Royals Rumblings - News for September 25, 2023

Nelson Velázquez smacked two home runs Sunday as the Royals swept the Astros.

“We were ready for it,” Velázquez said. “We know he throws hard and we know he has a good breaking ball. We stayed on the fastball all day as that was our approach against him. We stayed on it and made some good swings.”

Matt Quatraro praised his bullpen.

“McArthur getting the heart of order and especially getting [Yordan] Alvarez, as he did the other night — that’s really hard to do,” Quatraro said. “Carlos, I feel really happy for him. We know he’s had a tough stretch. But to come here two days in a row and pitch big, important innings for us. You can’t overlook Davidson coming in there to get the two lefties out [Alvarez and Kyle Tucker], which is no easy task.”

Infield coach Jose Alguacil talks about the defensive turnaround for his young infield.

For Witt, the athleticism to be an elite shortstop was always there, but there was something Alguacil wanted to fix.

“I saw that Bobby rushed every play,” Alguacil said. “And that was the main thing I told him. I said, ‘Listen, we need to slow the game down. We need to get your internal clock in the right place.’

“We worked a little bit on technique, but I’m huge on the pre-pitch movement and the footwork. We get these things down, and a lot of things are going to get fixed.”

Salvador Perez discusses his absence for a mild concussion.

“I wanted to keep going and Alvarez was like, ‘Salvy, you don’t look alright,’” Perez recalled. “I was like, ‘Come on and get in the box.’ They told me don’t play with the brain. It’s super-hard and just be careful and take care of yourself.

“I appreciate Alvarez to say that. I was kind of dizzy at that time. If I get another foul tip or something like that, it could’ve been worse.”

David Laurila of Fangraphs asks Quatraro about his disappointment level with the win/loss record.

“I tried to come into the season without a lot of expectations as far as what our record would be,” said Quatraro, who replaced Mike Matheny at the helm following last year’s 97-loss season. “I knew it was a young team. We’re disappointed with what our won-lost total is. The thing I’m not disappointed with is the effort [and] and the processes they’ve been following. Hopefully they’re going to start to see some of those things come to fruition. So, I don’t have an answer for you on what I thought our record would be, but am I disappointed with what it is? Yes.”

Joey Votto gets a standing ovation in what could be his last home game in a Reds uniform.

The Yankees are officially eliminated from post-season contention.

Mookie Betts sets a record with 105 RBI out of the leadoff spot.

Braves pitcher Charlie Morton lands on the Injured List.

Which teams got the most contributions from young players?

Mike Trout is officially out for the year.

A look at this winter’s left-handed reliever free agent class.

Why Blake Snell would be an unusual Cy Young Award winner.

The Athletics are roasted for giving Miguel Cabrera a $90 bottle of wine as a gift, despite his history with alcoholism.

Usher will perform the 2024 Super Bowl.

Oregon gives Deion Sanders’ Colorado team a “good old fashioned butt-kicking.”

A NASA asteroid sample just landed on Earth that may hold clues about the origins of life.

No, the new Ferris wheel in downtown Kansas City was not paid for by taxpayer dollars.

ABC is hoping The Golden Bachelor is its next hit.

Your song of the day is The Roots with Boom!