Royals Round Up
The Boys in Blue recently returned from a road trip that was
spotted with glorious wins and marred by frustrating losses. The Royals lost
their series in Tampa Bay, but left town on a high note, having spoiled the
return of Cy Young winning pitcher Blake Snell. The Royals caught fire in that
game, with 10 runs on 15 hits, the most hits recorded this season. They returned
to the K to face off against Mike Trout and the Angels, only to claim one of
this 3 game series as a victory, on a rainy Saturday evening with a final score
of 9-4. They began this week with a loss to Tampa Bay in a soggy Kauffman Stadium.
Last night’s match was cancelled due to the weather.
In my humble opinion, the Royals’ pitching continues to be
an issue. I’m afraid that the relief staff in the bullpen cannot be the only
ones to shoulder the blame. Lately, even the starting pitcher has not looked
stellar and certainly not as tight as Brad Keller looked to open the season.
But, Danny Duffy did make his long awaited return to the mound Friday night
against Mike Trout and the Angels. For his first time out since his injury in Spring
Training, Duffy looked pretty good. Although he gave up only one run, Alex
Gordon’s missed line drive into left field cost Duffy another two runs. Duffy
is a tough as nails pitcher and will improve every time up on the mound. He may
end up being the only bright spot in an otherwise somewhat dismal starting
rotation and bullpen this season.
Up Next:
The Royals continue their series against the Tampa Bay Rays
here in KC, after which they hit the road once again and head for Detroit to
face the Tigers in a must win divisional match up. After that they will travel to
Houston to play the Astros, before returning to the K to face Bryce Harper and
the Phillies.
Hot Batters:
Cody Bellinger
The Dodgers’ Cody Bellinger has been on fire since the season started. Some say even
he’s on par with Christian Yelich for league MVP. Bellinger holds a .434
batting average, with 14 homers, 37 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.
Hunter Dozier
Royals’ 3rd basemen, Hunter Dozier’s bat continues to catch fire in
the last couple of weeks and has yet to cool off. He is batting .349 with 7
homers and 17 RBIs. Dozier’s spotlight as a Hot Batter further proves my point
that scoring runs is NOT the problem for the Royals.
Take Me Out to the Ballpark:
One of the factors that makes baseball unique to any other professional
sport, is the ballpark. Sure there are always contributing factors on other
fields or in other stadiums, such as altitude, distance traveled, etc., but
baseball is the only sport that can boast each of its stadiums being completely
unique. Different physical attributes set them apart from each other, whether
it’s the “Green Monster” at the Red Sox’s Fenway Park or the beautiful fountains
of the Royals’ Kauffman Stadium. Some parks can even have a strategic
advantage, being known as “hitters’ parks” or “pitchers’ parks”.
With its deep center field, Kauffman Stadium is be a
pitchers’ park. If the defense plays too shallow and a ball gets by them into
center field, it will almost certainly be a double or triple. Balls that hit
deep in other parks are home runs but not at the K.
Because Kansas City is known as the “City of Fountains” with
over 200 registered fountains in the metro area, Kauffman Stadium’s boasts a unique
feature in a large fountain called “Waterworks Spectacular.” The fountains sit
in center outfield, shooting up jets and water sprays, including colorful
lights shining through, giving off a visually stunning effect of shimmering
colors in the water. On a windy day, some fans in the outfield or standing room
only seats may get sprayed with mist coming from the fountain. On a hot day at
the ball park, this is a blessed relief from the Missouri heat.
Tom “The Old Dog” Wyrsch, shares what the K has meant to him.
“I have been going to Kauffman Stadium for many years. [With
my job at the county], I was also lucky enough to be able to spend three days a
week inside both Kauffman and Arrowhead [stadiums] during the renovation a few
years back. Kauffman is a beautiful ballpark.
As I approach Gate D to enter the stadium I say hello to a
lot of familiar faces. Fred one of the Royals’ staff is out directing and
helping people with questions. Then I greet the security people who check bags
and then comes the sound of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” and a train whistle
and the gates open up. Time to see a ballgame.
I walk to the concourse which is filled with vendors [serving]
a variety of food options and merchandise. I stop the 50/50 raffle person and
buy my raffle ticket. I then head for the escalator that takes me to the Upper
Deck. Once off the escalator I head to my seat. It never gets old walking into
the stadium and seeing the field, scoreboard and hearing the sounds of
baseball.
I then walk down to my seat in Row A on the railing and
watch what’s taking place all around me. I look over at the outfield and see
the fans enjoying all the improvements and things to do in the outfield
experience. I watch as ground grew prepares the field. The grass is perfect.
Kauffman Stadium provides a great fan experience.”
Ask The Old Dog:
“Royals are sitting in last place in the Central Division at
9-20 and 9.5 games behind first place Minnesota who are 17-9. Pitching still
hinders the Royals.
The offense is scoring runs but we are giving up too many
walks and our starters for the most part have had high pitch counts going into
the middle innings.
Our bullpen shows signs of improvement only then to give up
late hits and runs to blow a lead or extend the lead. We must win in Detroit.
They sit four games ahead of us in the standing.”
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