Royals gut fish, move to second

The Royals finally make a move in the standings as they pass the loser Cleveland Indians for second place in the AL Central and they are now in third (or is it fourth) in the Wild Card standings.

A 6-2 win over the lifeless Miami Marlins was the kind of workman-like effort we have come to expect from the post All-Star break Royals. Yeah, they have beat up on the White Sox, Twins, Mets and now the Marlins, but these are teams the Royals need to beat. Taking three out of four from the Red Sox doesn't mean a lot if they can't finish the second division teams.

Some notes from another win:

-- Chris Getz had a pair of three hits and drove in a run.

-- Wade Davis pitched six innings, allowing six hits and two walks. The Marlins were up there hacking in the early innings, so we were able to avoid the Davis disaster start. Eight pitches in the first. Eleven pitches in the second. Eleven more in the third. It wasn't until the second time through the order that the Marlins started working Davis, taking some pitches and fouling off a few more.

-- There was a Jamey Carroll sighting at The K as Mike Moustakas left the game with left calf tightness after legging out an infield hit in the fifth.

-- Carroll and Getz in the lineup at the same time? How excited was Dayton Moore? That Process is almost at warp speed.

-- Billy Butler BOMB.

-- The bullpen did it's bullpen thing. It wasn't exactly pretty in the seventh, but Louis Coleman and Tim Collins were able to work around a bases loaded situation. Total results: Three innings, five base runners and four strikeouts.

-- Defensive breakdowns are notable if only because they rarely happen. When the Royals deploy a makeshift outfield, crazy things can happen. Justin Maxwell and Jarrod Dyson both had a difficult time in the Marlins two-run sixth.

-- Alex Gordon's wife had a baby. It's the Gordon's second kid. For the future, the Royals need some family planning help. Let's have these kids in December, OK?

-- The Royals are now 19-5 since the All-Star break. Nineteen wins in 24 games. Back in May they had a stretch where they lost 19 out of 24. Baseball is a funny game.