Up, then down. Win, then lose. Rejoice, then bemoan. High,
then low. Ecstatic, then…well you get the picture. This Royals-coaster season
just won’t stop the tireless cycle of emphatic wins followed by lifeless losses.
10 straight wins, then lose 6 of the next 7. Sweep the Astros in Houston, then
get swept by the same Astros in Kansas City.
Of course, in a 162-game season, there are bound to be ups
and downs, and this Royals team is certainly not going to dominate teams and
run away with the division. One of the most frustrating things is that so many
teams in the American League are so mediocre this year, barely above .500 just
like the Royals, and the Royals could easily take hold of at least one of the
Wild Card playoff spots with a little push here, a little timely hitting there,
and if JAMES SHIELDS WOULD STOP PITCHING POORLY. Oakland is the only team with
a win percentage over .600, so the Royals need to concentrate on either
catching Detroit for the division lead, or chase Seattle, Baltimore and the LA
Angels for the wildcard spots. Oh, and STOP LOSING TO THE MINNESOTA TWINS WHO
ARE TERRIBLE.
I have been negative enough on this blog, and would like to
point out some positive stats about the Royals, in hopes of keeping the faith
that the boys in blue might play October baseball this year:
- The Royals are 3 games over .500 and it is already July. That is worth praising
- The Royals are one of 7 American League teams, and 15 MLB teams with a positive run differential.
- The Royals have finally started beating the AL Central, and are 15-17 against their division opponents, which is third best among the division. They are also 8-4 in interleague play. Bring on the National League!
- They have scored the more runs than 16 teams, have hit more doubles than 22 teams, and have the 4th best batting average in the MLB. They are still last in bases on balls and home runs, however.
- Alcides Escobar is among the top 30 MLB players with his .297 batting average, and also ranks NUMBER 1 AS THE BEST SHORTSTOP IN THE GAME BASED ON MY PERSONAL OPINION AND HAVING WATCHED HIS HUMAN HIGHLIGHT REEL FOR YEARS.
- Currently, Jason Vargas and Danny Duffy rank #1 and 2 in lowest ERA on the road in the American League (1.60 and 1.84, respectively). That is phenomenal.
- Duffy, Wade Daivs, Greg Holland and Kelvin Herrera DO NOT ALLOW RUNS AT HOME OR ON THE ROAD. I wonder what its like facing a pitch from them. It is probably horrible, and could possibly be used as a form of torture (“WHERE DID YOU HIDE THE MONEY?” “I’ll never tell.” “Holland, throw this guy a slider!”)
·
Plenty of positives despite the back-and-forth nature of
this season. One last thing I wanted to touch on is James Shields. Last night
was his shortest outing of the season (he only lasted 5 innings), and he gave
up at least 4 runs in his third straight start. Not encouraging signs from the
Royals’ supposed clubhouse leader. He will be a free agent after this season,
so he is essentially pitching for a contract, and therefore, it is somewhat
curious as to why he has had such a rocky season. It remains unlikely he will
sign with Kansas City for 2015 because he will command too high a price, even
with his issues so far this season. The All-Star break should come at a good
time for him (and maybe Eric Hosmer) to get some rest and mentally (and
physically) re-adjust for the second half of the season, which will hopefully
include an actual pennant race.
I would like to see the Royals win their series with the
Twins this afternoon.
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