Royals Rumblings - News for April 15, 2016

Royals Rumblings - News for April 15, 2016

Lee Judge looks at how park dimensions affect offensive approach.

But park dimensions also define what a team tries to do at the plate. In 2015, when a Royals right-handed hitter pulled the ball, the team’s batting average was .383 and its slugging percentage was .666. (Insert the-devil-made-them-do-it joke here.) In 2015, when an Astros right-handed hitter pulled the ball, the team’s batting average was .449; the team’s slugging percentage was .850. In 2015, when any of the Royals’ hitters hit a fly ball, their batting average was .149; their slugging percentage was .382.

When any Astros hitter lofted a fly ball during a game in 2015, their team batting average was .182, but their slugging percentage was .579. In 2015, Houston hit 147 home runs on balls with a fly-ball trajectory; Kansas City hit 77 home runs on balls with a fly-ball trajectory.

Yordano was better this week due to his off-speed stuff.

"It was a good changeup," Ventura said through interpreter Pedro Grifol. "The key to all of this is that I feel comfortable with my curveball and changeup. Last year, at times I felt I was strictly a fastball pitcher. But this year I feel like I can throw my offspeed pitches at any time." Ventura was dominant most of the game. He went six innings, gave up four hits and one run, and struck out six.

"I had real good concentration," Ventura said. "I was executing my pitches and I thought my breaking ball was very good. But the key was execution."

David Schoenfield at ESPN thinks he is turning a corner.

He has eliminated that little forward step, which Eiland says should help him in having better balance over the rubber -- thus better command. In looking at the heat map of his fastball against the Astros, his command is still a work in progress: He pitches up in the zone with his fastball, which can be problematic because it doesn't have a lot of movement. Batters hit .294/.386/.458 against it in 2015 and have a .250/.455/.500 line in his two starts this season. He had six or seven fastballs that were up and out of the zone or up near shoulder and eye level against the Astros. If he can't command the fastball, he can't get to his offspeed weapons as often.

At Baseball Prospectus Kansas City, David Lesky says its not time to worry about Wade Davis.

I don’t tell you this to scare you about Davis because I’m honestly not worried about him just yet. Even though the Royals have done a really nice job of not overworking their relievers, these guys have still thrown from March through October in each of the last two seasons. That’s eight months of pitching. Davis has thrown 186 innings in that time. It wouldn’t be all that surprising if Davis actually has lost a little off his fastball and there’s nothing really wrong.

One positive sign is that while he’s averaging 94.25 MPH on his fastball to start the season, he’s topped out at 96.3 MPH in each of his last two outings and averaged 95.2 MPH on 15 fastballs against Houston on Tuesday night. If that number continues to rise, he’ll be back to what we’re used to seeing in no time.

Rustin Dodd is far less snarky than Andy McCullough in his chat session.

Salvador Perez made a few videos for Lorenzo Cain's birthday.

I appeared on the Sprots Takes podcast to talk Royals and Royals Review.

What would it take to win 117 games? COULD THE ROYALS DO IT?

Former Royals minor leaguer Daniel Stumpf is suspended 80 games for PEDs.

Will the Red Sox have to release Pablo Sandoval?

MLB scores a victory in a fan-safety lawsuit.

The top prep pitching prospect in the upcoming draft has been ruled ineligible to play high school ball.

The NFL schedule is released, here is who the Chiefs are playing.

Here is your guide to the 2016 NBA Playoffs.

New York City's pension fund will be pulling its $1.5 billion invested in hedge funds.

Can Sea World redeem itself?

Director James Cameron announces four Avatar sequels.

Finally, a map of every goat in America.

Your song of the day is Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats with "I Need Never Get Old".