh Pirates’ manager, Clint Hurdle.

 

Hurdle’s point was that you can’t rush the process — the longest journey begins with one step. The Royals took a step Wednesday night. They will have to take another Thursday afternoon. Thinking big, wanting things to happen right now often brings disaster. The game of baseball requires you to play it one pitch, one inning, one game at a time.

 

The Royals have a long way back to respectability, but ya gotta start somewhere.

 

Know you know

 

I’m sitting on my couch, feeling the pressure build as the game goes along. I’m hoping Royals starter Luke Hochevar holds it together. I’m nervous about the possibility of the Royals going into the bottom of the ninth inning with only a two-run lead and Jonathan Broxton coming out of the bullpen.

 

Sound familiar?

 

And we’re only sitting on our couches in the comfort of our living rooms. The players are the ones who have to perform in the clutch.

 

So how does a clutch performer get it done? I was lucky enough to take batting practice once a week with George Brett the winter before he retired from baseball. (The pitching machine kept clogging. George had me stand at the other end of the batting tunnel and unclog it.) I asked George a thousand questions that winter, and one of them was, “How did you perform so well in the clutch?”

 

“Because some people can’t forget that the tying run is on second, it’s the bottom of the ninth and it’s the World Series,” he told me “When I’m going good, I can.”

 

Was there ever a moment in Wednesday night’s game that you weren’t aware that the Royals were trying to end a long losing streak? That’s why he’s George Brett, and you’re not. When your mind is on matters that don’t affect the situation at hand, bad things happen.

 

Read more here: http://royals.kansascity.com/games/362/#storylink=cpy

[balfanman]

Just curious for other opinions on this. I for one, thought that the Royals would be improved this year and even though their record thus far does not reflect this, maybe they are getting closer.

 

When young teams are in the process of improving, don't most of them go through a stage where they are very streaky and inconsistent? A stage where ups and downs rotate back and forth, more pronounced than more experienced teams.

 

While the Royals are in a very down stage right now, assuming they have good leadership (players, manager,etc.) they may just rebound and go on a winning streak. It is within the realm of possibility that in the process of growing up this year, they could wind up still achieving somewhere around a 500 record. Next season, if they get some pitching to go with that offense, watch out!

 

JMHO.

[Balta1701]

Detroit down 9-1 to Seattle.

I'd like to note for the record that as of yesterday, both the Tigers and the White Sox have played 18 games, and both the Tigers and the White Sox have scored exactly 75 runs. Furthermore, the White Sox have done so with a higher OBP and a higher slugging than the Tigers and have a team OPS about 30 points higher.

[Balta1701]

Just curious for other opinions on this. I for one, thought that the Royals would be improved this year and even though their record thus far does not reflect this, maybe they are getting closer.

 

When young teams are in the process of improving, don't most of them go through a stage where they are very streaky and inconsistent? A stage where ups and downs rotate back and forth, more pronounced than more experienced teams.

 

While the Royals are in a very down stage right now, assuming they have good leadership (players, manager,etc.) they may just rebound and go on a winning streak. It is within the realm of possibility that in the process of growing up this year, they could wind up still achieving somewhere around a 500 record. Next season, if they get some pitching to go with that offense, watch out!

 

JMHO.

Yeah, for example, another team in the Central might have a struggling Cuban LF and a struggling 3b and 2b being carried by the rest of the roster while they are on cold streaks.

[caulfield12]

That's what they have been saying for 3-4 years now in KC.

 

First, it was wait for Gordon. Then, wait for Hosmer. Then, wait for Moustakas, etc.

 

They have a pretty good core now, but Butler's getting to the point where he will be harder and harder to hold onto.

 

A lot depend on how much Lorenzo Cain (injured now) and Escobar (I've always felt he was going to be too limited offensively) turn out. 2B is a mess and stop-gap, Chris Getz isn't the long-term solution, although he's been playing pretty well.

 

The Salvador Perez injury really hurt them at the catching position, that was an area they thought they were going to be set for years...and still might be, but it's on a delayed schedule now.

 

They clearly have some very good pieces now.

 

Duffy has shown very good stuff, and they'll try to lock him up longer-term, too. Montgomery and Odorizzi are coming quick, also. It's all about starting pitching, although they have TONS of bullpen issues now too with Soria out for the year (probably his last season with KC), Broxton struggling mightily...Crow hasn't been as good as in the past, either.

