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Weekend Rumblings - News for August 6, 2016

Feel the Burns.

By Max Rieper
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Weekend Rumblings - News for August 6, 2016

Lee Judge writes that being aggressive is not to blame for the Royals’ offensive woes.

The Royals have not been hitting a lick lately and I’m sure someone will claim they’re too aggressive at the plate, but unfortunately it’s not that simple; in the big leagues you can’t just stand there and watch good pitches go by — you might not see another one.

Thursday’s game provided a good example; 17 Royals hitters took a called first strike and four of them eventually got hits — that’s a .235 batting average. Nine of those 17 hitters struck out and that’s 53 percent. This season after the Royals are in an 0-1 count they hit .227.

Let a big-league pitcher get ahead of you and there’s a good chance he’ll bury you.

So the answer isn’t letting good pitches go by; the right approach is waiting for a good pitch and not missing it. All too often the Royals are swinging at bad pitches or over-swinging and missing good ones.

David Lesky at Baseball Prospetus Kansas City defends Ian Kennedy.

I’ve talked about this on Twitter a little bit, but I’m just a little perplexed by what people seem to think of Ian Kennedy. I completely understand being upset with the home runs. He’s given up an awful lot. It’s somewhat to be expected as a fly ball pitcher, but I don’t think anyone expected this much. Even with those, he has a 4.03 ERA with 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings. He’s given up just 7.7 hits per nine and with his decent control, he has a WHIP of 1.19. I think he spends a little too much time in the strike zone with a fastball that isn’t elite, which is what accounts for his homers, but that’s a pretty darn solid line. And for those who don’t think his contract should return "solid" numbers, I invite you to take a look at what solid pitchers are paid. The $14 million AAV he’s set to earn over the life of his contract is very much in line with what solid innings eaters earn. Now, I will say that he hasn’t given the innings I expected, but he’s been much better than many would lead you to believe.

David Schoenfield lists who could get traded for all 30 teams.

Kansas City Royals -- Jorge Bonifacio, OF. The Royals aren't ready to tear things down, and the toolsy outfielder is one of their few minor leaguers who could bring back major league help.

A Kris Medlen update:

A Jason Vargas update:

Kyle Zimmer had surgery his thoracic outlet syndrome.

The Royals are excited about 2016 third-round pick, outfielder Khalil Lee.

"A lot of teams liked me on the mound," said Lee, 18, a lefthanded batter and thrower. "I’m glad the Royals picked me as an outfielder . . . If hitting doesn’t go the way I want it, I can always come back and pitch."

George Brett talks about nerves during the 1985 World Series.

The bus stop by Kauffman Stadium is up for "worst bus stop in America."

KCMO Police will resume giving away Royals baseball cards.

Mark Teixeira will retire at the end of the season.

Jonathan Lucroy talks about the Indians trade he vetoed.

A Padres exec isn’t backing down from his criticism of Matt Kemp.

MLB is investigated the Padres' disclosure of medical information.

The A's trainer is being investigated for putting a secret camera in the weight room.

An oral history of the career of David Ortiz.

The disastrous 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal should have taught host cities a lesson.

Florida hired a booster to oversee a hearing for a player accused of sexual assault.

The FDA approves genetically modified mosquitoes to eradicate the Zika virus.

Philadelphia outlaws dumpster pools.

There are 22 book-to-film adaptations still to come in 2016.

Your song of the day is Charles Mingus with "Nostalgia in Times Square."

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