4 Royals, 3 Sox

Sometimes you split series with Kansas City.

The Sox jumped out to a 2-0 lead on shitty pitcher Luke Hochever, and it seemed as if we were going to cruise to another win. Then Josh Beckett hit a little rough patch a half inning later and gave up the 4 Royals runs.

The Sox just were shut down after that. Adrian Gonzalez and Drew Sutton had multi hit games and Pedroia was able to extend his streak in the 8th with a home run, but other than that.

It happens.

Royals @ Red Sox Preview

When we look back on this season we might sit back and say that the Red Sox have 4 of the top 10 offensive players in the AL. Ellsbury, Gonzalez, and Pedroia are all and the MVP hunt, and it is hard ignore what Ortiz has been doing.

If that wasn't enough for Red Sox to drool over Beckett takes the hill today and he could easily be in the Cy Young race. Beckett is 9-3 with an outstanding 2.07. One our biggest question marks heading into the season is now one of the Red Sox biggest assets.

Going against Beckeet is Luke Hochevar. I feel like we have been waiting for year for this kid to break out. He has the stuff to do it, but is very much an underachiever, which is shown by his pedestrian 6-8 record and 5.29 ERA. The thing that has been real disappointing about him is that most scouts thought he could be a real strikeout pitcher and year only has 66 Ks in 131 innings. To make matters worse for Royals' fans Hockevar has been lit up by the Sox in his career (1-3 7.94 ERA). Plus, the Sox seem to win every day game.

Red Sox win 11-2
Player of the Game: Beckett/Pedroia
Game starts at 1:35pm

12 Sox, 5 Royals

Chicks dig the longball, and that's what the Sox provided last night. Homeruns all around Ellsbury, Pedroia, and Ortiz. Ellsbury and Pedroia lead off the game with back-to-back home runs. Ellsbury is now batting .325 with 17 homers (8th this month) on the season, next Ricky Henderson I tell ya. Pedroia extended his hitting streak to 24 games with the 1st inning homer and had a 3-4 performance. But the biggest home run of the night comes off Papi's bat as he demolished a grand slam for his 20th of the year and 10th of his career. It was also his 1000th of his Red Sox career.

Lackey was Lackey, going 5.2 innings, giving up 11 hits, 4 runs (3 earned) and striking out 3. With our offense hitting the way it is we can make up for the fact John Lackey is on the team.

This is the best Red Sox team I have ever witnessed, hands down.

Royals @ Red Sox Preview

The Royals piled on some runs last night, but the Red Sox offense is just better and Aceves was able to shut them down. The question is who will shut down the Royals tonight if Lackey gets in trouble. That could be the difference in this game.

I hate what I'm about to say, because every time I say it Lackey gets lit up, but... He is pitching better of late. Over his last 3 starts he is 3-0 letting up a total of only 4 runs. Still, if you look close you would notice they were against shit teams (not that the Royals are good), and he let up 21 hits as well over those starts.

Going against him is the surprising Bruce Chen. Chen is 5-3 with a 3.30 ERA, which is impressive on such a bad team, but the wheels are starting to come off as he is 0-3 with a 5.21 ERA over his last 8 appearances.

Even though I have a terrible feeling about Lackey (who has an ERA ranks as the highest in all of baseball among pitchers with at least 90 innings... 6.28) I still can't pick against the Sox with this offense.

Red Sox win 11-6
Player of the Game: Pedroia
Game starts at 7:10pm

13 Red Sox, 9 Royals

Even though Andrew Miller has been John Lackey esk the passed few starts, we won, no harm, no foul. At least we didn't have to put OF Mitch Maier to pitch for us. Let me rant for a second about Andrew Miller. Miller kind of sucks, sure he is 4-1 with a 4.65 era but I would rather have Aceves start than him. Miller constantly is in trouble, and constantly has short outings making us use our bullpen. I believed that Miller could be the next big thing for us, but at the end of the day he's just a waste of a roster spot. Should have let the Yankees grab him, but we should also thank the Yankees for giving us a disaster specialist in Alfredo Aceves. I don't know where the Sox would be without him. Other than Beckett he's been our 2nd most impressive pitcher all year.

