Is this the year for the Royals?

[CRTsports.com]

After my usual football season break from the game, I will be updating this dynasty again starting late tonight or tomorrow! Stay tuned!!

[CRTsports.com]

100 Down, 62 To Go

With 100 games completed in this 2011 season, the magic continues for your Kansas City Royals. They are currently riding a ten game winning streak and are an impressive seventeen games up on the second place White Sox in the Central Division. With the Royals at 67-33 and the White Sox at 49-49, the division crown is looking like it might be the Royals this year. The first under GM Christoper Torres who took over the team in 2004 and rebuilt the franchise from the ground up.

When we look at the offensive side of the diamond for the Royals, two words come to mind, utter domination. Of the eighteen top statistical categories, the Royals have at least one player in the top seven in fourteen of them. And with First Baseman Melvin Colmenares still out another four weeks, the Royals will be looking to add to their stats upon his return.

And if you are looking for the main reason for this great season, it would have to start with the play of Joe Blanton. The free agent pitcher has certainly earned his big payday this season and the fans love him for it. Over the years, the Royals were always missing that number one guy but they have found him in Blanton and hope to ride his arm to the playoffs!

A couple of stats that really stick out are his twelve wins this season(T-5th), 1.91 ERA(T-2nd) and he leads the league with only averaging 6.29 hits per nine innings.

So for a franchise that has been on the losing end too many times, the fans just want the season to end now and have the Royals as Central Champs. We all know that's not possible but lets just hope that everyone can get healthy and stay healthy this last third of the season and they finish what they started back in April. Lets play ball!!

[CRTsports.com]

Blanton named Pitcher of the Month

Quattlebaum out for 2 weeks

Joe Blanton received a nice surprise today when he woke up. He was named the American League Pitcher of the Month for the month of July. Blanton was down right dominate last month.

He went 4-1 in July with an amazing 0.83 ERA and fanned 52 batters in 43.1 innings. He was also able to keep opposing hitters to a .189 clip against him. With another few months of pitching like this, Blanton might be able to win the Cy Young Award and a $2 million dollar bonus from the Royals.

"I am humbled to win the award this month but its more important that we as an organization are still winning. This award will be even sweeter when we claim the division because then I know I truly helped out a winning team," stated Blanton and this mornings press conference.

For the year Blanton is 12-1 and carries a 1.91 ERA heading into August.

The one bit of bad news at this mornings press conference was the announcement that right fielder William Quattlebaum will miss up to two weeks with a strained rib cage muscle suffered in last nights loss to the White Sox. It happened when he slid into second base trying to break up a double play.

He was successful in his mission but how he has to watch the games from the dugout. This is his first injury since suffering back spasms early in the 2009 season. "I pride myself on taking care of my body and that shows by me playing everyday. I have only missed one game in the last 264 games and I am not used to watching the games. I just hope to get back soon and help this team." professed William when reached by cell phone.

The trainers have said he is expected out 1-2 weeks but will more than likely place him on the 15 day DL to prevent bringing him back too early and him re-injuring the muscle. But with the Royals having literally no one to bring up from Omaha to replace him, it will be interesting to see what the organization does for the next two weeks to fill Williams spot. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Rookie Adam's extends hit streak to 20!!

What a rookie season it has become for the 23 year-old Royals third baseman David Adam. After last nights second inning single, he extended his hitting streak to 20 games. The longest such streak in Royals history. He is only seven off the NABL record of 27 currently held by Joey Gathright and Marland Williams.

On top of this current 20 game hit streak, Adam's also leads the team in home runs with 23. He is currently one ahead of short stop Rudolph Shaeffer. "I am coming for him," Shaeffer yelled jokingly as he exited the clubhouse tonight.

But this immediate impact should not be a surprise to anyone. He was named a AAA All-Star in 2009 and won the Glove Wizard Award at third base in AAA in 2010. He has incredible power but is not the greatest contact hitter. That is evident by his .259 average in 343 at bats but has incredible speed on the base paths. On top of having 21 steals this year, he has sixteen doubles and ten triples so far in 2011.

