Royals Explode For Ten Runs, Salvage A Game in Minnesota
by Freneau on Apr 18, 2010 5:25 PM EDT
in Kansas City Royals News
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Print- This was really three separate games: a surprising 7-3 Royal laugher, a tight 7-5 game that looked like a familiar meltdown, then a 10-5 laugher again. Baseball games man, baseball games.
- I've got to be fair to Hillman here. Since a real low point last summer, he's really started to use Soria in the 8th with regularity. This is an improvement and a welcome change. Sure, it seems like he's still operating on the old closer model, with no real attention to leverage or game situation (you may disagree with me on this, I'd like to hear what you think). Basically, in the past, he thought you use your closer in the 9th. Now, he's expanded that to also include part of the 8th, assuming he's fresh. So today, with two outs in the 8th, and Justin Morneau stepping to the plate, Soria came in to end the inning. While some of us might ask, "why not just have Soria face Mauer as well?" with a two run lead and no one on, its a solid gamble to sneak along with Rupe as long as possible. In any case, things have gotten better, and we can now credit Hillman as advancing at least to the Joe Torre level of closer management.
- Congrats to Alberto Callaspo on a two homer day.
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First
Sometimes the best way to convince someone he is wrong is to let him have his way. --- Red O'Donnell
Second
Sometimes the best way to convince someone he is wrong is to let him have his way. --- Red O'Donnell
by averagegatsby on Apr 18, 2010 5:26 PM EDT up reply actions
If we continue winning at this rate, factoring in the 5 wins we already have
We’ll end up with 63 wins on the season.
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 18, 2010 5:27 PM EDT reply actions
did you factor in the 18-11 start that we will eventually get to?
Sometimes the best way to convince someone he is wrong is to let him have his way. --- Red O'Donnell
by averagegatsby on Apr 18, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
Explode?
You lie. Gload was nowhere near this game.
I am now channeling Will McDonald's optimism.
by jonfmorse on Apr 18, 2010 5:27 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs
HA
If you watch Jaws backwards, it's about a shark that throws people up until they have to open a beach.
by ratherfantastic on Apr 18, 2010 5:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I could have swore he did an interview in Engrish last year.
Sometimes the best way to convince someone he is wrong is to let him have his way. --- Red O'Donnell
by averagegatsby on Apr 18, 2010 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions
dude's too exhausted from hitting 2 HRs to speak English
Ralph Wiggum would be a better GM than Dayton Moore
I spoke with him at the awards dinner
and he understands english and speaks it reasonably well (a whole lot better than I can speak spanish)
WHAT THE FUCK
Another terrible foul called for the Lakers.
If you watch Jaws backwards, it's about a shark that throws people up until they have to open a beach.
by ratherfantastic on Apr 18, 2010 5:28 PM EDT reply actions
I don't think it's like that
You can’t will people to make every basket or have a horrible night. I do believe certain players get treatment from the refs, be it good or bad. There also obvious instances where the refs decided a series (See: Lakers vs Kings in the Western Conference Finals, Heat vs. Mavs in the NBA Finals)
If you watch Jaws backwards, it's about a shark that throws people up until they have to open a beach.
by ratherfantastic on Apr 18, 2010 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
imo
If you watch Jaws backwards, it's about a shark that throws people up until they have to open a beach.
by ratherfantastic on Apr 18, 2010 6:02 PM EDT up reply actions
this is the exact same perception i have
of the NBA
"You know what, I mean I cried in bed for a while, moaning 'Why!? Why did this have to happen?'"
Zack Greinke on the Brad Pitt - Jennifer Aniston split
A Friend Of
Mine who grew up in Boston thinks all pro team sports are fixed. He doesn’t make a big deal of it, but he firmly believes it.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions
Seriously, it's one of the most ridiculous theories out there
If pro sports were fixed, the Cubs wouldn’t be 0-century, and the bad teams would occasionally get into the playoffs just to spark a little Hope and Faith. The Dodgers would have about as many World Series titles as the Yankees over the last 50 years, and we wouldn’t have a situation where 2 of the top 6 media markets are home to teams who’ve yet to win one, ever.
