Game 31 Open Thread - Angels (20-13) at Royals (14-16)
Los Angeles @ Kansas City
After a mini-sweep in Cleveland the Royals are once again positioned to inch closer to the magical .500 mark, but desperately need tonight's game to do so. Win, and it's 15-16, lose, and there's a seemingly larger than warranted fall to 14-17. I don't know, perhaps no one is as interested in this minor details as I am.
At the end of yesterday's game thread, NyRoyal, I believe, pointed out that the AL Central standings are now almost fully upside-down from what many would have predicted: Cleveland and Detroit at the bottom, the Twins and White Sox fighting it out for first, and the Royals somewhere in the middle.
Tonight, Brett Tomko (6.26 ERA) makes his sixth start of the season against the Angels, a squad that he couldn't quite control in a 5-3 loss last month. If Tomko can last two innings tonight, he'll go over 1700 innings pitched on his career (career ERA 4.64). So keep that in mind as you watch the game. Tomko is currently 31st amongst active pitchers in innings pitched, and could very well pass Freddy Garcia tonight for 30th.
The Angels counter with Ervin "Magic" Santana (2.48 ERA).
Expect many Angel-rific baserunning blunders tonight at the K. You know Hillman's gotta represent in front of the cool kids from SoCal.
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Dare I say
First?
Sometimes you just gotta roll the potato.
by CentralChamps2009 on
May 5, 2008 6:42 PM EDT
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I almost prefer
Tomko pitching against someone who looks unhittable. At least then, we can always say, “It wasn’t like we were going to win this one anyhow.”
Sometimes you just gotta roll the potato.
by CentralChamps2009 on
May 5, 2008 6:43 PM EDT
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Our Turn
Last week when the pitching matchup was decidedly in our favor (Grienke v. Ponson), we lost. That bothered me a great deal, but perhaps it will be our turn tonight to win when we shouldn’t. If so, I’ll call it even.
I don't fight extra players.
by paleblueeyes on
May 5, 2008 6:47 PM EDT
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KCSP Is On
The intertubes!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 7:36 PM EDT
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the excitement is building!
I feel a solid start from Tomko is forthcoming.
by royalsreview on
May 5, 2008 7:46 PM EDT
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let's go royals
the jury is still out as to whether this is actually on TV or not…
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 7:46 PM EDT
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Question
Did we ever give up a guy for Salmon?
I don't fight extra players.
by paleblueeyes on
May 5, 2008 8:00 PM EDT
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we've never traded anyone for fish...
bada boom
by Royal Revival on
May 5, 2008 8:03 PM EDT
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Some Eastern European
Soccer team traded a guy for meat; sausage, if memory serves.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:09 PM EDT
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Bold prediction:
Tomko gets hammered before AND after the game.
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:05 PM EDT
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How about During
The game?
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:10 PM EDT
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That goes without saying
Thanks for setting up the punchline
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:12 PM EDT
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What's His Poison?
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:13 PM EDT
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Leadoff hitter skies one to the warning track in dead center
This, my friends, is not a good omen.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:14 PM EDT
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I like how Tomko ran the count to 3-2 throwing all fastballs
God bless good control
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:14 PM EDT
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Trey Gives Us
The usual.
D. DeJesus cf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .333
M. Grudzielanek 2b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .286
A. Gordon 3b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .281
J. Guillen lf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .171
M. Teahen rf 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
B. Butler dh 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .291
R. Gload 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .289
J. Buck c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .247
T. Pena Jr. ss 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .163
Totals 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Buck is hot lately.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:14 PM EDT
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I'm not seeing a good performance from Tomko today...
But, maybe I’ll be proven wrong…
by rockchalk on
May 5, 2008 8:14 PM EDT
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That...
