A small kernel of positivity from the 19-1 loss

Baseball people will tell you that a 19-1 loss is the same as a 1-0 loss.  It only counts as one loss in the standings.

Sabermetricians know that, statistically, this is a fallacy.  A team's record in blowout (5+ run) wins and losses is a serious indicator of that team's overall skill.  Much more than any other such split, a very bad or very good record in these games coincides with a very bad or very good team.

The good news here is that the Royals are still 6-5 in these games, even after the 19-1 drubbing.  They were 14-30 last year.

In 2010, the 6 teams with the worst winning percentage in blowout games won an average of about 66 games overall.  The best 6 teams won an average of about 93, with the top 5 being playoff teams.  Those with a blowout winning percentage between .450 and .550 won an average of 82 games, and all had between 75 and 88 wins. 

I am on record as saying that this team has no chance of a playoff run this year, and I stand by that.  The Indians are for real, and the chance of a wildcard is miniscule.  However, for those hoping merely to be respectable this year, as a jumping off point for the future, the 6-5 record in these games is a positive indicator for that possibility.  For those (including myself) with dire preseason predictions, be a little happy to be wrong, and sit back and enjoy mediocrity.