I am now channeling Will McDonald's optimism.
ITA, But This
Guy’s Italian and thinks the mob controls everything.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Well
Italian Soccer has been rocked numerous times by match fixing scandals.
You can understand the scepticism, if not agree with it.
I agree, it's pretty ridiculous
But football is about the only sport where fortune can be changed with a throw of the penalty flag. And with announcers telling us that “you can pretty much call holding on every play” it makes it very obvious that refs can and do influence the game substantially.
On top of that, I had a friend tell me prior to the 2005 season that “the fix was in” and Pittsburgh would win the Super Bowl that year. Guess what happened?
Huh?
If I were an official, I could easily fix all 4 major sports.
Baseball I think it easiest but I think it happens the least. Squeeze a pitcher and you definitely change the game so that suddenly they have to go all fastball just to get it over and suddenly they’re getting hit hard. Similarly, a well timed wide strike here or there and you can make a pitcher’s day immensely easier. Yes, there’s a lot of star treatment and, yes, it favors the larger market teams but so does the talent level because of the uneven playing field.
Basketball, well- that’s really easy to fix and I think it fairly regularly happens. In college, it’s usually just the star treatment for whole teams. But occasionally you see stuff that makes you think entire games are rigged (think Villanova’s first round NCAA tourney game this year). The NBA, yeah- that fix is in. Hell, fans even accept that you should get more calls at home and less on the road- that’s the perfect environment to fix games. You could blow a whistle on any play multiple times but it only happens certain times, often times seemingly just pulled out of a hat. The Kings-Lakers series definitely was fixed. I think the Chicago-Utah finals was as well.
Football- pass interference and holding could be called on every play. I have no stats to back this up but it seems to me like the incidence of those calls has gone way down since the 90s which leads more to a belief that unless it’s really blatant, it will be ignored- similar to traveling or 3 seconds and completely unlike fouls.
Hockey would be really easy and just ask, say, Leafs fans what a bad ref (re: Fraser, Kerry) can do to your game, series, or season. In a game where scoring opportunities are at a premium and you have an arrangement (power play) where scoring gets much more efficient, one would think it’s quite easy to influence the game.
Haven't you ever read the NBA rulebook?
For example:
“A defensive player is permitted to establish a legal guarding position in the path of a dribbler regardless of his speed and distance, unless the dribbler plays for the Los Angeles Lakers.”
I am now channeling Will McDonald's optimism.
I'm 26 points ahead of the second place team in my fantasy league
Life is good.
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 18, 2010 5:29 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
I saw Seinfeld perform live once
And one of the best “it’s funny ‘cause it’s true” bits was when he asked if there were any engaged people in the audience, preparing for their wedding, etc…of course there was significant, if scattered, applause……and he said “I’m going to fill you in on something—I’m a stranger and no one you know is going to tell you this, but I feel like I should tell you this because it’s important to know: no one wants to go to your wedding.”
In short, and I’m honestly not trying to be a dick here, but it needs to be said to everyone out there who might be excited about it: no one wants to hear about your fantasy team.
by Crooow on Apr 18, 2010 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
yeah
and I honestly didn’t want to single out Soria’s Unibrow because I personally enjoy his contributions to this site. And maybe I’m alone in my (marginal) annoyance with people always chiming in with how their fantasy team is doing. I myself have a fantasy team. Maybe if I were any good at it, I’d be guilty of doing it too.
In short, I should’ve shut up with the above post. Carry on.
i thought his post was the greatest in history...
where's ross gload to explode the process?
by blue bandwagon on Apr 18, 2010 8:28 PM EDT up reply actions
I assumed that it was safe to mention fantasy baseball on a blog about baseball
That often raises discussion of fantasy baseball, where the blog has its own fantasy baseball league, and even those who are not in the league are pretty likely to have a team.
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 19, 2010 2:31 AM EDT up reply actions
A Day Late?
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
The Cubs and the Royals have....
