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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Royals Review -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>"A dim view of humanity" -Lee Judge</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/29790/royalsreview.gif</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-18T12:00:00-04:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.royalsreview.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-18T12:00:00-04:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-18T12:00:00-04:00</updated>
  12.    <title>The Royals are incredibly average</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals makes a jump throw to first during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 11, 2024 in Anaheim, California." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Sd7-BaaaDj4csn6hiFergb0n7N0=/0x0:2215x1477/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355679/2152541815.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Bobby Witt Jr. #7 of the Kansas City Royals makes a jump throw to first during the seventh inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on May 11, 2024 in Anaheim, California. | Photo by Harry How/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;Nothing and no one on this team stands out in any way, neither good nor bad.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="p5g9Ro"&gt;The Royals are average. They are mediocre. They are the definition of the mean. They are middling. They are entirely unremarkable. They are unexceptional. They are not bad. They are not good. They exist therefore I am. They are common. You should watch them if you want to. You should not watch them if you do not want to. They are tolerable. &lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="PI1Z9X"&gt;They are not exciting. They are not disappointing. They are passable. They are utterly ordinary. They possess a moderate talent level. The on-field roster is comprised solely of professional baseball players who play baseball professionally. Sometimes the hitters hit the ball. Sometimes the hitters do not hit the ball. Sometimes the pitchers get an out. Sometimes the fielders catch a ball. &lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="iijpie"&gt;Sometimes they score runs. Sometimes they allow runs to score. Sometimes they are lucky. Sometimes they are unlucky. They have won some games, but they have also lost some games. They will win some more games. They will lose some more games.&lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="Evoyrw"&gt;They will collect a paycheck. Some of the players will be more valuable to the team than they are paid. Some will be less valuable to the team than they are paid. Some players will be cut. Some players will be promoted. Some players will get injured. Some players will get healthy.&lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="GUd8F6"&gt;The grass at Kauffman Stadium is the normal amount of green. The fountains contain water-like water. There are advertisements on the uniforms which are incredibly offensive. There are advertisements on the uniforms which aren’t a big deal. The players on the team are all capable of communication. The pitchers throw pitches. The hitters swing bats. The players all use gloves when fielding. They all use bats when batting. They wear hats or helmets at almost all times while on the field. The bases will be run at various, unremarkable speeds.&lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;p id="hNfEFp"&gt;Watching and rooting for this team is an act of self-harm because they aren’t as good as some think they are. Watching and rooting for this team is incredibly fun because they aren’t as bad as some think they are.&lt;/p&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="5FYIkX"&gt;The Royals are the most normal team. Baseball is America’s most averagely loved sport. The USA is a middling country. The Earth is the most standard life-bearing planet. The Sol system is the most conventional solar system. The Milky Way is the most run-of-the-mill galaxy. The universe is the most garden-variety existence.&lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="DDeA9e"&gt;Eat Arby’s.&lt;/p&gt;
  28.  
  29. </content>
  30.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/18/24154802/the-royals-are-incredibly-average"/>
  31.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/18/24154802/the-royals-are-incredibly-average</id>
  32.    <author>
  33.      <name>Jeremy Greco</name>
  34.    </author>
  35.  </entry>
  36.  <entry>
  37.    <published>2024-05-18T09:53:41-04:00</published>
  38.    <updated>2024-05-18T09:53:41-04:00</updated>
  39.    <title>Weekend Rumblings - News for May 19, 2024</title>
  40.    <content type="html">  
  41.  
  42.    &lt;figure&gt;
  43.      &lt;img alt="Oakland Athletics v Kansas City Royals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/93RN1svza9Ia_NsbwscK8nBAvV4=/0x0:4861x3241/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355465/2153465096.0.jpg" /&gt;
  44.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  45.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  46.  
  47.  &lt;p&gt;It’s like old times.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="YqEGIg"&gt;Members of the 2014 pennant-winning Royals team &lt;a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article288559109.html#storylink=cpy"&gt;are in town for a weekend celebration&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  48. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  49. &lt;p id="jgXit7"&gt;“It’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years,” said current Royals general manager J.J. Picollo, who was Moore’s second in command at the time. “I mean, that’s a long time, but I’m really proud of what they did. … &lt;/p&gt;
  50. &lt;p id="wwGS1X"&gt;“It’s hard not to be proud of it. A lot of great moments we rehashed last night and a lot of great memories.”&lt;/p&gt;
  51. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  52. &lt;p id="eyXAII"&gt;Anne Rogers &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/royals-hold-2014-american-league-champions-reunion"&gt;has more.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  53. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="mS5ZVM"&gt;“It happens fast, man,” former manager and &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/ned-yost-inducted-to-royals-hall-of-fame"&gt;Royals Hall of Famer Ned Yost&lt;/a&gt; said. “Time flies. I don’t know where it’s going. It just goes by really, really quick. And now it’s hard to believe it’s been 10 years.”&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  54. &lt;p id="SFARzX"&gt;Sam McDowell writes about the &lt;a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/sam-mcdowell/article288549461.html#storylink=cpy"&gt;parallels between the 2014 team and this year’s bunch.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  55. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  56. &lt;p id="4PxVbZ"&gt;There are some hard-to-believe numbers following this Royals team — so confounding, in fact, that the front office and coaching staff has spent considerable time trying to make sense of them. &lt;/p&gt;
