Is this the year for the Royals?

[CRTsports.com]

Rao returns just in time

When center fielder Santiago Rao went out with a strained MCL it didn't look good for him or the team. The Royals have played up and down all year long and since the All-Star Break they have been in the hunt for the lone Wild Card spot. Some days they played like contenders and others they played like the Royals of old. And when Rao went out, the Royals fans held their breath for a speedy return.

But the fans were rewarded with some quality baseball these past two weeks and the hope has returned to Kansas City. They have gone 9-5 over the last two weeks and won every series 2-1. And they have also passed the New York Yankees for second place in the Wild Card standings.

The only team that stands between them and the playoffs is division rival Chicago White Sox. As of this morning the Royals are just three games back and currently have a 67-53 record.

The only issue that has hampered the Royals all year long is their bullpen. They only have three pitchers with sub three ERA's. The rest of the pen all has ERA's over five plus. Even Closer Chris Hernandez has been shaky at best. Hernandez currently has 26 saves in 2010 but with an ERA over five, the fans are always on the edge of their seats.

Lets just hope over the next five weeks the Royals play up to their ability and can claim the Wild Card spot. Lets go Royals!

[CRTsports.com]

Successful August turns to September!

If every month was like August the Royals would be a contender every single season. But August only comes around once a year. The Royals just concluded a month where they went 17-11 and moved to within two games of the Wild Card and four games of the division lead.

August was also a month where two things were revealed. The Detroit Tigers who entered the month with a 67-34 record are not for real and the Royals reliever Shane Nance should never be allowed to close a game again.

The Tigers(74-56) went an amazing 7 and 22 in August to lose their command on the Central division to the White Sox and have just barely hung onto the Wild Card Spot ahead of your Royals.

And regarding Shane Nance, the once dominant reliever, closing isn't just his thing. He is zero for five in save opportunities this year and his last blow up came last night against the Devil Rays. Nance is in his final year of his contract but mostly likely wont be re-signed due to his ERA being a full point and a half higher than last year.

And to mix things up a bit with this report, we will update all of the fans out there with league standings, statistics and Royals Teams Statistics thru the month of August.

Overall Standings:


American League Batting Statistics:


American League Pitching Statistics:


American League Qualified Rookie Statistics:


Kansas City Team Statistics:

So as you can see the Royals have a very legitimate chance to make the playoffs this year. They will just need one good month from their pitching staff and timely hitting and they should be able to nail down the Wild Card spot. Lets go Royals!

[toxicavenger74]

This is a solid dynasty write up. The fact that you have the Royals on track to have a winning season let alone possibly taking the Central is impressive.

[CRTsports.com]

Royals throwing it away!

What a difference five days make. After the Royals 6-0 win on September 1st against the Cleveland Indians, the Royals were 1.5 games back of the Wild Card and riding the wave of momentum they enjoyed from August. But the wave crashed and the Royals were left scrambling to find another one.

In game two against the Indians, reliever Shane Nance gave up his second game winning homerun in two outings. This time it was to left fielder Cesar Torres, the first batter in the tenth inning. Starter Blake Hawksworth and closer Chris Hernandez had only allowed one run and four hits between them and Nance came in and threw it away. And as it currently stands, Nance is the most hated man in KC and fans can't wait till he is a distant memory.

In game three against the Indians, starter Bobby Brownlie's, struggles continued. After starting the season an impressive 7-0 he currently sits at 10-10 with a 4.12 ERA. While not pitching terribly, he hasn't been pitching well enough to get the w. With the game three loss to the Indians, it was the first series the Royals had lost in almost a month.

After the Indians series, the Royals headed to New York to face off against the Yankees. Before the series the Yankees were 2.5 games back of the Royals in the Wild Card hunt and in second place in their division.

Nothing much else to say other than nothing went right for the Royals in New York. They lost all three games by scores of 15-11, 11-10 and 8-3 to end the series.

So after the dust settled, the Royals are now seven games back in the Wild Card race and for the Central Division Crown. The White Sox and Tigers are curently tied for first for the Central lead.