"I never expected to be this successful in my first season. It took me a few years to get out of AAA but to be handed the starting job after twenty games into the season, it was an honor. I just go out and try to win and let the chips fall where they may. I would love to get to 27 but a division championship is more important at the moment." said Adams after the game tonight.

Adam and the Royals(75-37) will both be looking to extend their streaks tomorrow against the Oakland Athletics. On top of Adams 20 game hit streak the Royals are currently riding an eight game win streak. Both look untouchable as ever at the moment. Lets just hope the luck continues!! Go Royals!!!

A look at Adam's last 20 games:

[CRTsports.com]

Royals Win, Adams strikes out!

And just like that it is all over. David Adam's impressive 20 game hit streak came to an end today behind an 0-5 performance against the Athletics.

In Adams very last at bat in the ninth, he hit a ball deep in the hole between first and second and it appeared that he would beat it out, but luck was not on his side. And adding in his three strikeouts today, it will be a day to forget for Adam.

"Who cares about the record. All that matters is that we won and continued our trek to the playoffs." said Adam after the game.

With last nights 8-3 win over the Oakland Athletics the Royals improved to 76-37 and maintain a 17.5 game lead over the 58-54 Chicago White Sox. It was their ninth win in a row and have one more game to go in Oakland before heading to Seattle for a three game set. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Shaeffer: 2 Games, 4 HR's and 8 RBI's

08/22/2011

Just five days after being named the NABL American League Player of the Week, Rudolph Shaeffer was back at it.

Facing the second place White Sox, Shaeffer showed off his true potential. The 26 year-old shortstop belted two homeruns in each of the last two games to bring his season total to a team leading 27 round trippers.

This was the third time this season he has hit two homeruns in a game and along with 3B David Adam, share the team lead with three multi-homerun games. Both are still looking for their first three homerun game.

Shaeffer is currently ranked as the 16th best offensive player in the game and is clearly one of the most feared hitters in the American League.

For this season in the AL he is ranked 3rd in average, 3rd in slugging, 3rd in OBP, 3rd in runs created/27 outs, 5th in homeruns, 3rd in RBI's, 3rd in isolated power, 5th in extra base hits and 5th in total bases.

"I just got hot and it feels great. I know I only had four hits in the last two games but all for homeruns, but everytime I made contact, I knew they were gone. I cant explain it but I could get used to this swing." laughed Shaeffer at his press conference.

He will definitely be receiving some MVP award votes as the season nears its end but behind teammate "Boom Boom" Marquez and Texas's All-World talent John "Lucky" Holle, it will be a tough award to win this season. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Shaeffer hits for Cycle!!

08/26/2011

And Rudolph Shaeffer's season just keeps getting better and better. Just days after having back to back two homerun games, he managed to hit for the cycle last night.

It was the first cycle for the Royals organization since the stat was tracked in 2004. It was the second such cycle in the league so far with Joe Crede of the Tigers having the first.

He doubled in the 2nd, hit a solo homerun in the 3rd, singled in the 4th, flied out in the sixth, struck out in the 9th and tripled in the 12th.

"When I reached third base in the 12th, it was a huge surprise to hear what I had just done. I knew I was having a good day but this tops them all. Very few players will ever hit for the cycle in their career and it feels great to do it tonight." Shaeffer was quoted as saying after the game.

And on top of the cycle, he even scored the winning run in the 12th inning against the White Sox to help improve the Royals to an astonishing 84-41 record. They are currently 21.5 games up on the White Sox and their magic number is just 17 on August 27th. Just another remarkable bit of history for an already historical season for the Royals.

And not to take away from this glorious day, the Royals have learned that their DH William Quattlebaum will be out for the remainder of the season. One year removed from playing 161 games, this has been an injury filled season for William.

Just days after coming back from a strained rib cage muscle, he dislocated his shoulder sliding into third base in tonight's game. He is expected out 5-6 weeks with the injury which ends his 2011 season.

For the season the 2009 Rookie of the Year winner hit .282/.340/.470 with 125 hits in 112 games. he also hit 17 HR's, recorded 69 RBI's and stole 14 bases.

