Zack is gone.

Zack was traded today. Brewers send Cain, Escobar, Jeffress, and Odorizzi. OK. It is impossible to judge a trade from the surface. Zack had a 4.17 ERA last year. He was uninterested and pitched poorly. I like the kid and I really enjoyed the Cy Young season. I understand his frustration and why he wanted out. I just don't know how good he is going to be. I'm a Royals fan so I hope he does well, but I want to see Jeffress become a closer. I want to see Escobar shut down the sieve in the middle infield. I want to see Odorizzi with all the lefties in the rotation soonish. Cain is the wild card. If he can be a legit player in the center field mold. IE field well, steal bases and have a high OBP then it was a win for the Royals. If Zack pitches the Brew Crew to the playoffs and wins two more Cy Young awards then, well, good for him and good for the Brewers. I am a Royals fan. Thanks Zack, but go Cain, Escobar, Jeffress, and Odorizzi. I'm really hoping the opening day pitcher isn't Kevin Millwood!!

6 months later.....

6 months since the series in Atlanta. Billy led the world in GIDP, DDJ is gone. Banny is gone. Davies is still around. Hard to get too excited about the Royals prospects in 2011. Zack going to be traded. That makes ? the number 1 starter. Zack was BAD last year. I don't want to hear how he can't have the Cy Young award year every year. He didn't finish pitches. He didn't compete. He was off balance in his follow through all year long. I noticed that watching on TV in Vegas. Mechanics were off. His drive is questionable. I can see his frustration.This team has a smell that isn't going away. So does that make his 4.20 ERA OK? 2.16 to 4.20. That shows he quit to me. Going through the motions. I will miss the kid. He was fun to watch. I saw him pitch once live. He was great against the Angels. Royals lost 1-0. Let Zack find a team where he can give up 4 plus per start and still win. He seems like a nice enough kid. I just hope Moore doesn't trade him for "prospects". Royals need a catcher. Arrencibia from Toronto comes to mind. They need pitchers. They need a legit outfielder, sorry Frenchy and Leche aren't the answer. They need alot of things. I will miss Zack. I understand his pain, I think.

Inter League--Braves

Game one, disappointing. Bannister is/was awful for the second straight time. Royals can't compete with pitchers like him and Davies in the rotation. Billy hit another homer. He missed another DP, which is good. Positives from the 6-4 loss? Bull pen wasn't too bad. Offense erased Banny's early deficit. The Pods walk, steal and score on a single with two outs was very nice.
Get it together. Get Zack some runs. Take game two against the Braves!!!
This series did it. I can't take this team anymore. They are awful. I have to stay away from this sewer of a baseball team until after the LONG LONG losing streak. Bases loaded no outs and you don't get any runs? Billy Butler is pathetic batting with runners on base. Bat his fat ass lead off. He doesn't produce runs. DDJ is sorry when people are on base. That strike call wasn't good, though. Aviles is what he is. A hacker. I really wish I could be positive but this team is just bad at the fundamentals and they lack the edge that competitive teams have. The Braves are the opposite of the Royals. A winning team with a winning attitude. Oh well, I feel good that I at least tried to have a positive blog about the most frustrating team in baseball. They may not be the worst record wise, but it is a long season.
Adios RPB, maybe I'll be back. I may just come back after the double digit losing streak to say hello!

Inter League--Astros

Game one was all positive. 15 runs. 7 run inning. Two comebacks. Nice to see the offense explode. DDJ is hot. Billy is hot. The team looked good yesterday. Positive performance. Our little scoreboard- Billy 36 Yuni 31. Betancourt is having a great season at the plate. Think about recent Royals teams. What would they have given to get 280 5 31 at this point in the season? Lighten up on the guy. He deserves credit for the season he is producing at the dish.
3 out of 4 in interleague. Got Oswalt tonight. He is beatable. Go Royals. Sweep the Astros!
No sweep. 4-2 loss. Too bad, too. Chen pitched OK. The offense wasn't as good as last night, obviously, but they should have put more than 2 up. Fewer positives but the pen was good, again. Farnsworth, Wood, and Soria shut them down. Damage done, series still very winnable. Lets salvage the series with a nice win, boys.
Meat Loafed them. 2 out of three and that aint bad. Good win. Lerew was OK, just like Chen has been. Pods with a homer, nice. Billy heating up? 2 doubles to bring his total to 22. Good series win. Royals off to Atlanta. Lets keep it rolling boys!!