The Royals returned home late last night and about to start an extremely crucial eight game home stand against the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. Basically the whole season rests on this eight game home stand.

The Royals are 39-25 at home this season so it gives the fans a ray of hope they can turn this around immediately. Lets go Royals!

Below you will find the pitching box scores of the past five games:

[CRTsports.com]

Originally Posted by toxicavenger74

This is a solid dynasty write up. The fact that you have the Royals on track to have a winning season let alone possibly taking the Central is impressive.

Thanks for the comments! Will have another big update done this evening after work!

[CRTsports.com]

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!

[CRTsports.com]

World Series for the Ages!!

Even though the Royals fans were once again not able to see them compete in the playoffs, they were treated to one heck of a World Series.

In the first ever all Florida match up, the 2010 World Series saw the Florida Marlins square off against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Tampa Bay made it to the World Series by first defeating the Wild Card Chicago White Sox 3 games to 2. Then they swept the Central Champion Detroit Tigers 4-0 in the ALCS.

The Marlins had a bit tougher trek to the the World Series but they still made it. In the first round they defeated the two time NABL Champion St Louis Cardinals 3 games to 1. In the NLCS they defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 4 games to 2.

So the stage was set for a fantastic World Series against two unlikely participants.

Games one and two had the Devil Rays as the away team and both were classic World Series games. Game one ended 1-0 and game two ended 4-3. So the Marlins took a two game lead and headed to Tampa Bay.

Tampa Bay was able to claim Game Three by destroying the Marlins 6-1 and they kept their dreams alive. In Game Four it was another pitching gem. The Marlins won the game 1-0.

That win set up the Marlins to win Game Five and head home to Miami NABL Champions. But the Marlins had other ideas. They once again hooked the Marlins 8-2 and forced Game Six in Miami.

Game Six was once again fell the Devil Rays way. They won the very crucial sixth game by a score 6-1 which set up Game Seven.

Game Seven was a game that people will remember for the ages. Neither team was able to score a run in the first nine innings so extra innings was in order.

The Devil Rays Joey Gathright lead off the inning with a base hit to the outfield. Robert Abad was up next and he grounded into a fielders choice but was able to move Gathright up to second. Khalil Green stepped up to the plate with a runner in scoring position and a chance to finally knock in a run. Green crushed a line drive to the center field wall which scored Gathright. The next two batters grounded out but the Devil Rays lead 1-0 going into the tenth.

Stepping up in the bottom of the tenth was John Shull. So far in the game Shull was 0-3 with two strike outs. The Devil Rays closer Josh Parker managed to get Shull to pop out to third base and the first out of the inning.

Next up was Miguel Tejada. Always the professional he was able to hit a line drive and reach first safely. Following Tejada was Chris Snelling. He also was able to reach safely courtesy of a line drive hit. So here we are, two one, one out in the bottom of the tenth of the World Series. This is what kids dream about.

So Luis Montanez stepped up to the plate against Parker, already going 1-2 tonight with a walk. And ironically he had just been traded to the Devil Rays late in September from the Cubs. Needless to say, the last spot Montanez thought he would be in this season.

So with a 2-2 strike on Montanez, he connected with a hard ground ball to the third base line. Raymond Scarlett, the Devil Rays third baseman, fielded the ball cleanly, rifled it to second to get Snelling and Joseph England the second baseman jumped over Snelling and nailed Montanez at first. Double play to the end the game!

The DEVIL RAYS are WORLD SERIES CHAMPIONS!

So not only did the Devil Rays won their first ever championship, they did it by coming back from being down three games to one. Certainly a World Series that will go down in the record books as one of the best ever!

[bucketsndimes]

Interested to see what you can do in the off-season to improve the team.

[CRTsports.com]

2011 Arbitration Numbers Finalized!

With the Royals once again taking advantage of their youth movement, they had eleven players this year head to arbitration.

Heading the class to arbitration is CF Santiago Rao and SS Rudolph Shaeffer. A few attempts were made to sign these players to long term deals but nothing materialized from seasons end till today.