"I just hope to get all the bad luck of my career out this year. Its been truly frustrating but my goal now is just to rehab and be ready for Spring Training." Quattlebaum said. Lets go Royals!!

[CRTsports.com]

Shaeffer Wins Another Award

08/29/2011

Another week and another award for SS Rudolph Shaeffer. For the second time in three weeks Shaeffer has been named the American League Player of the Week. The third such time he has won this award in his career.

This award was just a matter of formality after hitting for the cycle three days ago but the goal at the moment will be to win Batter of the Month for August which will be announced in a few days.

In his 31 at-bats this week, he managed 12 hits, 3 home runs and 9 RBI's while hitting .387. For the month of April he is hitting .364 with 9 home runs and 28 RBI's.

"This has just been an amazing month for me. I had an absolute horrible July(.266) and to turn it around feels great. Just need to keep this going for the rest of the season." Shaeffer said in a text message to the media.

This month will be hard for Shaeffer to ever duplicate in his career so enjoy it fans! This type of performance does not come around often! Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Royals on the Verge of History!!

09/01/2011

As the page of the calender was flipped to September, the Royals are on the verge of closing out this dream season. Considering where this team was when GM Chris Torres took it over before the 2004 season, it has to especially be sweet for him.

Heading into this final stretch of games the Royals are currently at 88-42 and hold an astonishing 22.5 game lead over the Chicago White Sox(65-64) for the Central Division Crown. And with their magic number being only 11, it will only be a matter of time before they celebrate in Kansas City.

They also hold the best record in baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates owning the best record in the National League with an 81-47 mark. More importantly to the Royals will be winning their 90th game on the season. The highest win total under this management team is 89 in the 2009 season.

"When we started on this project seven years ago, we knew it would take time and hard work from everyone in the organization. It took a few years longer than I would have liked, but this is our third year of winning baseball and our first year with the possibility of the playoffs." gleamed GM Torres.

And with all this excitement, the Royals will be getting even better with the return of 1B Melvin Colmenares tomorrow. The prior First Round Draft Pick in 2008 and Two-Time All-Star has been sidelined for the past three months with a fractured cheekbone.

"I am chomping at the bit to get back out there. I have not enjoyed this time on the DL at all considering how great we are doing this year but I just want to get back into the swing of things for some possible October baseball." said Colmenares last night.

For the year, Colmenares has played in 69 games, averaged .300, had an OBP of .421, hit 18 HR's and drove in 51 runs. Getting this deadly bat back in the middle of the lineup will only make the Royals that more dangerous.

On top of getting back Melvin tomorrow, the Royals also have SS Rudolph Shaeffer hitting on all cylinders. On top of winning two Player of the Week Awards in August, he was just named the Player of the Month in the American League. For the month he hit .360, hitting 9 home runs, scoring 28 times and driving in 30 runs. Certainly a Hall of Fame type month. For the year Shaeffer is batting .333 with 28 home runs, 100 RBI's and 85 runs scored.

But the player that is probably most deserving of the team MVP Award in 2011, is SP Joe Blanton. The prized free-agent in the off-season has certainly lived up to his billing as a past Cy Young Award winner.

For the season he is currently 15-1 and with an American League leading 2.30 ERA. Even more remarkable is the fact that the Royals have only lost four times when he has pitched this year. Pitching coach Murray Turner had two words to describe Blanton, "jaw dropping."

And if this season will be remembered for one thing, it will be the assault on the Kansas City Record Book by C Gene Marquez and Joe Blanton. Here is a list of the records that they would have been broken and by how much if the season ended yesterday.

Average - Gene Marquez .347(+.07)
OBP - Gene Marquez .464(+.49)
Slugging - Gene Marquez .585(+.22)
OPS - Gene Marquez 1.050(+.72)
VORP - Gene Marquez 72.6(+18.5)

ERA - Joe Blanton 2.30(-.16)
Winning Percentage - Joe Blanton .938(+.176)
Strikeouts per 9 IP - Joe Blanton 10.0(+.1)
OOPS - Joe Blanton .560(-.125)
VORP - Joe Blanton 59.7(+16.1)

And these are the team records that should fall by the end of the season.

