Well that was interesting, to say the least. The Royals completed
a sweep of the Astros last night after being swept by the Twins this past
weekend. I am not sure if that says more about the Royals or the Astros.
We know that the Astros are rebuilding and are not a very
good team. However, their starting pitcher Scott Feldman had only allowed 1 run
and 7 hits combined in his first 3 starts this season coming into this game.
Since the Royals have a history of NOT GIVING THEIR BEST PITCHERS ANY RUN
SUPPORT, I fully expected the final score of James Shields vs. Scott Feldman to
be 1-0. For the Astros, losing 3 games at home while debuting their top
prospect is not an ideal situation for their fans, but Kansas City can more
than sympathize with them.
We also know that the Royals had high expectations after
posting their first winning record in a decade last season. They have had some
dismal hitting woes in their first 11 games, and were swept by the stupid
Twins. Against the Astros, they scored 4 or more runs in their 3 victories. However,
how much of an accomplishment is beating the worst team in the MLB? It will be
interesting to see how the Royals respond to playing the Twins this weekend. My guess is we are in for another Royals Coaster.
You know what I want to see? A dramatic, fight-to-the-finish,
neck-and-neck, tight-as-a-noose divisional race in the AL Central, such as what
is shown in the ostrich race below. If you did not know that ostrich races
exist, you are welcome.
It is certainly shaping up to be a close race right now, as
you can see from the standings below. The ideal finish would be the Royals in
first place, the Tigers in last place, and the Indians/Twins/White Sox tied for
who cares.
James Shields was fantastic last night. He struck out 12
batters, the most for a Royals pitcher since Zack Greinke had 12 in 2010.
Shields even had a stretch where he struck out 7 consecutive batters, including
4 batters who struck out looking. It was great to see him bounce back after his
tough outing against the stupid Twins this past weekend, but again, it’s not
much of an accomplishment against the worst hitting team in baseball. I very
much enjoy watching Shields pitch, as I’m sure most Royals fans do, but I think
I would prefer watching Greinke. Here’s why:
This is a graph of Greinke’s pitch velocity (from brooksbaseball.net)
from a random game he pitched in 2010. What fascinates me about it is the
variation in his pitch speed. You will notice the range of speeds goes from as
low as 66 MPH to as high as 99 MPH. He has been clocked throwing 24 different
pitch speeds in one game (an average pitcher throws around 15-17 different
pitch speeds in one game). In his career, he has thrown 100 MPH and 51 MPH. As
a pure baseball fan, he was a joy to watch because he could do anything on the mound.
He could start with a changeup, move to a fastball, then throw one of those
super slow curveballs, almost as a joke. Not to mention the fact that he enjoys
hitting, with 3 home runs and 8 RBI’s in his career. He even has 3 stolen
bases. I wish the Royals still had him because along with James Shields, they
would have certainly made the playoffs by now.
In other notes, Lorenzo Cain was placed on the 15-day
disabled list, Salvador Perez is still murdering the ball (is he mad about
something? He looks so focused and he is hitting the ball with the fury and
intensity of Zangief dropping a pile river in Street Fighter II),
and the Royals as a team have been padding their offensive statistics a little
bit. Good stuff. Bring on the stupid Twins. I want revenge.
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