Inter League--Reds

Wow, that was quite a first game with the Reds. Down 4-0. Take the lead 5-4. Give up the lead. Get the lead back and win 6-5. Good, very good win. Yuni came through again. Double and two run homer. Yuni is hitting well. Again the hatred for the guy is beyond my understanding. I remember watching Tony Pena try to play that position. He couldn't hit his weight. Yuni is hitting well. He is full of lapses in the field, but you don't drive in runs with your glove. I've yet to see that done. Now the Royals made a poor choice by not cutting off a throw early in the game that allowed a runner to get to second. That runner promptly scored. Yuni missed that play. No way DDJ was going to gun the runner at the plate. Cut that off and save the base. Oh well. That is the breaks. I yelled at the TV, it was a poor fundamental play. The Royals need to tie up all of those loose ends if they are EVER going to be competitive. I was watching Wood give up the lead and thinking the Royals could have won if they were more like the Reds fundamentally. Well the bull pen with Farnsworth, Wood, Tejeda, Texeria, Hughes, Marte and Soria held off the Reds in that wiffle ball park. They did give up one run but they pitched well. The game remained tight until the 11th. Billy walked and got to second with another walk. Billy comes around third on a single to center. It looked like he was going to get gunned by about a yard. Well, those fundamentally sound Reds cut the ball off and he scored the winning run. Go Royals. Series is very winnable. Their bull pen is tired and we should score runs. Go for it Royals get three in Cincinnati!!
Bannister going against Cueto. Royals will get a whole barrel of runs. They will need them. Royals 9-8 That would be three games in a row that they won by one run. Lets see shall we.
Nope! 11-5 loss. Wow, the Reds bull pen was just as decimated but the Royals left Bannister out there to give up 11. Not the positive part of the game. The ability to climb out of a four run hole is a positive. That was a great inning. It was all they did. I'm guessing they are preparing for Zack's start tomorrow. 8 innings without a run will be exactly what happens tomorrow. Oh well Betancourt will surpass Billy in RBI's here shortly. That has to be concerning. We are all pinning the future hopes with Billy in the middle of the lineup. Maybe Yuni should bat fourth. He and Guillen are more productive. That frustrates me about Billy. Sure he is hitting 320, awesome. He has 5 homers and 30 RBI's. He also has grounded into an incredible 17 double plays. HMM, a few more homers and a few less "hard hit" ground balls and then his line would more resemble a clean up hitter. Right now he looks like a slap hitter in the stats. Come on Billy. You can still hit 300 AND produce a few more runs.
Zack going to get any support?Will he pitch worth a damn?
Yes, they will get runs. Yes Zack will pitch worth a damn. Billy finally hit a home run and drove some in some runs. I love the kid the Royals just need him to be more Steve Balboni and less Willie Wilson. He will get it done. I'm still going to watch the race between Billy and Yuni with RBI's. It shouldn't be close, but if it is then the Royals are getting a great year from the SS correct?
Royals win the series with the first place Reds. They rested the bull pen today. They get the Astros at home. Here we go Royals. Lets sweep the Astros and set up the dog days as the quest for 500! Yost gets this team to 500 the job has to be his. They are better since he took over. Trey, remember him, was just not very good. This team is managed and I will be anxious to see how the summer goes. I really need the Royals to be interesting, otherwise I will have to actually work around the house. Go Royals!!

Never left, but back.