 

The Royals have always had issues filling those 3-4-5 spots in the rotation, and Hochevar's never quite become the ace they projected him to be. He's more like Gavin Floyd than a #1 or #2 so far. Then you've got all these fill-in pieces like Bruce Chen. Of course, Mendoza and Paulino are just so-so/MEHHHH pitchers.

 

Jonathan Sanchez is a decent starter in the NL at the back of the rotation, but he's been really wild and inconsistent so far for KC.

 

Ultimately, it has to be Hochevar, Duffy, Montgomery, Odorizzi and then you can have a Bruce Chen or journeyman type as your 5.

 

Right now, Chen and Sanchez are two of their top 3, and that's just not going to work long-term.

Edited April 26, 2012 by caulfield12

[southsider2k5]

Just curious for other opinions on this. I for one, thought that the Royals would be improved this year and even though their record thus far does not reflect this, maybe they are getting closer.

 

When young teams are in the process of improving, don't most of them go through a stage where they are very streaky and inconsistent? A stage where ups and downs rotate back and forth, more pronounced than more experienced teams.

 

While the Royals are in a very down stage right now, assuming they have good leadership (players, manager,etc.) they may just rebound and go on a winning streak. It is within the realm of possibility that in the process of growing up this year, they could wind up still achieving somewhere around a 500 record. Next season, if they get some pitching to go with that offense, watch out!

 

JMHO.

 

All kidding aside, the Royals aren't nearly as bad as they have been to start this year. This should be a team that fights for second place and .500. It doesn't sound like much, but that would be a huge step forward for them.

[Balta1701]

The fact that Butler is starting to get to his expensive years is why I was surprised they didn't try to move him for pitching last offseason. Especially since they had to let go of Kila and have him developing elsewhere as a consequence.

[caulfield12]

But is Kila really ever going to be able to hit for enough power (he didn't in KC, a pretty big ballpark) or Oakland to get regular playing time?

 

Granted, he's better than Brandon Allen, but HOW much better?

 

Can they live with just 12-15 homers out of him....he'd have to hit a TON of doubles? He always reminds me of someone like James Loney...he's a great minor league hitter, but he's clearly stumbled at the big league level in his opportunities so far, at least.

 

 

[Balta1701]

But is Kila really ever going to be able to hit for enough power (he didn't in KC, a pretty big ballpark) or Oakland to get regular playing time?

 

Granted, he's better than Brandon Allen, but HOW much better?

 

Can they live with just 12-15 homers out of him....he'd have to hit a TON of doubles? He always reminds me of someone like James Loney...he's a great minor league hitter, but he's clearly stumbled at the big league level in his opportunities so far, at least.

Both the A's and the Royals are in the position where they need to be trying to maximize the value out of everyone they have. That means, for the A's, that they're constantly trading away pitchers 2 or 3 years before they become free agents, because they don't have enough around them to really make a run, but the GM has to hope that eventually all that stockpiling will combine with a lucky free agent signing to enable them to make a run at a wild card.

 

The Royals ought to be in the same boat. Even if a guy is old and taking a while to develop, if they have him, they shouldn't be losing him because they have 2 other guys at the same position. Butler could have (and still could) bring back a haul of pitching. It would make them worse when they made the deal, but it could set them up for an actual run 2-3 years down the road.

[Kyyle23]

Moving Butler will be tricky business. He is a great hitter, but still the power that everyone expects has not shown up consistently.

[iamshack]

Moving Butler will be tricky business. He is a great hitter, but still the power that everyone expects has not shown up consistently.

Yeah, Butler is a good hitter, but hasn't developed into the beast that the Hawkeroo has been expecting for years...

 

The Royals have developed some good players recently but not the elite player that some of these guys had the ceiling to become...but maybe Hosmer will break through that barrier...otherwise, they will be telling us to wait for Wil Myers...and then Bubba Starling...

[southsider2k5]

DKnobler ‏ @DKnobler

Royals say they're skipping talented Danny Duffy one start because of "minor elbow tightness." More bad news for team in need of good news.

[LittleHurt05]

Mariners up 3-0 after 1 in Detroit, looking to finish the sweep.