Stolen Bases - Santiago Rao 67(needs 3)
Walks - Gene Marquez 94(needs 17)

Saves - Brian Meadows 30(needs 4)
Strikeouts - Joe Blanton 200(needs 30)

So needless to say, the Royals Record Book keeper will be busy as the season comes to an end here in a few weeks.

"Overall I couldn't be happier with my team. I knew we had a good ball club coming out of Spring Training but that never means anything when the games are for real." said Manager António DeLeón. "I am just trying to keep them focused this last month and trying to stress to them that nothing is won yet and all can be lost with a terrible September."

DeLeón and his Bench Coach Orlando Gómez are in their "contract" year and should be getting a nice extension any day now. "I will be back next year." Gómez said with authority, trying to squash rumors of him wanting out after the season.

"I can tell you now, we will do whatever we can to bring back António and Orlando. We have already had good discussions with both sides this past week and I predict both will be signed to lucrative contracts before the season ends." said GM Chris Torres. Lets go Royals!!!

[CatKnight]

Congrats, CRT - both for an incredible campaign, and on your excellent writing.

I sometimes have trouble keeping up with these dynasties because it's hard to develop an attachment to players you don't recognize, but you've given us great snapshots of your club. I'm enjoying following Blanton, and I'm now getting to know Shaeffer, Marquez and Adams as well.

Keep it up, and good luck in the playoffs!

[CRTsports.com]

Originally Posted by CatKnight

Congrats, CRT - both for an incredible campaign, and on your excellent writing.

I sometimes have trouble keeping up with these dynasties because it's hard to develop an attachment to players you don't recognize, but you've given us great snapshots of your club. I'm enjoying following Blanton, and I'm now getting to know Shaeffer, Marquez and Adams as well.

Keep it up, and good luck in the playoffs!

Thanks for the nice compliments! I should have an article up tonight about Adam so stay tuned!

[CRTsports.com]

Front Office Celebration!!

09/02/2011

By looking into the Kansas City Royals owners box after last nights win against the Detroit Tigers you would have thought that they had just won the World Series. But instead of the World Series, the Royals won an organization record 90 games under GM Chris Torres.

"By no means, did we win anything tangible tonight. This was just a moral victory and leads credence to what we are doing here in Kansas City." said Torres.

The Royals were able to defeat the Tigers by a score of 6-1 with the help of a Cleo Garrido complete game. Garrido is one of four pitchers on this years team with at least ten wins. "This win will always hold a special meaning to me. Torres has been down with the team everyday I have been with the organization and its just good to win one for them and not us." Cleo said after the game.

With the 6-1 win the Royals moved to 90-42 and their magic number is down to eight. Tomorrow is their last game of a 16 day stretch of games before they start up a three game set in Boston.

While September will be filled with some celebration, the Royals will have little time to enjoy it. They only have two days off this month, the 4th and 25th. But just like they have done numerous times before this game, the Royals will pull through and dominate the league. Next stop, 100 wins!! Lets go Royals!!!

[glenn]

I just wanted to say nice job with the dynasty! Good read, and the 2011 season has been a great success so far. Good luck getting to 100 wins, and best of luck in the playoffs!

[CRTsports.com]

Rough day in Boston!!

09/05/2011

Yesterday will go down as the worst day of the 2011 season. The Royals(90-44) landed in Boston the other night hoping for an uneventful three game series versus the last place Red Sox(63-72). But too bad things never work out like you want them to.

Joe Blanton took the mound with a sparkling 15-1 record but just got creamed by the Red Sox. He went six innings, giving up nine hits and five earned runs. He did strike out ten in the game but only after giving up four runs in the first two innings. The Royals fought back in the game but fell to the Red Sox 5-4.

"Who knew what happened today. I felt good but the ball was not finding the zone today. You would have thought it was BP out there today." a frustrated Blanton said.

Along with Blanton's rough outing, Larry Bigbie was thrown out of the game in the 4th inning after arguing balls and strikes. The usually reserved veteran let his emotions get the best of him and it cost him the game. Needless to say the players were all rattled after the start of the game but no one expected this from Bigbie.

