Wha... What?!?

What just happened? I mean, we did win 8 out of 10 right? Why does that feel like four years ago already? I honestly am at a loss for words right now... how are we playing this bad? This team shouldn't be this bad at all, our offense is supposed to be really good, and our pitching has done very well (remember the last few years). I just don't know. I can't place all the blame on my new enemy buddy bell (although I can blame him for a lot)... these guys just need to get it together. I think I'm going to go cry now...

brandx (I'd say I'm smiling on the inside, but that'd be a lie)

Winning streak....

Hot damn boys!!! 4 in a row and 8 out of 10!! World Series here we come!!!! (ok maybe not, but you gotta love the baseball our beloved Royals are playing.)

AL vs. NL - regression towards the mean...

I agree with BrandX that the AL is better than the NL. This was one reason I was concerned about acquiring Brian Bannister. His only starts came last year with the Mets, and while he pitched well early on, he stumbled late (after his injury) and had an ERA around 4 in the NL.

He has proven me wrong (sort of). I am concerned about Bannister's long term future with the Royals, though it is tempered by strong feelings of hope as he continues to keep the Royals in each of his starts. What concerns me is his career K:BB ratio. It isn't very good, and last night, he continued his trend, (3K:3BB). For the season, he has 10 KK:9BB. This is a horrid ratio; average to good pitchers usually have 2:1 or 3:1, K:BB walk ratio, while great pitchers, obviously have a bit higher. Bannister sits at a 1:1 ratio, and for his career, has 29K, 31BB. Though this year, he is a scootch better than league average for earned runs (Bannister - 4.15, League Average - 4.16). At some point, I get the feeling he will start getting burned as AL pitchers figure him out, unless he has (or develops) an out pitch. Thus far, he has been masterful at getting double plays, he needs to lower his WHIP (1.43) and BAA (.259). For comparisons sake, Gil has a 1.19 WHIP, and .250 BAA. It's a slight difference, but WHIP can be a telling indicator of a pitcher's ability.

WHIP - Walks + Hits per 9 IP

Looking at Bannister, we can see that he gives up about one and a half hits and walks per inning pitched. A bit dangerous.

Regression towards the Mean:

I think it's interesting that when the Royals picked up Wellemeyer off waivers last year, he had a 6 or 7 ERA with the MARLINS. Proving everyone wrong (especially the NL to AL argument), he was a better pitcher against the AL (3+ ERA). This year, he seems to have regressed to his ability-level, as he was getting crushed each and every time he went out there. It is better that he is not on the team, but not b/c he is a bad pitcher. It's an important PR move. In the past, the Royals have stuck with bad pitchers and hitters b/t they had no one else. Well, clearly, we have no one else to really take his spot (though Dotel is coming!!), think Musser, Braun, etc. I'm not saying these aforementioned pitchers won't be decent to good ML pitchers, just not yet.

Having Wellemeyer on the team almost contradicts the great Meche move. We spend money to show that we want to win now, but we'll leave a guy like Wellemeyer on the team. For a team that is waaaay below .500, image and PR are important leading into next season's free agency. Getting rid of Wellemeyer and taking a few more losses won't change the overall image of Wins/Losses, but it will show that we won't keep crap on the team anymore. I think another boost to this team's image will be getting rid of Perez; though he is practically free, everyone loved the move last year (media, fans (myself included), etc.), he hasn't been very good. So either, he must be traded, dropped onto waivers, or continue his past couple starts with a better sinker to get guys out. I'm holding my breath on that last one though.

Anyone else find it amusing that Burgos isn't very good in the NL either? 4.15 ERA, maybe he has more potential, but in terms of upside, Bannister is a starter; Burgos will never be a starter and decent to good starters are a precious commodity, while relievers can be a dime a dozen. If Bannister makes his good starting a trend with 6-7 IP / outing, then I will finally be swayed that Bannister-Burgos was a legit trade. I think it was a good trade in the first place, b/c Burgos was a malcontent and a bad pitcher, but any Bannister success is added icing on the cake and fills a desperate need for the Royals.

TiDbiTS

Greinke is making me wet my pants. Literally. I don't know if he's just going to be inconsistent b/c he is young or if he really will be a better middle relief pitcher, but at this point, you have to leave the guy in when he's having this much success. Keep him in MR until an injury occurs, a demotion, or until next year's spring training. He has been absolutely dominant his last two appearances. Don't tamper with a good thing.

