Balked
by royalsreview on Jul 10, 2008 12:01 AM EDT
in Events
71 comments
Did the Royals not speak to the media after the game? I've just read the AP game story, the official website story and Dutton's story with the Star.
No quotes.
Obligatory fangraphs representation:
- Full disclosure here: I more or less took this game off, although from the 7th on I was sporadically checking the score via my phone. Every once in awhile we've all got to pull a Rhoden. I didn't goto see Hancock however, I just watched some History Channel. Oh Monsterquest, you always rope me in, and you always let me down.
- Ross Gload went 3-4 and is now hitting .278. Trade him for a PTBNL yesterday.
- David DeJesus drew a walk to start the game. No one else followed his example.
- Banny almost turned in a helpful outing. Almost. Your Banny ERA update is 5.24.
- Billy Butler hit a double! We'll have that slugging percentage up to .350 any day now! I love getting excited about Royal prospects...
- Someone with an office job should check for me early tomorrow morning, but Buck may not be a sub-replacement level hitter (-VORP) after tonight's big game.
- I enjoy the box score oddity of Ramon Ramirez's blown save: 0.2 IP, 2 Ks, 0 Hs, 0 BBs. Blown save. Looking at the replays of the balk, I have no idea. Konerko certainly sold it.
Ramon Fernandez Ramirez, tell me, if you know,
Why, when the singing ended and we turned
Toward the town, tell why the glassy lights,
You jerked your neck forwardThe lights in the fishing boats at anchor there,
As the night descended, tilting in the air,
Mastered the night and portioned out the sea,
Fixing emblazoned zones and fiery poles,
Arranging, deepening, enchanting night.
They called you for balking
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no comments from the RRers either
must be a closed door meeting…
by royalsreview on Jul 10, 2008 12:21 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hillman and Bannister were interviewed on post-game show....
Hillman was visibly upset, especially when asked about Ramirez allowing Cabrera to walk to third. He was asked about why he didn’t ask Billy to bunt since it was a similar situation to last night. To my knowledge nobody asked him about pinch-hitting for Butler with a bunting option (Gathright?) in that situation.
Bannister gave his normal positive-filled interview about how he’s having success trying some new pitches in order to “miss some bats.’ However, he seemed to think that those pitches to Quentin “would’ve hit Buck’s glove right where they wanted them.” Ummm….not so much on those gopherballs Bannister.
by Fernando Vina School of Linguistics on Jul 10, 2008 12:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
interesting...
thanks…
this hobby would be so much easier if I lived in KC
by royalsreview on Jul 10, 2008 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
nationalsnightly@yahoo.com available?
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
probably claimed by a call girl
by royalsreview on Jul 10, 2008 12:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Do you think she's a "she-male" type?
A-Rod is just unbelievable—arguably the greatest player of his generation (only “arguably” because I don’t know where baseball “generations” stop or start) who just doesn’t do himself any favors publicity-wise. I’ll give him “mad props” (as the kids used to say) for his playing ability, but I reserve the right to mock every stupid publicity mess he gets into.
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
i havent followed the madonna angle...
but lots of people get divorced… that was going to be a story no matter what, unfortunately, because of who he is
by royalsreview on Jul 10, 2008 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
True
but not everyone decides to fight a lot of the battle through the press
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 1:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It might be simpler
but it wouldn’t be any EASIER.
Nobody will celebrate harder when the Royals make the playoffs!!
by juano on Jul 10, 2008 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I hate life
we lost the game and I dropped my phone in my damn soda and now it won’t work.
I hate life right now :( Last time I go to a baseball game (not really).
But I got 2 or 3 compliments on my Mexicutioner shirt, so that’s good!
4th place 08 baby! Baby steps (Thanks, Jose Guillen!) is the name of the game.
by loyal2theroyals on Jul 10, 2008 12:35 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
nice...
did you chill with Slugggrrr the whole game
by royalsreview on Jul 10, 2008 12:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
"rawr rawr rawr, that's all you ever say, Mascot Lion"
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 12:42 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
no, thank god
Sluggerrr scares the shit out of me.
4th place 08 baby! Baby steps (Thanks, Jose Guillen!) is the name of the game.
by loyal2theroyals on Jul 10, 2008 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
does the evil eye work on mascots?