But the worst news of the day was Gene Marquez fracturing his hand trying to break up a double play in the 5th inning. "I am not exactly sure what happened but my hand got caught on the base when I was sliding and the rest is history. I want to see the the replay to see exactly what happened." Marquez said explaining the injury.

When he was down on the ground in pain, the Royals bench was instantly silenced. You could see the fear in their eyes about losing their star catcher to injury this late in the season.

After taking a few x-rays after the game, the Royals team doctor Raul Ramirez had good news to report. "It is only a hair line fracture and I expect him to be out only a week or so. He should be ready to go when the Royals clinch the division in a few days...oops shouldn't have said that."

The Royals have two more game in Boston before returning home for an eight game home stand versus the Tigers and Twins. With their magic number at eight it will make the next ten games very nerve-racking for the Royals fans. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Can Adam steal the Rookie of the Year Award?

09/08/2011

Going into this season 3B David Adam was just looking to put together a solid rookie year and show that he belongs in the major leagues. He was not mentioned in any top rookie talk and was largely forgot about outside of Kansas City.

"We knew David could contribute and that's why we gave him the starting job out of spring training." Royals manager Antonio DeLeon said. "Our only worry was his ability to make contact but he has managed just fine this year."

Up until the past few weeks, every sign was pointed to Abel Valero of the Rangers winning American League Rookie of the Year Award. So far in 2011, the Rangers center fielder had won three Player of the Week Awards and one Rookie of the Month Award. Everything was going smoothly until the 27th of August when he fractured his elbow, diving for a ball and that sidelined him for the next seven months.

Before he was injured he lead the American League in average, on base percentage and runs scored. Some would consider some of the three most important stats for any team player. But with his season over, would the voters select him ROTY, with him missing six weeks of the season. Only time will tell.

But in the mean time, David Adam has stepped up and showed he deserves a look for the award. As mentioned above he is lacking in average but leads all rookies in the AL in seven categories.

He currently leads the AL with a .538 slugging percentage, .852 OPS, 11 triples, 27 home runs, .286 isolated power, 57 extra base hits and 229 total bases. A remarkable season by any means but he only carries a .251 average and .314 on base percentage.

One voter had this to say, "I certainly think he deserves the award this season. On top of having 22 more home runs than the second place rookie in the AL, he is second in RBI's, runs scored and third in stolen bases. Who cares if his average is low. Its supposed to be, he is a rookie. I know for one he has my vote in October."

So needless to say, the next month of the season will be a tough one for Adam. Along with trying to help the Royals locking up the Central Division Title, he will looking to be the third Royals Rookie of the Year Award Winner after Santiago Rao did it in 2007 and William Quattlebaum did in 2009.

The Royals returned home late last night from an embarassing three game sweep courtesy of the last place Red Sox. They are currently on a four game losing streak but with the next eight games at home, they will be looking to end the bleeding. And their magic number is currently down to six! Lets go Royals!!

Here is a look at all the ranking for American League Rookies through 09/07/2011.

[CRTsports.com]

Magic Number down to 1!!

09/12/2011

Even with the Royals playing downright terrible baseball this month the Royals have received incredible help from the White Sox and are now just one game away from claiming their first Division Crown.

The Royals are currently 3-7 so far this September and have lost back to back series to two last place teams, the Red Sox and the Tigers. The Royals have been missing All-Star catcher Gene Marquez the past seven games with a fractured hand but overall their ability to hit the ball has been lost.

"I am not sure whats going on with these guys. Our bats have gone absolute cold and its embarrassing. Of our seven losses this month, five have been one run games. Just a few more timely hits and those would be wins." said Manager DeLeon, "But overall I am not worried about the team. Marquez comes back in a few days and we still have four games at home against the Twins. I know the guys want to win the division at home for the fans that have been around since the beginning."

The Royals currently sit at 91-49 and all they are playing for now is history but that has not been lost on the fans. "I have seen this before. The team looks really good and then go flat at the end of the year. Look at the last two years. I just hope they can pull it out today." said one Royals fan on the local morning sports show.

