Royals Recap: Billy Butler Gets 1000th Hit In 10th Straight Home Loss

Ten-game home losing streaks were supposed to be a thing of the past. Losing 18 out of 22 games wasn’t supposed to be possible for this team. Well, the Kansas City Royals (21-28) managed both in a typical 4-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals (34-17) Tuesday night.

May 27, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals designated hitter Billy Butler (16) connects for a single in the third inning of the game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

On the Mound

The beginning was familiar. The first batter to face Ervin Santana got a hit and the second batter hit a home run. Two batters into the game and the Cardinals had an insurmountable lead. Another hit, a walk, then something remarkable happened, at for a while. A double play got two outs and Santana would retire 14 consecutive batters. In the top of the 6th, the streak ended with 2 more home runs and Santana registered another loss. When Santana is loose and hitting his spots, he is nearly untouchable, especially with his wicked slider. When he misses, he usually misses with meat. The pitch former Royal Carlos Beltran hit wasn’t as bad a pitch as I thought originally – it was down and inside – but the dingers to Matt Carpenter and Matt Holliday were down the middle. Regardless, after the first two batters, the game was over anyway.

At the Plate

A lead off Alex Gordon walk, and, two batters later, a double by Billy Butler accounted for the lone Royal run. Butler’s hit in the 7th inning was his career 1,001st hit, and the Royals only other base runner on the night.

This and That

Of course, I glossed over the only bright spot on the night. Butler’s RBI double was also his 1,000th hit. A great accomplishment for the 27-year old. In his career, Butler has played in 902 games, had 3353 at bats, 401 runs scored, 511 RBI, 226 doubles, 4 triples, 108 HR, and 5 stolen bases. His slash line stands at .299/.363/.465/.828. We should be proud of Billy Butler.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

Butler was the only bright spot.

May 28, 2013; Kansas City, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals right fielder Carlos Beltran (3) hits a 2 run home run in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinals

Former Royal sensation Carlos Beltran has had quite a career for himself as well – 1967 games, 7491 AB, 1290 runs, 1274 RBI, 421 doubles, 74 triples, 345 home runs, 306 stolen bases (and only caught 48 times), and a slash line of .282/.359/.497/.856. It is is not a Hall of Fame career but it is a pretty darn good one. He lost 179 games to injuries in 2009 and 2010 while still in his prime. You add another season of numbers, at his career averages, and he is closer but still probably a bit short. He has been a terrific player for a long time and his still makes defense look easy.

Up Next

The Royals now move east down I-70 to St. Louis for two. Luis Mendoza (1-2, 5.05 ERA) goes for KC and Lance Lynn (7-1, 2.95 ERA) gets the honors for the Cards. Maybe it will rain.

AL Central Notes

Detroit Tigers (29-21): In a rarity, the Tigers were shut out for 11 innings by Jeanmar Gomez (really???) and the Pirates, 1-0 . Rick Porcello went 8 scoreless frames, giving up just 3 hits, a walk, with 11 strikeouts.

Cleveland Indians (27-24): The Indians and Zach McAllister got knocked around a little by the Cincinnati Red by a score of 8-2. The Reds banged out 18 hits.

Chicago White Sox (24-25): Rained out.

Minnesota Twins (21-28 ): The Twins forged into a tie with the Royals for 4th place in the division by hitting more home runs in one game than the Royals have hit in nearly two weeks. Josh Willingham, Ryan Doumit, and Aaron Hicks each went deep in the 6-5 win over the Brewers.

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