"I have no hard feelings about heading to arbitration," said Rao this morning, "I just want to play ball in Kansas City and win. I will let my agent take care of the rest."

And without further ado, here are the finalized arbitration numbers for next season.

CF Santiago Rao - $6,345,000
SS Rudolph Shaeffer - $6,072,400
LF Robert McElroy - $5,184,000
SP Bobby Brownlie - $3,724,000
2B Robinson Cano - $1,950,000
MR Chris Hernandez - $1,385,520
SP Vince Perkins - $1,028,571
SP Ian Oquendo - $876,300
MR Jorge De La Rosa - $833,520
3B Edwin Encarnacion - $310,500
MR Brian Bannister - $300,000


So that currently puts the Royals just under $40 million dollars heading into the 2011 season. The budget set by the ownership group is right around $64 million dollars.

GM Christopher Torres had vowed this year to spend every last penny of that money. In the past he has stayed pat and left some room but it painfully obvious the last two seasons he needs to bring some prized talent into KC to compliment the young studs already here.

"We foremost will be looking for a front line starter this off season and some middle relief help. Our starting pitching was ok this past year but our pen was down right awful and it has to change now. Its sad to see us once again have one of the top offenses in the league and to have it be undone by our pen." stated the general manager.

Rumors are already flying around Kansas City that the target this off season will be Joe Blanton. An inside source has already verified he has flown into Kansas City to meet with team officials about possibly playing here.

Blanton won't be cheap and will be commanding anywhere from $14-16 million a season but that's well within the Kansas City budget. Only time will tell but lets see what happens. Lets go Royals!

[CRTsports.com]

Royals break the bank, sign Joe Blanton!

After two weeks of countless rumors and blog posts about where Joe Blanton would sign, its finally official. And the Royals fans are going crazy, Blanton is headed to Kansas City.

The 2009 NABL Cy Young Award Winner was the prized free agent on this years market. Blanton spent the last two years with the Chicago Cubs and winning the 2009 World Series with them. So not only does he bring a huge arm to KC, he brings playoff experience which is badly needed here.

He did have a bit of a down year last year but the Cubs struggled defending their championship and completely missed the playoffs this past season.

The overall contract number is a bit staggering but for a pitcher who just turned 30 years old, its money well spent. Blanton was signed for four years and $60 million dollars. An even $15 million per season and a $2 million bonus for every year he wins the Cy Young award.

"It was exciting to go through all the free agent madness these past two weeks, but its feels great to have a home. The Royals are so close to making the playoffs and I would love to be the missing piece that they need to get over the hump." That was Blanton's comments at this afternoons press conference.

This contract while expensive for the Royals organization, it still leaves them with some money to go after a few relievers for the pen. With the offense already set, all focus has been put on improving the staff in the off season.

"This is a reason why we saved for the past few years, we had Blanton targeted for the past year and went after him hard. We sent him a contract on day two of free agency and just waited for him to sign it. While there were some days when we thought we lost him, it all worked in the end. I want to start the season now and watch him pitch," stated GM Christopher Torres.

Below you will see Blanton's career stats in the NABL.

[CRTsports.com]

Bullpen re-stocked as free agency closes

After the signing of Joe Blanton a few weeks ago, its tough to top that news story but when free agency came to an end last night, the Royals accomplished their goals.

First off we have to start off with some bad news. Reports out of the organization are saying that reliever Jorge De La Rosa career, is now over. He was in a very serious car accident the other night and after tests were run, it showed the worse possible injury. He has a torn back muscle and it will be very unlikely he ever pitches in the big leagues again.

For his career he was 16-12 and had 4 saves. His career ERA was 4.46 with 254 strike-outs, 135 walks in just 296.1 innings. A very tragic end to a promising career.

But the Royals had already shored up their bullpen before De La Rosa went down and they shouldn't miss a beat. The second player to sign with the Royals was reliever Rocky Biddle.