Our 3-4-5 hitters were on point as they went 10-13 and drove in eight runs. Pedroia flirted with a cycle in the eighth. He hit a line drive but it was caught in front of the monster. Pedey is hitting .429 in the cleanup spot this season.

Royals @ Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox offense didn't show up last night, but I can't see that being the case again tonight. The Royals send youngster Danny Duffy to the hill. This will be his first start against Boston, but is coming off one of his strongest starts when he went 7 innings allowing 2 runs against the White Sox.

The Red Sox counter with Andrew Miller, which could be good news for Boston as they are 5-1 in games in which Miller has started. One thing he needs to do though is cut down on his walks. Last time out he let up 6 walks in 5 2/3 innings, which is a big reason why his start was cut short. If he can do that I could see him going deep into this game.

Boston should win this game, and I think last night was just a hiccup, it happens from time to time and the Red Sox were due for a slow game after how hot they have been.

Youk will not be playing tonight, as he recovers from a tight hamstring suffered in the 8th inning of last night's game.

Red Sox win 7-3
Player of the Game: Pedroia
Game starts at 7:10pm

3 Royals, 1 Sox, Marco Scutaro Blows

When can we cut Marco Scutaro. He's one of the worst players in baseball and he costed the Sox another game. He was asked to do a simple task which is bunt the ball. Instead he got a single and tried stretching it to a double and got thrown out. He is a veteran player, not paying attention to signs is inexcusable. This was in the 12th inning too, thanks Marco.

On a positive note, Jon Lester looked pretty good. He went 5.1 innings, let up 7 hits, 1 er and 6ks. We desperately need him back and in good shape going forward as our pitching staff is a mash unit.

Shitty loss, cut Scutaro.

Royals @ Red Sox Preview

The Red Sox have won 9 in a row at Fenway Park, and are lightning it up against these terrible teams. Yet another one heads to Fenway, and this time it's the Royals. The Royals started off the year well, but have gone back to their sucking ways and are once again in last place.

To make matters worse for the Royals Jon Lester is back and he has crushed the them in his career going 4-1 with a 1.22 ERA. Meanwhile, the Sox go against Kyle Davies who has been especially bad on the road this season, posting a 9.35 ERA, even though he is 2-0 against Boston in his career.

The Sox have won 17 of 20 games in July. That's just silly, and they are going to pound this team tonight. Look for Ellsbury to have another huge night tonight as he has a .462 BA with 3 HRs and 7 RBIs in the last 7 days, and let's be honest Davies is only going to help those numbers.

Red Sox win 10-2
Player of the Game: Ellsbury
Game starts at 7:10pm

Why Not?

Why not see a lady gettin' all feisty over Jeff Francoeur's bat.



Seriously, that old lady has nothing to gripe about. When something ends up in the stands it is an all out free-for-all, and everyone knows it. You're gonna have to bring it a little harder than that, Grandma if you want to get your mitts on a MLB bat.

Ok, all kidding aside though I don't think there is one player on the Royals I would fight over a bat for. Maybe Eric Hosmer in the small chance he ends up with a HOF career.

Red Sox Trading For A Right Fielder?

As we all know by now Mike Cameron has been let loose. We also know that JD Drew sucks, and won't give us anything (except good fielding). That leaves Reddick in RF when the playoffs come around. One would wonder if the Sox would make a move to bring one in. There have been a couple names that have been popping up on the rumor mill around the league that would seem to fit the Sox (Jeff Francoeur, and Michael Cuddyer).