On the other hand, Soria's dominance has been waning, and that is b/c he's young. I'm ok with him being the closer until Dotel returns, and I'm ok with him taking over the role eventually (though I'd rather he be a SP), but doesn't experience count for something? Soria as a setup man, still gives him some experience late innings, but Dotel has been there, he's been a closer for 2 or 3 years, and if he's healthy, he's pretty dominant (remember spring training). This team truly cannot afford blown saves. We will lose enough games without a save situation for us to help the other team.

AL vs NL

buddy bell just lost one of his favorite weapons for good, thank God! todd wellemeyer was claimed off of waivers by the st. louis cardinals. This is really a blessing for us Royals fans, because wellemeyer would have inevitably been called up again in the year (probably sooner than later) and would have continued his sheer dominance of AL hitters with his 10+ era (note the sarcasm). Now bell can't use him... as opposed to using him at every opportunity like before - 'what, the guy's got an era above 7, I use him every night, and he can't get a full three outs without giving up a run? WHY THE HELL ISN"T HE IN THERE NOW?!?!?!?' I'm pretty sure that's a direct quote by bell in the dugout during a game... and he wasn't being sarcastic. Anyway, this should be the true litmus test of AL vs NL. If he goes over to st. louis and pitches at all well then it COMPLETELY and without a doubt proves that the AL is the better league. We shall see.

On a side note, I'm seeing some positives in the Royals' play recently. For one, Riske is finding his groove again, and pitching great! If he can keep that up, that makes our bullpen a little more stable, and could help turn it into a decent 'pen. De la Rosa is showing what the Royals were hoping he would... control. He's turned into our legit number 2 and that's great, because he's young, and we have a lot of young pitching talent waiting to blossom... we have the potential to have one of the best rotations in the bigs in a couple of years. You all know my feelings on Teahen. Gordon has been hitting the ball hard lately, which tells me he'll start getting his hits before long. German is still a hitting machine - for real, WHO IS THIS GUY? Pena has been hitting pretty well lately, which is a bonus. John Buck has stayed on fire... his average may have dropped a little, but he's still up around .300 and he leads the team in homers with 7, let's hope he can keep it up. Shealy should be returning from the DL, if he can start where he left off then we've got a strong rbi threat again. Even though Sweeney hasn't been real patient at the plate he's hitting the ball pretty hard for the most part - again meaning his hits will come (as long as he gets some patience). Greinke has pitched with authority out of the 'pen, if he can translate that to the rotation then he's going to be scary. Bannister has been quietly effective in each of his starts; I like this kid... he's got moxy and he's going to be a strong starter for us for a long time. Soria has obviously been a stud; he's not afraid of anyone and he goes after them. He's gonna blow a few saves and lose a few games that way, but I'd take that any day from our pitchers as long as they're going after people. And of course, Gil Meche has pitched like a Cy Young candidate, even though he won't be considered because he's not going to win enough games (because our offense won't kick in early enough in the game) and he's with the Royals instead of a big market, est coast, west coast team. I see losts to hope for and be excited about... GO ROYALS!!!!

brandx (the AL is better, by the way)

A Response

I agree with almost everything stated in the prior post. If berroa is hitting then I'm glad to have him back. We need all the offense we can get. I'm also good with him defensively for a few innings, the biggest concern is putting him in high-pressure situations, which is where we have had trouble and need help anyway.

I also agree with the sentiments about Gordon... why move him around? That only spells more miscues and stunted development. We all know this guy will come around, but why throw more at him when he's obviously a bit overwhelmed? This is just another case of buddy bell being a total and complete moron... honestly, how is this guy a major league manager? Why does no one see that he is terrible, and only prolonging the Royals' problems?

The one thing I disagree with is something already hinted at in the post. I'm not big on berroa in the 2 spot. Ideally the 2 spot is saved for someone that will take an out, but only to move the runners. The 2 spot has to be someone with GREAT bat control, they take what pitchers give them and hit to the opposite field a lot. If berroa can keep the strikeouts down (which is almost laughable at this point), then I could see him as an effective 2 spotter. But he has to put the ball in play almost every trip to the plate (whether or not he gets a hit). Basically a good 2 spotter is going to create all kinds of RBI for the big hitters, because he's getting runners into scoring position for the 3,4, and 5 guys. Really, they are the un-sung heroes of a successful lineup.

brandx

Ever the Optimist! Curses!!

