Spring Training Game(s) VIII and IX: Now It Gets Confusing

Is this game thread 8 or game 8/9? I'm making a 2017 executive Kevin decision and counting games. So it shall be written. So it shall be done.

That aside, I like the idea of split squad games, especially early in the spring. They give you a chance to evaluate double the players at bat and in the field when there's not much to glean from pitching. And usually the starters see a lot more of the game.

Roughly half of the Royals play against the Giants in Surprise while the other half play the Reds at their park in Goodyear. Jason Hammel starts for the home Royals while Jason Vargas throws for the visiting squad.

The media offerings for today’s games are: Giants and MLB.com’s Royals audio for the home game and Reds audio for the away game. No local tv or audio for either game, though.

Slightly Interesting Factoid of the Day: This is only one of two days the Royals are scheduled for a split squad game this spring. On March 16th, the Royals play versus the Mariners and at the Padres, kindof interesting because the Mariners and Padres share the Peoria Sports Complex just as the Rangers and Royals share Surprise Stadium. Unfortunately, the Rangers ruin this beautiful symmetry by not playing at all. Or maybe they complete it. I dunno. Either way: Sorry, Ryan H. I just stole a useful tidbit for the game thread that day.

In exchange for stealing that, let's see what else I've got for that game. According to Wikipedia, there is a band called The Split Squad. Yes, I only know this because I was trying to get a textbook definition of a split squad game. There's always the opportunity to make up some sort of West Side Story parody or foment fake discontent between the squads over their love or hate of the color blue. Or you could just write about baseball.

Enough of this tomfoolery. Below are your lineups.

Enjoy a double dose of baseball.