…the exact same record: 5-7.
"Sir,--It has been wittily remarked that there are three kinds of falsehood: the first is a 'fib,' the second is a downright lie, and the third and most aggravated is statistics." *The National Observer* (June 13, 1891): p. 93-94.
I wonder if auto-refresh is working for me today
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
Circle The Wagons!
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 5:42 PM EDT up reply actions
DARN YOU NON-WORKING AUTO-REFRESH!
Sometimes it works now, sometimes it doesn’t for me. Is it just Chrome?
Glass Carl returns, at least briefly
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
Its working for me, and Im running Chrome.
Sometimes the best way to convince someone he is wrong is to let him have his way. --- Red O'Donnell
by averagegatsby on Apr 18, 2010 6:27 PM EDT up reply actions
This game has been such a distraction from homework
Even if that homework was a healthy research of baseball in Kansas City.
Now I need to just work on my classroom management projects.
Watching the Royals replay…WTF is up with the Avatar references?
Love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good too. ~Greg, age 8
by loyal2theroyals on Apr 18, 2010 5:46 PM EDT reply actions
meanwhile on the postgame
somehow Getz over Callaspo is still an improvement.
must be a fluke that the offense perked up with Getzoutz on the DL
Ralph Wiggum would be a better GM than Dayton Moore
Gotta come up with some way to still bury Callaspo and/or Gordon
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by Matt Klaassen on Apr 18, 2010 6:01 PM EDT up reply actions
elaborate platoon time!
Gordon and Callaspo split time so that Getz and Yuni get their fair share of time
Ralph Wiggum would be a better GM than Dayton Moore
Gotta get Aviles into the mix, too
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I Swear They'd
Just dig a hole and literally do it if they thought they could get away with it.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 6:06 PM EDT up reply actions
I feel bad for Callaspo
In the picture, he only thought Owen wanted a high-five.
But for those of us who speak English, we know Owen was just mid-windmill.
We are all terribly unfair on Dave Owen
His 3K’s, no hits and no walks in 5 PA’s as a Royal demand our respect.
From Jon Heyman's Twitter:
funny #mets DFA mike jacobs, their opening day cleanup man. #mixedmessages. catalanotto in 4 hole tonite. should he worry?
…
“REALLY????”
-DMGM
Didn't he drive in what would become the winning run in last night's epic?
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 18, 2010 6:34 PM EDT up reply actions
The Reactions At
Amazin’ Avenue.
http://www.amazinavenue.com/2010/4/18/1429505/mets-dfa-mike-jacobs-call-up-tobi
i guess the final straw was popping out to a 75 mph throwing shortstop
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 7:33 PM EDT up reply actions
i like gordon hitting 8th
not only does it take some pressure off of him, it lengthens the lineup. i expect gordon to have a good year, but i do think he needs to just be “one of the guys” on the team and not necessarily the savior.
who knows, maybe it’s just a case of he’ll never be able to lay off the low and away pitches, but maybe easing him in and letting him grow at his own pace will pay some dividends.
"He once had an awkward moment, just to see how it felt...he lives vicariously...through himself- He is the most interesting man in the world"
by Home Run Tony Cogan on Apr 18, 2010 6:21 PM EDT reply actions
it also sets up a fun lineup for later this year
of
DeJesus-Out-Butler-Out-Out-Callaspo-Out-Gordon-Out
Ralph Wiggum would be a better GM than Dayton Moore
by BHWick on Apr 18, 2010 6:23 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I just noticed something that scares the shit out of me.
All of the eight remaining “regulars” have a >.800 OPS.
Totally sustainable.
I am now channeling Will McDonald's optimism.
Podsednik is going for the record
partly by getting all of his groundouts declared to be sacrifice hits, which won’t count as an AB
Ralph Wiggum would be a better GM than Dayton Moore
Fun game to listen to, actually.
Steve isn’t the most exciting announcer, but he really lets your mind fill in the details. Good stuff.