Player POS G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI TB BB SO SB CS OBP SLG AVG OPS E
Berroa SS 30 122 15 37 5 0 1 15 45 4 17 2 1 .336 .369 .303 .705 5

Would it not be ironic if Angel Berroa is the savior of this lineups hitting woes. Past experience says he will definitely not be. But after his initial call-up, Angel did manage Rookie of the Year with 17-odd homers and 70 or 80 RBIs, which this team definitely needs.

I won't say that he's going to be the longterm solution for our hitting deficiencies, in fact, having him in our lineup at all shows just how bad we are, but if he can continue to hit around .260 to .280 as he may be capable of doing, while cutting down on the strikeouts, then this may be a useful promotion. ESPECIALLY, if he will be used as Pena's backup.

The one issue I have with Angel being a utility player is the fact that he strikes out too much. Honestly, if it's the 8th inning and you want to substitute Pena out for Berroa, as a manager, I'm not too worried about Berroa's defense for 2 innings. What I'm worried about is subbing Berroa in for Pena when there are 2 outs in the 8th, bases loaded and the Royals are down by 1 or 2 runs. This situation is rife for Berroa to swing at bad pitches and miss.

I hope I'm wrong and that Berroa had a chance to clear the cobwebs, or that he'll ride his nice hitting streak for a few more weeks in the bigs. Either way, one hopes that he will continue to hit.

Venturing into an area I know nothing about, so if one of my compatriots wants to school us all on the science of a lineup, please do. It almost seems worthwhile to bat Berroa 2nd in the lineup after Dejesus, rather than later in the game. I'm not sure what types of pitches an average player sees in the number 2 slot, but Berroa does have speed and the #2 slot initially in the game, has very little pressure involved; are my thoughts, but again, I don't know the science.

What worries me about this promotion, and Gload's injury, is that suddenly, our plethora of 1B are gone. I could care less if Sweeney sees time at 1B. In my book, anything he does is added bonus b/c he isn't a player I care to count on anymore for 2 reasons: he will not be back with us next year (unless he finds his offense and decides take MUCH MUCH less money) and even then, we have a professional DH already (though I'd take a hitting Sweeney and Butler's lackluster defense in the OF for a season). What bothers me is that Bell said Butler and/or Gordon will split time with Sweeney at first until Shealy is back (hopefully, by the end of the week; he begins his rehab today, I believe).

Firstly, Butler can't play D in the OF, how do they expect him to play D in the IF? Second, even though he has hit better than Gordon, last time I checked he was still hitting for shit (.243 BA, .256 OBP, .297 SLG).

The same argument applies to Gordon, hitting .164, .297 OBP, .259 SLG, with 39 Ks (leads team) and 7 errors. This is a guy struggling in all aspects of his game and now they want him to switch positions for a couple days. Even though it is short-term, I see this as a hindrance to his development. Esteban German is supposed to be able to play most of the positions, make him suck it up rather than playing him at 3rd.

Thoughts from the Whiter-side of things...

After watching the WGN coverage of the Royals-White Sox last night, it only makes me more and more confused how a guy like Hawk is allowed to call White Sox games. So annoying mannerisms:

"He gone" for a homer, that is dumb.
Calling the Sox the "good guys" and everyone else the "bad guys."
In the middle of a broadcast, he starts rooting for Sox players, how unprofessional.

Though some of the KC Broadcasters suck (aforementioned in the previous post), one can definitely say that Denny Matthews and Ryan Lefebvre are two of the most professional broadcasters a team could have. Granted we have had a bad team, and therefore, wasted much of Denny's talent (before he retires, one would think soon, hopefully not), they are a great team.

But on to my real rant. The White Sox broadcasters actually made 2 outlandish statements. First of all, they stated that the one good thing of losing is that we consistently get high draft picks. Any person worth their salt, will realize that the baseball draft is the most ludicrous draft ever. Guys taken in the 45th round have just an equal chance of being awesome or a flop as guys taken first overall. For some reason, baseball seems to be the hardest sport to draft; and therefore, it isn't a good thing to have high draft picks. That's pure foolishness for anyone to say.

Their second comment was that all the pieces are in place for this team. I don't really have an issue with the overall statement, as they stated some of the young players are very talented and will come around, as they stated Dayton Moore is a superb mind that should get the Royals back on track soon, but what irked me is that they stated we have a "great manager" in Buddy Bell. Buddy has had better talent this year and has shown that even with better talent he will ignore wisdom and statistics and go with his gut (which is fine if you're more right than wrong), which is obviously more wrong than EVER right. He also has an issue with playing oldies and not youngies, unless he is forced to (Buck b/c LaRue is hurt or Gload more than Shealy).

