Score 4 runs and win

Thanks to a rally by the Indians to beat the Tigers, the Royals are only one game out of first place after beating the Astros yesterday for the second night in a row. 

The Royals second win over the Astros comes with mixed emotions. First, there is joy that the Royals won. They showed some pop in their bats (2 home runs!!!), they showed some resolve (Salvador Perez knocking in two runs to tie the game in the 7th inning), and they battled like playoff-caliber teams do when faced with adversity after losing an Astros replay challenge, and then losing Lorenzo Cain to injury. The Royals managed to stay undefeated when scoring at least 4 runs, bailing out Jeremy Guthrie on a night when he was not at his sharpest.

However, they needed 11 innings to beat the Astros, currently the worst team in the American League. They gave up two 2-run homers that could have potentially been more devastating. They needed a home run from Danny Valencia, who rarely plays, and another (game winning) home run from Mike Moustakas, WHO PREVIOUSLY COULD NOT HIT SAND IF HE FELL OFF A CAMEL.

 Overall, I am happy with the win, and glad that the Royals have been showing a little more life at the plate, although they will need much more to beat the Twins this weekend. The Twins average over 5 runs per game and the Royals average slightly over 3 runs. Interestingly, the Royals have scored at least 4 runs in all 6 of their victories. If Billy Butler can get going, and if Moose can maintain the momentum from his game-winning home run, THE ROYALS HAVE A CHANCE TO BEAT ANYONE. 

However, Billy is currently hitting 1 for 8 against the Astros with 1 RBI and 2 strikeouts. That kind of output from their $8 MILLION DESIGNATED “HITTER” WHO BATS IN THE CLEANUP SPOT is not going to help them win any games. The sample size is now large enough to indicate that Billy needs to be moved down in the order. Every time he comes to the plate, instead of a homer, I am thinking Homer:

Danny Duffy pitched 2 innings of relief and was the winning pitcher. He looked pretty solid, with 4 strikeouts, although he did give up 3 hits. Greg Holland got the save, although he gave up a hit and a walk. He is now 5 for 5 in save opportunities, which is tied for third among all baseball clubs. The bullpen is looking a little better than their first two series against the White Sox and Tigers, albeit now they are facing the worst hitting team in the American League. They will need to be sharper against better hitting teams, who will punish them when they allow walks and give up hits. Also, the Royals’ defense was pretty shaky. They committed 4 errors, including one by Jarrod Dyson that could have eventually cost them the game in the bottom of the 10th inning when he fumbled a single up the middle that allowed a runner to advance to third base. 

The Royals are tied with the stupid Twins for last place in the AL Central, with the chance to make up some ground in the next 4 games. James Shields pitches tonight and HE NEVER HAS TWO BAD GAMES IN A ROW SO WATCH OUT ASTROS.