Royals Rumblings - News for August 23, 2018

The Royals schedule for next season is out. You can go and see how to best go to Royals games next year in what’s sure to be another lost season.

Jeffrey Flanagan notes that Jake Junis is trending back in the right direction after that midseason swoon:

“It’s not encouraging, [because] I’ve got a good feeling about Jake, so I don’t need to be encouraged,” said Royals manager Ned Yost, of Junis’ recent starts. “This is what I expect out of Jake. I expect him to go out and make starts like this. I expect him to execute pitches and have a good slider and keep us in the game, just like he did tonight.”

Junis, though, seemed upbeat about his turnaround.

”It’s been encouraging to have some consistent starts in a row,” Junis said. “I was slumping pretty hard, so to bounce back and have some strong ones since the All-Star break, it’s encouraging to finish this season strong.”

At the Athletic (subscription required and if you get one here, I get ten Amabucks richer), Rustin Dodd takes a gander at nine prospects who at least arguably have flown under the radar this season. On tiquan’s former teammate:

5. Austin Cox, LHP: Drafted in the eighth round in June, Cox, 21, put up big strikeout numbers (124 in 87 2/3 innings) at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. He continued to rack up strikeouts at Rookie-level Burlington, recording 51 in his first 33 1/3 innings. Cox, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, has also walked 15 batters and allowed 14 earned runs. But he has a tendency to pound the strike zone and attack hitters.Club officials have been pleased with his advanced feel for pitching — he’s already more of a pitcher than a “thrower.”

Kings of Kauffman’s Morgan Vogels writes of the Royals’ elimination from the playoff picture.

At Royals Farm Report, Drew Osborne reports that Anderson Miller was named Texas League Player of the Week.

At FiveThirtyEight, Travis Sawchik shows that Cleveland has taken the flyball revolution to a new place. Maybe Eric Hosmer should read that article.

At FanGraphs:

• Dan Szymborski pens an elegy for his 2018 Baltimore Orioles.
• Jeff Sullivan wonders why the Rockies let Daniel Murphy go by on the waiver wire.
• Sheryl Ring dives into Trevor Bauer, CIA nanites, and when satire gets misunderstood.

Indy ball manager Butch Hobson put on a helluva show in his ejection last week.

First “Tyler,” now this; the Astros can be pretty fun.

Net neutrality looks like it’s working great so far. Can someone shatter Ajit Pai’s Reese’s mug in the street at 1600 Pennsylvania, please?

In addition to tasting of coconut, coconut oil is pure poison per this Harvard epidemiologist.

Steven Hyden assesses the state of musical performance on late night talk shows.

A series from Armando Iannucci starring Hugh Laurie set in space for HBO? Yes, please.

The Big Bang Theory is finally ending after this coming season.

The song of the day is “Sentient Oona” by Oh Sees: