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Royal Bullpen Steps Up, Shuts Down Rangers, Bails Out Adcock and Ends Losing Streak

By Freneau

The Royal bullpen threw 12 innings and change of scoreless baseball tonight, despite facing a purportedly good Texas team in a hitter's park. Of course, we all saw that coming, knowing that Felipe Paulino would allow just one hit in 4.1 innings. The Rangers had 7 runs in the second inning, and they were at 7 runs when the game ended in the 14th.

(Congrats, btw, to Melky Cabrera, for breaking Juan Gonzalez's 1997 record for "most times turning around and looking for someone to mad-dog and muttering curse words in Spanish during a home run trot." We are all proud to see this record broken.)

This was a very curious game, although one that I fear not many Royals fans bothered to watch. The Royals led 3-0 after the top of the first, and 6-5 after the top of the second. In both innings, the Rangers stormed back to take a 7-6 lead.

And then nothing happened. Until Alex Gordon happened.

But then nothing happened again, until we got to the 14th, when things exploded. I would say this game mirrored the history of the Ottoman Empire, but I don't know if that would be fair to the Habsburg Empire. Whichever better fits the pattern of action-------------nothing-----------action.

  • Alex Gordon had a much needed moment tonight, tying the game with a homer off of Neftali Feliz (who is having a very bizarre season).
  • Melky Cabrera cemented his status as most annoyingly good Royal of 2011, passing Jeff Francouer, with his lead taking-HR in the 14th. The Hos and The Brayan took care of the rest.
  • Alcides Escobar led off the 9th inning of a 7-6 game. Then he hit with Getz on 2nd in a 7-7 game in the 11th. Glad I'm straight on the Dayton/Yost rules. Then he hit with a runner on first in a 7-7 tie in the 13th. These guys are player development gurus. Which is why we've all been pleased with the careers of Alex Gordon, Kila Ka'aihue, Mike Aviles and the like.
  • You mean Nate Adcock isn't actually good? I'm stunned. Nate Adcock was terrible, allowing seven runs in 2.2 innings. However, new Royal Felipe Paulino turned in 4.1 random scoreless innings, keeping the Royals in the game. 
  • When Billy Butler & Alcides Escobar both fly out at the wall, you know the ball is carrying.
  • I liked that Yost had Coleman pitch 2.1 innings, rather than turning the game into an All-Star Game, where everyone pitches an inning only as if by rule. However, for every good move, there's a... curious one. Coleman was replace by Blake Wood, who entered the game in the 13th. Now, Wood was easily the worst pitcher Yost had left in the bullpen. But hey, it's only a tie game, with the top of the Texas order coming up. Who knows, maybe its Yost's development plan.
  • So after Yost effectively said, "I don't care about winning this game," the Royals scored five runs. It doesn't make sense.

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