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib
by buddyball on Jul 10, 2008 3:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yes
it does. But he’s too busy shaking the living god out of me to notice the evil eye. Plus, it’s hard to give an evil eye when your eyes are moving up and down and around like googly eyes.
4th place 08 baby! Baby steps (Thanks, Jose Guillen!) is the name of the game.
by loyal2theroyals on Jul 10, 2008 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Doesn't work? I've never had that problem
I fish my phone out of the soda, and the soda still tastes just as good. Did you leave the phone in long enough to warm the soda up? That might be your problem right there.
Chaim Mattis Keller New York City's # 1 Royals fan!
by cmkeller on Jul 10, 2008 11:26 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Was the soda good?
A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.
by NHZ on Jul 10, 2008 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
until i dropped the phone in it
then it was a waste of $6 all over the concrete.
4th place 08 baby! Baby steps (Thanks, Jose Guillen!) is the name of the game.
by loyal2theroyals on Jul 10, 2008 12:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
According to BP...John Buck has a positive VORP before tonight's game...
he may be above 1.0 after tonight!
by Fernando Vina School of Linguistics on Jul 10, 2008 12:45 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
DDJ with almost double Hoagie's VORP
And that’s with the hives!
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
the white sox are the new orioles
I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me
by LeoBloom on Jul 10, 2008 12:47 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
huge pixalated picture of hillman with quotes now up at the Star
http://www.kansascity.com/sports/story/699122.html
I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me
by LeoBloom on Jul 10, 2008 12:48 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
actually, i’m not sure what day this is from
I wanna know what love is, I want you to show me
by LeoBloom on Jul 10, 2008 12:49 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Monsterquest?
Speaking of shich, have they ever quested this one?
http://web.ncf.ca/bz050/iliamna.html
From the January 1988 issue of ALASKA magazine, page 17:
“The Lake Iliamna monster once again has reared its legendary head. On July 27, several, reportedly sober, etewitnesses say they saw a 10-foot, black “fish” leaping ans splashing in the lake, about five miles northwest of Pedro Bay village.
Verna Kolyaha was fishing from a skiff with her mother and sister when they saw the creature. Kolyaha approached to within 100 feet of the creature, which she said was shaped like a whale, with a white strip along the fin on its back. “It made an almost complete cricle around us,” Kolyaha told the Bristol Baytimes.”
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Jul 10, 2008 3:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
oh how i am so proud to be a royals fan!
yay! same. blue. tradition!
where .500 might; but, probably won't, happen.
by blue bandwagon on Jul 10, 2008 1:06 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don't think there is any question it was a balk
he was on the rubber and appeared to start his stretch, then stopped. That is one the 47 or so ways a pitcher can balk.
Nobody will celebrate harder when the Royals make the playoffs!!
by juano on Jul 10, 2008 9:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I missed the game too
Softball night is more important.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Jul 10, 2008 10:17 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I know it will be labeled as a Overreaction
But does anyone else have no confidence that RamRam could be a closer? I just don’t see it.
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 10:42 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Yeah
A RHP who turns right-handed batters into TPJ (.145/.242/.145) and left-handed batters into Joey Gathright (303/.361/.368 ) has no business pitching in high leverage situations.
by Gopherballs on Jul 10, 2008 11:44 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But he balked once!
Clearly he doesn’t have the mental attitude of a Joe Borowski.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Jul 10, 2008 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Just doesn't give me a lot of confidence
He doesn’t work himself out of jams well. If he walks a guy or two doesn’t seem like he can work around it.
His ERA is 3.38 in Sv sits compared to 2.67 in non-sv
His Whip is 1.5 vs. 1.08 also
He is a great 6-8 option to have but I don’t like him as a possible closer.
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 12:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Save situations
are contrived as hell. Therefore, that ERA split is pretty useless.
A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.
by NHZ on Jul 10, 2008 12:14 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
His BAagainst
also rises about 100 pts during medium and high leverage situations as well.
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 12:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You mean a pitcher gives up more hits
in situations when the opposing manager pinch hits for the worst hitters in the lineup and plays platoon matchups than in situations when the opposing manager pulls his best hitters so as to give his utility infielder and backup catcher some at bats?
