Welcome to the team, Mr. Aviles. Please, take off your coat and stay awhile.

that game was gross. ****ing giants

Amazing win today, 11-10. Down 10-3 going into the bottom 5th with Tim Lincecum on the mound...tied for 2nd biggest comeback in franchise history. 33-43 record still isn't pretty..but it could be a lot worse..things are definitely getting better. Nice to see some guys on our offense putting up some numbers. David DeJesus in particular is having a career year.

I'm really liking the never say die attitude of this team lately. They just seem to be battling to the end every game now, where in the past they would've given up early today and lost 10-3 or whatever. I need to learn to not turn off the game nowadays, because these guys are capable of at least putting up a fight. I heard early in the season (pre 12-game losing streak), that Denny Matthews was saying how you could just see the difference in the way, even though they were still losing, that they were tough to beat. Basically they don't rollover when they get down.

Nice to see a packed house a for few days straight as well.

No doubt. Compared to TPJ, he's hitting like Babe Ruth. A shortstop hitting .328 with a .625 SLG%? Yikes! And another 2 hits with a double tonight. I doubt he can keep it up, but I'll enjoy the ride for now. And Guillen is simply on fire.

I totally agree. I turned off the game when it was 10-3 and had to turn it back on when I saw on the computer that it was 10-8. I didn't think they had that kind of offense in them.

He clearly can't keep a 1.000 OPS up..but I think it's pretty clear that he's fairly legit. I'd be thrilled with an OPS in the upper .700s from a middle infielder. What he's doing now is just stunning so far....hopefully it lasts for a while. Guillen is insane right now..DDJ is having his breakout year....Aviles is awesome, Teahen is regaining that power..Gordon is decent..the offense really is coming around..and should improve when Butler gets back.

One potential trouble spot is the disturbing lack of walks (again!). Guillen's last BB was May 15th. May 15th!! That's insane. And Aviles only has 2 walks in 68 at-bats. Of course, this is nothing new, but this hot hitting streak can't hold up and then we'll be hoping to win 2-1 again.

With Guilllen and Aviles that is true...but other guys like Gordon, Teahen and DeJesus have pretty good plate discipline. I'd also attribute the lack of walks to the fact that pitchers mostly go right after each batter because of our poor offensive reputation...while with teams like the Red Sox and others they are going to be a lot more careful. I don't think the offense is as bad as it was early in the year simply b/c Aviles is a giant upgrade over TPJ and Guillen was struggling so bad...but the offense will definitely come to Earth..probably when we start playing real baseball against the AL.

It'll be interesting later this season if Grudzy gets traded to a contender (which I have a feeling is gonna happen) how Aviles and TPJ do playing ss and 2b. It'd be nice to see 2 young players up-the-middle develop into a quality battery. That, of course, means TJ still has to get his swing fixed, which I don't see happening anytime soon.

Good win after De La Rosa finally started pitching the way we remember. Hopefully the home-plate ump is ok after taking that splintered bat to the dome. Also, I wonder what the Ramon Ramirez/Torrealba (sp?) thing in the 9th was about??

Hottest team in baseball right now...the Royals are absolutely rolling. Our record was looking the same as always a couple weeks ago...but now at 35-43...not that awful. Nice to see Guillen not have to carry the offense every night..Gordon with a bomb, Aviles keeps going...drew some walks. Greinke had dominating stuff except for a couple mistakes..10 Ks and no walks.....pretty sick how good we are playing right now.

Yeah..that 9th inning was insane...nobody saw that coming. They'll probably hit one of our batters tomorrow..even though we didn't hit one of theirs really. Ramirez needs some work on his beanball accuracy.

Fortunately, the ump took the barrel upside the head and not the splintered end. They said it was just a laceration and not that serious.

Ha! I post about plate discipline and Aviles and Guillen both draw a walk! I think we need to start scoring 10 runs a game...

I told my friend the Cubs fan that the World Series this year would be the Red Sox vs. the Royals because KC is clearly the best team in the NL.

Awww, can we have more than 3 games still vs the NL???? A very good start by Hochevar tonight. KC looking at a possible 3 all-stars this year?? (Soria, DeJesus, & Guillen) That would be nice to see. Hopefully we keep the train rolling vs the Cards this weekend and back into league play. It's fun to watch....keep it up, boys.

Out of last place for the moment. Hochevar continues to show signs of getting to be pretty good. Royals kinda working themselves back in the division race..only seven games out...could be a lot worse given a 12-game losing streak.

True, but the thing that sickens me is where this team could be if they just played around .500 during that losing streak. Let's hope they can keep it going and not fall off the map for 2 weeks this time. Let's keep up the NL/Cardinals pwnament.......GOGOGOGO!!!

Edit: Also, if it wasn't for the Tigers and Twins streaking right now too, we could be 3rd in the division. That's a pretty gross thought.

