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CRTsports.com · 07-26-2008, 08:55 PM

Death of the 2010 Royals
April 1, 2010 to September 14, 2010

And just like that its over. The 2010 season came to a crashing halt tonight. There are still nineteen remaining games in the season but with all things considered, the season is over.

When the Royals(76-67) returned home a week ago, they were about to start the most crucial eight game home series of the season. They had four games against the Indians and then four against the Wild Card leading Detroit Tigers.

The Royals played well in the series against the Indians minus the crazy third game of the set but won the series three games to one. The scores of the games were 11-5, 8-2, 11-15 and 4-3.

Spirits where high when Detroit came into town and many people thought the Royals had what it took to sweep the series and get to within a half game of the Wild Card spot. But it wasn't to be for the Royals.

In game one of the series, their bats were silenced and lost 8-1. They didn't score the last run until the bottom of the ninth off a Rudolph Shaeffer single that scored Edwin Encarnacion.

Game two appeared to be going in the Royals way until the very end. Bobby Brownlie pitched very well, seven strong innings and only allowed one earned run against one of the top offenses in the NABL. The Royals took a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning when Porfirio Camara was brought in, to close the game. The 24 year-old Camara has been closing games of late with Chris Hernandez's recent struggles and has shined in the closers role.

So with Camara in the game, we all thought it would be game over. But Detroit had other ideas. Brent Clevlen started the inning off with a line drive single into center field. Up next was James "Night Train" Pelt. Pelt had been held hit-less before the ninth but drove a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall for a two run homerun with no outs. The Royals got out of the inning untouched after that but were not able to get anything going in the bottom of the ninth and lost 3-2. It was Camara's first ever blown save in the big league's and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Heading into game three of the four game set, spirits will still high and the players thought they could easily run off a two game win streak and end the series unscathed.

The game started off with three straight scoreless innings until the Tigers first baseman Aramis Ramirez hit a solo bomb off of Ian Oquendo. The Royals tied it right back up in the bottom of the fourth with a Shaeffer single that plated Encarnacion.

In the fourth, Oquendo lost his control and it cost him. After walking the first two batters of the inning, leading Rookie of the Year in the AL candidate Brandon Wood came to the plate. With a 3-2 count on him, Wood fouled off the first pitch but connected with the next one. A three run homerun to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead.

In the top of the fifth with Jorge De La Rosa brought into pitch the Tigers were looking to add to their lead. And they did just that.

The first batter reached courtesy of an error and that was followed by another single by Alex Cintron to put two on with no outs. The next batter grounded out but the runners were able to move up a base. That was followed by a single by Josh Bard which scored a run. The next batter also singled and added a run on the board. It was now 6-1 with two outs and Brent Clevlen was up to bat. He crushed a ball down into the right field corner and plated two with a two out triple. So after the inning the Royals were down 8-1 and the attitude in the dugout was not good.

Going into the top of the eighth inning, the Royals were down 8-2 and just trying to find a ray of hope somewhere. With two out in the inning, Brandon Wood came up the plate and hit a deep ball to centerfield and to Santiago Rao.

Rao went back after the ball and after making a spectacular diving catch for the ball, he laid motionless on the field. The trainers rushed out and he was carted off the field. First reports didn't have it to be that serious of an injury but after a few tests at the hospital it was revealed he is suffering from a severe case of back spasms and will be out for the next four to five weeks. Effectively ending his season.

This only adds to the growing concern of Rao and his ability to stay healthy. The Rookie of the Year in 2007 has yet to play more than 156 games in one season which was in 2007. This year he was on the DL twice before today and only managed to play in 109 games this season.

For the year he hit .282/.329/.486 with 16 HR's, 74 RBI's and he scored 84 times. He also lead the team with 57 stolen bases. Rao is expected to make a full recovery but only time will tell if the 23 year old from the Dominican Republic will ever be the durable center fielder he was drafted to be.

And with starting right fielder Robert McElroy already out for the next two weeks with a concussion, this was a blow the Royals could not afford. It essentially means the Royals will be starting kids in the outfield to finish up the season.

Now back to the game. Entering the ninth inning it was still 8-2 with the Royals needing some luck. An Alex Cintron single scored two more for the Tigers and the went to the bottom of the ninth with a 10-2 lead.

The Royals finally got their bats rolling in the bottom of the ninth by scoring four runs but it was too little too late. They lost 10-6 and it effectively ended their season.

With just 19 games left in this season, the Royals sit eight games back of the Central lead and 7.5 games back of the Wild Card spot. They would have to play nearly flawless baseball to even sniff a chance at the playoffs.

Here is a look at their remaining games and their respective record. Six games against the Twins(55-87), six games with the White Sox(84-59), three games against the Blue Jays(73-69) and the Yankees(76-68) and one more against the Tigers(83-59). Needless to say a very tough schedule to finish up the year.

While management isn't packing up the bags yet, all signs are pointing that way. Some of the younger players were told to get a good nights rest and to be ready to start tomorrow.

So another year comes and goes with the Royals being on wrong side of the playoffs but GM Christopher Torres has made progress these past seven years and we can only look positively to the 2011 season.

Lets just hope the Royals can finish up the season unscathed and with their heads held high. Lets go Royals!

