Man, what a good feeling to exorcise some demons against the Twins. I almost feel sorry for the Twins with all the money they are paying guys like Buxton and Correa who just cannot stay healthy. ALMOST .
I'm a little worried about the offense, so hopefully the pitching can keep this up. They've been pretty painful to watch in this recent stretch, but maybe the sweep will wake them up a little bit again.
I think the offense will be fine when Witt gets back going. He hasn't been horrific or anything, but this is the first time he hasn't really been able to overcome the rest of his lineup. I don't think it's a coincidence that it's happened alongside Vinnie's absence, but he's also far too talented to be held down for long. They do this, and it's harder to know they'll bust out of it when Vinnie isn't there for them, but they've always found their way out of it. If they can get the pitching to hold up while they're working out of it, they can win a few games and get going at the perfect time.
Y I am almost happy BWJ had cooled off a bit. Looking forward to this series with a more temperate Judge to see these two heat back up- 1st and 2nd MVP candidates will most likely put on a show head to head
Thing about the Twins is, they knew those guys can't stay healthy yet they still built their team around them, which makes it hard to feel too sorry for them.
It took the Royals a long time to jump off the Mondesi train (and I for one supported them giving him "one more chance" for about 2 more years more than I should have), so I get it - that kind of talent is blinding - but it does you no good on the IL.
and isn't he still on the IL? that's a shame with that crazy talent- I also understood mgmt holding out. May be a combination of injury and just not wanting it? No judgement on mondesi maybe wanting to chose his own path...
But isn't that what makes Bobby - Bobby? All the talent And desire. This is shaping up to be a great ride
Absolutely. Using guys correctly is often ignored when it comes to managers (and sometimes it goes above them too), but I really do think Q uses the roster well and gets the most out of these guys. And there are far worse things than a guy who fits on the strong side of a platoon.
I don't think he's holding back. I think he's just in a slump. Since he hasn't been in one all year it seems like something is going on, but the reality is that hitters just slump sometimes. Aaron Judge is hitting .186/.340/.256 in his last 12 games.
Saturday night was the tipping point and yesterday was just about the nail in every other team’s coffin. It finally made me say: the Royals are actually going to make the playoffs!
100% agree here, when they scored four to complete the comeback, it just felt different. Then on Sunday when the runner was thrown out at the plate in the first inning, I felt things had turned as well.
Yep, the Tigers and Red Sox both won and it was looking like they were going to gain a game. And then 2014 broke out and they didn't. That was a big turning point for sure.
Man, I really want to believe the Royals can catch the Guardians but it does seem like a very tall task this late. It would be a lot more doable if they'd won that last home series, but they didn't.
I do think the Royals can get to Rodon despite his excellent start last time out if for no reason than their lineup should be better versus lefties now. Instead of Loftin, Velázquez, and Blanco the Royals can call on Gurriel, Pham, and Grossman. They might even choose to play Blanco in center instead of Hampson or Isbel, though that seems unlikely.
After the White Sox, Cleveland has a pretty moderate schedule that could honestly go either way. The question is if you believe they're the 30-36 team they have been over the last 66 or if the entirety of the season is the truth. I think you can make an argument either way, but if they're the 30-36 team, are they really better than any of the Rays, Twins, Cardinals, Reds or Astros? This is a pretty obvious statement, but if they take care of business against the White Sox and the Yankees do to the Royals what they did in June, it'll be pretty much over. But Cleveland is 5-5 against the White Sox and the Royals, as you said, might be better equipped to deal with the Yankees right now than then, though they were in an offensive dry spell then too. I don't think they can drop a game over the next three and have a real shot at the division.
If KC fans were told the Royals could go 7-10 through the Gauntlet, I think most of us would have been satisfied. I like the way KC's rotation sets up vs. Yankees. Ragans was nails vs. Twins. I'd rather have Wacha than Singer vs. NYY but whatever.
Denny says, "Sometimes things happen when you just know it's your year." Winning game on Friday and the follow-up with Saturday's big comeback late clinched it for me. The sweep vs. Twins with BWJ struggling and trying too hard especially on bases says alot about the team. Interesting that Baldelli really tore into the Twins at presser for their play and Q was mild mannered in the losing streak.
Really liked allowing Lynch to go multiple innings as he looked good in the role. Marsh for 5 and Bubic or Lynch for long reliever saves bullpen wear and tear and gives hitters much different look.
They're even better than 7-10! Most people said 8-12 was the minimum. Well, they've guaranteed that now. I agree that I don't love Singer against them, and they can put out a lefty heavy lineup against him, but what can you do, I guess?
Totally agree on Q too. People are silly when they get mad at how calm he is, but that demeanor is what you need over the course of a long season. Looks like we'll get to find out how it helps in a short season soon.
Man, what a good feeling to exorcise some demons against the Twins. I almost feel sorry for the Twins with all the money they are paying guys like Buxton and Correa who just cannot stay healthy. ALMOST .
