Amazingly, the Royals can still salvage a split against the Blue Jays, although that will require scoring at least two runs over the next two days, which might be a tall task for a squad that hasn't scored since the first inning of Friday's contest.
| BA | OBP | HR | Runs | |
| Royals | .255 | .315 | 25 | 178 |
| AL Average | .259 | .329 | 44 | 221 |
I felt charitable, so I included good ole batting average in the numbers above, which is the only offensive category the Royals are even vaguely average in, ranking ninth. but don't worry, Joey Gathright and Tony Pena Jr. are going to keep playing, and remain in the lineup today, promising to give The Epic (3-6, 5.58 ERA) all the support he needs against Dustin McGowan (2-4, 4.21 ERA).
It's all part of Hillman's master plan, which cannot properly be grasped through logic. Consider this snippet from a Dutton piece in the Star :
“People think we have a lot of speed,” manager Trey Hillman said. “We don’t. We have one plus runner. That’s Joey Gathright. People think David DeJesus is an above-average runner. Under way, he is.”
DeJesus has three steals in seven attempts after getting thrown out Saturday in the first inning of a 6-0 loss to Toronto at Rogers Centre. Tony Peña (three for four) and Esteban German (two for three) are the only Royals besides Gathright to have more steals than caught-stealings. “We’re still going to look for opportunities to hit-and-run and steal,” Hillman said, “but we’re not laden with team speed. We’re not going to do anything counter-productive and just run at will.
First of all, you have been counter-productive, counter-productive with a vengeance in fact. Secondly, if you're going out of your way to bitch about the lack of team speed -- and this is why we must now officially fear the Hillman/Moore team, because speed is what they think is the answer down the road -- then can't you also give into the idea that the continued hit and runs and dumb steal attempts need to go by the wayside?
The Impossible Dream: A Royal Slugging .500: Kudos to Miguel Olivo for mashing his way towards a .290/.320/.602 line. Thanks to his 11 doubles and six home runs, he's the only non-pitcher the Royals have with a slugging percentage over .500. Over the course of his career, Olivo owns a lifetime .415 mark, so it's no sure thing, but for the time being, his prodigious bat has inspired Royals fans to dream big.