Royals Positive Blog (RPG) had to take a few games off for a breather. The team is bobbing at 500 under Yost. We will have to see what happens.
Twins series. Zack goes against Slowey tonight. This will be a telling trip and this game will be indicative of what to expect on the trip. I have to believe that Zack will pitch well and the offense will show up. Going to predict a big win tonight. 6-7 runs.
RPG, baby.
Well the 7 did show up--for the Twins. RPG can just feel a long losing streak coming. It is hard to be positive when you see the type of game I saw tonight. Oh well here goes. Zack is off. His delivery is just not the same. His velocity is down, too. The positive is he can and will get it back. Guillen continues to school Butler on how to be a productive hitter. 250 average, 40 RBI's. Billy isn't a good RBI guy yet. He will be. 16 GIDP's at this point is just terrible. It will get better. I'm trying to be positive, I really am.
Lets drop a 10 spot on Pavano tonight. Go Royals. (RPG)
Hear that? That is the season screaming to a halt for the Royals. In the spirit of the positive nature of this blog the Royals will now venture on an epic, record breaking losing streak. The team I watched play tonight cannot win on MLB fields. They are bad, folks. Carl Pavano is batting practice, but not for our boys. They are bad. The best thing from tonight was, what? Billy hit into another double play! Might as well set as many records as possible. 17 double plays, not even close to halfway through the season. He could break 60 if he works at it. At the very least he will ground into three times as many double plays as he hits home runs. RPG, RPG. That's the screaming you hear. Buckle up Royals fans, the 22 game losing streak in upon us. The positive part is there are only 20 games left to lose.
Awful team. Awful.
Chen salvages the last game of the series. He pitched well. He is the ace as of now. Zack is but he isn't pitching as well as Chen right now. Positives: Guillen triple and his 40th RBI. I don't really care for the man but the player is productive. Betemit two long ones. Very nice to see. Maybe Willie Bloomquist can find somewhere else to play. Maier went deep. He needs to do well. I like him. He took that ball off the face in Cleveland and I've liked the toughness he shows. If Mitch plays well Swinging Rick Ankiel can stay on the DL. That is a terrible player right there. Mitch and Wilson going yard. Soria leaked a little but did OK. One out of three. 22 gamer avoided for now. Cincinnati will be very interesting. That is a good team.

Blasted by Angels

Royals followed the positive win against the Angels last night by losing the game in the top of the first tonight. Wow. Positives are few and far between. Need to show more life. Marte has potential but Hunter crushed him. DDJ is hitting well. Butler finally hit a ball hard in the series. Lets split the series and get Zack a win. Good match up tomorrow. Go Royals.

Royals beat the Angels!

Yes, the Royals stopped a skid by beating the Angels. Bannister pitched well. The bull pen was fantastic. I'm liking Wood more and more. Guillen hits another homer. He has 12 long ones. I hope he goes on a tear for the next week or two. He needs another hot streak because the cold spells are getting longer and longer.

Great to win. Better to beat the Angels. Rev it up and take the next two!

Still scared of the Angels

Positive blog hasn't got much to say after another demolition at the hands of the Angels. Hoch can't find himself. The Royals were very sad today. Callaspo saw the ball well, that's positive. The rest of the game wasn't good.

Rebound lets get 3 of 4. Hopefully Soria isn't hurt too bad.

Split in Beantown.

The chances were there, weren't they? The Royals used up all their offense in the first two games of the series. Positive blog, Chen did OK. I figured he would. Thompson is a gas can. He really has struggled. No offense again. Hopefully they will come home and get the bats warm for the Angels. A split in Boston is fine. I am just greedy.

Lets sweep the Angels. That team has worse luck than the Royals. A broken ankle celebrating a walk off grand slam. Lets hope the Royals can have some good luck and sweep the Angels.

1-0, Zack loses. Wow.

Royals had 20 hits last night and scored runs at will. Tonight, none. That is baseball. Frustrating. I saw Zack pitch last year live against the Angels. He lost that night 1-0. Oh well. Zack is a tough kid. He is fighting it right now and he still guts out 115 pitches and only one run. Zack was great tonight. He was not the problem. The problem was the kid named Clay. He was awesome, too. I know the Royals missed opportunities and all that, but they were beat. They can win the series tomorrow. They will need to hit Lester and Chen will be OK. Most positive thing from this game was the wait for it...........wait........ the bull pen. Tejeda was off with his release point but he, too gutted it out. Wood is damn good and I'm not afraid to say it.