Buddy should be fired b/c he has issues using young talent that is struggling. Maybe it's b/c he thinks vets can help him win now (rather than let the talent develop into skill) b/c he fears for his job. Well, if he fears for his job, any smart person would not accept a job like the Royals until they were a semi-established team. I know everyone always thinks they are the guy to fix the problem, but wouldn't it really be smarter to turn down a job and be a bench coach for the Red Sox or Indians or Mets rather than fail fail fail at a job like the Royals.

And one really has to be confused by Dayton's thought processes. Clearly he wants the team to get younger, he's forcing Bell to play Greinke, Bannister, Buck, Gordon, Butler, Meche, Dejesus, Teahen, Soria, among others, yet it is clear that if Bell were to ever succeed, he'd need good, old vets. He just doesn't appear to be a developer of young talent. One could also argue that he should be fired, or if not him, our hitting coach. At some point, one would think this team would hit more consistently, but sometimes, trends develop where it appears the "X" is just a one time aberration. Clearly, this team only hits in spurts, i.e., the aberration is a good hitting day. The trend is that we hit like shit. This appears to be caused by the approach of the hitter, and we, as fans, cannot blame Gordon's offensive or defensive struggles on Bell or Gordon; some hitters just need a ton of time to get used to the bigs. That's fine, but continuing to use players like LaRue (who just can't hit) or Peralta, is INSANITY.

The only holdover from this regime I want is Bob McClure. He seems to be the fixer, from now on, when I say "The Fixer," I'm referring to McClure. He appears to have made a pitcher out of De La Rosa (4-3, 3.86 ERA, with 28K & 12BB), fixed Gil Meche's delivery, and seems to be the guy to help Greinke through this current rough patch.

I still advocate a manager like Joe Girardi who seems to create a better mental approach in hitters and fielders (runs Spring Training like a boot camp) and obviously knows how to get the most out of youth and prospects. Is he the only one out there? Def. not. What Dayton needs to do is find a guy that buys into his philosophy, whether that be a newbie or a retread. Either way, it's time to fix the Royals' onfield miscues and get their hitting into place and maybe find a manager who understands situational statistics (Jimmy Gobble CANNOT PITCH TO LEFTIES SUCCESSFULLY OR HOLD INHERITED RUNNERS!!!! THE GUY IS USEFUL IF HE STARTS AN INNING!! JIMMY ALMOST ALWAYS GIVES UP A HIT, BUT USUALLY MANAGES TO MINIMIZE DAMAGE!!!)!

That is all for now!

Thoughts and frustrations....

First, I want to say that I totally agree with my compadre. Teahen has been awesome, and just continues to show how great a player he is going to be.

What I really want to touch on is something I heard on the radio by our own Kansas City Radio personalities. Now, I can't tell you which one(s) made these comments, and they have the right to; however, I do feel that they are complete a*#holes and need to learn to be patient. The other day I heard some KC commentators saying that they needed to get to 40 games played before making any judgments, but they just couldn't help but say that 40 games into the first "Dayton Moore Season" and that this team is terrible. That they can't hit, can't pitch, can't field, or do "ANYTHING RIGHT!"

GO FIND A VERY LARGE POLE AND SHOVE RIGHT UP YOUR .......!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They must not be watching AT ALL. Yes, Gordon has struggled, both offensivley and defensively, but he will come around, he has too much talent not to. And I truly believe once his bat comes around his defense will improve ten fold becuase he will not be so worried about trying to do too much in the field to compensate for his lack of performance at the plate. But how can these people say these things. Gil Meche is Cy Young worthy right now, he is a true ACE. There are some bullpen issues, but with Elarton and Hudson coming back, that should hopefully help work those situations out. And no DEFENSE!? Has anyone be watching the outstanding play of TPJ? That guy has amazing range and is up there with any SS defensively. Yes, they are young and struggling, but did anyone think they would rattle of 20 something wins by now? NO. Shoot we are only 3 games worse the the CARDINALS, Missouri's favorite team, so we must not be THAT horrible. AND! Dayton Moore never said that he was going to turn the team around in ONE YEAR. Give it some time. There is a lot of potential on this team, and I personally think, a lot to look forward to in the future.

So all you KC radio personalities out there, go F yourself becuase you are too blind and impatient to be on the radio informing people about our beloved KC Royals.

Royal Blue

P.S. Buddy Bell needs to fired.