07-26-2008, 08:55 PM	#26 (permalink)
CRTsports.com Major Leagues Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Seattle, WA Posts: 400 Thanks: 0 Thanked 5x in 5 posts	Death of the 2010 Royals April 1, 2010 to September 14, 2010 And just like that its over. The 2010 season came to a crashing halt tonight. There are still nineteen remaining games in the season but with all things considered, the season is over. When the Royals(76-67) returned home a week ago, they were about to start the most crucial eight game home series of the season. They had four games against the Indians and then four against the Wild Card leading Detroit Tigers. The Royals played well in the series against the Indians minus the crazy third game of the set but won the series three games to one. The scores of the games were 11-5, 8-2, 11-15 and 4-3. Spirits where high when Detroit came into town and many people thought the Royals had what it took to sweep the series and get to within a half game of the Wild Card spot. But it wasn't to be for the Royals. In game one of the series, their bats were silenced and lost 8-1. They didn't score the last run until the bottom of the ninth off a Rudolph Shaeffer single that scored Edwin Encarnacion. Game two appeared to be going in the Royals way until the very end. Bobby Brownlie pitched very well, seven strong innings and only allowed one earned run against one of the top offenses in the NABL. The Royals took a 2-1 lead into the top of the ninth inning when Porfirio Camara was brought in, to close the game. The 24 year-old Camara has been closing games of late with Chris Hernandez's recent struggles and has shined in the closers role. So with Camara in the game, we all thought it would be game over. But Detroit had other ideas. Brent Clevlen started the inning off with a line drive single into center field. Up next was James "Night Train" Pelt. Pelt had been held hit-less before the ninth but drove a 1-1 pitch over the right field wall for a two run homerun with no outs. The Royals got out of the inning untouched after that but were not able to get anything going in the bottom of the ninth and lost 3-2. It was Camara's first ever blown save in the big league's and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Heading into game three of the four game set, spirits will still high and the players thought they could easily run off a two game win streak and end the series unscathed. The game started off with three straight scoreless innings until the Tigers first baseman Aramis Ramirez hit a solo bomb off of Ian Oquendo. The Royals tied it right back up in the bottom of the fourth with a Shaeffer single that plated Encarnacion. In the fourth, Oquendo lost his control and it cost him. After walking the first two batters of the inning, leading Rookie of the Year in the AL candidate Brandon Wood came to the plate. With a 3-2 count on him, Wood fouled off the first pitch but connected with the next one. A three run homerun to give the Tigers a 4-1 lead. In the top of the fifth with Jorge De La Rosa brought into pitch the Tigers were looking to add to their lead. And they did just that. The first batter reached courtesy of an error and that was followed by another single by Alex Cintron to put two on with no outs. The next batter grounded out but the runners were able to move up a base. That was followed by a single by Josh Bard which scored a run. The next batter also singled and added a run on the board. It was now 6-1 with two outs and Brent Clevlen was up to bat. He crushed a ball down into the right field corner and plated two with a two out triple. So after the inning the Royals were down 8-1 and the attitude in the dugout was not good. Going into the top of the eighth inning, the Royals were down 8-2 and just trying to find a ray of hope somewhere. With two out in the inning, Brandon Wood came up the plate and hit a deep ball to centerfield and to Santiago Rao. Rao went back after the ball and after making a spectacular diving catch for the ball, he laid motionless on the field. The trainers rushed out and he was carted off the field. First reports didn't have it to be that serious of an injury but after a few tests at the hospital it was revealed he is suffering from a severe case of back spasms and will be out for the next four to five weeks. Effectively ending his season. This only adds to the growing concern of Rao and his ability to stay healthy. The Rookie of the Year in 2007 has yet to play more than 156 games in one season which was in 2007. This year he was on the DL twice before today and only managed to play in 109 games this season. For the year he hit .282/.329/.486 with 16 HR's, 74 RBI's and he scored 84 times. He also lead the team with 57 stolen bases. Rao is expected to make a full recovery but only time will tell if the 23 year old from the Dominican Republic will ever be the durable center fielder he was drafted to be. And with starting right fielder Robert McElroy already out for the next two weeks with a concussion, this was a blow the Royals could not afford. It essentially means the Royals will be starting kids in the outfield to finish up the season. Now back to the game. Entering the ninth inning it was still 8-2 with the Royals needing some luck. An Alex Cintron single scored two more for the Tigers and the went to the bottom of the ninth with a 10-2 lead. The Royals finally got their bats rolling in the bottom of the ninth by scoring four runs but it was too little too late. They lost 10-6 and it effectively ended their season. With just 19 games left in this season, the Royals sit eight games back of the Central lead and 7.5 games back of the Wild Card spot. They would have to play nearly flawless baseball to even sniff a chance at the playoffs. Here is a look at their remaining games and their respective record. Six games against the Twins(55-87), six games with the White Sox(84-59), three games against the Blue Jays(73-69) and the Yankees(76-68) and one more against the Tigers(83-59). Needless to say a very tough schedule to finish up the year. While management isn't packing up the bags yet, all signs are pointing that way. Some of the younger players were told to get a good nights rest and to be ready to start tomorrow. So another year comes and goes with the Royals being on wrong side of the playoffs but GM Christopher Torres has made progress these past seven years and we can only look positively to the 2011 season. Lets just hope the Royals can finish up the season unscathed and with their heads held high. Lets go Royals! __________________ Offline Solo League Kansas City Royals - (713-744)(1-3) -- READ ABOUT IT HERE!!! -- 2004 81-81----2012 83-79 -- 2005 64-98----2013 -- 2006 54-108 -- 2007 72-90 -- 2008 76-85 -- 2009 89-73 -- 2010 86-76 -- 2011 108-54 (1-3) Central Division Champs Last edited by CRTsports.com; 07-27-2008 at 12:48 AM.