See Data Differently. Beyond The Boxscore. | Follow me @justinbopp
Two Out Rally, the new BASEBALL MMORPG! | Facebook | Twitter
doubtful, unless it's STL or CHW.
Actually, I really don’t know but I like to flex my 3-letter city abbreviations once in a while.
See Data Differently. Beyond The Boxscore. | Follow me @justinbopp
Two Out Rally, the new BASEBALL MMORPG! | Facebook | Twitter
Good stuff
except for mentioning the great jumps Ankiel’s getting on balls to center after he described a Magellan-esque route Ankiel had just taken.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
I'm happy that Jose is finally playing up to his contract
Sure it won’t last, but he is a very useful player right now, especially since he isn’t giving negative value with his glove. Including his 3 hits today, he has 18 hits, and 9 of them have gone for extra bases. It also seems like he’s working the count a lot more this year and seeing more pitches. I don’t have any faith in the notion that we flip him at the deadline for prospects, but it will be nice for him to finish his time with the Royals not being an albatross.
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 18, 2010 6:45 PM EDT reply actions
granted
Jose lost the player of the week voting to Podsednik, despite the whole 5 HR thing
it was a hell of a POTW voting between Guillen, Podsednik, Yuni, and Kendall
Ralph Wiggum would be a better GM than Dayton Moore
I don't know what the fans want out of him
He was Pujolsian last week. I guess old habits, like hating the shit out of Jose Guillen, die hard.
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 18, 2010 6:50 PM EDT up reply actions
He's Been Working
The count by fouling off pitches out of the zone until he finally gets a good one. I’ve seen at least one AB where he could have walked twice.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 18, 2010 7:37 PM EDT up reply actions
Of course
at 12 million per he’s probably not looking to draw the walk. He’s a free swinger and right now its working. He’ll run hot and cold all season.
At $12m per year
He should be looking to do the best possible thing. And that is taking the base if it is offered to you.
Yeah, I completely agree
He swings at a lot of balls, which I don’t like. But he has been fouling an awful lot of them off this year, and the longer an AB goes, the better your chances become of the pitcher throwing a mistake.
This of course just adds to my absolute assurance that this won’t hold up.
by Soria's Unibrow on Apr 19, 2010 2:29 AM EDT up reply actions
DH is good for Jose...
For as much energy as he’s expended complaining about being a DH, it sure seems like Hosey fits well in the spot: (warning, totally wild supposition ahead) First, to the extent that he has issues with keeping his lower half healthy, not playing in the field might keep his legs fresher and healthier and Second (warning!!) it’s not impossible that a guy whose entire baseball action for the day is the four-five ABs he gets may be more inclined to focus more on those at-bats and take more pitches and give better effort. Now, I’m not sure that this is true for all players, but the early evidence shows that his ABs are better than they’ve been since that stretch in ’08…Just a thought…
by billexgordler on Apr 18, 2010 11:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I actually like the way they are hitting the ball
I wish they would get more extra base hits but I’ll take a bunch of singles if the pitching produces. If they can keep hitting and get an AVERAGE bullpen they might stand a chance. Still looks like a last place finish right now but with a little luck who knows. Catch the ball, hit the ball, throw the ball over the plate. Its amazing how much of a difference there is between the Twins pitchers and the Royals. The Twins hardly walk anybody. Pavano gave us 11 hits today in 3.1 innings but didn’t walk anyone. Cut down on the walks and good things will happen.
callaspo is going to hit 20 home runs this year
made the prediction before the season began and now is a good time to repeat it
-
wish I could take that bet
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at FanGraphs.
Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.
by Matt Klaassen on Apr 18, 2010 11:50 PM EDT up reply actions
I’d be happy with another season of 40+ doubles, 10+ HR’s and an ISO of .160+.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Apr 19, 2010 10:07 AM EDT up reply actions
I’ve got to be fair to Hillman here. Since a real low point last summer, he’s really started to use Soria in the 8th with regularity. This is an improvement and a welcome change.
I agree, I think he’s done almost all he can in those situations and I’ve been pleased with it too.