The 34 year old Biddle gives the Royals a top notch setup man for the next two seasons. Rocky pitched the last three years in Washington and had varied success with them. Washington was never a serious contender when he was there. And the best part is he comes fairly cheap at $4 million a year for the next two years.

The final reliever to be signed this off season was Brian Meadows. The 35 year old has had an outstanding career and will be more than likely finishing his career here in Kansas City. "This will be my last team and contract and I am looking forward to pitching in Kansas City." said Meadows.

Meadows was lights out in 2010 with a 1.93 ERA with the NL Champion Florida Marlins. He appeared in 72 games and pitched 79.1 innings and went 6-1 with four saves.

Rumor has it he will be the new closer this year for the Royals but nothing has been finalized. He will be making $10 million the next two years so what ever spot he wins, he better succeed. The Royals have invested a lot of money into Meadows.

And to round out the 2011 free agent signings was backup catcher Joe Mauer. With the departure of veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez in the off season, the Royals were in desperate need of another veteran catcher to back up Gene "Boom Boom" Marquez.

Marquez feel just a few votes shy of winning the Rookie of the Year in 2010 and will definitely be able to learn a few more things with Mauer.

He only played in 34 games last year in Minnesota while batting only .223 but is welcoming this new role. "Every player wants to play every day but I know that's not my spot on this team. I will still prepare like I am going to play every day and hope to earn my paycheck when I do play." Maure signed a one year $800,000 contract with the Royals.

So the Royals accomplished all of their goals this free agent period and will be looking forward to the upcoming season. Lets go Royals!!

[CRTsports.com]

2011 Season Preview

A successful Spring Training has come and passed and we are days away from starting the 2011 season. The Royals appear to be stacked as ever on paper and are gunning for the playoffs this year. Anything else will be a failure in the fans eyes.

Below you will find a breakdown of every player on the 25 man roster.

Starting Lineup in order: RED - Lead Team

(CF) Santiago Rao(24yo)
--2010 Stats: 109G/129H/57SB/16HR/74RBI/.282/.329/.486
--Analysis: Will Rao ever play a full season. Still looking for his first year with no stints on the DL. A deadly lead off hitter with power and speed.

(3B) Edwin Encarnacion(28yo)
--2010 Stats: 142G/148H/12SB/10HR/79RBI/.265/.312/.372
--Analysis: Still strikes out a lot, 135K's in 2010 but a player that will be there everyday. Still looking for another 2008 season when he had 198 hits and hit .325. Will this be the year?

(C) Gene "Boom Boom" Marquez(21yo)
--2010 Stats: 139G/150H/95BB/8HR/69RBI/.291/.398/.407
--Analysis: Made huge strides in his first pro season. Wont hit a lot of balls out of the park but will walk everyday of the week it seems. Second in the team in 2010 with 95 walks. With a .398 OBP, he will generate runs.

(1B) Melvin "Butterball" Colmenares(23yo)
--2010 Stats: 159G/172H/110BB/20HR/78RBI/.289/.403/.459
--Analysis: A player that has HOF written all over him. He is just learning his power swing after two and half pro season but will slug 30+ in a season when its all said and done with. And his eye is fantastic. Had 110 walks last year.

(SS) Rudolph Shaeffer(26yo)
--2010 Stats: 155G/209H/49BB/24HR/104RBI/.326/.380/.505
--Analysis: Was the team MVP in 2010 but can he repeat that performance. Lead the team in hits and RBI's last year. Benefited a lot from the guys ahead of him walking a ton. Hopefully it can continue.

(DH) William Quattlebaum(26yo)
--2010 Stats: 161G/175H/30SB/28HR/97RBI/.273/.349/.490
--Analysis: Lead the team last year in home runs which was a bit surprising. Would play in the OF more but a terrible fielder so DH is where he will play. Can steal a few when he wants but will the power last.

2B Joey Ros(22yo)
--2010 Stats: 135G/123H/51BB/7HR/63RBI/.267/.338/.404
--Analysis: Came out of nowhere last year to take over the 2B spot. Has very little power but a very good defensive infielder. Had 36 doubles in 2010.