Didn't get a chance to watch tonight's game, but just saw we pulled a 7-2 win. Hottest team in MLB, suckas!

Gordon looked great at the plate...HR and a two-out bases clearing double. Meche wasn't that sharp...lot of help from the defense..but he certainly found a way to get it done without his best stuff. DeJesus continues to be out-freaking-standing this year.

2nd hottest. Those damn Twins just won't lose! Heck, everyone in the AL is hot since they're playing quadruple-A teams. Keeps the Royals from gaining any ground...

I'm just worried about getting to .500 first before worrying about making up ground in the division. I'm nervous about playing against the AL again..hopefully this can carry over...but it's a different level of competition. My god the NL is a flat out disgrace right now..they suck.

I was at the game last night. And I dont have anything to say about the on field performances, they speak for themselves.

But before the game, during the national anthem, the lyrics were appearing on the video board that is part of the left field fence. And when it got to the end, it read like this.

And the home of the brave?

?

I didnt know it was a question. I just thought that was kind of funny.

A lot of times...people in KC yell 'and the home of the CHIEFS!!!!' so maybe it's some kind of reference to that...or maybe just an error. Either way..yeak, kinda funny.




Davies deserved a lot better today....defense was ridicuously sloppy.....Miguel Olivo is an AWFUL defensive catcher.....but our offense was shut down pretty good today...so I don't think it mattered. Can't win every game.

A little late..but man, what a clutch HR from Olivo in the 9th. Down by one in the ninth with two outs and the bases empty and down in the count 0-2....goes deep to tie it. Amazing win to start the road trip. Sights set on .500 perhaps.

40-50. 3-5 road trip through Baltimore and Tampa Bay. Not too bad. Starting pitching has struggled a bit lately. Gordon slumping a little too.

Man, it sure does get old getting screwed by umpires constantly. Two different strike zones in the White Sox game tonight......just blatantly obvious.

No Doubt.

oh please

Nice win last night. Good to see the guys come back and not roll over in the 9th. From the way DDJ posed at the plate like Manny Ramirez, I thought the ball would be long gone. Instead it barely got over the fence! Go for the sweep today...

DDJ is hitting .468/.694/1.201 with runners in scoring position. Maybe he should be 5th instead of Grudz so he can have some guys on when he comes to the plate?

You see the game? It was extremely obvious in that game. One team had a huge zone and the other team had to pretty much throw it right down the middle to get a call.

I objected to the "constantly getting screwed". This isnt the NBA after all.

Well, I didn't mean that it's been happening for a long period of time..like years or anything. Just recently. Should have said something other than 'constantly.' There was a stretch where the strike zones were obviously different.




Good series win in Chicago to start things after the break. Hopefully Butler can get going and have a good 2nd half.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3509805


Thoughts?

I don't think it's true, but it could be seeing as how Guillen has totally lost interest in giving 100% lately. They say he is still bothered by a hip injury that happened like 2 months ago, so that might be why he doesn't look like he's playing hard.

I get the sense (from local sportstalk) that the fanbase is already tiring of his crap, and I don't think many would be really upset if he was traded.

Personally I think if the Royals can get some return for him, I'd be OK with a trade, and if him and Hillman truly aren't getting along then they almost have to trade him. I don't think this type of young upcoming team can stand to have that type of distraction at this stage.

jose guillen doesnt give a fuck about the fans.

jose guillen thinks his teammates are babies.

jose guillen is an assclown.

jose guillen should never have been signed.

jose guillen needs to be traded.

and im not even a royals fan.

Turns out the Guillen stuff was mostly nonsense. If ESPNDeportes was accurate about the Royals, Bartolo Colon would be on our team, Sammy Sosa would be in our OF, we'd be trading Guillen..and hell we'd probably have Jose Lima too *yea..made up the last one.




Guillen's overpaid and is having a down year due to playing with injuries all year.....oh well. Just finished off a sweep at Oakland. 50-59 record, not too terrible compared to past years.

Moustakas looks to be improving finally. .315/.383/.507 for July

Moustakas

It would sure be nice if he started next year at NW Arkansas.

Cortes has kinda slipped since his 10 strikeout game awhile back.

Cortes

Rosa is looking good in AAA, surely will be up in September, if not sooner.
8-4 2.53 4-1 strikeout to walk ratio.

Rosa

I wouldn't have been opposed to dealing Mahay or Grudz for some more 1-2 years away prospects, but I'm not real upset to keep them either, especially Mahay since he's locked up next year also.

Also, I don't think I'll ever believe ESPN Deportes again, even though I think there was at least a little bit of truth to this one.

Moustakas has been improving a lot as the year goes on. He plays in a pitcher's park/league and his power is supposed to be real special. He'll most likely be in A ball (advanced) at Wilmington next year.

Cortes will probably repeat AA, he's had some ups and downs.

