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The Royals are an 88-win Team in the National League

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brian Bannister delivers during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, June 14, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

4 months ago: Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Brian Bannister delivers during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds on Sunday, June 14, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

 

  • Brian Bannister went old school today, working his anti-BABIP mojo to the tune of just four hits allowed in eight innings, paired with a relatively modest strikeout total of four. Of course, the Reds weren't going to be walking anyway, so it hardly mattered, but Banny only issued one free pass (yay dead baseball cliches!).  Though I had my doubts at the beginning of this season, Bannister now seems likely to pass D.A.R.Y.L. May's career starts total of 97 (though total games pitched remains in question). Bannister is at 78 career starts now, and even if he immediately becomes the worst starter alive, he'll probably get at a minimum 20 more chances now, enough to pass May.
  • Heading into today's game Mark Teahen was hitting .333/.364/.619 in his last seven games, a mini-hot streak that no one really noticed. After three more hits today, he may finally be out of St. Willie's shadow. Or not.
  • Jacobs drew two walks today.
  • Miguel Olivo had his weekly awesome game. Now prepare yourselves for another 2-18 stretch with 15 strikeouts.
  • I really love the Luis Hernandez-Tony Pena Jr.-St. Willie platoon of death the Royals have working at shortstop. You have to appreciate this roster. Hillman has the ability to start the game with an all-glove, no-hit SS, pinch-hit or defensive sub with an even worse option in the seventh, then do the same again in the ninth, if needed. It's like a classic 1980s "SuperGroup" only its primary function appears to be sexually exciting the broadcasting class.
  • How horrible did the Reds look this weekend? Completely horrific hitting, terrible plate approach, awful defense, and milquetoast pitching. This is a .500 team in the NL! The Royals displayed a near total mastery of them, and the Royals aren't good. The Royals looked potent, patient, and overpowering against the Reds. I know it's just three games, but after weekends like this, I don't doubt Beyond the Boxscore's contention that a .500 team in the AL would win 92 games in the National League.
Poll
How many games would the 2009 Royals win in the National League?
77-80
77 votes
81-84
86 votes
85-88
250 votes
89 or more
232 votes

645 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs  |  Comment 65 comments |

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It's been more of an overall awesome week for Miggy

4 HR’s? Yes please

Cheese… milk's leap toward immortality.

by ratherfantastic on Jun 14, 2009 5:04 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

olivar twist

can i have some more?

by KC Masterpiece on Jun 14, 2009 5:09 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I can only assume...

that if Barayana Pena was given a chance he would

.658 BA
.812 OBP
5 HR’s
13 RBI’s
12 Runs
38 stolen bases

Nothing from Nothing leads to... Your 2009 Kansas City Royals

by averagegatsby on Jun 14, 2009 5:11 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

yes sir.... had i read this post earlier i would have raced you for the first comment.... except mine would have read...

It’s been more of an overall awesome week for Miggy
4 HR’s? Yes please

Mike Jacobs.... I hope your bat has as much lift as your hair does.....

by iNaLeXwEtRuSt on Jun 14, 2009 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Lubanski in Omaha

.308/.388/.462 so far

12 walks and 15 Ks beats that 130 Ks/38 walk season he had last year

by BHWick on Jun 14, 2009 5:11 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

On the downside

He hasn’t played since May 5th

by kcbottom9th on Jun 14, 2009 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

If he hits over .300 he may get a chance

He’s still younger than Gordon and Hochevar but was drafter a few years before them so people forget that.

If he can hit 15 homeruns, steal 15 bases and bat over .300 with a decent amount of walks he should get a shot in KC at the end of the year

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 14, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

He's Old

for AA. But that is a function of the Astros moving him unduly slowly for some reason. And really, he doesn’t have the power numbers you’d like from a corner OF prospect, this year excepted (and then, it is mostly non HR XBH’s)

by kcbottom9th on Jun 14, 2009 5:57 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I think this is a little over the top as far as the NL is concerned

First of all the NL won two of the last 3 World Series in DOMINANT fashion

Second, the Royals are an 88 win team at home……the way the Royals play on the road, I would be happy if we split the 6 game road trip against Houston/Pitt and that’s with Greinke pitching twice in those 6 games.

