Well, it certainly feels like a Friday. After starting the week in San Diego and traveling back cross-country, its nice to wind down into a complete Friday laziness; slept til Noon, shaved at 3:00, microwave food, the whole bit. I hope y'all enjoyed what I think was a very strong week here at RR, if I may be so bold. Royals Retro led things off with a retrospective post on Jay Bell, whom we will always cherish as the 100th greatest Royal of all time. That was followed up with a massive effort by NHZ which pointed out just how impotent the Royals have been at the corners. Inspired, yours truly even found a way to complete a brief examination of the Royals-Cardinals rivalry. With all the quality diaries rolling in as well, it was a very good week for the site. Remember the good times when I'm in St. Martin next month and things are sketchier.
Regarding last night, I honestly have no idea how the Royals managed to score 17 runs last night, but needless to say it was enjoyable. Amazingly, the Royals have now hung a 17 on the board twice in the last 4 games. Here's how it went down:
Singles: 9
Walks: 7
Hit by Pitches: 1
Doubles: 3
Triples: 2
Homers: 1
While all Royals fans are pleased with Gordon and Teahen's minor hot sreaks the last week, what do we make of Pena and Gator?
Will Jalepena and Gator finish above or below their current OPSes?
Jalepena: .662 (.273/.297/.366)
Gator: .767 (.292/.433/.33)
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I feel hurt when I don't get a pitcher Win.
Of course the story tonight -- beyond the Royals interleague hot-streak and the Grudz/Ducky injuries -- is the supposed heart-strings we're all supposed to be tugging for Gil Meche (3-6, 3.16 ERA). This nonsense has been building for weeks, and its possible that if Meche losses 3-2 tonight that someone may serve jail time or get called a homosexual or maybe just much sulking will be done. All we know is that it will be bad.
"It's not fun," Meche told the Royals' official Web site. "But as a starting pitcher, you are only in control of the defense. You just try to go out there and pitch deep into games, mix up pitches and use all of your pitches."
Losing 1-0, or 2-0, or even 3-0 I can get behind as supposedly "tough luck". But Meche gave up 4 runs. Seriously, thats more in the "good effort, but veering towards a no decision worthy performance" than something I really feel justifies Meche even answering a question about how he feels. I know it doesn't jibe with the culture of baseball, but what matters is runs, and how many the pitcher allows, not how those runs happened to coincide with the offense or when he left the game or how his relivers handled his inherited runners or anything else. The quicker we disabuse ourselves of the importance of pitcher W/L records, the better. Besides, aren't these guys supposed to be manly men of steel and toughness and all the rest? And yet this form of complaining about your stats is actually encouraged and coddled by the media. I wonder what the response would be if Arod or some other destroyer of our national innocence complained about a slow runner costing him an RBI, because I see very little difference.
Ohh, and remember, just like Scott Elarton before him (who briefly had a supposed "tough luck" run during his first month as a Royal), Meche choose to play for the Royals, a team which has scored between 701 and 757 runs the last three seasons.
Deep breath.
OK, so we're playing our hated interleague rival the Marlins. Just so you know, apparently Miguel Cabrera is fat now. For everything else Marlins, check out Fish Stripes, the very good SB Nation Florida site.