Ramirez OPS+ against by leverage situation:
2 outs, RISP 67
Late & Close 63
Tie Game 58
Within 1 R 64
Within 2 R 72
Within 3 R 63
Within 4 R 64
Margin > 4 R -4
So you want to penalize him for being merely great in higher leverage situations because he has performed like a superhuman in no leverage situations?
by Gopherballs on Jul 10, 2008 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
wait a minute
that’s what you are supposed to do with pinch hitters?
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future. - Collected sayings of Muad'Dib
by buddyball on Jul 10, 2008 3:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Without looking
I’ll bet in the 9th, Ramirez if often brought in with guys on. I’ll bet Soria has faced that situation less that Ramirez has this season. Not criticizing Soria, just speculating that the “gap” between them might be accounted for in other ways.
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 1:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
maybe Soria should have a chat with him
about going to the mound with no fear.
4th place 08 baby! Baby steps (Thanks, Jose Guillen!) is the name of the game.
by loyal2theroyals on Jul 10, 2008 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not to mention
having fans (rightly) not criticize you for a rare blown save that they would rip your set-up guys for.
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 1:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I wasn't talking about last night
the night before he created his own mess.
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
One disagreement Gopherballs
I wish Ramirez’s presence could turn the real Joey Gathright into your 303/.361/.368 Joey Gathright. And that is pretty sad in itself for a guy who gets several starts a week.
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
At least Gload has...
...his average up to an appropriate number for a back-up infielder. Now if he could just get his OPS up to league average for a first baseman. But if he did that, we might not want to trade him. – TL
by timlacy on Jul 10, 2008 12:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
He won't
prettier batting average or no, he’s still really bad.
A mind without purpose will walk in dark places.
by NHZ on Jul 10, 2008 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
He is the best option KC has right now.
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 12:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shealy is hitting
.281/.362/.494 with 13 homers in Omaha
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Jul 10, 2008 12:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
I don’t know what we’re waiting for with Shealy. He’s been here before and failed. The worst he could do is repeat, but the best he could do is really help us win and get established. Get him up here! – TL
by timlacy on Jul 10, 2008 1:06 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shealy's translated PCL line (not a projection of what he would have hit in the majors)
.221/.292/.392 .234 Eqa
He is out of options after this year, so he should still get a look at some point this year.
by Gopherballs on Jul 10, 2008 1:10 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not a fan of Gload
but he never slugged below .500 in AAA so Shealy (the scrub) numbers in Omaha aren’t impressive.
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But
We know what we have in Gload.
We’re less certain what we have in Shealy. Maybe he’s a AAAA hitter, maybe he’s not, but I don’t see what is hurt by promoting him and finding out.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Jul 10, 2008 1:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm all for it as long as Butler can stay up too
DFA Pena
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 1:30 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
my favorite pitching stat line last night
was Tejeda. He gets credit for both a hold and the loss.
I also want to defend Ramirez. Faced 3 batters, struck out 2, and gave up 1 single. Sounds like a damn fine outing to me.
These last two games are pretty similar to what happened in those back to back home losses to the Twins (end of May). Bullpen is exhausted, Hillman ends up having to use it differently than he would prefer. Nunez’ absence is once again a sore spot.
That being said, I still think the root cause of these last 2 losses has sorta been the ineffectiveness of the starting rotation over the last 2 weeks. (no wins in the last 12 starts). That has led to overuse of the bullpen, which in turn leads to guys pitching in situations they normally wouldn’t be pitching in.
by loyal2sdad on Jul 10, 2008 2:13 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
DFA Nunez!!!!!11111ONEONEONE214eWRdgs
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 2:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lest you not get where I was headed with this post
Yes, move Soria to the rotation next year. The stronger the rotation, the less likely the Royals will be to encounter this problem.
by loyal2sdad on Jul 10, 2008 2:14 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
did you know
that 80% of our starting rotation is now below average, going by ERA?
There is no way to contend with a rotation like that – and I think having a solid rotation has to be the only way this franchise can become a playoff contender.
