Royals Recap: Free Falling

If a tree falls in the woods, and David Glass and Dayton Moore are standing right next to it, do they hear it, or even see it? They obviously are not the most observant folks. The Kansas City Royals (21-26) fell again to the Los Angeles Angels (23-27), completing a four-game sweep for the Angels, this time by a 5-2 count. The Royals 2013 season continues to crumble and fall, amidst a forest of furious fans. David Glass and Dayton Moore don’t hear, or see, a thing.

May 24, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher J. C. Gutierrez (27) delivers a pitch in the eighth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium. The Angels won 5-2. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

On the Mound

Wade Davis looked really good for 6 innings. He gave up no runs, and allowed only 5 hits. He walked none and struck out 6. And he led 2-0 going into the 7th inning. Josh Hamilton led off with a home run. Bye-bye shutout. A walk, a pop up out, another walk. Bye-bye Davis. Enter bullpen stalwart Bruce Chen. Two pitches, 2 hits, 2 runs. Bye-bye win.

At the Plate

A bevy of infield hits and that’s about it for the Royals offense.

This and That

50 American League hitters have more home runs than Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have combined. Only 44 have more if you throw Jeff Francoeur in.

38 American League hitters have more RBI than Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas have combined. Only eight have more if you throw Jeff Francoeur in.

The Royals have 2 home runs since May 15th, both by Miguel Tejada. The games he homered in are the only two he started in that time frame.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

Alcides Escobar had three hits, all of the infield variety, so I’m throwing him out. Let’s go with J.C. Gutierrez, who pitched a perfect 9th inning, which seems to become as hard as hitting a ball squarely for the Royals. Gutierrez struck out 2.

• James Shields – 5
• Alex Gordon – 9
  
• Wade Davis – 2
• Lorenzo Cain – 4
• Luis Mendoza
• Billy Butler – 4
• Ervin Santana – 3
• Miguel Tejada – 3
  
• Jeremy Guthrie -3
• Eric Hosmer
• Chris Getz
• Mike Moustakas – 3
  
• Aaron Crow
• Jarrod Dyson
• David Lough
• Alcides Escobar
• J.C. Gutierrez

The Angels

The Los Angeles Angels sincerely thank the Kansas City Royals for the nice weekend off. And thanks for the 4 free wins, too.

Up Next

Luckily for the Royals, they get the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers this week, probably the best two teams in baseball. Today’s game is a match up of aces. James Shields (2-5, 2.47 ERA) takes on Adam Wainwright ( 6-3, 2.38) for the Cards. Shields, through no fault of his own, has not fared well against opposing aces this season. Wonder if he is still excited to be a Royal.

AL Central Notes

Detroit Tigers (28-20): Max Scherzer continues to dominate. He won his 7th game with no losses, 6-1, on Sunday. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits in 6 frames.

Cleveland Indians (27-22): Chris Perez got rocked four 4 runs in two thirds of an inning while taking the loss in the 6-5 defeat at the hands of the Red Sox. Jason Kipnis and Nick Swisher each homered in the game.

Minnesota Twins (19-28): Mike Pelfrey gave up 5 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks in 5 innings against the Tigers. His offense only mustered 3 hits in the ball game.

Chicago White Sox (24-24): The White Sox reached .500 with their 5-3 win over the Marlins. Adam Dunn homered for the 12th time in 2013.

Snarky and bitter, I know…