Royals Rumblings - July 25, 2022

Kris Bubic put together one of his best starts of the season, and says he felt great about his breaking ball.

Bubic’s curveball was the “separator” on Sunday, he said, throwing it 20 times and seeing good results with it. Roman Quinn swung through it twice for strike three, and the Rays averaged just an 83.9 mph exit velocity on the pitch. “Being able to throw it for a strike, throw it below the zone, throw it with conviction with two strikes,” Bubic said. “I think just throwing it a lot, continuing to get reps with it, that’s what I’m happiest with.”

Alec Lewis writes about Nick Pratto’s career turnaround in the minors ($).

Former director of performance science/player development John Wagle and minor-league strength and conditioning coordinator Jarret Abell opened Pratto’s eyes to his body limitations. In layman’s terms, Pratto’s hip would rotate during his load, causing it to drift forward too early, affecting his timing and eliminating the chance that he would connect powerfully with a pitch. “Usually that’s a death sentence for hitters,” Pratto said. “But we were able to navigate that and find ways for my body to compensate and add onto the other things I did really, really well.”

Bobby Witt Jr. departed yesterday’s game with a hamstring injury and is day-to-day.

“As of now, it’s a sore, tight hamstring. Nothing other than that,” Witt said. “They said day to day, so hopefully I’ll be back in there soon.”

The Royals said his removal was a “precaution.”

“He felt it, and it’s not something he’s had an issue with before, which is amazing to play at as high of a level as he’s played his whole life, to not have anything really bother him muscular-wise,” Matheny said. “So yeah, the level of concern was high because this kid has a very high pain tolerance. We’ve seen that, getting hit by pitches and just bouncing back. So we were very cautious and concerned. Still are, we’ll keep an eye on him. But everything is pointing in a good direction.”

Buck O’Neil was inducted to the Hall of Fame on Sunday.

The Hall of Fame’s Buck O’Neil Lifetime Achievement Award, established in 2008, spoke to his importance to the sport. And on the day he finally got his own Hall plaque, Terry celebrated his spirit.

“For those of us who knew Uncle John, can’t you hear him excitedly voicing one of his favorite phrases, ‘Man oh man, nothing could be better!’” Terry said. “Our Uncle John was a man for all seasons, whose core was brotherly love.”

Eric Longenhagen breaks down some of the later draft picks for each team.

Madison Bumgarner continues to yell at clouds.

What impact is inflation having on ballpark concessions?

The league and the MLBPA continue discussions on an international draft.

The potential for a Juan Soto trade is the big story of the upcoming trade deadline.

Rookie wide receiver John Metchie III has been diagnosed with leukemia.

Tony Finau wins 3M Open as Scott Piercy collapses on the back 9.

There are jaguars in Arizona. That matters.

A neuroscientist explains how you should nap.

The robots are turning against us.

Sakurajima volcano in Japan is erupting, with no injuries reported so far.

Your song of the day is The Veldt by Deadmau5.