While some of us might ask, “why not just have Soria face Mauer as well?” with a two run lead and no one on, its a solid gamble to sneak along with Rupe as long as possible.
Agreed here too. It is a long season and we have to have other guys that can pitch in high leverage situations besides Soria. If it was a one-run game when Mauer came up, then you definitely look towards Soria, but not by two.
by I need more Esteban on Apr 18, 2010 9:02 PM EDT reply actions
I agree, I think he’s done almost all he can in those situations
He and all managers could do a lot more (and better) with their closers. Hillman, like just about every other MLB manager is willing to give his closer some 4-out and the occasional 5-out Save opp., but that’s about it. No two-inning saves. No appearances before the 8th inning. No attempt to just maximize leverage. Basically just a lot of 9th inning save chances and little more than that.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Apr 19, 2010 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
I might be risking getting strung up for saying this -
but maximizing leverage, to me, would mean pulling Soria for someone else in the 9th, considering the lead ballooned from 2 to 5 runs. That way, if you need Soria for 2 innings on Monday, you might be able to do it.
Small ball - that was a good plan in 1910, not 2010. Thanks, Dayton.
by loyal2sdad on Apr 19, 2010 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I would agree if we had someone else in the bullpen that I trusted
but in that situation, I leave Soria in and just get the hell out of there.
by I need more Esteban on Apr 19, 2010 11:42 AM EDT up reply actions
But then he wouldn't get the save
And that is everything
by kcbottom9th on Apr 19, 2010 11:53 AM EDT up reply actions
I definitely agree
Bring your best reliever in for high leverage situations, and then if the leverage goes way down (like a 5-run lead), take him out. Don’t waste him on an inning where the game has become a blowout.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Apr 19, 2010 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I like this
- .... .- - .----. ... / .-- .... .- - / ... .... . / ... .- .. -..
by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Apr 19, 2010 1:47 PM EDT up reply actions
I Think I
Actually would have trusted Farnzy in that spot. Seriously.
I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.
by philofthenorth on Apr 19, 2010 2:30 PM EDT up reply actions
And I would have trusted Tejeda just as much
Tejeda is a good guy to start an inning because then he has the cushion to walk a couple and then get a couple strikeouts and a groundout.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Apr 19, 2010 4:05 PM EDT up reply actions
i was thinking the same thing...
i wouldve pulled him in the 9th no question
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Apr 19, 2010 3:33 PM EDT up reply actions
While I'll trust
you guys do believe that would’ve been the right move, I’d wager that if someone else was brought in and the lead was blown, we would’ve had a “fire hillman” campaign today all over this site for taking Soria out. I guess all I’m saying is it’s really easy to question managerial decisions in hindsight.
by I need more Esteban on Apr 19, 2010 4:00 PM EDT up reply actions
I guess all I’m saying is it’s really easy to question managerial decisions in hindsight.
That’s true, and some would have bashed him if that hypothetical were to occur. But hey there are stupid fans who will mock smart, untraditional moves. But a good manager does what works, regardless of who might criticize him. If Hillman ever shows a genuine understanding of leverage and then uses his relievers accordingly, I’ll sing his praises for it.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Apr 19, 2010 4:07 PM EDT up reply actions
yeah exactly
and I said “all he can do”, taking into account that this is the way it is and he, or any other manager are not going to think totally outside the box. Sometimes we just have to accept this and be satisfied with bending a rule, even though we’d all love him to break sometimes.
by I need more Esteban on Apr 19, 2010 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess it is semantics
He can do more, but he’s not willing to go against the mainstream. And I really don’t think the occasional 4-out save is even bending the rule. That is pretty mainstream.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on Apr 19, 2010 12:05 PM EDT up reply actions
He's not smart enough to go against the mainstream.
Glad I came, just wish I hadn't stayed so long.
People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.
Speaking of multiple games within a game
I was at the Brewers-Nationals game today. It was a 10-0 laugher (in the first inning!), then an in-doubt if not exactly close 10-7 game, before the Brewers finally won 11-7.
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