Royals Rumblings - News for August 9, 2021

Royals Rumblings - News for August 9, 2021

Jake Brentz was pumped up to be pitching in his native St. Louis, writes Anne Rogers.

“I knew he was going to be pretty amped up,” manager Mike Matheny said. “This is a young player that spent a lot of his childhood going to games here. I knew it wasn’t just another day on a Major League mound. He had a suite full of friends and family, people who were cheering him on, which is special, but it could also potentially make it harder. But I thought he did a nice job.”

The Royals will go with a six-man rotation upon Brady Singer’s return on Wednesday.

Alec Lewis has some interesting tidbits on the arsenals of Royals pitching prospects.

Johnson also placed emphasis on Kowar being able to land his fastball in the strike zone. Then they worked on adding an entirely new pitch: the slider.

“His fastball and changeup go from left to right — and particularly his changeup,” Johnson said. “We wanted him to have something going from right to left. He’s showing a decent feel to it.”

Baseball America profiles catcher Carter Jensen, a local kid the Royals found in their backyard.

“We pay a ton of attention to our backyard,” Royals scouting coordinator Jack Monahan said. “It’s something that (general manager) Dayton (Moore) has preached, and we’re lucky to have an excellent area supervisor in Matt Price.”

Monahan said that Jensen has been on the Royals’ radar since he was 15.

Stephanie Sheehan talks to Bobby Witt, Jr. as he continues to rake in Triple-A, with a grand slam on Saturday.

“I’m just trying to stay being Bobby Witt Jr. Not trying to do too much, do too little, not trying to press just because it’s the next step,” Witt Jr. said. “That’s what helps me stay on the even keel — just trying to be me and be simple. This game’s already hard enough; if you press, it makes it even harder. I’m just trying to go out there and have fun and be me.”

Could Bobby get the call soon?

Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter wonders if Mike Minor should move to the bullpen.

Royals minor leaguers are among the winningest in baseball.

Bubba Starling wins a silver medal with Team USA at the Olympics while Erick Mejia and Jeison Guzman win bronze with the Dominican Republic.

The Phillies retire Roy Halladay’s #34.

Rangers infielder Brock Holt throws the slowest pitch MLB has ever tracked.

The Tigers sign infielder Jonathan Schoop to a two-year extension.

Trea Turner says he would have loved to stay with the Nationals.

What’s worse, pitchers who hit, or hitters who pitch?

Minor league manager Omar Vizquel is sued for sexually harrassing a batboy.

When will the Cubs be good again?

What are the Dodgers going to do with David Price?

Travis Sawchik has ideas on how to fix the draft.

Peyton Manning is among the newest inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Lionel Messi is headed to Paris Saint-Germain.

The next Olympics in Paris will have a much more modest price tag.

Fires in California make Denver, Colorado the most air-polluted city in the world this week.

A failed star called “The Accident” puzzles astronomers.

Your song of the day is The Specials with A Message to you Rudy.