Royals Rumblings - News for June 25, 2019

Jack S. Johnson wrote a really cool piece about Khalil Lee yesterday.

The left-handed Lee steps up with a runner at third and less than two outs. I get my phone ready once again. First pitch swinging and he taps the ball to the right of the mound. Seemingly routine, the pitcher and first baseman began to panic causing a frenzy of shouts and frantic movements. With Lee roaring down the line, the first baseman grabs it and dives to tag out Lee trying to slide under the glove at first. The run came across to score as all the attention had been centered on Lee and not the runner dashing home.

Check out some of the oddities behind Alex Gordon’s recent offensive struggles.

One of the first things that a lot of people like to jump to when a players’ K% rises is that the hitter must be working himself into bad counts. Some evidence may even point to that in Gordon’s case. In 2019, when Alex Gordon is ahead in the count, he has an OPS of 1.053. When Gordon gets behind in the count, his OPS is .689.

Lynn Worthy also wrote about Alex Gordon’s pitch selection.

Did the changes to the lineup cause pitchers to attack him differently when Dozier came out of the cleanup spot?

“I would say no just because (Jorge) Soler was behind me after that,” Gordon said. “He was as locked-in as anybody could be. Putting Soler and Dozier maybe makes them attack me even more, so with either one of those guys pitchers aren’t going to want to pitch around me.”

Clint Scoles wrote about Jonathan Bowlan’s debut for the Royals Advanced-A affiliate Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Over at Royals Farm Report:

• I interviewed Royals 13th round draft pick Tyler Tolbert.
• Drew Osborne recaps the NWA Naturals week.

Leigh wrote about Jackson Kowar’s magnificent AA debut over at KC Kingdom.

Things got feisty in Wrigley last night.

The NY Yankees have tied the MLB record for most consecutive games with a home run.

On Tampa Bay’s gambit for an open marriage ($).

“Once spring training ends, I know I’m staying in a house and many hotels throughout the year. Now to sit here and think about living in a place for the first part of the season and then moving everything for the second half, it’s wild. … If this were to happen, you’re asking a lot of guys to get a lease for three months then go find a new one.”

Dusty Baker’s son, Darren, is making a name for himself in the Cape Cod League ($).

Giannis wins NBA MVP.

The NCAA could ban some California schools over new bill.

In a letter to the chairs of two State Assembly committees last week, NCAA President Mark Emmert implied that if the bill becomes law as it is written, California schools could face the prospect of being prohibited from participating in NCAA championships. That includes 23 NCAA Division I schools, four of which are in the Pac-12 Conference.

Pain patients left in anguish by doctors who fear opioid addiction.

On this day in history, in 1993, Kim Campbell becomes Canada’s first female prime minister.

Your song of the day is Luke Combs with a cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man.”