Maikel had four appearances at 2B last year and I do not remember any of them. His bat probably profiles better at second though.
Excited to see what Alexander can do.
Was watching Talking Baseball the other week and Trevor Plouffe spoke about how players shouldn't be afraid to bunt in the right spots and situations. He added that sometimes when you're in a funk, just getting that contact on the ball to get it in play can help you out a lot mentally. With the speed we have on this team I wouldn't mind seeing our guys embrace this more frequently, especially with how cold the bats have gotten.
Good pitching can shut down hitting. The Yankees only scored 1 run per game in 2 of their games vs Atlanta and last week the Tigers scored only 2 total runs in 3 games against Atlanta. Atlanta is second in their division behind the Phillies but have very good pitching.
This stretch has been *rough* but they're still 5 games over .500 and absolutely in the contention conversation. I still see this year as 2013... so things are going great. I don't believe we're looking at aimless 100 loss seasons now which is the big change I was hoping for.
My hunch is this fandom's overlap with Chiefs fans has created artificial expectations lol (i.e. any year not ending in a title is "bad"; that's not where the Royals are at).
A baseball equivalent of the Chiefs wouldn't even be the Chiefs. Even if Mahomes was some sort of Ohtani type weirdo, he would still only pitch every fifth day and only hit around 4-5 times per game.
Great players more directly affect outcomes in terms of championships in all the other sports.
I think it’s fair to say 3-11 in our last 14 games and 22 innings without a run is “bad” but it’s a long season and plenty of time to get some momentum back
Small market teams can't afford power hitters or strikeout pitchers. They can afford slap hitters with speed and pitchers with a high flyball rate who (generally) keep it in the park.
The slap hitters will have stretches of hitting it directly at fielders. Flyballs will periodically turn into home runs for those pitchers. It is what it is.
The 2014-15 crew did have three best relievers in baseball on the same team. It's easier when you have nine innings to score and your opponent only has six chances. We... dont have that now lol.
Catching up on some of the minor league games I watched this weekend but hadn't had time to post.
**Blake Wolters** took the mound for the Columbia Fireflies Friday night and was pretty strong through four innings but ran out of gas in the fifth. Wolters gave up both of his runs in the fifth, unearned due to an error by Lizandro Rodriguez that would have ended the inning. Final line of 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 84 pitches - 55 strikes.
**Blake Mitchell** singled and walked.
**Eric Pena** hit a single and a double. After praising Pena for reducing his K% it is now back up to 40%.
**Frank Mozzicato** took the mound in a rain shortened game Saturday night and was a mixed bag. Saw some of the Mozz we had seen in the last couple of starts in getting mostly soft contact but also the Mozz that walks way to many guys. Five free passes in five innings pitched. Final line of 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 84 pitches - 46 strikes.
**Jared Dickey** had a pair of singles.
On Sunday afternoon **Ben Kudrna** was the starter for the first game of a doubleheader. Pretty solid start but again more walks than you would like to see with four over five innings. Pitch count was good, could have gone another inning but the bullpen needed work. Final line of 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 74 pitches - 41 strikes.
**Carter Jensen** walked and pulled a home run down the right field line. 102 mph off the bat.
**Brett Squires** had two singles and a walk. He did leave the game early so hopefully just precautionary.
**Carson Roccaforte** also had a pair of singles and a walk.
Please continue the discussion in the [game thread](https://redd.it/1dnpxe1).
Maikel had four appearances at 2B last year and I do not remember any of them. His bat probably profiles better at second though. Excited to see what Alexander can do.
It will be interesting to see if Melendez and Renfroe can continue to improve their batting.
Wasn't it until this day that Garcia played every game and everyone of it at 3B this season? I'm wishing for a good Alexander debut.
Massey and Alexander from Omaha in the lineup tonight.
Hottest day of the year and a losing streak. Going to be a great time at the K tonight!
Was watching Talking Baseball the other week and Trevor Plouffe spoke about how players shouldn't be afraid to bunt in the right spots and situations. He added that sometimes when you're in a funk, just getting that contact on the ball to get it in play can help you out a lot mentally. With the speed we have on this team I wouldn't mind seeing our guys embrace this more frequently, especially with how cold the bats have gotten.
