They got boatraced in Detroit in game one.
Then promptly cruised to back to back victories to win the series.
They lost the opener in Minnesota due to an absolutely jaw-dropping, idiotic, asinine pitching change. And then behind the solid relief of Tim Collins and Jared Jeffress, they split the series.
What are we to make of the Boyz N Blue after two weeks? Two weeks that see them sitting at 7-4, a mere half game out of first place, a record and position in the standings that noone could have seen coming at any point during the season, let alone after two weeks of evidence to back up said record and standing?
I know what I make of it. This summer might be pretty fun. This team might be entertaining as hell to watch. And might be worth a few trips to "Mass" on a hot Sunday afternoon.
A quick look back at the week that was for the Boyz N Blue:
Best game: I'm gonna go with "C'mon" Chen's brilliant start in Saturday's 3-1 victory at Detroit. Royals team of the past fifteen years lose that game every time. They hit the road, lose the opener in blowout fashion, and then mail in the rest of the trip. This Royals team responds to a beatdown by dominating a solid Detroit lineup.
Worst game: the Tuesday loss at Minnesota. What in the name of God was Ned Yost thinking, yanking Tim Collins after only three batters (all retired)? Bottom of the tenth, tied at three, one out, nobody on, and he yanks Collins for the struggling Robinson Tejada, who promptly allows the next four hitters to reach base and score the winning run. I hate people who overthink things, who try to get cute and creative. It drive me bat sh*t crazy. If your reliever is perfectly capable of getting two more outs, as Collins certainly is, why try to fix what ain't broken? It was an indefensible move that, very predictably, blew up in Ned Yost's face. Here's to hoping he learned his lesson.
(The worst offender of the "hey, I'm a genius, let me show you why" mentality in coaching? Locally at least, its Todd Haley. I still haven't gotten over the 4th and 1 call in the playoff game. It was a retarded call then, and it only looks more retarded with each passing day. Ditto not kicking the field goal on the opening drive in Indianapolis, and the idiotic throw to the end zone on 3rd and 10 late in the oakland road game. That's three games, all losses, directly caused by idiot brain-fart coaching. Let's hope ... no, let's pray, that Ned Yost never rises to the level of stupidity Todd Haley exhibits on a far-too-frequent basis).
MVP: Gotta go with Billy Butler again. Through 11 games, his stats just continue to improve. And he's doing this with no protection behind him, the five hole in our lineup at this point is one gigantic 6-4-3 waiting to happen. (Or 1-4-3, as Kila managed to do Tuesday night. A double play ball to the pitcher. That's awful). Honorable mention to Wilson Betemit, who Yost has got to find a spot for in the lineup every day. He brings too much offense to the table to be rotting on the bench.
Cy Young: "C'mon" Chen! Absolutely brilliant on Saturday in Detroit. As brutally awful as he was in his first start, he was that sweet in his second.
LVP: Mike Aviles, who was 0 for his last 18 prior to getting two hits yesterday. I don't care who you're facing, if you're a major league ballplayer, you shouldn't go (at least) 19 at bats between hits.
Least Cy Young: Robinson Tejada, who is struggling, to put it mildly. Had to be yanked from Sunday's cruise control victory when he turned a 9-3 rout into a 9-5, two men on crisis in the ninth inning. He retired zero of the four hitters he faced Tuesday en route to coughing up the game. I know Tejada's been rock solid the last couple of years, but he's definitely lacking something this year, at least so far.
Up Next: a four game series against the Mariners (Thurs-Sun) that will see Sean O'Sullivan make his first (and probably last) case to be the Royals fifth starter. There is no reason the Royals can't take three of four, however. O'Sullivan will get rocked on Saturday, but that's the day the Mariners throw King Felix at us, so it's not a game we're likely to win anyways. Thursday sees "C'mon" Chen take the mount, and the Royals will also throw Hochevar on Friday, and the rock solid Jeff Francis on Sunday. After that, they play a three game series against the early division leaders, the Cleveland Indians. A 5-2 homestand would be spectacular. A 4-3 homestand would be great. Just keep the momentum building, that's what the Royals need to do at this point. Keep on keepin' on.
Final Thoughts: give the Royals this -- unlike any other Royals team since the strike, save for maybe 2003, these guys are gonna put up a fight. They won't go quietly into that good night. In the words of Dylan Thomas, they are going to "rage against the dying of the light". Thank God. It's high damned time the Royals field a team that actually deserves to be cheered for.
And as is constantly noted, but it bears noting again -- this Royals team, right now, is the worst team they're going to field for the next five to six years. About six weeks from now, the slow steady trickle of minor league talent begins to arrive en masse. The results on the first of the young studs to make the big league roster (Aaron Crow) look good so far. Mike Moustakis, Eric Hosmer, Wil Myers, Lorenzo Cain, Christian Colon, all on the way to the Royals lineup in the coming months. Mike Montgomery, John Lamb, Danny Duffy, Jake Odorizzi, all to be in the rotation or the bullpen in the coming months.
Not sure if I'll make any of the games this week, but I'll definitely be tuned in. Assuming I can figure out where the hell Fox Sports Midwest moved to on the cable lineup ...
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