Luke Hochevar Dazzles as Royals End Losing Streak
by royalsreview on Jul 25, 2009 9:54 PM EDT
in News
76 comments
Luke Hochevar pitched the game of his life en route to a rare win for the Royals. Hochevar struck out 13 Rangers Saturday night, against zero walks and just five hits. I'm absolutely floored by Luke's performance tonight. Floored.
In Hochevar's last three starts, he's struck out 27 batters and walked just one in 19.1 innings. When did this guy turn into Zack Grienke on a hot streak?
Amazingly, the Royals did enough at the plate and in the 'pen to get him a win, thanks in part to a nice night by the top of the order.
The game's unexpected drama began in the eighth inning, when Joakim Soria appeared. After a week-long controversy regarding Soria's usage, Hillman went against his previous statements swearing that Soria would not be used for anything beyond a four-out save. Some are suggesting that this may have been Gibbons's call, but I would find that extremely unlikely. Bench coaches just don't make a decision like that. Sure, there's a part of me that wants to blast Hillman for being a hypocrite, but that wouldn't be totally fair. I'd rather have him start making better decisions after tough experiences -- I believe this is called "learning" -- than being consistently dumb.
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how are we supposed to close tomorrow's game now
Holy Shit!!!...Peterson resigned...Am I dead?...Is This Heaven?
by RoyalsFanStuckInCardsLand on Jul 25, 2009 9:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
From Lonestar Ball before the game started
What made the Royals take Hochevar #1? Who else was there they could’ve took? He looks like a lost cause.
PWNED!
SHOMER SHABBOS!
by ratherfantastic on Jul 25, 2009 9:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My first instinct was...
“Hillman, you jackass.” but upon reflecting, I’ve got to give him credit. He had to know he was going to get crucified (by the oh so tough KC media) and he did it anyway.
On the other hand, if he’s going to do it, it seems to be a bit of a waste to do it with a full 3 run lead…
BOOM! ROASTED!
by GoBabies!! on Jul 25, 2009 9:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
dude, roman colon, john bale and jamey wright were the other options
a 3 run lead is not safe
-
by slayor on Jul 25, 2009 9:59 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Point taken
But I wouldn’t have faulted him for letting one of those options start the inning, and as soon as there was the first sign of trouble THEN move to Jack
BOOM! ROASTED!
by GoBabies!! on Jul 25, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
This makes sense and is justifiable.
“Well, we really don’t like doing this but after the last few meltdowns we were out of options”
Tonight, it just feels reactionary. If you don’t have a guy or two in the pen that can come in and get 3 outs in the 8th, you probably ought to make a few roster changes.
He can get 4, NOT 5.
by Warden11 on Jul 25, 2009 10:02 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
indeed, it was a perfect decision in any means
but the top of teh ranger lineup was hitting in the 8th, so why screw around
by royalsreview on Jul 25, 2009 10:00 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
no matter who's up
if you must use your close with a three-run lead, it makes more sense to have him go two with that lead than one
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by devil_fingers on Jul 25, 2009 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
And.....
Trey takes all the credit for the Joakim usage
Holy Shit!!!...Peterson resigned...Am I dead?...Is This Heaven?
by RoyalsFanStuckInCardsLand on Jul 25, 2009 9:58 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
posted in other thread
Using Soria for two innings was “ultimately Gibby and Mac’s call.” They talked to him about it in pregame, but they’re the ones that pulled the trigger on it.
by Fernando Vina School of Linguistics on Jul 25, 2009 9:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Sometimes the best thing you can do
is get kicked out of a ballgame.
— Trey
by Porcus on Jul 25, 2009 9:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
OH MY GOD HE FINALLY LEARNED HOW TO TALK TO THE MEDIA
“I would hate to see us in this situation again… but anything is possible… I’m not going to risk putting my foot in my mouth”
-
by slayor on Jul 25, 2009 10:00 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Is he learning something?
Maybe there is hope.
He can get 4, NOT 5.
by Warden11 on Jul 25, 2009 10:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
lets not get too positive...we're still 1-10 in our last 11
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jul 25, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
But 1-0 in our last 1!!!!!!!!!
Turning Kool-Aid to Jesus Juice since 2009.
by Discodave on Jul 25, 2009 10:04 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hey, we're trying here.
It’s amazing the difference between a win and a loss.
Nuke Laloosh was onto something.
He can get 4, NOT 5.
by Warden11 on Jul 25, 2009 10:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
haha
it was in the mexican winter league right?
Carlos Guillen, the Latino Punto
by The_Fan on Jul 26, 2009 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Seriously
That bumblefuck hick racist manager better stop calling me some random “American” name.
