What a Difference a Day Makes

I went to bed last night thinking the Royals are in trouble. With the exception of Mendoza and Hottovy, the pitching clearly struggled the last 3 days and the hitting and fielding would have had more life in a morgue. Royals players seemed to be just going through the motions with no real sense of urgency that the season is just 10 days away.

And then today happened…mucho monster home runs on a windless day, excelente defense including Yuni, and a bonito performance from Master Chen.

Forget the final score. That was a combination of leaving Chen in two batters too long (which I think Yost agrees) and SOS pretty much ending his chances of spending the summer on I-70 instead of I-80.

Yuni started the power display with a drive to left. Hosmer followed, then Moose, then Hosmer again. Max Ramirez finished off the home run parade with his own shot in the 8th. And let me tell you, none of them were in doubt, especially Hosmer’s two which landed high on the grassy slopes beyond the outfield fences.

Even Billy Butler came to life, surprising everyone by taking off from 2nd when the 3rd baseman made a throw to first. The throw back was behind him as he slid in. Physioc can say Sisson was on the ball sending Billy home but I doubt Billy ever heard Sisson above the 20 Royals fans sitting behind 3rd base screaming in unison,”GO!”  Billy’s head popped up, looked right at us and saw the ball bounding down the fence line. That was all he needed to scramble home.

Chen was nigh on perfect today, keeping hitters completely off balance as only Chen can do. Yes, he allowed hits but was never really in trouble through six. I watched Ned talk to Bruce in the dugout after the 6th and was sure he told Chen to call it a day. Instead, Bruce came trotting out for the 7th.

You could tell Bruce had reached his pitch count from the first pitch. After an opening single I was sure Ned would go get him. Instead he let Bruce pitch to Gamel. The home run off the outer half of the foul pole that followed finally popped Ned from his chair beside the dugout. I think even Ned would say he should have pulled Bruce after the 6th but knew Bruce was having fun and wanted him to enjoy the success a little longer. That is what ST is for. Hopefully, Ned will have a quicker hook come regular season time.

Other positives on the day…

Collins looked sharp in relief. No walks and his pitches were down in the zone. A big improvement over his inning on Sunday.

Yuni impressed me at 2nd making several solid plays including an eye opening stab of a ball headed up the middle, then back flipped it to Escy to start a double play that got Chen out of the 5th. Hate to say it but right now, Yuni has my vote for the started 2nd base job. Especially after Getz hit another pop out in his only at bat of the day.

Max Ramirez showed his limited defensive skills at the plate, letting two balls in the dirt get past him that allowed a run. They went as wild pitches but both should have been smothered. However, on the positive side, Max blocked the plate beautifully and tagged out  Isturis even though Isturis arrived a good half second before the ball. That got Brewer fans up in arms but Isturis never argued indicating he knew he never reached the plate. Mitch Maier also made a perfect one hop throw on the play.

The negatives…

Billy Butler appears to be pressing, swinging at several bad pitches. I think he is frustrated others are reaching the fences and he has not in several games. Need to just relax, Billy, and hit your pitches. The home runs will come in due time.

SOS as I said earlier pretty much ended his hopes of making the squad. He was not fooling anyone as every hit was a line drive.

Coleman’s chances may also be dimming. He gave up a walk, hit and run and could have given up more if not for an over the shoulder running catch by Lisson for the first out of the 9th. Couple that with the 2 runs on Sunday and Louis is on the precipice.

And the off beat…

Jeff Francour continues to impress as much off the field as on. Once again he was the first to arrive at the fence to sign autographs during warmups. And smiled and joked with the fans the whole time. That lead others to also show up including Hosmer and Gordon. That is what leadership is about.

I sat right in line with the dugout today to watch how Yost interacts with his players. I have to say I was impressed. Yost may look the gruff, faceless man on his chair beside the dugout, but he is animated, smiling and generally a positive influence between innings in the dugout. He had Chen smiling and laughing after the 7th and also saw 3 or 4 other times he was pulling players aside to council or pick them up after minor mistakes. The only one that doesn’t seem to interact with Yost is BB. Not sure if there is bad blood there or they just have a mutual respect that doesn’t require words.

Bottom line, though. I have to say I gained some respect for Mr. Yost today. Yes, he still has to prove he can handle a pitching staff effectively, and he has to prove he plays the best players and not favorites. But what I saw today tends to tell me the players respect him as their manager and that has to be a positive.

The other person on the staff who gets a lot of respect is Doug Sisson. I would gauge that he gets more respect than Yost and is even more a positive influence, identifying with the youngsters far better than Yost. However, you also have to understand that he can do that because he is not the one who has to call them into his office and let them know they are going down or to another team.