Rosa is hurt, though nothing serious. I bet he also starts in AAA next year as well and is the first one to KC if he starts off well.



Another guy to keep an eye on is Kila Kaaihue. 24 years old, absolutely crushed AA pitching with amazing plate discipline. A line of .314/.463/.624 (1.087 OPS) with 26 HRs in 91 games. That's just sick...especially the .463 OBP. Walked 80 times with only 41 strikeouts. He was just promoted to AAA Omaha and had homered in each of his first two games. He had a rough year last year and kinda fell off the radar a bit...but his plate discipline and power could really translate into him being a monster..maybe as soon as next season. He'll turn 25 right before the '09 season starts and could be KC's starting 1B if the Royals give him a serious look out of ST. At worst he figures to start in Omaha next year and hopefully force his way into KC's lineup.

http://minors.baseball-reference.com/players.cgi?pid=7527


Even in some of Kia's down years, like in his first stint in AA a couple years back where he only hit .199, he still put up an OBP over 100 points higher than his batting average. His plate discipline is supposed to be off the charts...which definitely translates to the big leagues.

That's an admission of suckitude if I've ever heard one..

Yeah I forgot about him somehow, but earlier this week there was all kinds of talk about him when he got promoted. Really hope he continues and forces Moore's hand in the next couple of years. It would sure be nice for the Royals to come up with one of those types.

Didn't realize Rosa was hurt. He looked good that one inning in Arizona....

Well, we won 56 three years ago, 62 two years ago, 69 last year, and on pace for what, 74 wins this year? It's improvement, no??

It's minor. He's supposed to throw a simulated game next week, I believer. He'll start in Omaha next year and should be able to get to KC soon enough I would assume, his K/BB numbers are pretty good and our pitching coach, McClure, already loves him.

As for Kaaihue..he'll force their hand next year if he rakes enough this final month. Only so long you can go with Ross Gload at 1B before the Hawaiian Punch knocks him aside.

As if on cue, Moustakas goes 3-4 with 2HRs last night.

Nice ass-kicking today so far 12-0 in the 6th. For some reason (pierszynski) I really dislike the White Sox.

14-3 win. Greinke looked dominant for the 2nd straight outing. Offense is rolling. Guillen heating back up, Butler's been balls since the AS break, and Gordon has looked great at the plate lately....... 52-60 record with the BoSox coming to town. My 75 win prediction for the year is dead on so far....we'll see how we can finish.

Kila Kaaihue so far through five games at AAA Omaha. .381/.409/.810 with 3 HRs and 6 RBI. It would appear the transition has been flawless.

What's up all you loyal Royals fans?!?!

Who do you all think is going to win the central? TWINS TWINS TWINS! Took over the league lead today!

I'd much rather the Twins take it than the White Sox. But I am not counting out the Tigers yet.

Kila Kaaihue with his 4th HR in Omaha in his seven games there. OPS above 1.300 so far. His his last one off of former KC All-Star pitcher Mark Redman. Mike Moustakas hit HRs #19 and #20 to grab the Midwest League lead in that category. He hit his first one off of rehabbing pitcher Jon Lieber of the Cubs. Moustakas has been dominant for the past month or so now while playing in a pitcher's park and league. Scary power for a 19 year old in that league. He could play himself to AA ball by next season.

Couple tough loses against the BoSox. Oh well..at least we took the first game. Gordon continues to hit well.

To help ease the pain of a couple loses...I'll just post Kila Kaaihue's numbers and hope the Royals can finally catch one freaking break with a prospect breaking out.

'08 AA numbers: 91 G, .314 Avg., 26 HR, 79 RBI, 80 BB, 41 K, .463 OBP, .624 SLG, 1.086 OPS

'08 AAA numbers: 8 G, .400 Avg., 4 HR, 7 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K, .471 OBP, .800 SLG, 1.271 OPS

'08 combined numbers: 99 G, .322 Avg., 30 HR, 86 RBI, 84 BB, 47 K, .468 OBP, .640 SLG, 1.104 OPS

That OBP is so sick and is almost sure to translate to the big leagues easily (not that high, of course).

Kaaihue is still on fire, will we see him this September?

Anyway, traded H. Ramirez to the White Sox for A-ball CF Paulo Orlando. He sounds like a good defensive CF with excellent speed. Rated as the top defensive OF, and fastest baserunner in the White Sox organization.

Anyway, they sent him to Wilmington where Derrick Robinson is currently the everyday CF hitting .249/.314 with 55 SB. So are they going to promote Robinson to AA, or move one of them, do you think?

I would imagine that if Kaaihue stayed THIS hot, I would imagine DM would have no choice but to give him some ABs once the rosters expand.

As for Orlando and Robinson.....I can't imagine either of them get promoted, but I guess you never know. I bet they'll just deal with it for the rest of the year and play one of them elsewhere in the OF for the rest of the year.