I’m not American, I’m Mexican you piece of shit. What is this Roots! Kunta Kinte or Toby? Dumbass
“Wa-Keem” or “Jo-Ah-Kim” works just fine.
by GobbleforCyoung on Jul 26, 2009 1:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
um ok then
Carlos Guillen, the Latino Punto
by The_Fan on Jul 27, 2009 11:10 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Gotta give credit
For as much as I want to make fun of the contradiction of the statement. I respect the fact he’s willing to learn.
by Royal from Queens on Jul 25, 2009 10:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hochevar
I did not see one pitch tonight…what is going on with Luke? Absolutely unbelievable…
by cookierojas73 on Jul 25, 2009 10:03 PM EDT via mobile reply actions 0 recs
Where have you guys been?
Has the constant Royals suck clouded your judgment?
June ERA
Zack – 4.05
Luke – .2.94
Luke was better than Zack in June if you hadn’t noticed
by GobbleforCyoung on Jul 26, 2009 1:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I think they weare talking about the rise in K's
Over what we have seen for two years.
by kcbottom9th on Jul 26, 2009 1:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So does Soria get next week off ....
to recover from this Bataan Death March?
by Siberian Khatru on Jul 25, 2009 10:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
and the next week also
due to over-rest
Holy Shit!!!...Peterson resigned...Am I dead?...Is This Heaven?
by RoyalsFanStuckInCardsLand on Jul 25, 2009 10:05 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
hochevar only pitcher in royals history to K 13 and walk none
according to the star
-
by slayor on Jul 25, 2009 10:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Take that Lincecum
SHOMER SHABBOS!
by ratherfantastic on Jul 25, 2009 10:06 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
heeeeeeeeeeeeeey....moose even had two doubles tonite...
all is well in royals land
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jul 25, 2009 10:06 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Texas Rangers right-handed pitcher Vicente Padilla tested positive for the H1N1 Type A influenza, which is commonly known as the swine flu.
That's the worst lookin' hat I've ever seen...
by royalblue69 on Jul 25, 2009 10:08 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
that's why Soria didn't pitch 4+ outs until now
Hillman needed to make sure that he didn’t have the Swine Flu
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 25, 2009 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Did something happen to billy ? why was he takin out?
My power went out for the last 3 innings.. sucks.
"Does this furniture polish have alcohol in it?" ... "mmm, tastes like i might die."
by cfizzle on Jul 25, 2009 10:10 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
defensive replacemtn
also known as replacement
by Fernando Vina School of Linguistics on Jul 25, 2009 10:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Defense
is offensive
That's the worst lookin' hat I've ever seen...
by royalblue69 on Jul 25, 2009 10:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
how weak do they think joakim is mentally?
they make him sound like he’d be completely overwhelmed/scared to pitch two innings
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jul 25, 2009 10:16 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
lol caller on 810 calls Hoagy "what's his name"
“…who’s maybe out for the rest of the year”
by swing and a miss on Jul 25, 2009 10:20 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Luke's K/9 soared tonight
It was 4.95 before tonight, and it now stands at 6.11
As a long term critic of drafting Hochevar over Lincecum, Luke is a bulldog and probably one of the more driven guys on this team.
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 25, 2009 10:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I believe it's spelled "bulldawg"
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by devil_fingers on Jul 25, 2009 11:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
calling a UT alum a bulldog is risky enough
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 25, 2009 11:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Hahaha listening to 810 postgame
They’re reporting that Bannister put LUKKKKKKKKKKKKKE above Hoch’s locker AND his Pitch F/X numbers.
by swing and a miss on Jul 25, 2009 10:33 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
has Bannister coaxed Luke to utilize pitch f/x numbers to improve his performances?
by stuckinstl12 on Jul 25, 2009 11:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Bannister will be the pitching coach of the future if
he can utilize this stuff, without making it so obvious that he’s utilizing this stuff. He can pretend to be seeing it going on, and using the internets to verify what he sees
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 25, 2009 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
give luke a ton of credit
the biggest growth i’ve seen is mentally; obviously he seems to have a better idea of what he’s doing but there have been several times this year where he faced adversity (like the long fly ball and HR right out of the gate, a couple of games where the defense let him down) and didn’t let it affect him.
i wonder if 13/0 has that “signature significance” that rany talked about…
Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Jul 25, 2009 10:38 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
does this mean dayton will continue to take credit for drafting hoch?
by stuckinstl12 on Jul 25, 2009 10:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
almost certainly
Don’t doubt the guy — everyone doubted his choice of Greinke, and look how that turned out!
