Royals Rumblings - News for August 15, 2023

Dairon Blanco won it with a walk off bunt.

“Just how [Blanco] drew it up,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “[Mariners reliever Matt Brash] is throwing 100 miles per hour. It’s not easy to [bunt].”

Brady Singer was dealing, flirting with a no-hitter.

Singer threw 106 pitches in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed two hits and two earned runs and struck out eight. Singer also generated 16 called strikes and 13 whiffs against a potent Mariners lineup.

“Everything felt good,” Singer said. “I was able to stay in the strike zone with all my pitches. The sinker was doing good and I was able to work up in the zone. Like I said in the last outing, working up in the zone is working out for me.”

J.J. Picollo talks about the decision to demote Edward Olivares.

“We have a really good idea of what Oli is,” Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said. “He has done some good things for us over the last couple of years. We are trying to create some opportunities for other guys that we are trying to learn more about at the Major League level. “Sometimes you just have to make tough decisions like that. That wasn’t an easy one.”

He also discussed why they picked up Bubba Thompson off waivers.

“He’s a player we’ve always liked,” general manager J.J. Picollo said. “We’ve seen him a lot, since he signed, playing the Rangers a lot in Spring Training, instructional league, extended spring training. And then in 2020, we got to play them even more. You could start to see him turn the corner, as an athlete turning into a baseball player. I think everyone knows how much we value defense in center field. Just to add depth like that is really good, and we continue to look for some right-handed power somewhere along the way.”

David Lesky at Inside the Crown reacts to the Olivares demotion.

So then what you’re left with is Olivares. He’s obviously a poor defender and has hit just .263/.311/.368 since the break. He and Velazquez share a lot of the same roles on a team, but Velazquez has a carrying tool, his power, that Olivares simply doesn’t have. This is why I was so surprised when the Royals didn’t trade Olivares for basically whatever decent return they could have gotten for him. I know teams were interested in him and I think they made a mistake in not taking a bit less than full value, but there are also worse things than having depth.

These guys making it tough for the Royals to option them is a trend, at least on the offense, that we’ve been seeing lately.

Brad Keller and Jake Brentz begin rehab assignments.

Bobby Witt Jr. has an endorsement deal with CommunityAmerica Credit Union.

Justin Verlander is accused of being a diva in his time with the Mets.

The Rays place Wander Franco on the restricted list as MLB investigates allegations he has had a relationship with a minor.

The missteps that have hurt the Yankees.

Why did scouts whiff on Luis Arraez?

Why are the Brewers so great in close games?

Former Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria says Derek Jeter destroyed the iconic home run sculpture.

Mariners pitcher Marco Gonzales undergoes season-ending surgery.

A look back the Little League rivalry between the U.S. and Japan.

What does the death of the Pac-12 mean for college baseball?

Michael Oher of The Blind Side alleges his “adopted” family lied and profited off of him.

Peyton Manning will be a professor at the University of Tennessee.

Netflix now streams video games.

A lot of rich people don’t think they’re rich.

How Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker spoofed their way to a serious comedy legacy.

Your song of the day is General Public with Tenderness.