If we are picking between these two I will go with Cuddyer everytime. Sure is isn't as good of a fielder as Drew or Francoeur, but he tends to talk more then Francoeur and man play a ton of different positions (LF, RF, 1st, and 2nd). That's a great type of player to have on your bench and would give the Sox a lot of options depending on matchups, injuries, ect.

This is just a thought, but I do think he would be a very good fit here for the Sox.

It's Cool To Watch The Transformation Of The Royals

With Aaron Crow taking The Mexicutioner aka Joakim Soria's spot closing games for the Royals, it's real cool watching the youth movement going on in KC. Earlier this year they brought up highly touted prospect Eric Hosmer who has been killing it so far with 5 home runs and 15 rbi in 95 abs, and then they brought up one of their many top pitching prospects Danny Duffy who has been a pleasant surprise and now that Aaron Crow is taking a prominent role in the bullpen the transformation is happening.

Mike Moustakas their 3rd base prospect is waiting in triple A and their stud pitcher Mike Montgomry is their ready down in the minors too. It is real cool to see a team transform this way rather than the Red Sox/ Yankees way of just buying a team. I don't know if this will make the Royals a contender or not, but it's still cool.

Royals Future Beginning To Take Over

If you are a crazy person like the people who are in our 10 person AL only keeper league with a 4 round minor draft every year, then you know the Royals had the most hyped minors system in the entire MLB.

Well this minor system is beginning to show it's faced as they have called up their most prized hitter Eric Hosmer. Yes, he is on my team, but that is not what this post it's about. It's about keeping your eyes on the Royals over the next 2 years. Hosmer's call up is really the first big sign that the Royals are about to turnover their roster to their young guys.

So far this season the Royals have been a pleasant surprise. They are currently 17-14, which is good enough for 2nd place in the AL Central (4.5 games behind the Indians). The move to bring Hosmer up though has very little to do with jumping in a playoff race. Actually their plan was to get Hosmer at least 200 at bats at AAA before calling him up, but Hosmer forced the issue hitting a .439 average in 26 games this season, and with Kila Ka'aihue showing that he is nothing but a minor leaguer the Royals decided it was time to look to the future.

People have called Hosmer the AL's Joey Votto, which is pretty damn high praise. Yet, Hosmer is not alone, and here are some players that you are going to be hearing a lot about over the next 2-3 years.

1. Mike Moustakas, 3B - Was unreal in the minors last year, has cooled off this year, but should be the Royals third baseman for years to come. Hit .322 with 36 HRs and 124 RBI between AA and AAA last year.

2. Wil Myers, OF/C - Another fantastic hitter, but it looks like he is going to be an OF instead of a catcher. Still, this is a special guy at the plate.

3. Mike Montgomery, LHP - Big left hander who isn't far away since he is already in AAA, but probably needs another year to build up some arm strength since he isn't ready to pitch a full season in the MLB.

4. John Lamb, LHP - Current in AA, and is another big left hander. Also, this is another player listed in the top #20 prospects in all of baseball (according to Baseball America), and so is everyone I mentioned so far (including Hosmer).

5. Danny Duffy, LHP - Seeing a trend yet? Yet another left hander who is currently in AAA and is kicking ass 2.08 ERA in 5 starts (2-0) with 33 Ks in just 26 innings.

6. Jake Odorizzi, RHP - Came over in the Grienke trade, and although he is only in single A most people think he will quickly move up the ranks.

7. Chris Dwyer, LHP - Hey what do you know another good left hander who is currently in AA.

What do all these players have in common? They are all in the top 100 prospects as ranked by Baseball America and they all play for the Royal. This isn't including the guys we are already seeing (Billy Butler, Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, Joakim Soria, ect). Basically what I am trying to explain to you is that this will be the next "Tampa Bay Rays" with a seemingly unending amount of good young talent.

