Just when you thought...

It seemed like the Royals had turned a corner, winning series against all the NL teams, but the Reds. Life seemed good, they were playing above average baseball adn putting runs on the board!

Sadly, just when things looked up (and we all knew they wouldn't win every series, every time), Buddy Bell friggs things up again.

Follow the reasoning, maybe you disagree; I was at the Minnesota game July 3rd and saw the whole thing go down.

Fact:
1) Scott Elarton was not pitching particularly well. Whether you believe Moneyball thoughts and general consensus, you want your pitcher throwing 1st pitch strikes to get the batter down in the count and thinking. Scott did this sparingly. All night he was battling from 2-0, 3-0 counts. Kudos to only giving up 3 runs pitching w/o usual command.
2) In a close game, when you are beating someone you shouldn't be, you don't want to give free runners. In the 8th, for whatever reason, Buddy made the moronic decision to put Elarton back in after he had a) pitched more than 105 pitches, and b) not pitched first, second pitch strikes all night long. My Buddy's plan obviously failed when Scott walked the first batter on 4 straight pitches, opening the window to a MN comeback; and comeback they did.

You may disagree with me about Buddy's decision affecting the rest of the inning, but things often snowball. You lie to your friend, a small lie, but then you have to start telling other lies to cover the first and eventually everything snowballs. Wellemeyer gets the first out, then gives up a hit, so what happens, Buddy makes bad decision #2.

He goes for the lefty-lefty match up. I don't believe in it, especially/ESPECIALLY, when your lefty pitcher is having a horrible year and not getting anyone out. After Affeldt had been warming up in the 7th, one would assume you bring in that lefty, who has been pitching better out of relief. Instead, my Buddy brings in Sisco who promptly gives up a run. Then Burgie comes in and wild pitches and then Buck throws everything away.

This is the corner I had hoped to turn. We have too many veterans for this poor thinking, poor strategizing, and poor play to continue. Burgos should be sent to AAA, Sisco should be sent to AAA. No closer you ask? Joe Nelson closed in AAA for a few games and can clearly do it. OR suffer with Affeldt for a couple weeks till MacDougie gets healthy. Saavy?

Youth movements are redonkulous when you have subpar veterans (Elarton, Dessens, Redman, Sanders) and overmatched youth (Sisco, Burgos, Nunez, Greinke, Howell).

This leads to my next comment, I congratulate you Dayton for showing character and patience in your decision to keep Greinke in AA and slowly move him along. This is what should have been done with all our youths, and if it were possible to trade some of the youthful ones, you should for other youth that haven't been tainted by Baird's Rush Plan. If some of the youth show the fortitude to keep their confidence, then they WILL be good players, but for instance, Sisco is overmatched and seems unsure of himself on the mound. Burgos has no command and no respect for the "thinking" portion of the game. THINK how good he could be with COMMAND and his STUFF. Sadly, he's not half the player he could be b/c he has no control, making his stuff suspect.