Royals Recap: Wade Davis Goes Down In Flames
By Joel Wagler
If the Kansas City Royals (43-45) are intent on competing for the AL Central title in 2013, they can not afford too many more games like the 8-1 beating they took at the hands of the New York Yankees (49-42) on Wednesday.
Jun 16, 2013; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Wade Davis (22) reacts as he walks off the mound against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
On the Mound
Wade Davis has surely made his last start for the Royals, in the 2013 season at least. He certainly doesn’t deserve another after his brutal performance last night. He scattered 6 hits and 3 walks over 5 innings, which led to 8 runs. He gave up a 3-run homer to Robinson Cano, and a grand slam to Lyle Overbay (That guy again!). He did strike out 6 just to emphasize his inconsistencies. The bullpen finished things off with 3 scoreless frames.
At the Plate
The offense is making a habit of making mediocre-to-bad pitchers look like All-Stars. Add Ivan Nova to the list. They managed just 5 hits off Nova over 8 innings, and 6 overall. Eric Hosmer‘s RBI double in the 8th was the only damage the Royals could manage.
This and That
No fan wanted Wade Davis to be successful in the rotation more than I did, but that experiment, for now anyway, has to be over. Over the All-Star break, the Royals have to figure out who can fill the 4th and 5th spots. Wade Davis, Luis Mendoza, and Bruce Chen are not the answers. I am not convinced Will Smith can be that guy at the MLB level either.
Hopefully, by the time that 4th slot comes up again, sometime around July 21st or so, Danny Duffy will be ready. It is almost certain Felipe Paulino will not be. As eager as we are to see Yordano Ventura, he needs more seasoning. It may just have to be Duffy in the 4th spot and Will Smith in 5th until Paulino is 100%.
KC Kingdom Player of the Game
The pickings are slim. Louis Coleman struck out the side for a perfect 8th inning for the Royals. The mighty Yankees he mowed down – Eduardo Nunez, Luis Cruz, and Chris Stewart. Exactly!
- James Shields – 8
- Alex Gordon – 11
- Wade Davis – 4
- Lorenzo Cain – 7
- Luis Mendoza – 3
- Billy Butler – 6
- Ervin Santana – 6
- Miguel Tejada – 3
- Jeremy Guthrie -4
- Eric Hosmer – 9
- Chris Getz
- Mike Moustakas – 3
- Aaron Crow
- Jarrod Dyson – 3
- David Lough – 5
- Alcides Escobar – 3
- J.C. Gutierrez
- Jeff Francoeur
- Bruce Chen
- Salvador Perez – 4
- Will Smith
- George Kottaras
- Louis Coleman
The Yankees
Ivan Nova wasn’t the only Yankee to dominate in this game. Robinson Cano went 3-4, with a dinger, 2 runs scored, and 3 RBI. At least there is one Yankee Royals’ fans can feel good about cheering against. Vernon Wells was the only other Yankee to get more than one hit.
Up Next
The Royals still have a great chance to win the series when Ervin Santana 5-5, 2.90) takes the hill at 12:05 Thursday against the ageless one, Andy Pettitte (6-6, 4.37 ERA).
AL Central Notes
Detroit Tigers (50-40): The top five hitters in the Tigers line-up accounted for 13 of Detroit’s 15 hits against Dylan Axelrod and the White Sox. Rick Porcello was the benefactor of the offensive largesse. He went 6 innings, giving up 3 runs on 7 hits in the 8-5 win. Detroit was the only Central team to win on Thursday.
Cleveland Indians (47-44): Michael Bourn and Asdrubal Cabrera combined 5 hits and 3 runs scored but it was not enough as the Blue Jays scored 3 times in the 9th. The Indians rallied a bit themselves in the bottom of the ninth with 2 runs, but fell short, 5-4.
Minnesota Twins (37-51): The Twins lost 4-3 in the 13th inning when Ryan Pressly gave up a game-winning single to Ben Zobrist. Joe Mauer and Ryan Doumit each had 3 hits in the loss.
Chicago White Sox (35-53): Conor Gillaspie and Gordon Beckham each homered in the 8-5 loss to the Tigers. Axelrod gave up 7 runs on 11 hits and 2 walks in 5.2 innings of work.