MLB Preview: Kansas City Royals

Offense:
1. Alcides Escobar (Shortstop)
2. Mike Aviles (Third Base)
3. Billy Butler (First Base)
4. Kila Ka’aihue (Designated Hitter)
5. Jeff Francoeur (Right Field)
6. Alex Gordon (Left Field)
7. Chris Getz (Second Base)
8. Melky Cabrera (Center Field)
9. Brayan Pena (Catcher)

The only thing the Royals have to look forward to is next year. Help is actually on the way. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Christian Colon and Wil Myers are around the corner.

Billy Butler is good and the Hawaiian Hammer Ka'aihue will provide the power, while Alex Gordan and Jeff Francoeur will try and resurrect their abysmal careers. Mike Aviles is solid and Escobar really needs to improve his hitting. All in all, gross.

Pitching:
Kyle Davies (RHP)
Vin Mazzaro (RHP)
Luke Hochevar (RHP)
Jeff Francis (LHP)
Sean O’Sullivan (RHP)

Much like the hitting help is on the way. They have a lot of studs in the minors like John Lamb, Danny Duffy, Chris Dwyer and Mike Montgomery on the way. I don't look at any of these guys and think they will have above a .500 record. Yuck.

Overall:
Wait for next year.

69-93

2011 MLB Prospects

So Keith Law finally came out with his top 100 MLB prospects for 2011. DP and I have referenced the fact that we are in an AL Only fantasy baseball league in which each team also has a minor league. So, when this comes out it is a big day. Here is the link if you want to take a look...

Keith Law Top 100 MLB Prospects (You do need Insider).

The reason I am bringing this up, is because he also breaks down how many players each team has in the top 100. The Royals were one of the top teams with 6, which is why over the next couple of years you will hear a lot of people start picking them to be a "surprising team".

KC:

1. Eric Hosmer, 1B (5)
2. Wil Myers, C/RF (8)
3. Mike Moustakas, 3B (23)
4. Mike Montgomery, LHP (28)
5. John Lamb, LHP (41)
6. Danny Duffy, LHP (98)

On top of that they have two guys that are just outside of the top 100 (LHP Chris Dwyer, and RHP Jake Odorizzi). Lot of people think the Royals are going to be the new Rays, by that I mean they are so loaded in the minors that they should have a window of being a really good team before they have to actually pay these guys.

Speaking of the Rays, you might think that they are about to fall apart after loosing so many prospects, but they shouldn't be down fro very long considering they have 8 prospects in the top 100.

1. Jeremy Hellickson, RHP (14)
2. Matt Moore, LHP (16)
3. Desmond Jennings, CF (20)
4. Chris Archer, RHP (40)
5. Hak-Ju Lee, SS (49)
6. Alex Torres, LHP (77)
7. Alex Colome, RHP (89)
8. Jake McGee, RHP (97)

Hellickson and Jennings we should see this year, and if they are as good as advertised the Rays should be able to rebound very quickly from a tough offseason.

In case you were wondering here is how Keith Law ranks the top 10 minors programs throughout the MLB...

1. Kansas City Royals
2. Tampa Bay Rays
3. Atlanta Braves
4. Toronto Blue Jays (really like what they are doing)
5. Philadelphia Phillies (amazing considering how good their team is already)
6. Los Angeles Angels (#1 prospect Mike Trout)
7. Minnesota Twins
8. Cincinnati Reds
9. New York Yankees (been awhile since we've seen them on any list)
10. Seattle Mariners

Red Sox are #11.

Much Respect For Gil Meche

"The Kansas City Royals received $12.4 million of unexpected financial relief with the surprising, if not stunning, decision of Gil Meche to announce his retirement.

Meche, 32, has battled shoulder problems his entire career, and was slated to pitch out of the bullpen this season. The right-hander felt he would be unable to make it through the season injury free, prompting his decision to call it quits. GM Dayton Moore told the Kansas City Star he's never heard of a player leaving this much money on the table in retirement (ESPN)."

