Royals Rumblings - News for September 14, 2023

Logan Porter had a memorable debut as part of Tuesday’s doubleheader:

Not only did catcher Logan Porter make his big league debut in Game 2, but he also endured one of the wildest games of the season.

Porter immediately made an impact when he lined his first big league hit up the middle in the first inning for a two-run single. He went 2-for-4 and was hit by a pitch, all while trying to get the Royals pitchers through a crazy game.

“We’re talking about the ups and downs of that game when you’re catching in your first Major League game — he did a good job of blocking and receiving,” Quatraro said. “He put a lot of pressure on the umpire with receiving every pitch well. He didn’t take one pitch off.”

David Lesky at Inside the Crown details Tuesday’s doubleheader, including Brady Singer’s velo drop:

The Royals say he’s not hurt. He says he’s not hurt. Maybe he’s worn down. The one out he got in the sixth surpassed last year’s career-high in innings pitched at the big league level, but he did actually throw 167 last year when you account for his innings in Omaha. He made his 28th start yesterday, which is more than he’s made in any season in his professional career, so I suppose there’s some possibility there. And I guess it’s plausible that only throwing 14.2 innings in all of spring training has messed up his end of the season. But I just find all of that hard to believe.

I don’t know if something is actually wrong with Singer or if he needs to spend his offseason figuring out how to regain lost velocity, but I don’t see any need for him to pitch again in 2023. They may want to trade him this winter, but I think that ship has potentially sailed. Their best bet now is to figure out how to get him back to throwing 92-93 at least and then cut bait as soon as the right deal is available next summer. Whatever they do, continuing to put him on the mound is a mistake in my eyes. Give his starts to Anthony Veneziano and let’s see what they have in the tall lefty.

John Means returned to the mound in Baltimore on Tuesday for the first time in 17 months.

David Stearns has his work cut out for him as he takes the reigns in Queens.

Mike Rizzo, the third longest-tenured GM in MLB, inked an extension with Washington.

Ten years later, look back on the Biogenesis scandal and its aftershocks across baseball.

San Diego is shutting down starter Yu Darvish for the season.

Shortstop Oneil Cruz will not return this year for Pittsburgh.

Tampa Bay outfielder Jose Siri hits the IL with a hand injury.

Ayami Sato reflects on her career as she prepares to lead Japan to another Women’s Baseball World Cup title.

D1Baseball’s Mike Rooney recently had a conversation with three members of the 2013 Kansas State baseball team about their surprise run to a Big XII title.

Alabama appears for the first time ever in this week’s College Football Bottom 10.

Colorado football has rapidly gone from irrelevant to the center of the sport.

Journalist Jim Trotter is filing a discrimination lawsuit against the NFL.

Many athletes playing contact sports suffer brain trauma at a very early age.

In a continuation of every Mexican place I like near where I live shutting down, The Drunken Worm on 39th St abruptly closed. If anybody has suggestions for a good place to get tacos near Westport, please share.

Overland Park will soon switch from asphalt to concrete for much of their road paving.

Fissures are appearing across the American Southwest due to excessive groundwater pumping.

Manhattan is about to introduce congestion pricing, which should be a good thing, except they haven’t made any of the other developments that make congestion pricing effective.

Your song of the day is Follow by Martin Garrix and Zedd.