Bull pen hasn't given up a run in three games. The Royals need to win tomorrow. Billy needs a big game.

Go Royals. This is positive therapy.

20 hits, 12 runs. 2-0 in Boston!

The Royals got all over Wakefield. I'm not surprised. I like the Yuni slam. His numbers at the plate don't justify the hatred from ROYALS NATION! I truly hate the arrogant Red Sox fans. This is a positive blog, though.

Biggest thing in the series so far is the bull pen. Great tonight again. Farnsworth and Hughes go 4 scoreless. Hughes and Wood may turn into something great out there. Hughes throws strikes and he is good.

Mitch Maier is proving that Rick Ankiel should be playing somewhere else. Nice to see him go deep. He gets AB's and the power will come. He is kissing 280, now. He doesn't have the arm Ankiel has, but he strikes out about 1/4 the times swinging Rick does.

Great start to the weekend, boys. Zack tomorrow. Need to see the Zack from last year. Butler goes deep, Zack goes complete and the Royals win in Fenway, again!!

Perfect Bullpen equals win at Fenway

Bannister, Tejeda, Wood, Soria. Very good win for the Royals in Fenway. Banny throws well, but the bull pen was PERFECT for three innings. The triumvirate of Tejeda, Wood, and Soria is formidable. Wood is going to be very good. Wakefield throws for the Sox tomorrow. Royals will get on that knuckle ball and go up two zero in the series. Need a good start like they got from Brian tonight. I'm expecting a big offensive performance from the Royals tomorrow.

Good win. Fenway is a tough place for the Royals. Lets go up two on the Sox tomorrow!!

Got the Rangers!

Billy goes deep. Luke pitches well again. The Royals beat the Rangers. Now hopefully this newest Luke will be the one we see from now on. He has been very good lately. Billy has been great, too. His average kissing 350. Hit his fifth homer. You'd like to see more long ones, but I truly think his output will double. He is still young. He knows how to hit. He will learn how to get more power. Good day. Always good to end a home stand with a win. Off to Boston. Should miss Lester? I hope so. He is hot again.

Go Royals. Get Boston. They are tough in that wiffle ball park, but bring home the series!!

7 and lose.

Royals scored 7 and lost. Left 8 on base again. I was working so I didn't see it. That is the positive spin today. I didn't see the Jose Guillen 4 K performance. Need to get it together. Even with the high LOB the Royals are scoring runs. 7 should be enough. Meche may be at the end. Wood, Farny, Tejeda were good. There is always something positive. Come on boys, get it together.

Series lost, Zack struggles.

Royals score 7, Zack is pitching. That would be a recipe for a series win and more good feelings from the boys. Well Zack struggled. The offense was too little too late. It is always good to score runs, though. How in the world does this team leave so many on base? 10 LOB today. They are going to set a record for LOB and GIDP in the same season. Record breaking year for the Royals. Got to rest up and gear up for the Rangers. Need to keep the offense going. 9-8-9-7, and of course the shutout in the last 5. Not bad.

Zack can't complain about the offense today. He never does, anyway. Stay positive. Stay optimistic. May 23. It is only May 23.

Go Royals. Lets get on a 8 game winning streak.

No sweep, still Zack to win series

The Royals were stymied by Francis. Guy is a good lefty. Looks young but pitches real well. Davies pitched very well. No walks, wow. Maybe one, but still he stays in control and he can be effective. Offense, well there wasn't any today. That just means they will break out the lumber for Zack tomorrow.

Need a big offensive show on Sunday. Take the series, guys.

Rocked the Rockies!

The Royals come home and the offense continues. 9 more runs. Guillen in a good streak. 3 bombs in 2 games. Good. Bannister should have sat when the Royals had the long half inning, but the damage was minimal and his performance was very good. Overall, a very nice Friday night. Royals win, again, and the momentum continues. I don't know if it is Yost, or the players. I'm guessing it is just a combination. This is a positive blog so maybe it was just time for a change. Optimism, folks. It is only May 21. I started this blog on May 16. It is going to be a very long year, but it will be positive here the whole time.

Here is to hoping the its sweeps weekend. Sweep the Rockies.