The Twins are in town for the next four days and will hoping to not be the answer to a trivia question but that might be inevitable. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Your 2011 Central Division Champions: Kansas City Royals!!!

09/12/2011

And just like that it is all over! All the hard work has finally paid off and your Kansas City Royals have clinched the Central Division Championship and are headed to the playoffs for the first time in NABL history.

The champagne was flowing with the greatest of ease in the locker room and it couldn't have tasted better. "This is what I set out to do when I took over this team before the 2004 season. I knew we could do it and its amazing that the journey while ended on one front, has just begun on another. I couldn't be prouder for these guys and all the guys who played for us before this season. Without their hard work, this wouldn't be possible." said GM Chris Torres after accepting the Central Division Trophy.

A season that started with dominance ended with a performance for the ages today against the Twins. With the Royals reeling in September they just needed one great game to clinch the division and they got it from SP Bobby Brownlie. And it couldn't have come from a player that better signifies the Royals brand.

Brownlie has been with the Royals since the 2005 season and has seen his own ups and downs over the past seven years. Last night he pitched seven scoreless innings and only gave up two hits and struck out seven. With the 4-0 win, he moved his record to 11-5 this season and his ERA to 4.01.

The 30 year old pitcher had this to say amid the celebration, "I was here in 2006 for the 100 loss season and now I am here celebrating this. Only a few of us were around back then and while the new guys appreciate this, they don't have a full appreciation of this division crown. We used to be one of the worst but we might go down as one of the best after this season. Only time will tell."

With another 21 games to go in this season, it will certainly be interesting to see how skipper Antonio DeLeon manages his team. Joe Blanton is still in the running for the Cy Young Award and 3B David Adam for the Rookie of the Year Award.

"I could care less about the Cy Young Award," said Blanton, "I came here to win and we did just that. I have struggled in the past two games but all the weight is off our shoulders now and we can go play for fun. No matter if we win or loss out, we still have a spot in the playoffs and that's a great feeling."

The Royals still have three more games against the Twins at home before heading to Cleveland and Chicago for a six game road streak. They then return home for a three game set against the Indians and then they finally get a day off on the 25th. Their first day off since since the 4th of the month. Their last road trip of the year will be from the 26-28th in Baltimore before ending the season at home with three game sets against the White Sox and Red Sox.

But needless to say the Royals next game is the furthest thing from their mind at the moment. As the champagne continues to flow and the cigars burn in the clubhouse, the Royals only have one thought on their collective minds, we did it! Lets go Royals!!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Marguez hit streak hits 22 games!!

09/20/2011

Not even a fractured hand could keep Gene "Boom Boom" Marguez, the Royals catcher down. When he fractured his hand on September 5th most thought that his sixteen game hitting streak would come to an end. But we were all wrong.

In the six games since he has returned from injury, he has gone 12 for 25 and raised his batting average another six points to .356 for the year. And he has raised his overall average 20 points since this streak started back on August 17th.

"It feels good to be hitting the ball so well right now headed into the playoffs. Just like David Adam said a few weeks ago when his 20 game hitting streak ended. Its all luck. Just a few inches one way or the other, I can go hitless just like that. Who knows when this will end but its fun being on base so much." stated Marquez.

Boom Boom is just seven games away from tying the all time hit streak of 27 and two games from tying the record of 24 games in the 2011 season. And after last nights 3-5 performance against the White Sox he now leads the NABL with a .356 average and solidifying his candidacy for the MVP of the American League.

Going into the last two weeks of the season Marguez currently leads the NABL in Average, OBP, OPS, RC/27, VORP, and Runs Scored. He also leads the AL in Slugging and Bases on Balls. Needless to say he might be the first ever Royals MVP Award Winner. Lets go Royals!!!

[CRTsports.com]

Streak Ends, Marguez named Player of the Week

09/25/2011]

Just one day after Gene Marguez's 24 game hitting streak ended he started another one and collected an award. A pretty productive day overall for any player in the NABL.