(CF) Larry Bigbie(33yo)
--2010 Stats: 116G/120H/34BB/10HR/63RBI/.287/.337/.421
--Analysis: The grandfather of the team. Played well at the start of the last season and fell apart at the end. Was originally signed to be the utility outfielder but will start the season as the starting left fielder. The main question is how long can he last.

(RF) Robert McElroy(30yo)
--2010 Stats: 115G/130H/53BB/18HR/75RBI/.310/.386/.504
--Analysis: Has taken a very long time to develop. Finally caught his stride at 29 years old. Hopefully he can eek a few more solid years out.

Bench:

(C) Joe Mauer
(2B) Robinson Cano
(2B/3B/SS) Freddie Bynum
(LF/RF) Peter Friel

Starting Rotation

Joe Blanton(30yo)
--2010 Stats: 15-10/2.68ERA/222.0IP/192H/245K/62BB(with the Cubs)
--Analysis: Expected to regain 2009 Cy Young form in Kansas City. Should easily win 20 games behind this offense.

Bobby Brownlie(30yo)
--2010 Stats: 12-12/3.85ERA/205.2IP/206H/166K/47BB
--Analysis: Started off 2010 7-0 but finished 12-12. Will have to pitch more consistent to help this team win.

Blake Hawksworth(28yo)
--2010 Stats: 9-10/4.45ERA/198.1IP/205H/167K/54BB
--Analysis: Didn't live up the hype when he was acquired before the 2010 season. Will look to rebound this year.

Ian Oquendo(29yo)
--2010 Stats: 14-7/4.42ERA/177.1IP/162H/140K/69BB
--Analysis: Had a somewhat surprising 2010 season after going 12-10 in 2009. His control is always the issue. When he is on, its lights out but when its not, his ERA is through the roof.

Cleo Garrido
--2010 Stats: 4-3/4.50ERA/68.0IP/79H/48K/7BB
--Analysis: Was named the AAA pitcher of year last year and was brought up late in 2010. Had a 13-5/2.88 ERA in AAA. He is an innings eater that will benefit the Royals nicely in the five hole.

Projected Bullpen:
Rocky Biddle
Porfirio Camara
William Countryman
Mariano Gomez
Chris Hernandez
Brian Meadows
Paul Valtierra(SP)

The Royals will open the season on the road again against the New York Yankees and will return home on April 10th for the home opener against the Minnesota Twins.

[CRTsports.com]

What an Opening Day!

If you came to the ballpark today to see a pitching performance, a brawl, homeruns and to see if a bullpen could blow almost blow a lead you were treated to all of that.

The 2011 season got underway today with the Royals visiting the New York Yankees. On the mound for the Royals was prized free agent Joe Blanton and for the Yankees was their stud, Jesus "Big Hurt" Murillo.

Blanton was trying to prove today that he was worth the contract that he signed and he did just that. The first three innings of the game was a classic pitching duel. No runs crossed the plate and Blanton had only allowed one hit through three. The fourth inning is where it became interesting.

With one out and Gene "Boom Boom" Marquez on base, first baseman Melvin "Butterball" Colmenares stepped up to the plate. On the very first pitch of the at bat Melvin crushed the ball over the centerfield wall. Ending the scoreless game and recording his first homerun of the season.

Murillo was visibly frustrated with himself and took it out on the next batter. Shortstop Rudolph Shaeffer came to bat and on the second pitch, he was plunked. Shaeffer, not liking the retaliation from the previous at bat homerun, charged the mound and exchanged blows with Murillo.

The benches cleared and a rare Opening Day brawl unloaded. It took over ten minutes to get everyone cooled down and back to their respective bench. The umpires gathered and threw Shaeffer and Murillo out of the game for fighting. No one else was ejected.

Shaeffer was replaced by Freddie Bynum on first and Ray King came into pitch for Murillo.

