Royals Rumblings - News for April 8, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for April 8, 2021

Jakob Junis seemed confident after an impressive start.

“They were swinging early and often,” Junis said. “Just attacking the strike zone with my cutter, my slider and taking out of the zone when needed was really the name of the game.

“I’ve always been one to attack the strike zone and not have very many walks and really force the issue. I’ve been hurt with that in the past, but luckily now with the cutter, it’s missing barrels and helped me get a lot of quick outs today.”

Hunter Dozier returns to the lineup and talks about his thumb with Anne Rogers.

“It was sore, and still sore, but the swelling was the biggest thing,” Dozier said. “I can actually grip a bat now, grip a ball. Have to wear a batting glove on my right hand, which is going to be weird, but I’ll do whatever just to get in that lineup. … Once I was able to swing, and felt good swinging, I knew I was ready.

“Since I had my strength, I knew nothing was seriously wrong. It just was a matter of getting that swelling down and being able to tolerate the pain.”

Lynn Worthy writes that road trips are looking a bit more normal these days.

Vahe Gregorian writes about Mike Matheny facing off this week against Tony LaRussa, the manager he replaced in St. Louis.

Brittany Ghiroli at The Athletic lists the Royals as one of the most entertaining teams to watch.

Who are we watching? Kyle Isbel had three hits in his big-league debut. Young starters Brady Singer and Brad Keller are 24 and 25, respectively. Top pitching prospects Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch and Jonathan Bowlan are expected to be in the 2021 plans. Santana could have a bounce-back season. Free-agent signee Michael A. Taylor, 30, was one of the storylines of the opening series. Taylor, never given a real chance in Washington, can change a game with his defense and speed, and if he can contribute offensively, it could be a huge boon. Big-name prospects Bobby Witt Jr. and Asa Lacy are also waiting in the wings.

Bobby Witt, Jr. is hittin’ it hard against other Alternate Site teams.

Fernando Tatis, Jr. won’t need shoulder surgery.

White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson lands on the Injured List.

Former Royals reliever Trevor Rosenthal may need thoracic outlet surgery.

Can a team fall out of the pennant race after one weekend?

Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo is having one of the best starts ever for a Rule 5 pick.

Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins gets a five-year extension.

Who is the better pitcher, Jack Leiter or teammate Kumar Rocker?

A look at the importance of fastball shape.

Some in Congress threaten to repeal MLB’s anti-trust exemption, what would that mean?

Tom Brady is starting an NFT company.

Aaron Rodgers wants to be the permanent host of Jeopardy.

Twitter discussed buying Clubhouse for $4 billion.

Scientists are finding that a subatomic particle is not obeying the laws of physics.

Mystery Series Theater 3000 is coming back. Again.

Your song of the day is Stone Temple Pilots with Plush.