Royals Rumblings

Royals Rumblings - News for April 20, 2015

Baseball sure was boring this weekend.

By Max Rieper@maxrieper Apr 20, 2015, 8:00am EDT

Royals Rumblings - News for April 20, 2015

Lorenzo Cain knows who has his back after Sunday's series-clinching win.

The remnants of the Royals roster – those who had not been ejected or injured or otherwise removed from the premises in this 4-2 victory over Oakland – bounded over the dugout railing to greet Cain and Eric Hosmer after Kendrys Morales’ two-run double in the eighth. The sight gave Cain chills.

"I know that my team is there, backing us," Cain said. "We’re 100 percent for each other. You need teammates like that."

Sam Mellinger wondes if the Royals on-field antics are making them a target and says baseball should loosen up.

Because if the Royals are being targeted for over-celebrating or showing too much emotion — and there are people around the game who believe this to be true — that says more about baseball than it does about the Royals. Lighten up, in other words. The code is outdated and misguided. Other sports don’t do this.

Basketball quite literally celebrates showmanship with slam-dunk contests. The NFL has taken some justified criticisms about standing for No Fun League, but among players there is no punishment for sack dances or touchdown choreography. Soccer is full of wild goal celebrations.

But this act-like-you’ve-been-there culture is more than a code specific to baseball — it’s a code specific to major-league baseball. Baseball in Latin America is a closer cousin to an And-1 mixtape than a big-league game. Bat flips in South Korea are legendary. So why the difference? It is cultural, historical, and amplified by demographics.

Alcides also said the slide Friday was "dirty" and he never got an apology from Brett Lawrie.

"In that situation for me, that’s a dirty slide," Escobar said. Lawrie defended the play, saying he was trying to break up a potential double play, but Escobar disagreed."It was not a double-play situation right there," Escobar said. "He could slide more easily."

Lawrie insists he did send a text and received a response.

For those who had asked: Brett Lawrie's text to the number for Alcides Escobar that Eric Hosmer gave him: pic.twitter.com/4svOO6WoUy
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 18, 2015

(Cont) Escobar responded in Spanish: "That's stupid, you did it on purpose."
— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) April 18, 2015

Here are more reactions to the incident on Friday including video footage of the play.

Ned Yost hopes Escobar can return to action tonight. Orlando Calixte was called up over the weekend and made his Major League debut on Sunday, grounding out in his only plate appearance, with Reymond Fuentes sent down.

Speaking of Calixte, need a laugh?

If you're seeing Calixte for the 1st time, comparison the team likes to make is Alfonso Soriano. Some pop, infielder that may end up in OF
— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 19, 2015

Eskie wasn't the only infielder to get hurt, as Omar Infante left Sunday's game with a groin injury.

"If I'm sitting here and betting, I would bet yes, we're probably going to have to make a move," Yost said.

The injuries are starting to pile up, but Ned appreciates the Royals' depth.

"Before, two years ago, something like this would have really, really hurt us," manager Ned Yost said. "But we think now that we’re covered in just about every area that we need to be covered in, and (general manager Dayton Moore made) sure that if somebody does get hurt, we don’t miss a beat."

Yost also expects to hear from the league on a suspension for pitcher Yordano Ventura.

"He's got some learning to do," Yost said. "But you got to understand, he's a young guy. And I wouldn't say he's emotional, but he's got a real edge to him."

You can probably add Kelvin Herrera to that list.

Scott Kazmir insists his plunking of Lorenzo Cain was not intentional.

"It wasn't intentional," Kazmir said. "I think anyone who has a feel for the game, they would know that it's not intentional. I don't think anyone tries to throw at someone's toe or whatever. I tried to throw a fastball in, tried to throw it hard and got a little more on it because he's quick inside, and I just pulled it. That's all it was."

The Royals weren't so sure.

"I'm not sure," Cain said. "He did ask me if I was OK. ... But no one likes getting hit. It never feels good. I definitely didn't like it. But I got a team that will back me up."

Pitcher Alex Torres, beaned by a line drive last year, is wearing a helmet on the mound and it will take some time to get used to.

Pete Rose has joined Fox Sports One as a baseball analyst.

This Cubs fan is amazing, please bow down to her.

Alex Rodriguez, MVP?

The White Sox are finally promoting pitching phenom Carlos Rodon. He must have improved his defense.

How would Kansas and Missouri fare if MLB players only played for their home state?

OMG TIM TEBOW! OMG TIM TEBOW! OMG TIM TEBOW!

Keith Olbermann didn't care for the attempt to eat the Knicks into bankruptcy, so a rebuttal was warranted.

The Edmonton Oilers won the first pick in the NHL draft. Future pick Connor McDavid is excited.

Sporting KC got stunned with a last minute goal in Los Angeles.

Meet "Dunk", the new NSA Recycling Mascot.

American Express is having a bad year.