I'm a little worried about the offense, so hopefully the pitching can keep this up. They've been pretty painful to watch in this recent stretch, but maybe the sweep will wake them up a little bit again.
I think the offense will be fine when Witt gets back going. He hasn't been horrific or anything, but this is the first time he hasn't really been able to overcome the rest of his lineup. I don't think it's a coincidence that it's happened alongside Vinnie's absence, but he's also far too talented to be held down for long. They do this, and it's harder to know they'll bust out of it when Vinnie isn't there for them, but they've always found their way out of it. If they can get the pitching to hold up while they're working out of it, they can win a few games and get going at the perfect time.
Y I am almost happy BWJ had cooled off a bit. Looking forward to this series with a more temperate Judge to see these two heat back up- 1st and 2nd MVP candidates will most likely put on a show head to head
Thing about the Twins is, they knew those guys can't stay healthy yet they still built their team around them, which makes it hard to feel too sorry for them.
It took the Royals a long time to jump off the Mondesi train (and I for one supported them giving him "one more chance" for about 2 more years more than I should have), so I get it - that kind of talent is blinding - but it does you no good on the IL.
and isn't he still on the IL? that's a shame with that crazy talent- I also understood mgmt holding out. May be a combination of injury and just not wanting it? No judgement on mondesi maybe wanting to chose his own path...
But isn't that what makes Bobby - Bobby? All the talent And desire. This is shaping up to be a great ride
I never heard anything from the players or team even hunting that Mondi didn't try hard, he just kept getting hurt.
Amazing how much better a guy can hit once you refuse to let him face lefties (talking about MJ).
Absolutely. Using guys correctly is often ignored when it comes to managers (and sometimes it goes above them too), but I really do think Q uses the roster well and gets the most out of these guys. And there are far worse things than a guy who fits on the strong side of a platoon.
I still have my Mission: October shirt from 9 years ago. I'm a little worried about Witt, but maybe he's holding back on purpose to avoid injury...
I don't think he's holding back. I think he's just in a slump. Since he hasn't been in one all year it seems like something is going on, but the reality is that hitters just slump sometimes. Aaron Judge is hitting .186/.340/.256 in his last 12 games.
Saturday night was the tipping point and yesterday was just about the nail in every other team’s coffin. It finally made me say: the Royals are actually going to make the playoffs!
100% agree here, when they scored four to complete the comeback, it just felt different. Then on Sunday when the runner was thrown out at the plate in the first inning, I felt things had turned as well.
Yep, the Tigers and Red Sox both won and it was looking like they were going to gain a game. And then 2014 broke out and they didn't. That was a big turning point for sure.
Man, I really want to believe the Royals can catch the Guardians but it does seem like a very tall task this late. It would be a lot more doable if they'd won that last home series, but they didn't.
I do think the Royals can get to Rodon despite his excellent start last time out if for no reason than their lineup should be better versus lefties now. Instead of Loftin, Velázquez, and Blanco the Royals can call on Gurriel, Pham, and Grossman. They might even choose to play Blanco in center instead of Hampson or Isbel, though that seems unlikely.
After the White Sox, Cleveland has a pretty moderate schedule that could honestly go either way. The question is if you believe they're the 30-36 team they have been over the last 66 or if the entirety of the season is the truth. I think you can make an argument either way, but if they're the 30-36 team, are they really better than any of the Rays, Twins, Cardinals, Reds or Astros? This is a pretty obvious statement, but if they take care of business against the White Sox and the Yankees do to the Royals what they did in June, it'll be pretty much over. But Cleveland is 5-5 against the White Sox and the Royals, as you said, might be better equipped to deal with the Yankees right now than then, though they were in an offensive dry spell then too. I don't think they can drop a game over the next three and have a real shot at the division.
If KC fans were told the Royals could go 7-10 through the Gauntlet, I think most of us would have been satisfied. I like the way KC's rotation sets up vs. Yankees. Ragans was nails vs. Twins. I'd rather have Wacha than Singer vs. NYY but whatever.
Denny says, "Sometimes things happen when you just know it's your year." Winning game on Friday and the follow-up with Saturday's big comeback late clinched it for me. The sweep vs. Twins with BWJ struggling and trying too hard especially on bases says alot about the team. Interesting that Baldelli really tore into the Twins at presser for their play and Q was mild mannered in the losing streak.
Really liked allowing Lynch to go multiple innings as he looked good in the role. Marsh for 5 and Bubic or Lynch for long reliever saves bullpen wear and tear and gives hitters much different look.
They're even better than 7-10! Most people said 8-12 was the minimum. Well, they've guaranteed that now. I agree that I don't love Singer against them, and they can put out a lefty heavy lineup against him, but what can you do, I guess?
Totally agree on Q too. People are silly when they get mad at how calm he is, but that demeanor is what you need over the course of a long season. Looks like we'll get to find out how it helps in a short season soon.
Nice matrix comparing various records going forward. Well done, Lesky.
Great analysis David! The Royals coming back out of the 7 game losing streak and winning 4 in a row shows real resilience! GO ROYALS!!!