Royals Rumblings - News for August 4, 2016

At BP Kansas City, Hunter Samuels looks at how Danny Duffy’s previously crappy changeup has evolved:

A few recent broadcasts have mentioned that Duffy started throwing his changeup using the same grip that Edinson Volquez uses. The new grip is basically just a slight alteration to his thumb placement, and although he isn’t throwing it any harder, the tweak has added more horizontal movement. Duffy’s now getting 10.4 inches of movement on the pitch. Only three pitchers in baseball have more fade on their changeups than Duffy this season.

That extra fade away from righties has been huge for him, as he’s been able to hold them to a .699 OPS. He’s definitely surrendered a few more dingers than you’d prefer, but that OPS is ten percent lower than the league average.

Add in his continued utter domination of left-handed hitters (his .244 slugging percentage allowed is lower than every starting pitcher in baseball, with the exception of Martin Perez and Clayton Kershaw) and you can see how the Royals’ best starter has become the Royals’ best starter.

The Star’s Jesse Newell looks at a record Eric Hosmer probably doesn’t want to break:

Eric Hosmer has the seventh-best average exit velocity in the majors, yet he’s ranked 13th out of 26 first baseman when it comes to overall offensive production according to the all-encompassing stat Weighted Runs Created Plus.

So what gives? How could both of those statements be true?

Unfortunately for Hosmer, hitting the ball hard isn’t everything. And he’s become one of the most extreme examples of a player haunted by a less-than-ideal swing path.

On Duffy’s hat toss into the stands, Pete Grathoff reports:

After his start Monday in a 3-0 win over the Rays, one of the best starts in Royals history, Duffy tossed his cap to a kid in the stands. As Sam Mellinger wrote, it was Duffy’s best moment of the night.

Duffy talked to Joel Goldberg and Jeff Montgomery of Fox Sports Kansas City before Tuesday’s game about that moment.

“It honestly brought a bigger smile to my face than he had on his face,” Duffy said. “I love it, man. That’s what it’s all about.”

Matt Strahm discusses his shutdown relief performance with the Star.

Kings of Kauffman’s John Viril asks: is it too late to make a playoff run?

Meet Brandon Guyer, baseball’s Hit-By-Pitch King.

Indians’ catching prospect Francisco Mejia nears a record hit streak in the minors.

Slate’s Henry Grabar looks at the runaway the success of the streetcars in Kansas City.

President Obama commuted 214 sentences, largely drug offenses, marking the most commutations in a single day in more than a century.

Seinfeld is still as pertinent today as when it aired.

Who are the Duffer Brothers?

What does it take for an independent record store to survive?

Your song of the day is “Woke Up Feeling Like Sleeping” by Juan Wauters.