Royals Rumblings - News for September 14, 2015

Royals Rumblings - News for September 14, 2015

The Royals have been trying to fix Johnny Cueto, but to no avail.

During the week, pitching coach Dave Eiland counseled Cueto on adjustments to both his delivery and his mentality. The two spheres intertwine. Eiland suggested Cueto lost confidence in the wake of his struggles, which caused him to attempt to manipulate the movement of the baseball with excessive movement in his delivery.

The unnecessary exertion wrought several unfortunate consequences. Cueto lost command of his fastball. His offspeed pitches hung over the plate. In addition, Cueto may have been tipping his hand to opposing hitters by exposing the baseball early in his delivery. As the hitters teed off, Cueto allowed his shoulders to slump and his pace on the mound to slacken.

Eiland showed him a split-screen with video from his first four starts as a Royal, when he allowed six runs in 30 innings, and his last four outings. To Eiland, the difference in body language was stark. "I froze a picture of him in his last game, and he had this glazed-over look in his eye," Eiland said. "Then I showed him on the mound [in a shutout] against Detroit. He had this look in his eye that was just different. And that comes with confidence."

Ned kept things in perspective after Friday night's blow out loss.

"You’ve got to keep it in perspective," Yost said. "We’ve had a bad week. If we were sitting here at the end of spring training and said, ‘Hey, on (Sept.) 11 you’re going to be 10 games up on the division, would you be happy with that?’ Yes, I would. So we’ll just keep it in perspective and come back tomorrow."

Mike Moustakas felt pretty good after setting the franchise record for most RBI in a game with nine on Saturday.

"It feels pretty good," Moustakas said. "It feels really good, actually. I went out there trying to what I can to help us win. Guys got on base today. Gave me opportunities to drive in some runs. And I was able to capitalize on that."

Lee Judge thinks the Royals need to get back in a routine to get ready for the post-season.

Like just about everyone else in the world, baseball players thrive on routine; that’s why Ned Yost said, "You hate taking guys out of their roles." Friday night the Royals pitchers got out of their routines and the results weren’t pretty. In the month of September the entire team has been out of its routine and once again the results have been dismal. I’m not the smartest guy in the world, but it sure looks like the Royals need to get back to the same routines that got them a 10-game lead in their division.

And they need to do it before the playoffs start.

Craig Brown at Royals Authority is not sweating about home field advantage.

Home field is nice to have, but last October should remind anyone that it’s not imperative. The Royals, of course, won two series when they didn’t have home field. And don’t forget the Giants. Also a Wild Card team, they won three series where they lacked that alleged advantage of home field. In my mind, the most important thing for the Royals at this moment in 2015 is to win the AL Central. That gets you a flag on the Hall of Fame in left field, and as everyone should know, flags fly forever....

Sure, it would be ideal for the Royals to have the advantage of playing the most games at The K in a short series. This is a team predicated on pitching and defense and speed, which is one way of saying the Royals were constructed with their stadium in mind. Besides, who wants to go to Toronto and face a must-win game? Here’s a dirty little secret: The way the playoffs are built means the Royals will have to, at some point, win at least one game in Toronto. Home field isn’t some crazy advantage. Is it ultimately an advantage? Of course it is. Most teams play better at home than on the road. Is it necessary for postseason success? Absolutely not.

Kendrys Morales could be a strong contender for Comeback Player of the Year, writes Paul Swydan of Fangraphs.

Jose Martinez, Balbino Fuenemayor, Xavier Hernandez, and Josh Staumont are named All-Stars at their respective classification by Baseball America.

Pretty neat if you're a Cornhusker fan.

Pretty cool ? @royalsreview @1RoyalsNation @Husker_Baseball pic.twitter.com/y2js4lwuNt

— Rodrick (@Futurehusker) September 12, 2015

The Yankees lose slugger Mark Teixeira for the year with a broken leg.

Blue Jays shortstop Troy Tulowitzki suffered a crack in his shoulder blade in a collision and will be out at least 2-3 weeks.

Jeff Sullivan writes the Cardinals have been historically clutch this year.

Is David Ortiz a Hall of Famer?

Jeff Zimmerman looks at how batted ball data can be used to scout power among prospects.

The Chiefs looks pretty impressive in their opening week win over Houston.

Roberta Vinci's amazing upset of Serena Williams at the U.S. Open last week puts her in the pantheon of sports underdogs.

RIP Moses Malone.

Researchers say "first come, first served" is a waste of everyone's time.

The terrible world of casting notices.

The crazy story behind the making of the cult-classic film "The Warriors."

Your song of the day is OK Go with "This Too Shall Pass."