Don't worry about that five game losing streak, or about losing six of seven, or about having the worst offense in the American League, or about purported ace and team leader and tone setter Gil Meche getting bombed, or about looking like the worst baseball team on the planet twenty four hours ago.
We have Tomko, they don't. The Royals brought Tomko in for moments just like these, spots of time which call for a stopper, a man's man, a hero, a pitching savant, a grinder, a gritter, a gamer, a stud. A Tomko. We have Tomko, they don't. End of story. I'll see you in three hours for the post-game celebration thread...
(Isn't it odd how, by pure slot, Tomko has become the de facto number two starter? I know it really means nothing, normally that is, but at this early stage in the season, the teams still match-up more, which means Tomko isn't pitching against Paul Byrd tonight, but Fausto Carmona. Cool!)
Shifting gears, as many of you know, I have some Cleveland ties, and lived there last summer (and will be back there in about a month). I'm not sure if every fanbase feels this way, but there is a definite meme in Cleveland that the Royals always give us trouble. I've heard it personally, heard it on the radio, seen it on Lets Go Tribe and on and on. Well, let's check the facts:
Cleveland's Record Against the Royals Since 2001:
2002: 9-102003: 6-132004: 11-8
2005: 13-6
2006: 10-8
2007: 11-7Total Since 2001: 61-42
As always, we're reminded of what poor evaluators of data human beings are, always prone to be too driven by memories of the outlier and preconceived ideas. The Royals haven't had a winning record against the Indians since 2003, which was not coincidentally the worst Tribe team since 1994, and also the best group of Royals. Beyond that, not very good Cleveland teams in 2004 and 2006 still had plenty of success against the Royals, and they positively got fat against them in 2005. Perhaps, perhaps last year's 11-7 mark is something of a disappointment, but it looks pretty normal to me. This isn't the NFL, one or two teams win 65% of their games, one or two win 40% of them, and everyone else is in between.
p.s. Check the diaries fanposts for updated information on Royals Review Fest!