So after the brawl, the next batter was William Quattlebaum, the DH. He is coming off his best year in the big's last year and was looking to resume where he left off last season. On the very first pitch from King, Quattlebaum hit a rocket over the left field fence for another two run homerun in the inning for the Royals.

The rest of the game had the Royals fans on the edge of their seats for all the wrong reasons.

Blanton entered the bottom of the seventh inning with a 4-0 lead and was pitching well. He had struck out six and walked one, in the six innings he had pitched. The first batter of the inning was William Nelson and he promptly hit a solo homerun over the right field fence. That effectively ended Blanton's day but still a successful start to his Royals career.

"I was very pleased on how I pitched today. I was really nervous going into today's game not only because its Yankee stadium but I wanted to prove myself to the Royals fan base and to the organization." stated Blanton when interviewed in the clubhouse after the game.

The Royals headed into the bottom of the eighth after new arrival Rocky Biddle pitched a scoreless seventh after Blanton gave up that homerun. Last years closer Chris Hernandez, came into pitch and was able to get the first two batter out with ease. Andy Marte, then stepped up and hit a screaming line drive that hit off the centerfield wall and he had himself a two out double.

Up next was Pedro Feliz. With two outs and a 0-1 count, he hit a two run homerun to make it a 4-3 game. Royals fans hearts immediately sunk. Could our bullpen woes be continuing into this year also.

Not only did the Royals spend heavily in the offseason to bolster their rotation and pen, they really worked hard on getting the players in their proper spots in the bullpen. We can only hope this was a fluke but it will be a very long year if we have to watch this again.

Hernandez gave up a walk immediately after the homerun but was able to get David Kelton to fly out to right field to end the inning and still hanging onto a 4-3 lead going into the ninth.

The Royals couldn't muster up any runs in the ninth and in the bottom of the inning, new closer and acquisition, Brian Meadows came into to get the save. He gave up on hit with two outs but another groundball out courtesy of Lou Palmisano, gave the Royals the 4-3 win and Meadows his first save in a Royals uniform.

"I was very proud of these guys today. They bounced back from the brawl in the fourth inning and Hernandez almost losing the game for us in the eighth. I know its only game one of 162, but it gives me hope for the season." stated manager Antonio DeLeon after the game.

The Royals will send Blake Hawksworth to the mound tomorrow and will be without the services of SS Rudolph Shaeffer for the next fours days because of the brawl. But utility man Freddie Bynum should do just fine in his absence. Lets go Royals!!

Notes: 3B Edwin Encarnacion strike out woes have continued, he struck out three times today....And as a team the Royals struck out 10 times today...Murillo was also suspended for the next four games for fighting.

[CRTsports.com]

Royals rolling through 16 games in 2011!

With the season just about ten percent done so far here in 2011, the Royals are right where they want to be. They are playing solid baseball and and the season looks promising.

The Royals are currently 11-5 and lead the Central Divison by a half game over the Chicago White Sox. They also have the third best record in the NABL.

First and foremost, the biggest help has been the addition of Joe Blanton. The free agent arrival has been lights out this season. He currently sits at 3-0 with a 2.25 ERA. If you take away the three run homerun he gave up last night to Troy Glaus, he would have an ERA around one.

And in his third start of the season, Blanton pitched a three hit shutout against the Cleveland Indians. In 28 innings so far this season, he has allowed 16 hits and struck out 29. And most importantly he has won all of his games on the road so far.

Along with Blanton's strong start, Bobby Brownlie has also pitched very well. In his first two starts this season he went eight innings both times and struck out 15 batters against the New York Yankees in his second start. His last start wasn't the greatest but he currently sits at 2-0 in this young season.

New closer and free agent arrival Brian Meadows also has been lights out so far. He is three for three in save opportunities and has a sparkling 0.00 ERA.

If you are reading closely, you will see a trend developing. They Royals usually have one of the worst staffs in baseball but this year its the exact opposite.

They currently have the second best ERA in the AL with 3.36 number, second best starters ERA also with 3.63 and their usual dreadful pen has a sparkling 2.61 ERA so far and that is ranked third in the AL.