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 14, 2009 5:20 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Houston should be fun

since the team is so insanely stacked with lefties, who won’t utilize the LF porch as much as Olivo or Guilen

by BHWick on Jun 14, 2009 5:22 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well it is

for judging which is the best Baseball team.

But very good for judging the best baseball team that week.

by kcbottom9th on Jun 14, 2009 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

You can crown a champion without claiming the winner was for sure the best team that season.

And even if the best team in baseball (for sure) has been in the NL every season since forever, that doesn’t mean the NL is the stronger league.

Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.

by Sky Kalkman on Jun 14, 2009 6:39 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

+1

"Do they have people that tall in Mexico?"

by NHZ on Jun 14, 2009 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

The Phillies are essentially an AL team

They play in a little league stadium and have a roster full of long ball hitters. They would compete in the AL East right now. If you put the Royals in the NL Central (where they should be and whoever vetoed the move to the NL should pay for it) they would be a contender this year. With the unbalanced schedule all those games against the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers would get more attention in KC that the Tigers and Indians. Also you wouldn’t have guys like Jacobs on the roster since there is no DH position to stash them in. I personally hate the DH because guys like Jim Thome can last for 15 seasons and not use a glove at all.

by stram#1 on Jun 14, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I'd like to see their pitchers against offenses with DHs and their hitters against the better AL pitching.

Good team, but not a great team. They were about 10th in the BtB power rankings this week.

Beyond the Boxscore // Calling BJ Upton lazy is lazy.

by Sky Kalkman on Jun 14, 2009 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

it's just not that simple

the NL is outmatched playing against the AL and their little small ball strategies don’t amount to anything….AL pitchers are accustomed to battling a Designated Power Hitter in the middle of the order as opposed to a pitcher who hits like a HS player….

It doesn’t really have much to do with the AL having better pitchers. They are conditioned against a lineup with an extra hitter….when that gets taken out of the equation the results are a little different.

The NL was 5-1 today against the AL when playing at home and 11-7 at home this weekend.

And enough of the Reds bashing. They don’t completely suck or were exposed. They are a .500 team because of their pitching. AND LETS NOT FORGET ONE OF THE BEST PLAYERS IN BASEBALL WAS MISSING IN JOEY VOTTO – WE ARE MORE LUCKY THAN DOMINANT

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 14, 2009 8:04 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Whoa

NL pitchers are conditioned to face a lineup without a DH? So they struggle when they have to face one? What?

A hitter is a hitter, you think AL pitchers have some advantage in Interleague games just because they face a DH every time?

by kcbottom9th on Jun 14, 2009 8:12 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Well it sounds better than the "players in the NL just sucks" argument

Consider this….Someone trains for a 9 mile race for years. The other trains for an 8 mile race for years.

Who would be better at the 8 mile race? And who wold be better at the 9 mile race? The one who trains for it, or the one who trains for less?

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 15, 2009 8:41 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Oh, i see

NL pitchers don’t do that special “DH workout” that AL pitchers do. You know, the one with the special pitches and Gyroballs and arm slot changes and stuff.

No wonder they struggle, I mean DH’s are very different from other hitters.

by kcbottom9th on Jun 15, 2009 10:02 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

That's a really dumb response KC

Do I really need to explain this to you?? WTF are you taking about – are they different?

If you answer this question yes than you admit what I’m saying is true:

For hitting, is a DH > Pitcher?

Have a nice day

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 16, 2009 7:46 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yes

But the way they pitch is exactly the same. They don’t do anything different, apart from have the bit of ERA massage they get in the NL taken away from them.

