Around the Kingdom: Alex Gordon, Smith, Bray, Dom Dwyer

The Kansas City Royals bounced back again after the Twins broke their 3-game winning streak, just like they did 4 days ago when the A’s broke their 8-game winning streak.

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This resiliency is how teams make a charge over an extended period like the Royals have since falling 2 games under .500 on July 21. Since that day, Kansas City has been a scorching 20-5.

That’s called taking over the race. Now, they just need to win against some weak teams on their current road trip to solidify themselves in 1st place.

The Chiefs played their second preseason game, losing to Carolina 28-16. The first team offense and defense did not look good. The O-line showed a lot of problems in pass blocking, while the secondary took a beating with a ludicrous number of penalties. The team has a lot of work to do before the home opener against the Titans.

Meanwhile, we have more pre-season rankings coming out, with K-State making no. 20 on the AP poll.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

Kings of Kauffman – 2014 No. 1 draft pick Brandon Finnegan looks like he’s on the fast track:

"Split across two levels, Brandon Finnegan has displayed a marked tendency towards being a ground ball pitcher, producing a 48.2% ground ball rate. With the Royals infield defense behind him, and the spacious confines of Kauffman Stadium, Finnegan could actually make an impact during the playoff run. He certainly appears to be producing the results needed in order to continue climbing up the ladder.After he was signed, Dayton Moore mentioned that he wanted Brandon Finnegan to have between 40 and 50 innings of work this season. If he keeps pitching this well, some of those could be in Kansas City."

Royals Review – Is Alex Gordon an MVP candidate?

"Where Alex Gordon separates himself is with his defense, which rates out high. Very high. Best-in-the-American-League high. His Defensive Runs Above Average currently sits at 19.6, a shade ahead of the defense-first and really defense-only Jackie Bradley Jr.When you combine Gordon’s defensive metrics with his above-average offense, he comes out at 5.3 Wins Above Replacement (according to FanGraphs)"

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Arrowhead Addict – Former Tampa Bay safety, and current TV analyst, calls Alex Smith up there with Brees and Manning:

"Alex Smith is definitely underrated and should be considered in the discussion as a top 10-15 quarterback. But to put Smith up there with Brees and Manning is… well this is bad."

Arrowhead Pride – Expect Tyler Bray to get more playing time next week:

"Andy Reid said after the game that Smith and Bray would see more playing time in the third preseason game while Daniel and Murray may not see as much.“The majority will go to the other two guys,” Reid said of Smith and Bray in next week’s preseason game."

KANSAS STATE WILDCATS

KStateSports.com – Kansas State hits no 20 in the AP poll:

"Kansas State earned its second preseason ranking Sunday afternoon as the Wildcats were ranked 20th in the Preseason Associated Press Top 25. It is the second time in the last three years K-State has been ranked in the initial AP poll, while it was the highest the Wildcats have been ranked in the organization’s preseason survey since 2004."

SPORTING KC

SportingKC.com – Dom Dwyer becomes first Sporting KC player to score on two penalty kicks in the same game:

"Both of Dwyer’s goals on Saturday came from the penalty spot, where he is now six-for-six on the season after becoming the first player in club history to successfully convert two penalty kicks in an MLS match. Previously, the team had earned multiple penalties on just four occasions"

There you have it KC fans—the news Around the Kingdom.

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