All he had to do was show up to spring training and go through some kind of rehab. Most likely the Royals would've shut him down a couple weeks into the season, but Gil Meche decided to be a stand up guy and retire. Leaving all that money on the table is crazy, but Meche knew he wasn't worth it, and for a small franchise like the Royals this is really an awesome story.

Then again, the Royals probably wish he did this earlier, so they could've used some money on free agents.

Zack Greinke Traded To Brewers

Kansas City Cy Young pitcher asked for a trade and he received it as they traded him and Yuniesky Betancourt for The Royals announced Sunday that they acquired shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-handed pitching prospects Jake Odorizzi and Jeremy Jeffress.

I get why KC did it, Greinke didn't want to be there, but they didn't get one prospect back to get excited about.

Escobar is the Brewers top prospect but is seen more of a defensive wizard SS then anything else. Cain is a gap hitting speedster with no real power. The pitching prospect Jeffress is a pot head and was suspended multiple times for weed. and Odorizzi is OK.

KC just gave up a great pitcher for nothing really. But I guess that's the KC way.

The Brewers on the other hand have made some good moves this year in acquiring Shaun Marcum and now Zack Greinke to round up the rotation. Maybe this is a way to entice Prince Fielder to re-sign. Or it could be another CC Sabathia situation where Zack Greinke bolts after the year.

Greinke Might Get Dealt, But Don't Get Excited Boston

There is a good chance that the Royals will deal Greinke, the problem is he has a list of 15 teams on his no-trade clause. It is rumored that all East Coast large market teams are on it (Boston, New York, Philly, ect).

First off you really don't want this guy on the big stage, because he has anxiety problems, and a screw loose. He has all the talent in the world, and if he could ever get some run support he could be put up some nice numbers, but he just isn't a fit for this market.

Teams that could be interested? Toronto, Baltimore, and if the Rangers fail to keep Lee around they really should go hard after him (there is also rumors they will make a run at Greinke regardless if they get Lee).

A's Deal For DeJesus

The Oakland Athletics pulled off the first notable trade of the offseason Wednesday night, acquiring outfielder David DeJesus from the Kansas City Royals for two pitchers -- right-hander Vin Mazzaro and lefty Justin Marks -- giving the A's a full set of outfielders and opening left field for Alex Gordon on a permanent basis in KC. ESPN

Yes, I could care less about these 2 teams. However, this is a big deal due to Zack Greinke most likely moving on. He has said that he has had enough of the Royals trading good players for prospects. With all due respect to Vin Maz, he's not nearly going to make the impact David DeJesus will in Oakland. I think Grienke will probably be shipped off to Texas after they lose out to the Red Sox in the Lee sweepstakes.

Zack Greinke Is Maybe On The Block

Zack Greinke's starting to act up for the Royals and who wouldn't with the way that team has performed recently. ESPN has run down a couple of teams who would be a good fit and they are Tampa, Toronto, Baltimore and the Phillies. The Phillies could potentially do this if they give up uber prospect Dominic Brown who is said to be their future in the OF.

If you were the Phillies you would have to do this and put together the best rotation in baseball with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hammels, Zack Greinke and Joe Blanton and try and re-sign Jayson Werth.

I'm not a huge Greinke guy but he goes to the minors (National League) he could be dirty.

Greinke Wants Out Of KC

The Royals may have done a good job of building up their farm system, but Greinke wonders if they will make a difference by the time his contract expires after the 2012 season.

"There's no reason for me to get real excited about it," he said, "because the chance of more than one of them making a major impact by the time my contract is up is pretty slim."

Greinke has had an aggravating year. He isn't pitching as well as last year, adn even when he does his team can't get him any run support. Greinke has 2 years left on his deal, and what he is saying in his quote is 100% correct. Even if all the Royals prospects eventually workout, it won't be until his contract runs out. The Royals should serious consider dealing Greinke in the offseason, unless they can somehow sign him long term. The list of teams interest should be very long, and you would think KC could get a lot of prospects in return.

Random guess, but I say Texas would be a great fit.