You are saying that there is some disadvantage that NL pitchers face over AL pitchers when a game is played in an AL park. I’m just saying, that i think that is the biggest load of crap ever.

by kcbottom9th on Jun 16, 2009 9:23 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

HA!!

best players in baseball joey votto…your jaded buddy

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 16, 2009 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I absolutely love this line, tho I'm up in the air about the use of the word "sexually" there

’It’s like a classic 1980s “SuperGroup” only its primary function appears to be sexually exciting the broadcasting class."

Similarly, I think a bunch of us hit the nose on the head in the game thread. This is what it’s like for the Royals to play themselves. There’s some talent there, you can see it. But it’s inconsistent and prone to ineptness. How they’re above .500 is beyond me. Then again, we think that with some luck, we’re a .500 ball club, too.

As much as we like to joke, this isn’t all about NL vs AL. We caught a team at a really slumping time and we were starting to heat up (maybe). If you have two inconsistent clubs and one is down and one is up, it can make things look a lot more lopsided than they are.

by sterlingice on Jun 14, 2009 5:26 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

yeah i laughted at that too

They do seem to get real excited about grit. I think they just miss Gload

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 14, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Home/Road splits of note

Mike Jacobs has 16 walks in 127 PA at home, and 5 walks in 88 PA on the road. Jacobs also had 8 doubles at home and 1 double on the road.

by BHWick on Jun 14, 2009 5:29 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Solution: He only starts against lefties at home!

That will require two more platoon partners for him, of course: a righty for against LHP, and another lefty for when KC faces a RHP on the road…

it’s so simple

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on Jun 14, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

against lefties?

you’re not Trey Hillman, are you?

by BHWick on Jun 14, 2009 5:34 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

haha... maybe I am, BH, maybe I am

a mixup, of course

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

by devil_fingers on Jun 14, 2009 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

rotation wins

How many more times this season will all of the pitchers except Grienke get a win in one time through the rotation?

My guess is 0

go royals

by daverclear on Jun 14, 2009 6:01 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

um what?

Nothing from Nothing leads to... Your 2009 Kansas City Royals

by averagegatsby on Jun 14, 2009 6:05 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Going through the rotation this time

Greinke- Win
Zack- ND
Hoch- Win
Davies- Win
Banny- Win
I don’t know if that will ever happen again

Cheese… milk's leap toward immortality.

by ratherfantastic on Jun 14, 2009 6:08 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Damn

It should be Gil instead of Greinke at the top

Cheese… milk's leap toward immortality.

by ratherfantastic on Jun 14, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

we should try that!

thinking outside the box

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Jun 14, 2009 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

NOPE!!

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 16, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Hooray. Looks like I'll be able to update my signature after this year

Kansas City Royals: your 2006 and 2007 NL Central champions!

by mazoboom on Jun 14, 2009 11:30 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

I was listening to post game

on the trip home and the fellow that does it mentioned that according to reports Dayton almost quit in the offseason. I haven’t ever heard that. Is this news to anyone else?

by gordonrules on Jun 15, 2009 12:02 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

News to me.

If you were thinking, you wouldn't have thought that.

by Warden11 on Jun 15, 2009 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Sounds good

would RR be the interim GM?

What moves would be made? Promote Kila, platoon Jacobs/Guillen at DH? Designate Wright/Ponson

 I say a 3/5 majority in order to make changes.

One thing I think is Olivo would have been long gone to hit 4 HR’s if it was up to this board!

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 15, 2009 8:44 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Him or Buck

And in the grand scheme of things, I’m sure Olivo will be back to sucking in no time. If not, that’s great, but I wouldn’t expect this hot streak to continue forever. Probably just through the NL. Then we can trade him at the break!

by AxDxMx on Jun 15, 2009 12:44 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Yeah, maybe trade him and Jacobs back to Florida

for Nunez…he just blew a save the other night so you never know

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 15, 2009 1:41 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

I can't imagine those reports were correct

Hillman nearly quitting after last season, I can see….but Moore?

by Top Ramen on Jun 15, 2009 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

and still ended up here?

Great persistence Glass Family!