I Hate to Beat a Dead Horse, but...

About the only bright spot (not THE only, but close) so far this season has been the play of Mark Teahen. His hitting is coming around, his baserunning is still top-notch, and his fielding has been superb. Did anyone really think this guy would transition this well?!? I mean, the guy leads the majors in outfield assists. And, a few of those are throws that seasoned vets that are good defensively and have cannons wouldn't make. I love this guy!

brandx (who's developing a bit of a man crush)

Spiderman 3

"If you do not climb, you will not fall. This is true. But is it that bad to fail, that hard to fall?" - The Sandman

Spiderman 3 was a complete waste of some fine plot ideas, good tie-ins, and poor acting. I don't even know where to begin except to say that it was the best idea for a movie I've seen in quite awhile, and surprisingly with Sam Raimi, didn't pull it off. With 2 of the best superhero movies in Spiderman 1 and 2, it was quite shocking that 3 was dribble. The acting was supbar, it looked as if Sam's direction regressed back to bad b-movie schlock (not the good kind, which there is!!), and a reliance on coolness rather than characterization.

The Good:
- Plot points:
1. what a cool way to tie everything together: vengeance. It worked because you had the Sandman killing Uncle Ben, reigniting the fire in Peter which only is made worse by the Venom gunk and the idea that Peter and Mary-Jane's relationship is falling apart was nicely done. It can be assumed that Spidey would take a toll on their relationship. Harry was also a cool, if slightly dumbly put-together plot. His relationship leading up to Green Goblin Jr. made sense and it seemed as though he would get his revenge. I don't even mind his amnesia or his actions at the end. What I do mind is how gay his suit and snowboard looked. Their team-up at the end seemed artificial (which teaming up is cool, but make it work better).
2. Coolest point of a movie in awhile (due to the acting in Spidey 1 and 2) is when Spidey blows up Harry. I had chills! Why couldn't the rest of the movie be similar to this. Or when Harry hurts Peter by saying he's the other man. This was great stuff.

BAD!
The movie takes too long in showing how much the fame has gone to his head. It's kind of unneeded, especially b/c Jonah would never let it happen. Peter and MJ's relationship/acting. It was pretty "go through the motions" kind of stuff. The relationship b/t Topher and Tobey seemed artificial. Topher should have had more to do in the movie, his scene where he asks God to kill Peter was really good.

Too many villains. I think things would have been good without Venom or the Sandman, having both plus Harry really gunked the plot up. Personally, I would have kept Venom in, and used the Sandman without powers (he doesn't really do much in the movie), which would allow for the vengeance plot device without mucking around in Sandman contrivance.

Here's an idea:
Keep much of the movie the same, but lose about the 1st 30 minutes where everything is hunky-dory! Move Peter's badness to the beginning/middle section and then halfway through the movie, he loses the suit. Then the movie becomes more horror-oriented b/c Venom knows everything about Peter and his abilities.... making it an awesome, Venom creeping around kidnapping family and friends, attacking Peter in his non-Spidey identity and wreaking general havoc on his life. You lose Sandman as a villain and lose Harry after he gets blown up, only to realize what his father had done as the Goblin and realize he was a bad person (he did try to kill MJ) and then he comes to Peter's rescue right at the end before he and MJ or Aunt May bite the dust.

What I'm trying to say is that the movie only needed 2 villains, Harry and Venom. Peter could have been his own villain for the first half of the movie. Instead, we get a poorly made, retread of too much going on. Here's hoping that Batman 2 or Superman 2 isn't affected by this poor movie. Though I don't think it will be, this movie has gotten better reviews than it deserves, and I think it's partly b/c everyone is willing to cut the creative slack b/c 2 out of 3 movies were classics. I'm not satisfied and don't think they should be cut slack.

But as the quote says at the beginning, the idea of the movie was splendid, and it was a lofty tale to tell and I appreciate Sam and crew trying, if they hadn't even tried, they wouldn't have failed, but then none of the movies would have been made and none of the superhero movies would be as good as they have been.

So, Sam, it was a shitty movie, but thanks for 2 good ones and thanks for trying! I hope they don't hire you, or any of the old crew back, it's been a good run (could have been great), but it's time for some new blood!

Tids

Brandx brings up a good point: Gil Meche has been awesome. Buster Olney reported today that in terms of quality starts, Gil Meche has 7, while the WHOLE YANKEES staff has 9 for the season. Plus, Gil is second in the MAJORS for innings pitched. He's been lights out even when he's been average. It seems that it's not his talent (though quite impressive) that Moore saw, but his mental assets.