Overall, a very impressive day. But then 5 home runs, a solid performance by Master Chen and a good win will do that. Have to keep telling myself, it takes 30+ spring training and 162 regular season games to make a season. And still a lot of question marks before 6 April. I heard on the radio that Chen will most likely start opening day. That is however, just one of a dozen questions left to answer. A lot of baseball left in the pre-season and a lot of sleepless nights still in NY’s future.

By the way, had a great day in the stands. A good group of Royals fans all gathered behind 3rd and think we did make a difference cheering on every good thing that happened. Also a beautiful day weather wise coupled with a Royals win. Could not have asked for more, unless Joel had come down and talked to us.

Day 2 – Mendoza is the Man

Day 2 of my 8 games in 8 days trip through Spring Training. Here are the sights and sounds of today.

1yankhtr is right, Mendoza is the ManDozer.  And yet he is still the man in waiting as Yost was once again noncommital on his starting spot.

Yes, he had a rough first inning. But I also noticed he was very unhappy with the front of the mound, kicking dirt from the edge to the middle after almost every pitch. You could see he was having trouble landing his front foot either because of the hole or because of the bruise from being struck 5 days ago. But even with all that trouble and loading the bases, Luis pitched his way out of the jam by striking out Shierholz.

The ground crew came out with rake and tamper before the second inning and fixed the hole but good. And Luis then tamped the Giants into the ground for the next 4 innings. He had everyone off balance, swinging in front of pitches or watching that sharp slider bend over the plate for a called strike. The only man he didn’t fool was Melky who lined a one out triple in the third. But that didn’t even phase Luis as he got the next batter to bounce back to the mound, then caught Melky leaning just a little too far toward home.

All in all, Mendoza got 4 strikeouts and 8 groundouts, most of the weak chopper variety. He scattered just two hits after the first. And even after the 5th he was not done for the day, running fast laps in the outfield for most of the 6th inning as if to show Ned that Luis still had a lot in the tank if needed.

Luis is right. He has done everything he can to be a starter on this team. Now he just has to wait for Ned to agree. By the way, Ned did get up and walk into the dugout after the 5th. But I could not see if he shook Luis’ hand or just told him he was done for the day.

Other quick hits  from today’s game. Crow pitched better than the stat sheet showed. Sandoval literally golfed Aaron’s first pitch for a double. I still think Aaron should go back to starting. His one start this year was his best outing.

Jeffress gave up just one run but is lucky as most of his pitches were up where major league hitters love them. And Mijares got out without giving up a run but really did not look that in command of his pitches either.

Finally, Holland should have walked Panda. With a 3-2 count and runner on third, several of us commented that the next pitch should be far enough outside that Sandoval could not reach it if he swung. Take the walk and pitch to Whiteside. Instead Greg grooved a fastball. It was game over when it left the bat. Got to learn when to hold them and when to fold them, Greg.

My last comment is not on the game but on the price of beer. $8 for one beer and that is before tip. And I thought the price of pretzels was out of line.

By the way, I did learn one important insight while watching today’s game. It is never a good thing to have someone bring your glove to you on the field. Almost always means you made the last out of the inning.

The Ugly, the Bad and the Good

With apologies to Clint.

The Ugly:

Felipe Paulino’s first inning. A triple, 2 walks, wild pitch and throwning error (that was no where near 2nd base).  All up 3 runs on 1 hit. Paulino had very little control of his pitches and this on a day when the umpire was being more than generous (ask Jeff Francour). Unless Paulino finds better control and learns to keep his pitches down, he is in for a rough time in April.

Tim Collins. Same issue although that off speed roundhouse curve saved him Paulino style embarrassment. About half Collins’ pitches slapped the dirt and several others were no where close to Clark’s target. Amazingly, Tim got out of his one inning without a run. However, from what I saw today, Tim’s control is not there yet.

The Royals looked lackluster, like they were just going through the motions against a split squad mostly made up of minor leaguers. Hopefully our Royals are in the dog days of Spring Training and will get more serious as the final week progresses. Otherwise, it could be a very cold April in KC.

The Bad:

You know it is spring training when Royals fans stand and cheer a 1-A Milwaukee player to hit one out of the park and get his cycle. Scooter (must be a throw back to the 1920s) Gennett then launched one into the Brewer’s bullpen and received the biggest cheer of the day. It seems the Royals fans were also in the doldrums as the stadium itself just seemed dead. Maybe that was why the players had no life.