"Having the streak end was rough but what can you say. Its tied for the longest streak of the year and just three short of the record in the league. You cant be disappointed anytime your name appears in the record book. And even better I beat Adam's twenty game streak so I will be able to collect a nice dinner after winning that bet." said a Marguez in a text message.

But just a day after going 0-3 he went 2-4 with a double and 2 RBI's. And that put the finishing touches on his Player of the Week Award. For the week he batted a magnificent .478(11-23), with two home runs, eight RBI's, and six runs scored.

In an interesting note in the National League, another catcher won the Player of the Week Award. This time it was Rodney Seagraves, the very player the Royals traded away to let Marguez have the starting job. These two catcher will forever be linked because they both came from the Royals farm system and are both top echelon catchers in their respective leagues.

The Royals(101-52) are in Baltimore tonight for their last road series of the season before returning home to finish out the season. September has been the worst month of the year with ten losses so far but with the players looking ahead to the playoffs, that can be expected. Lets just see if they can win out and finish 110-52. Lets go Royals!!

[CRTsports.com]

Craziest Game in Royals History!!

09/28/2011

The Royals(102-54) last road game of the season will certainly go down in the history books as one of the wildest games ever and possibly in the NABL also.

With just 7 games left in the season the Royals were in Baltimore to finish up a three game set after losing their previous two games to the Orioles. "I just wanted the guys to finish the season on a high note." said Manager DeLeon. "I had no idea it would be this much fun though."

The game included an ejection, nine errors which included two catcher interference calls, seven home runs with two Royals players hitting two each and a combined 32 men left on base.

The Royals accounted for six of the seven home runs tonight with William Young and Melvin Colmenares having two each. Rudolph Shaeffer and Gene Marguez also went yard. It was the 14th and 15th time this season a Royals player has had a multi-home run game. For Young it was his third and Melvin's second.

With the 30 year-old Young likely to be let go after the season, the Royals are enjoying his services for the last few days. He was acquired in 2006 from the Orioles in a trade but with diminishing skills all signs point to the Royals cutting him to avoid a high arbitration number.

For the year Young has hit .247/.306/.434 in 267 AB's and has hit 14 home runs, drove in 49 runs but has struck out 75 times in 71 games.

"I have certainly enjoyed my time in Kansas City but its a business and I understand that. They have not told me one way or the other but I read the papers and I know whats going on. Does not matter to me one way or the other. I know I can get another job." stated Young.

Even though the Royals won the game 13-5 the one bit of worrisome news was the performance of Joe Blanton. He did go six innings and gave up four hits with two runs, none of the earned. Now he was not helped out by his defense much last night but he seemed to lack his usual spot on control.

He only struck out three batters last night, his worst performance of the year and also walked three batters. His first game of the season with matching walks and strikeout numbers. He did improve to 18-3 for the season but with only one start left before the playoffs, the Royal faithfuls are hoping for a dominant performance and then a dominating playoff run.

Now we all know the Royals are in the playoffs but what about the other teams in the league. In the AL East the Blue Jays(91-65) lead the Orioles(90-65) by a half game with Toronto having six games left and the Orioles having seven. The Orioles also lead the Wild Card race by 7.5 games over the Devil Rays(83-73) so the Blue Jays and Orioles should be in the playoffs no matter what happens.

In the AL West the Texas Rangers(80-75) lead the Oakland Athletics(73-82) by seven games and their magic number is down to one. So in the American League your playoff teams should be the Royals, Blue Jays, Rangers and Orioles.

In the National League the NL East was won by the Florida Marlins(93-63), the Pittsburgh Pirates(95-60) won the NL Central and the NL West is still up for grabs. Currently the Giants(91-65) lead the Padres(93-65) by a half game with six and seven games to play respectively. The Padres do lead the Wild Card race by six over the Dodgers(84-71) so if everything works out these teams will be in the playoffs for the National League; the Marlins, Pirates, Giants and Padres.

The Royals are headed home for their last six home games versus the White Sox and Red Sox. What a fitting ending to a season since these are shoes the Royals have never worn before. Lets go Royals!!!