Murray Turner, the Royals new pitching coach, has certainly paid dividends already. He was brought in to give a new voice to the pitchers and manager Antonio DeLeon, couldn't be happier. "From day one, the guys have just taken to what he has said. We were always known for having a very weak staff but so far this year, our staff has been leading us and helping us win. It feels great so far this season."

Here are the pitching statistics so far this season:

The offense usually is the one getting all the attention in Kansas City but they have taken somewhat of a backseat so far this season.

They have the eighth best average in the AL with .270 and sixth in OPS with .777. They have scored the fourth most runs in the AL with 93 and are tenth in home runs with 13.

One player certainly not contempt with being on page two is SS Rudolph Shaeffer. Shaeffer has been crushing the ball since his Opening Day 5 game suspension from the brawl.

He is currently hitting .419 in 43 at bats so far this season. He also leads the team in RBI's with 14. "I am just seeing the ball really well this season. It was unfortunate I missed the first few games of the season but hopefully I am making it up by my recent play."

First baseman Melvin Colmenares, is also on top of his game so far in 2011. He is hitting .317 so far in April with three home runs and 12 RBI's. This is a far contrast from last year when he hit just .189 in April.

But one low point for this year's offense has been the bat of DH William Quattlebaum. He was moved to the leadoff spot this season and has struggled greatly. So far this season he has hit .176 with three home runs and 9 RBI's.

The last two games he has been moved to the seventh spot in favor of 2B Joey Ros and Ros has been great so far hitting leadoff. In the past two games, he is 3-7 with one walk, a triple, RBI and three runs scored.

Quattlebaum lead team last year in home runs with 28 and was hitting in the sixth spot most of the season. Many wonder if he is just not comfortable hitting lead off and his numbers back up that assessment.

Here are the current batting stats so far this season:

So overall is has been a very successful start to the season. Now its only 16 games completed of a 162 game schedule but the Royals are looking like they are for real so far this season. Lets just hope they can keep it up! Lets go Royals!!

[CRTsports.com]

First off sorry for the delay in getting another update. Work has been busy and just been playing sparingly the past few weeks. But here is a good update for you all!

Royals are Rolling heading into Interleague Play!!

If the Royals are not on fire so far this season, there is no such thing as being on fire in sports. After 56 games in the 2011 season, the Royals are sitting at 37-19 and have the best record in baseball by two games. The next best team is the Cincinnati Reds with a 36-21 record.

We had known for years now it was only a matter of time before the Royals rebuilding project would blossom and this is the year. They are currently seven games up on the second place Minnesota Twins and ten games up on the third place White Sox.

The one major reason for the domination from the Royals has to be their starting rotation and bullpen. Their pitching has always been their biggest weakness but not this year. Leading the way is prized free agent pickup Joe Blanton. So far he is 7-0 with a 2.59 ERA. He currently leads the AL in ERA and VORP with a 23.1

"Its just been a special year so far. When I signed with KC I knew they were just missing that one piece to the puzzle and I am delighted to hopefully be that piece. I am throwing the ball with confidence and my arm feels great." stated Blanton before yesterdays game.

Also leading the charge for the Royals are starters Blake Hawksworth(6-3, 2.92), Cleo Garrido(4-1, 2.70) and Paul Valtierra(5-1, 2.89). Even Bobby Brownlie is turning in another masterful first half of the season with a 6-1 record and 4.18 ERA.

Below are the pitching stats heading into interleague play:

And lets not forget about the always deadly Royals offense and this year is no exception. Minus batting average and hits, they are leading every statistical category possible.

Leading the way for the Royals this year has to be catcher Gene "Boom Boom" Marquez and first baseman Melvin "Butterball" Colmenares. With these guys batting two and three in the lineup its a first inning that every starting pitcher fears.

Marquez leads the league in OBP with an astonishing .463 mark. He is also batting .343 with 12 home runs. Colmenares in the three spot is currently hitting .278 and leads the team in home runs with 15. He is on pace to hit over 45 home runs this year.