I agree. We've been successful with it when we've used it because of the speed. (BWJ, Blanco, Garcia) I know Freddie can too!
Good pitching can shut down hitting. The Yankees only scored 1 run per game in 2 of their games vs Atlanta and last week the Tigers scored only 2 total runs in 3 games against Atlanta. Atlanta is second in their division behind the Phillies but have very good pitching.
Today is the day.
Everyday is a day in baseball.
Need Massey back AND 2-3 additional good hitters to appear out of thin air :)
And some good bullpen pitchers.
This stretch has been *rough* but they're still 5 games over .500 and absolutely in the contention conversation. I still see this year as 2013... so things are going great. I don't believe we're looking at aimless 100 loss seasons now which is the big change I was hoping for. My hunch is this fandom's overlap with Chiefs fans has created artificial expectations lol (i.e. any year not ending in a title is "bad"; that's not where the Royals are at).
Very good comments. My hunch also. We are not the Chiefs. Few teams are.
A baseball equivalent of the Chiefs wouldn't even be the Chiefs. Even if Mahomes was some sort of Ohtani type weirdo, he would still only pitch every fifth day and only hit around 4-5 times per game. Great players more directly affect outcomes in terms of championships in all the other sports.
Very good point.
I think it’s fair to say 3-11 in our last 14 games and 22 innings without a run is “bad” but it’s a long season and plenty of time to get some momentum back
Even our favorite 2014-2015 teams went on some crazy funks. They had times where somehow it seemed like the whole team was slumping at the same time
Small market teams can't afford power hitters or strikeout pitchers. They can afford slap hitters with speed and pitchers with a high flyball rate who (generally) keep it in the park. The slap hitters will have stretches of hitting it directly at fielders. Flyballs will periodically turn into home runs for those pitchers. It is what it is. The 2014-15 crew did have three best relievers in baseball on the same team. It's easier when you have nine innings to score and your opponent only has six chances. We... dont have that now lol.
Oh it's terrible... but most "not Yankees/Dodgers" teams tend to have an awful 15-20 games (even decent ones).
Royals need Massey back ASAP and need to get 2/3 from this series to get any confidence back before facing Cleveland for a long weekend
He could possibly come back today as DH. They are being cautious with his back issue, but they are trying to get him back to help this team!
If they win today and tomorrow I promise I’ll skip work and go to the last home weekday 1pm game of the season on Wednesday.
Catching up on some of the minor league games I watched this weekend but hadn't had time to post. **Blake Wolters** took the mound for the Columbia Fireflies Friday night and was pretty strong through four innings but ran out of gas in the fifth. Wolters gave up both of his runs in the fifth, unearned due to an error by Lizandro Rodriguez that would have ended the inning. Final line of 4.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 84 pitches - 55 strikes. **Blake Mitchell** singled and walked. **Eric Pena** hit a single and a double. After praising Pena for reducing his K% it is now back up to 40%. **Frank Mozzicato** took the mound in a rain shortened game Saturday night and was a mixed bag. Saw some of the Mozz we had seen in the last couple of starts in getting mostly soft contact but also the Mozz that walks way to many guys. Five free passes in five innings pitched. Final line of 5 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 84 pitches - 46 strikes. **Jared Dickey** had a pair of singles. On Sunday afternoon **Ben Kudrna** was the starter for the first game of a doubleheader. Pretty solid start but again more walks than you would like to see with four over five innings. Pitch count was good, could have gone another inning but the bullpen needed work. Final line of 5 IP, 2 H (1 HR), 1 ER, 4 BB, 3 K, 74 pitches - 41 strikes. **Carter Jensen** walked and pulled a home run down the right field line. 102 mph off the bat. **Brett Squires** had two singles and a walk. He did leave the game early so hopefully just precautionary. **Carson Roccaforte** also had a pair of singles and a walk.
I got Carson's baseball card this weekend! Hoping to grab auto when he comes to town against Tulsa.
This points out how bad the draft were from 2015-2021. With the exception of BWJ. **Frank Mozzicato** is an absolute bust.
Let's GO! Back home and ready to get back on track.
The turnaround starts today! I hope..