I was wrong, and will continue to admit it until otherwise proven. De La Rosa has been impressive and deserves his spot in the rotation. And think, his ERA would be even better if Braun hadn't given up some inherited runners in Seattle.

Reggie, who was finally hitting, is surprisingly injured. Or not, surprisingly. He's old, he's injury-prone and we continue to have to see Baird's poor choices in free agent acquisitions.

Buddy hinted on KCRoyals.com that a trade could be imminent (no backup SS or CF (other than Teahen)), so expect some movement there in the next few days.

I have to agree with Rotoworld.com that Costa is an odd-choice to bring up for Sanders unless you take into account that he's the hottest hitter in AAA and/or, Moore and Bell truly believe that Teahen can play CF. Otherwise, I would have thought backup CF Joey Gathright would have made some sense for his defense (really, it's just average) and his speed. But for a hitting-strapped team, maybe Costa makes more sense.

Here's hoping Buddy doesn't give up on John Buck, who hasn't been hitting lately, and shy more towards Larue, even though today Bell said at some point, Larue's bat should come around. Not a ringing endorsement for Buck, who has got to be annoyed that he can't get playing time even though he's better offensively, younger, and blocks balls much better.

Is change good or bad? I'm very concerned for our pitching staff in the next few weeks. I think (and hopefully) we have too much starting pitching. I am not sure I want Dotel closing games with Soria proving so useful. I think Dotel as a setup man should be ok for the year, or at least for a few weeks until we know he's healthy and getting hitters out. I think it would be a poor decision to toss Soria before we know Dotel can get the majors out. John Bale, I'm not sold on this guy, though he is a lefty who "retired all the lefties" in his appearance in AAA. But who do you demote? If it were me, it'd be Wellemeyer (who has been pitching better lately) or Peralta (who really hasn't; see any post by me to gain knowledge on why I dislike Peralta). More change is bad though b/c it cannot be argued that Meche and De La Rosa deserve to be in the rotation. Greinke also deserves it, even though he has struggled for half his starts, but he's young and this is almost like his rookie year again, so he's got to re-figure out how to adjust. Bannister has pitched well for 2 starts and deserves a couple more to prove his worth. Perez is the only guy that shouldn't be in the rotation, and even he is pitching better with his purported "new pitch." Would I take Elarton, if he continues throwing like he did in his last start (7 IP, 4 ER (all in the first though))? Heck yes, over Perez anyday. But Hudson grows less and less useful in my eyes if Bannister or Greinke continue to be average to above. Or trade Elarton and give Huddy Perez's spot. I just don't see how you mess with a rotation that is pitching effectively enough (even with Perez's bloated ERA) to be 4-6th in the American league. Granted, their BP needs help, but Dotel and Bale will soon be here, which probably demotes Musser and ...?

With Butler and Costa to help provide offense to an ineffective offense, this team should start improving.

Bob McClure has impressed me. He has gotten better results from De La Rosa, fixed Meche's delivery and is teaching Jimmy Gobble a side-arm approach which may make him more effective against lefties. This is the mini-Leo Mazzone for the Royals and they would be smart to either sign this guy for awhile or hire Leo Mazzone.

Now, if we could get the Bob McClure of hitting, thereby fixing whatever is wrong with a team that consistently gets on base, but can't produce runs, this team could easily be .500 and go on a winning streak. My optimism is returning!

I know it's early, but...

Gil Meche is kicking some serious ass! Here's the numbers so far:

Record: 3 - 1
ERA: 2.23
IP: 48.1
H: 47
R: 18
ER: 12
HR: 5
BB: 10
SO: 35

If he keeps this up then we're sitting pretty with a steal at $55 million. That's gotta be better than most of the free-agent pitchers picked up this off-season, if not all.
Let's hope he can keep it up.

Oh, and is anyone else getting excited about this bullpen. Hear me out. Duckworth has been lights out - last 4 outings: 6 IP, 4 hits, no runs... all games were won by the Royals. And, Soria... 5 saves, and the dude is not afraid of anyone... he strikes people out like a mother too. Just think, we get Dotel back that pushes Duckworth and Soria earlier in the ballgame and suddenly we've got a more stable bullpen... a pretty deep bullpen. It should help the other guys find their groove too.

And our offense has gotta come around at some point... it's only a matter of time before we play spoiler to a lot of good ball clubs out there!

brandx (Gil Meche's #1 fan)