...was possibly the most comedic play, overall, I have ever seen.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:16 PM EDT
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It's on the list
I’ll take it tho
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:17 PM EDT
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Was It That
Funny? Butler does that well kind of regularly.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:18 PM EDT
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It was the combination
Of DDJ booting it, Grudz squatting over second like he was about to take a dump, and Aybar just stopping three feet short of the base like a moron.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:19 PM EDT
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Stupid Baserunning Saves
The day.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:17 PM EDT
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We deserve to benefit from stupid base running
God knows we’ve given away enough outs
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:18 PM EDT
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Angels beating us to the punch...
On committing stupid outs on the basepaths. I just hope we don’t try to imitate them…
by rockchalk on
May 5, 2008 8:18 PM EDT
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Ugh
We’re gonna need a strong offensive showing this evening.
by kansasjhawk044 on
May 5, 2008 8:19 PM EDT
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there we go nice start
I get to actually watch the game today here in socal…
Cool.
Accidentally not thedude925 anymore. I do hate this new name.
by wildthang on
May 5, 2008 8:20 PM EDT
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DDJ is on fire, no doubt
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:20 PM EDT
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Seen 4 pitches, swung at two of them
Nice to see the patient approach
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:21 PM EDT
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it's all just bubbling anticipation and subtext
until Gload can explode
by royalsreview on
May 5, 2008 8:22 PM EDT
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can we make outs on the basepaths?
yes we can!
Accidentally not thedude925 anymore. I do hate this new name.
by wildthang on
May 5, 2008 8:23 PM EDT
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YES! Lets steal with our number 3 hitter up.. Brilliant fucking idea
A lot of you wont like me... by I assure you my opinion will be voiced GO ROYALS!
by focs on
May 5, 2008 8:24 PM EDT
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Goddammit just fucking stupid
Why are we running against one of the hottest pitchers in baseball with our best hitter at the plate. SO STUPID
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:24 PM EDT
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We are all even on stupid baserunning mistakes...
1 – 1.
by rockchalk on
May 5, 2008 8:24 PM EDT
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A-Gor Only .238
On the road trip; imagine if he’d done that last year.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:24 PM EDT
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Send him down
resign Joker
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:25 PM EDT
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third tour of duty
I always felt bad that he went back to the Pirates a second time
by royalsreview on
May 5, 2008 8:27 PM EDT
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I find it hard to believe
that Randa’s 8th in games played in franchise history, to be honest.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:30 PM EDT
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NINE pitch inning for Santana
Just giftwrap the damn game
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:24 PM EDT
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Can someone mail Bannister the reams of data showing that guys attempting to steal actually hurts the hitter more than the batter? And that all the hits it supposedly causes are mostly just from the opened hole between first and second?
Hopefully Banny can pass it along to Trey.
by royalsreview on
May 5, 2008 8:27 PM EDT
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Fire whoever gave DDJ the green light there
now we get guillen leading off the next inning, and allowed santana to throw so few pitches he might get to pitch an extra inning in the game. brilliant
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:28 PM EDT
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saw this on yahoo/inside edge
• Los Angeles Angels starter Ervin Santana has seemingly taken care of his road woes this year. After going 1-10 with an 8.38 ERA on the road last year, Santana is 3-0 with a 3.72 ERA away from Anaheim this season. Santana’s average fastball velocity is up to 93.6 mph from 92.2 mph a year ago. The extra zip could help him past a Royals team today that batted .417 and belted 3 homers against him in two starts last season. The Royals currently have the lowest slugging percentage in the AL (.269) on fastballs over 91 mph.
by royalsreview on
May 5, 2008 8:30 PM EDT
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Slugging
Why qualify it with “fastballs over 91 mph”? Doesn’t lowest slugging percentage in the AL pretty much cover it?
by KCctrell85 on
May 5, 2008 8:35 PM EDT
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Wanna subscription to Grit, Mister?
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:31 PM EDT
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I have no idea what is going on
I got distracted and the game isn’t on TV (thanks, Charter Communications!)
Oh well, there’s always Bob and Denny, right?