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by devil_fingers on Jul 25, 2009 11:12 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
+1
Amazing. Never thought I’d see Hochevar get props around here.
"Do they have people that tall in Mexico?"
by NHZ on Jul 25, 2009 11:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So true
I thought consensus on RR officially labeled him a BBBUUUSSSTTT!!!!
by GobbleforCyoung on Jul 26, 2009 1:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Good thing he claimed credit before this effort
he would've looked stupid if he'd done it afterwards....
Unless I'm wrong...
by Top Ramen on Jul 25, 2009 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Way to use the Force Luke!
Thanks for embarrassing the Rangers
by Punch Drunk on Jul 25, 2009 11:19 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Incredibly annoying and generic goatees -- the key to MLB pitching success
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by devil_fingers on Jul 25, 2009 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
goatees are fug
But I don’t entirely blame Hochevar for sporting one considering his unfortunate espn profile photo sans goatee: 
by swing and a miss on Jul 25, 2009 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Matt Clement agrees
so does this guy
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 25, 2009 11:57 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
"at a baseball game"(~!)
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by devil_fingers on Jul 25, 2009 11:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So, I get back from a day of touristing today
and I see we… won?
For the record, I’ll be at the O’s-Royals game on Monday and I’ll try to log in via phone for updates at Camden
by sterlingice on Jul 25, 2009 11:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Are we sure Hillman made the call for the 6 out Soria save?
This from Yahoo! Box Score:
“Ejections: KANSAS CITY Manager T Hillman ejected in the (4th).”
http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/boxscore;_ylt=AhjZXOq6uqxqy3ipd8jpTow5nYcB?gid=290725107
by AxDxMx on Jul 26, 2009 12:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Hillman probably put that up as a possibility
Gibbons would have to have a giant sack to do that without approval.
Now, Gibbons probably contributed and helped out a bit more than Hillman in the snap decisions
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 26, 2009 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Honoring both LuKe and Little Debbie Butler
SHOMER SHABBOS!
by ratherfantastic on Jul 26, 2009 12:44 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
My take on Luke
got back from vending, and proceeded to watch the replay of the game, just because of Hochevar. (Actually, I watch the replays frequently, call me crazy, or at the least, a masochist).
It looked like his off speed stuff was simply terrific tonight. Most of the Ks seemed to come on the breaking stuff. Would be interested to see his pitch f/x data as well, because his ball seemed to be REALLY moving tonight.
Also was wondering about signature significance, as mentioned above. Would also agree that some of this improvement certainly is due to his appearing more relaxed and confident. He seems to be working with a much better tempo as well – every pitch isn’t life and death to him anymore.
Not comparing him to Appier stuff-wise, but I sorta remember Kevin going to a transition that seemed kinda similar to this at the start of his career as well.
All in all, if this is for real, it will be one of the saving graces of this otherwise disastrous seasons.
Mr Glass, this is a pro sports team, not a retail store - run it like one!
by loyal2sdad on Jul 26, 2009 1:37 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
federal statute allows for people to only be compared to Appier if
they have a throwing motion that looks painful
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 26, 2009 1:58 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
random note
i’d love to see a side-by-side of Lincecum’s motion and Appier’s motion, just to make sure there is no challenger to the Appier motion for weirdest of our times.
Enough is Enough - Fire Trey Hillman
by BHWick on Jul 26, 2009 2:05 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Not similar
Lincecum’s motion is much more fluid. It’s unusual because of the very high degree of torque he achieves in his upper body — like a catapult or a mousetrap that can bend back below the horizontal for extra spring — and because all the rapid release of all that energy he achieves during his very long stride.
by 2X2L on Jul 26, 2009 11:47 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
See? Good things happen when you trust the process
this space reserved for something embarrassing nyroyal will have me say
by marbotty on Jul 26, 2009 11:11 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Olivo given credit
“I’m throwing the same pitches,” Hochevar said. “If anything, [Miguel Olivo] has caught me every single game, and he’s been calling exceptional games. I think the only two times I’ve shaken him, I’ve given up hits.”
You have just received the Amish Virus. Since we do not have electricity or computers, you are on the honor system. Please delete all of your files.
Thank thee
by JChief on Jul 26, 2009 12:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That's in part just Hoch saying what he thinks he ought to say
He shook Olivo off — more than once, it appears — on the last pitch to Blalock in the 6th and struck him out. As others have pointed out, most of the punchouts came on breaking stuff, but that time Hoch wanted to throw the heater.
by 2X2L on Jul 26, 2009 12:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I don't see why they don't just call Davies up and have Olivo catch every game he pitches, too
The Big Three lives!
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by devil_fingers on Jul 26, 2009 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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