Jeremy Guthrie Lives Up to Billing - Eats Innings, but Loses to Rangers

Well that was the Jeremy Guthrie we thought we ordered!

Jeremy Guthrie lived up to his reputation as an "innings-eater" by devouring six quality innings of work, giving up two runs over the first six innings, before being pulled after giving up a leadoff single in the seventh. He struck out four, walked two, gave up just six hits, and kept the team in the game, although ultimately lost (despite being an innings eater, he has a career 50-76 record, and has twice led the league in losses). This is what it must feel like to be a fan of another team, except this happens like 3-4 times a week instead of 3-4 times a month.

Then Jose Mijares, who earns about twenty times the average salary of a teacher to throw a baseball for about 15 minutes once every couple days for six months out of the year, failed in the one task he is called on to perform. Mijares gave up a three-run home run to left-handed hitter Mitch Moreland, pretty much putting the game out of reach. The Royals scored a pair of runs late, and even had the tying run at the plate in the seventh and eighth innings, but predictably fell short.

But hey, Jeremy Guthrie, right? It was the 39th "Quality Start" (6 IP or more, 3 ER or less) for the Royals this season, the second fewest in all of baseball (Colorado has an astounding 24 Quality Starts). Dayton Moore already has the pro forma two-year contract extension (with mutual option of course), the only question is will Jeremy Guthrie want to sign and play in front of a fan base that had the audacity to boo Robinson Cano?