The home plate umpire in today’s game must have thought he worked for McDonald’s because he supersized the plate. At least 20 pitches at the ankles were called strikes. OK, at least he was consistent. Finally, Jeff Francour had taken enough after being rung up on yet another ankle biter. What followed was a jawing match that continued until Jeff got to the dugout. Jeff then said the magic word and Goodbye, Mr Francour. We figured in the stands that Jeff must be a UNC or KU fan, heard the halftime score and just wanted to go watch the second half. Why else would someone go to the trouble of getting the flick in a ST game?

The Good:

Tim Hottovy. Can I say that he was by far the most impressive pitcher of the day. He struck out the side in one inning and his perfection was only marred by two weak singles that were more luck than skill. If this kid does not get a serious look at a bullpen job then Moore needs to have a look under Ned’s cap to see what is cooking under there.

Spring Time Baseball in Phoenix. If you haven’t been, you don’t know what you are missing. Front row seats, lots of wonderful fans to trade thoughts, and some of the best storylines, games and even ballpark food around. And this is just day one.

Will be looking for you, boothe and dominici, later in the week. You will find me by my downunder shirts. I would not want to do this all the time (because of the travel requirements), but to me this is a once in a lifetime joy and I will make the most of it.

“It’s the fans that need spring training. You gotta get ’em interested. Wake ’em up and let ’em know that their season is coming, the good times are gonna roll.” – Harry Caray

Whoever said Just Getting There is All the Fun – Should be Shot

Yes, I made it to Arizona. And yes, it was a bone tiring, stress generating day and a half. This is how it went…

Ride to the airport, get in line, go through customs, get in line, go to the gate, get in line…I think you get the picture. This was followed by 15 hours in the air flying across the endless blue void they call the Pacific. Did catch up on 5 movies I had not seen (and knew my wife would have no interest in). That was about the most positive thing I can say about the flight.

Landed in LAX only to walk halfway across the airport for Immigration. Someone could have told me LAX is under construction. No I don’t mean part of it, I mean all of it. Next, more lines of checking in, going through security (which I nearly had to undress to get through) and waiting at the gate. By the way, Australians just don’t know the joy they are missing in American airport security.

Finally get to Phoenix, half hour late of course – it is 11:50 am and the game starts at 1:05 pm. Did the smart thing though by packing light and checking nothing. Seemed brilliant until I had to get it all through security in Brisbane and LAX.

Still saved preciouis minutes waiting for bags. Instead, I got straight off the plane, straight onto the rental car bus and straight to my rental car. Well sort of…took me 15 minutes of walking the rental car garage to find my rental.

Finally, on the road. I pull into Surprise Stadium at 1:12 pm and race to the will call window to get my ticket. I think the turnstiles are still spinning, I blasted through them so fast. I got to my seat just in time to see Paulino uncork a wild pitch, a wild throw to second and give up a triple that allowed 3 first inning runs.

However, after that everything was a dream. Will save the actual game for a separate post.

Now it is 7 pm and I am wasted. So wasted I almost fell asleep in the shower. Think will talk to my wife and then it is bedtime for this world traveler. Got to get my sleep. Mendoza pitches tomorrow.

Now about the travel. Oh, it was definitely worth it the minute I stepped inside Surprise Stadium. But the part about getting there is all the fun…whoever said that, never traveled in the 21st Century. Where is Mr. Scott when you need him.

 

 

D-Day is Finally Here

Yes, this is my first ever blog and it will be boring. So apologies in advance. I promise they will improve starting Sunday.

Tomorrow is the day I thought would never come. I finally get on a plane, and within 24 hours will be inside Surprise Stadium enjoying my first Spring Training game.

This will fulfill a life long dream. I have caught the odd Spring game or two when passing through Arizona or Florida on business, but never a dedicated trip to watch as much baseball as possible in one week (at least 8 games in 8 days). This is more professional baseball than I attended in total since my Missouri days ended in 1980.

Even better, I follow the week in Phoenix with 3 opening games in Anahiem thanks to a kind MLB scheduler.

I have been a Royals fanatic since the day Bowie Kuhn announced baseball’s return to KC after Charles Finley’s midnight escape in ’68. Little did we know in those dark days that Charlie O. was doing us all a big favor; giving us a new team and owner that immediately grabbed the hearts of western Missouri fans like no A’s team ever did.

So tomorrow begins another long trek across the wide Pacific; back to my roots and forward to my second love (after my wife of course). I will give daily updates of my travels and views in hope that it is of interest to those who can’t be there themselves. I also look forward to your comments and incite in the belief that this  blog can become a place for sharing the hopes and dreams of an exciting season to come.

So until the morrow, I leave you with this quote…

“People ask me what I do in winter when there’s no baseball. I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.” Rogers Hornsby