3 out of 4

Wow, optimism paid off with a three for four road trip. Beat Cleveland twice to overtake them in the standings, too. OK, I never look at the standings like that until August but it is a positive thing that is needed. Luke, Luke Hochevar. The kid will give you shingles if you are the manager. I didn't see the game today but he goes CG. Efficient pitch count. I don't know about that guy. The Rockies are coming to town for three. Ubaldo pitched tonight so they will miss him. The lefty will be a good test for the Royals. Dare I write it down? Am I asking too much? Oh what the heck lets take this optimism to the limit. Lets sweep those Rockies. That would be awesome. Looked crazy when I said win 3 of 4 on the road. The Rockies are better than the Indians and Orioles, but the Royals are going to hit a hot streak and score some runs.

Today less LOB but man GIDP, the Royals must be trying to set a record.

Game 1 in Cleveland

9 LOB through seven innings. So much for clutch hitting. Billy HAS to stop GIDP's that's awful. Going to stay positive but the Royals MUST hit with RISP, it is getting to be epidemic!! Oh well, keep getting on base. There is always a possibility of WP's and PB's!

Come on Royals get clutch. Don't leave 12 on base.

Guillen is swinging at pitches that will hit him, really? Positive, remember positive.

I guess Gil Meche must be one bad dude. You can see he is tired, he has thrown well over 100 pitches but Yost, like Hillman before him, leaves him in to give up a walk and a double. Wow. That is bad managing. Manage the team. Be proactive!

11 LOB. Wow! Good news is it was an 8-4 game. Big hits from Butler and Betancourt. Guillen is so streaky, and right now he is as bad as I've seen. I said that I'd be happy if the Royals won 3 of 4 on the road trip. They have that chance tomorrow with Luke.

Lets get hot and get away from the ten below mark. That is rough for the first third of the season.

Making strides? Hoping so.

Bad Loss

Hard to say much positive about the loss tonight. I can't think of a thing that was good. 8 LOB in a game you lose 4-3. That high team batting average doesn't mean much if you strand everyone. Well at least they lost in extra innings. I guess that's positive. Awful loss. Zack takes another ND. The second bomb Scott hit has to be on him, though. You can't get beat by the same guy twice. Off to Cleveland. Need to SCORE runners. Batting average is needed, of course, but be clutch.

Need 2 wins in Cleveland. Go Gil.

One win on the road

Royals won at Camden tonight. Butler is a going great one. He is darn good now but he will only get better. The bull pen was a circus again. Farnsworth got a bad call, but gave up his usual run. Wood was good again. That is getting my hopes up. Soria struggled. He is hurting I think. I have nothing to base it on except he isn't as sharp as he was last year.

May 16th, remember. The Royals get two in Baltimore and then get two in the Jake. I need the optimism.

No walks, and cut the LOB's down by half. Score those runners!

Yost is a winner?

Long time Royal fan. Patek and I cried together. I've seen the best of times and the worst. I love the team. They frustrate me, but I love them anyway. I'm just a fan. Rany and others can fix the problems with their stuff I just write what I see and what I'd like to see.

Ned Yost in. Royals win a series with the White Sox. I can't stand Ozzie and the boys so that is good, no? Nice to see Hughes and Wood lead to Soria. Just once this year I'd like to see a clean bull pen. No walks. Hey it was good to see.

I don't know how good Yost will do. He left Hochever in too long. I know he had a low pitch count, but it is Luke Hochever. He implodes. I mentioned that maybe the dugout zaps the managers brain. I'm thinking that maybe Luke should be better. I hate to say that going to the bull pen would have changed the outcome because I don't like to second guess. I would have taken him out. Today Bannister went one batter longer than I would have let him go. Yost took him out at the first sign of trouble. The outcome was good. Brewers fans on the message board said he didn't make good decisions with his pitchers. Looks like he learned from game two to game three.

Good job, Ned. 4 game roadie. Camden Yards is a tough place for the Royals. Get 3 of the 4 and I'll be happy. I'm OK with 2! Need excitement/optimism. It is only May 16.

Go Royals!