And not to be forgotten is short stop Rudolph Shaeffer. To many fans, Rudolph is easily the team MVP this season. He is second in the AL with a .353 average and carries a .413 on base percentage. Shaeffer also leads the Royals with 47 RBI's while batting in the fourth spot. Amazing what numbers you can put up with Boom Boom and Butterball on base nearly half the time.

The other sleeper on the team would have to be the Designated Hitter William Quattlebaum. He has come out of his early season slump and is currently sitting at .314/.368/.565 with 12 home runs and 37 RBI's.

For the longest time the Royals tried putting Quattlebaum in the leadoff spot but it just never worked. "I was just never comfortable in that spot. I had the same problem in the minors and it carried over. Its probably all in my mind but I will gladly bat fifth behind these guys and have a smile on my face everyday." said William when reached on his cell phone.

The one sore spot on the offensive side of the ball would have to be ex-Rookie of the Year Award Winner Santiago Rao. The speed demon has struggled all season long and is showing no signs of breaking out of it. A couple of scouts are wondering if he was just a flash in the pan but only time will tell. No matter what happens to Rao there will always be a place on a team for him because he is blessed with the fastest legs ever. He currently has 30 stolen bases and is ranked second in the AL.

But at the end of the day, with the Royals having such a high powered offense they can afford to let Rao bat at the bottom of the order and work out his kinks. If he ever does break out of it, watch out folks.

Below are the hitting statistics heading into interleague play:

With the Royals just dominating the American League this year, the one question remains. Can they dominate the National League also. They did draw a huge break and have the first six games of interleague play in Kansas City. They will have to go 4-2 or even 5-1 for it to be a success. A 3-3 split will not cut it.

Here are this years interleague opponents: Philadelphia Phillies(29-27), Washington Nationals(20-37), New York Mets(33-23), Atlanta Braves(25-31), Arizona Diamondbacks(20-37) and San Diego Padres(35-21).

They face a good mix of teams and it should be an interesting month of interleague play. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Colmenares out 2-3 months, Young returns to the NABL

Everything had been going so smoothly for this years Royals(46-23) team, people wondered how long the cruise control could last. But they hit a rather huge speed bump last night when first baseman Melvin Colmenares took a pitch off of his face and suffered a fractured cheekbone.

It happened in the very first inning against the last place Detroit Tigers(30-38). With the Royals starting a three game series against them, the were looking to extend their 10 game lead in the Central Division but luck wasn't on their side.

"Its a freak accident and I feel terrible for Melvin," said manager Antonio DeLeon after the game. "We are just hoping for positive test results from the hospital and for him to make a speedy recovery. I have heard it could be anywhere from two to three months so lets hope for the sooner than the later."

Colmenares currently leads the team in home runs with 18 and is second in runs and RBI's with 51. It will certainly be a huge hole to fill for the next few months and hopefully the Royals can tread water till he returns.

In response to Melvin's injury the Royals have turned the clock back a few years and brought back first baseman Walter Young. Yes that Walter Young. The 31 year old player who averaged over 30 home runs per year from 2006-2009.

He lost his swing early in 2010 and was sent down to the minors. He dominated A ball in 2010 by hitting .399 in 65 games. He started the 2011 season in A ball but was promptly moved to AAA where he is hitting .325 this season. He racked up a ton of awards while in the minors and they are as follows:

"I am excited to be back in Kansas City. My swing feels as strong as ever and I hope to contribute a lot over the past two to three months. Melvin and I are great friends and I wish him a speedy recovery because he is this teams leader and we all need our leader." stated Young when reached by cell phone.

With the Royals currently nine games up on second place Minnesota Twins and nine and a half games up on the White Sox, the Royals will have to play some solid baseball to overcome the loss of Melvin. It won't be an easy task but the players are still upbeat and are looking forward to tomorrow. Lets go Royals!!

[CRTsports.com]

Ladies and Gentlemen, Walter Young is back!

When All-Star first baseman Melvin Colmenares went down with a fractured cheek bone last week many people wondered what the Royals wo