Royals Rumblings - News for May 10, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for May 10, 2021

Royals skipper Mike Matheny is not happy with the losing, writes Anne Rogers.

“We’re not happy, and it’s embarrassing when we don’t play the kind of baseball that we know we can play,” manager Mike Matheny said. “There should be a lot of quiet right now. Because this is something that stings. We take a lot of pride in how we go about our business, and when it doesn’t look like we want it to look, it doesn’t sit right.”

Mike Minor is racking up strikeouts, but he knows he needs to go deeper in games, writes Lynn Worthy.

“Anytime those guys go out there, you feel like they’re just going to put up a bunch of zeros,” Minor said of the bullpen. “But I feel like the starting staff — me especially — needs to do a better job and give those guys a break. I feel like those guys have been going a lot of back-to-backs, throwing multiple innings, and they’re asking those guys to do a lot.”

Lynn also has an update on Adalberto Mondesi, who heads to Arizona to work out.

The Royals still have not shared a timetable for when Mondesi might go on a potential minor-league rehab assignment.

Matheny said how long Mondesi will be in Arizona will be “completely driven by the medical team.”

Mondesi has been cleared for full activity in the field, playing defense. He has also been able to take swings from the right side, but the Royals training staff has been cautious and deliberate with his activity at the plate from the left side.

Vahe Gregorian writes that the Royals probably aren’t as bad as they showed this week.

It’s true that the Royals have made it an enormous challenge to be patient and level-headed through this sloppy, exasperating time.

But it’s also true that every season has its distinct ebb and flow … and that we remain too early into this one to know where the tide will deposit a team that had the best record in baseball for more than a month and has been as poor as can be for just over the last week.

Most likely, this team is somewhere in between extremes.

Clint Scoles at Royals Academy gives his early evaluation of Bobby Witt, Jr.’s first few games.

It’s just three games, but Bobby Witt Jr. hasn’t looked like a hitter that was ready for the major leagues. The shortstop has expanded his zone plenty, not recognized hittable breaking balls, and swung through a few fastballs. In three games and 13 at-bats, the shortstop has struckout five times with two singles at the dish. It’s far too early to worry, but if you wanted him to dominate and get to the bigs in no time, you should become patient.

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter wonders how the Royals will handle Jorge Soler beyond this year.

Anne Rogers writes about Matheny’s relationship with his mother.

Reds lefty Wade Miley threw the fourth no-hitter of the year.

The Mets have what seems like a clubhouse disagreement that the players claim was over a “rat or raccoon.”

The Braves sign reliever Shane Greene to a one-year deal.

Jacob deGrom will get an MRI after leaving his Sunday start early.

Beth Mowins becomes the first woman to call a Cubs regular season game.

Could the White Sox make a play for Kris Bryant?

Devin Fink at Fangraphs looks at what effect the deadened ball has had on home runs and batting averages.

MLB teams can’t play games under protest anymore.

Former big league manager Bobby Valentine is running for mayor of Stamford, Connecticut.

Former Rockies pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez graduates from college with honors, fulfilling a promise to his mother.

Longtime baseball writer Thomas Boswell announces his retirement.

Former big league managers Del Crandall and Ray Miller passed away last week.

A look at the baseball fandom of Ernest Hemingway.

Horse trainer Bob Baffert is suspended after Derby winner Medina Spirit tests positive for banned substances.

Chelsea wins the Women’s Super League for the second year in a row.

Bees are trained to detect the coronavirus.

Twitter will have a tip jar.

Nintendo is finding hits by just taking Wii U games and putting them on Switch.

Your song of the day is Weezer with Undone (The Sweater Song).