What is a solid rotation? For me, I would like to see 3 pitchers with ERAs under league avg, a 4th guy right at it, and a 5th guy just a touch above it. That should be the goal, and if you agree, you would conclude that we are still not there. Plugging Soria into the rotation next year would move us one step closer.
by loyal2sdad on Jul 10, 2008 2:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
But then the Royals would lose the psychological edge of having a great closer when they're behind 6-0 in the third inning!
They gotta start in August or September to stretch him out/getting his innings up—the sooner they can do that (within reason given his past amount of innings), the more innings he can work next year without injury.
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
-1
Most starting pitchers only last 7 innings. Lest we forget, games are 9 innings long. And the pressure increases in those two final innings. Having an above average bullpen is as necessary as having a solid rotation. It’s not an either/or proposition, but a both/and. – TL
by timlacy on Jul 10, 2008 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's necessary...
but certainly not as necessary.
Royals, NBA, Golden Hurricane, Hawkeyes, Chiefs, and KU basketball, in that order.
by Rowyal on Jul 10, 2008 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
+ 1
99 AL pithcers have thrown more than 40 innings. If you sort by ERA:
Meche 74/99
Davies 76/99
Bannister 86/99
Hochevar 88/99
Tomko 98/99
A few of the more optimistic people stated that all had pitched significantly better than their ERA’s indicate. Still.
by djk royal on Jul 10, 2008 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
ERA doesn't matter
Who cares about RBI's, how many HDB's you got?
by kcscoliny on Jul 10, 2008 2:44 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Only grit matters
And we have it in buckets.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
by RoyalsRetro on Jul 10, 2008 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
FINALLY....someone else who sees through the whole 'our pitching is good facade...
the pitching was good in april and early may…since then its been downright awful. the bullpen has still been pretty solid even with nunez gone, but we have far too many games where our starters dont give us a chance.
TPJ...you're dead to me
by billybeingbilly on Jul 10, 2008 2:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was fooled by the series in St. Louis
and found myself corrected by the three games I attended in Baltimore (the last three games of the season). Although the bullpen (other than Gobble) pitched well, the starting was atrocious. Strangely, the Royals rallied to win last Thursday despite a 4 IP, 7 ER line from Davies.
by jbrocato on Jul 11, 2008 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you use ERA, should not a fair amount of the blame go to the defense?
Using the Hardball Times Plus/Minus and Revised Zone/Out of Zone Defensive Metrics (scroll down) the Royals have been one of the worst fielding teams in the American League:
Plus/Minus Fielding Plays Below Average
Royals -30 (tied for last in AL)
Revised Zone Rating (RZR)
Royals .821 (11 out 14 in AL)
Out of Zone Outs (OOZ)
Royals 189 (13 of 14 in AL)
by Gopherballs on Jul 10, 2008 3:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
well...i wishsomeone would explain to me what good gathright, gload and pena....
and their 650 abs are doing us….b/c they’re doing shit with the bat…and apparently not that much with the glove
TPJ...you're dead to me
by billybeingbilly on Jul 10, 2008 3:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gathright is there...
to run long distances to collide with the corner outfielders.
by djk royal on Jul 10, 2008 3:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
which by rule...is not his fault...itd be the corner OFs...
TPJ...you're dead to me
by billybeingbilly on Jul 10, 2008 3:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
jonfmorse, if you're reading this
Gopherballs post reminded me of our “GPA” conversation last night. If you weren’t joking, and you really haven’t heard of it, here’s what it is:
Gross Production Average, a variation of OPS, but more accurate and easier to interpret. The exact formula is (OBPx1.8+SLG)/4, adjusted for ballpark factor. The scale of GPA is similar to BA: .200 is lousy, .265 is around average and .300 is a star. A simple formula for converting GPA to runs is PAx1.356x(GPA^1.77).
From their hardballtimes.com’s glossary. Had to change the asterixes to “x”s because of the weird coding for bold.
OMG Banny. FWIW I am only crdtng u w/3 runs allwd bc of DDJ OMFG
by devil_fingers on Jul 10, 2008 3:18 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
In other words
GPA takes OPS, weights it based on the relative value between its two components (10 points of OBP is worth 18 points of SLG), and expresses the result on the same scale as batting average.
by Gopherballs on Jul 10, 2008 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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