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:33 PM EDT
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I'm getting really annoyed with ESPN
Signed up for their free ESPN Insider trial thingy, realized it was total crap and tried to cancel. They want me to call them to cancel, wtf? Pretty sure if I subscribe online I should be able to cancel online.
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:34 PM EDT
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i hate it when companies do that
just tell them no for about five minutes and then you’ll be good to go.
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:35 PM EDT
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Guillen looks terrible
That was a gross AB
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:36 PM EDT
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Santana Is Blowing
Gas tonight. Guillie was overmatched.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:37 PM EDT
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I definitely don't remember him throwing 95
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:37 PM EDT
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Inflated..
The mph they show on screen are always at least 2-3 mphs too high.
by KCctrell85 on
May 5, 2008 8:40 PM EDT
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Santana: 19 pitches in 2 innings
Beautiful guys. Just beautiful.
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:39 PM EDT
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okay, quick opinion poll
Dad is working the games Wednesday through Sunday. Which means that I have a plethora of games to pick from for attending. Because of moving from my dorm to an apartment on campus, I will not be able to go to the Sunday game. I’ll be going to Saturday’s game because chaa, 21 now, I can get a free umbrella and carry it with pride.
So that leaves Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Wednesday is $7 college night, which could be pretty sweet…but then again, I haven’t been to a Friday night game yet this season and if we win, I get to treat myself to super awesome firework fun (thems the rules for L2…if they’re in a deficit of 13+ you are allowed to leave the game, if they win on Friday you get to watch fireworks…otherwise you leave to beat the “crowd”).
What’s everyone’s thoughts? Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday? Discuss.
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:40 PM EDT
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College night
My friends and I went a few times on those last year and they were great
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:41 PM EDT
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i'll have to see if i can wrangle friends to go with me...
they’re not as much fun by yourself. Which…in all honesty is usually what happens to me at games.
This is finals week, so that might be a bit hard to manage. Hmmm…
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:42 PM EDT
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Well, in the summer the promise of boozing in the parking lot usually gets them there
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:45 PM EDT
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i will keep that one in my back pocket for future reference
thank you, good sir.
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:45 PM EDT
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Four words I never thought I'd hear in the same sentence:
Brett, Tomko, Nasty, Curveball.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:43 PM EDT
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here's a way you can put tehm in teh same sentence...
Brett Tomko does not have a nasty curveball.
Oh, wait.
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:44 PM EDT
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i'm in colledge. i type gud.
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:44 PM EDT
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You have no idea how often
I get in an argument with someone on the intarwebz and they can’t express themselves worth a damn and then try the “i have a masters degree in sychology dont tell me i dont know what im talking about ok” maneuver…
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:46 PM EDT
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I never thought I'd hear Bob Davis say the word 'wicked'
Boyfriend of the Year 2008: It's gonna be big!
by loyal2theroyals on
May 5, 2008 8:46 PM EDT
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Tomko just struck out the side, and I"m still not feeling godo about this game
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:47 PM EDT
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That's because you're pessimistic
You have to let go of your negative energies and become one with the universe.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:48 PM EDT
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Groovy
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on
May 5, 2008 8:55 PM EDT
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Daisuke Matzusaka is one weird due
4 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1K, 7 BB tonight against the Tigers. Just a really bizarre line.
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:49 PM EDT
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I think Bucky's about to go on an epic tear here real soon.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:49 PM EDT
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Potential 7 pitch inning for Santana
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:50 PM EDT
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Did you know
you can have a nine pitch inning without a hitter swinging at all?
True story.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:52 PM EDT
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Bad result for TPJ, but
his swing actually looked… almost… competent.
Sarcasm™. It's the new gravy.
by jonfmorse on
May 5, 2008 8:51 PM EDT
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29 pitches for Santana through 3
winning records follow good bullpens
by slayor on
May 5, 2008 8:53 PM EDT
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I can't even make a trip to the kitchen without missing the Royals bat...
it’s worse than being at the game.