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Jun 15, 2009 10:39 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Against the Reds the Royals looked they'd win 100 in the NL

but meanwhile the Giants, whose offense is even worse that the Royals’, looked just as good against the A’s as the Royals did against the Reds.

Have them both switch leagues and we’ve got ourselves a Royals-Giants World Series. Would Hillman pitch Greinke against Lincecum in Game 1 or would he stick with Meche as his number 1? Discuss.

by 2X2L on Jun 15, 2009 11:31 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

btw

its the reds

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 15, 2009 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Too subtle, then? Remind me to go with blatant mockery next time.

by 2X2L on Jun 15, 2009 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

always

works…I continuely say the royals are a few players off from being consistent, they need a bat that teams fear, they need a #3 pitcher im sorry bannister is just not that consistent to me, neither hochevar or the platoon of ponson and whoever else who is going to get shelled that day. and another consistent reliever, which could be found in the farm system. release Kyle “waste of time, money, and 5 run leads” Farnsworth, and bring up a young kid to do that job. couldnt be anyworse. and i think then the royals could be an 88 win team, and failed to mention fire hillman, even a blind squirrel finds an acorn sometimes

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 15, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

dont even have to read the article

88 wins? maybe in the NL west, ive hated this arguement since i heard it that the AL is better then the NL and to be honest its two completely different leagues. and no i still think they would suck even in the NL, you look at some of worst teams in the NL rockies, astros, pirates. and theyre still ripping off long win streaks rockies currently at 11 in a row. and yes i am first a Cardinals fan then a royals fan, mostly because i grew up in st louis and raised on the NL but to me there no way, Hillman cannot manage plain and simple. And absolutely would not be able to in the NL its just a different monster

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 15, 2009 4:16 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Thankyou - and the NL was 11-7 vs the AL at home

The Giants also destroyed the A’s who destroyed us a few weeks back.

If we had to face the Giants or the Rockies right now in their ballparks, we would have been swept as well!!

Does anyone else see that Joey Votto was LEADING THE NL IN HITTING and didn’t play once against us???

Or am I the only one who see’s this.

If Zack was out for a month and we went into Cincinnati the results would be far different

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 16, 2009 7:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

sounds like

someone has a harden for Joey Votto pun intended as a slight against Rich Harden, and trust me Votto, and Bruce are way overrated

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 16, 2009 10:50 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

Also, we are like 6-22 in something awful

and we beat the Reds without Votto and without facing their best pitcher in Volquez, or 2nd best pitcher in Harang (Cueto has just been hot – the other two are better)…

So we have a license to talk shit about the “inferior” league (a crock of shit) after getting are ass beat in our own league.

Even if you all falsely believe the NL is so much weaker, that’s the equivalent of getting beat up by 13 guys and then celebrating after beating the crap out of a girl.

Like Destroyer, these ROYALS WOULD BE GREAT IN THE NL arguments are annoying. And for the record, the only reason the Royals would be better in the NL is because Mike Jacobs is the worst DH in baseball

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 16, 2009 8:01 AM EDT reply actions   0 recs

Volquez

is hurt and really wasnt having a great season so far, hes been getting figured out, Harang always starts off hot then implodes, Cueto I have always said waaaaaaaaaaay overrated, and Arroyo=Bannister

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 16, 2009 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions   0 recs

and who did we pitch?

Davis, Hoch and Banister looked pretty brilliant against the Reds offense. They didn’t face our two best pitchers either. I don’t think it’s fair to say that we had the huge advantage because of who we faced from their rotation

go royals

by daverclear on Jun 16, 2009 3:05 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

NAH

reds are overrated this year two…the only reason why theyre even in the race right now is because the offense in st louis has been puttering since may

Pujols takes out "I" in BIG and "A" in MAC, previously considered to be an unyielding, consonant threat

by DESTROYER on Jun 16, 2009 4:18 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

we are a 70 win team in the NL

Has anyone watched these past few games??

by GobbleforCyoung on Jun 19, 2009 10:42 PM EDT reply actions   0 recs

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