  57. &lt;p id="JsH11i"&gt;The baseline first: The Royals have a .687 OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) this season, which ranks about middle of the pack (17th) in baseball.&lt;/p&gt;
  58. &lt;p id="jxLDqX"&gt;But the production changes drastically depending on the situation. They rank 7th in baseball in late-and-close situations, which means when they’re either leading by one run or trailing with the tying run in the on-deck circle.&lt;/p&gt;
  59. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  60. &lt;p id="kcPNOF"&gt;One constant &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/salvador-perez-royals-beat-athletics-on-2014-team-anniversary-night"&gt;has been Salvador Perez.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  61. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  62. &lt;p id="FnS7Jp"&gt;When the Royals played his 2014 Wild Card Game walk-off hit, &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/player/521692"&gt;Salvador Perez&lt;/a&gt; stopped playing catch for a moment to wave his cap to the crowd chanting “SALVY.”&lt;/p&gt;
  63. &lt;p id="odwj4G"&gt;“Gave me chills,” starter Cole Ragans said after throwing seven scoreless innings in the Royals’ &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746310/final/box"&gt;6-2 win over the A’s&lt;/a&gt;. “He’s incredible. It’s a 10-year reunion, and he’s still playing. It goes to show how good of a player he always has been.”&lt;/p&gt;
  64. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  65. &lt;p id="zIZmuB"&gt;Last year’s &lt;a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/for-petes-sake/article288470325.html"&gt;home run gladiator helmet is no more.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  66. &lt;p id="oeBuDK"&gt;David Lesky looks at some potential &lt;a href="https://insidethecrown.substack.com/p/the-royals-are-in-it-but-they-need-help"&gt;trade candidates that could help the Royals.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  67. &lt;p id="82gawK"&gt;Rays pitcher Tyler Alexander &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/rays-lose-perfect-game-in-8th-inning-bloop-single-by-blue-jays-ruins-tyler-alexanders-bid-at-history/live/"&gt;loses a perfect game bid in the eighth inning.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  68. &lt;p id="f2CvIT"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/city-of-los-angeles-names-may-17-shohei-ohtani-day"&gt;The city of Los Angeles honors Shohei Ohtani&lt;/a&gt; and he cracks a home run.&lt;/p&gt;
  69. &lt;p id="AphUB8"&gt;Paul Skenes was &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40166583/pirates-paul-skenes-dominant-second-start-vs-cubs"&gt;dominant in his second start&lt;/a&gt;, tossing a no-hitter for six innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  70. &lt;p id="Upffp5"&gt;Ex-Angels infielder David Fletcher reportedly &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40166891/angels-david-fletcher-bet-bookie"&gt;made bets with Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter’s bookie.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  71. &lt;p id="G33coh"&gt;Spencer Steer hits a foul ball and it is &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/spencer-steer-s-foul-ball-caught-by-his-twin-brother"&gt;caught by his twin brother.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  72. &lt;p id="MQNJE8"&gt;Elly de la Cruz is &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/rays-lose-perfect-game-in-8th-inning-bloop-single-by-blue-jays-ruins-tyler-alexanders-bid-at-history/live/"&gt;stealing bases at a rapid rate.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  73. &lt;p id="sMUipY"&gt;Giants outfielder Jung-Ho Lee &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40167358/giants-jung-hoo-lee-season-ending-shoulder-surgery"&gt;will have season-ending surgery.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  74. &lt;p id="44LNsL"&gt;How to &lt;a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/a-high-velocity-usage-tax-a-proposal-to-protect-pitchers/"&gt;disincentivize velocity to protect pitchers.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  75. &lt;p id="x5ZrJl"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/05/journeymen-taking-advantage-of-playing-time-with-athletics.html"&gt;Journeymen are taking advantage of their playing time&lt;/a&gt; with the A’s.  &lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;p id="SyCm21"&gt;&lt;em&gt;EA College Football 25&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/2024/5/17/24159003/ea-college-football-25-trailer-colorado-texas-alabama"&gt;has a trailer.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="mZfjKr"&gt;Tiger Woods &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/golf/story/_/id/40167594/tiger-woods-misses-cut-2024-pga-championship"&gt;misses the cut at the PGA Championship.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;p id="ARhDKv"&gt;Are &lt;a href="https://www.wired.com/story/laser-wars-us-military-laser-weapons/"&gt;laser wars going to be a thing&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;
  79. &lt;p id="1z6ocx"&gt;Twitter is &lt;a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/17/23829098/twitter-x-com-url-links-switch"&gt;officially X.com now.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  80. &lt;p id="7na0Bi"&gt;Why &lt;a href="https://www.vox.com/culture/24156463/movies-albums-long-songs-scenes-short"&gt;movies and albums both got so long.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  81. &lt;p id="8cM0MZ"&gt;Yours song of the day is Bonnie Raitt with&lt;em&gt; Love Sneakin’ Up on You.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  82. &lt;div id="zCvCsB"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xSvdJT6G9XM?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  83.  
  84. </content>
  85.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/18/24159654/weekend-rumblings-news-for-may-19-2024"/>
  86.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/18/24159654/weekend-rumblings-news-for-may-19-2024</id>
  87.    <author>
  88.      <name>Max Rieper</name>
  89.    </author>
  90.  </entry>
  91.  <entry>
  92.    <published>2024-05-17T22:48:05-04:00</published>
  93.    <updated>2024-05-17T22:48:05-04:00</updated>
  94.    <title>Cole Ragans, big sixth-inning give Royals 6-2 win over A’s</title>
  95.    <content type="html">  
  96.  
  97.    &lt;figure&gt;
  98.      &lt;img alt="Oakland Athletics v Kansas City Royals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GrGPujRF7ZgMjeOlNmzqsyaq8r0=/0x0:3832x2555/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355015/2153469412.0.jpg" /&gt;
  99.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  100.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  101.  
  102.  &lt;p&gt;The Royals win the series opener against the A’s. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="MXkw32"&gt;Cole Ragans tossed six shutout innings and Royals hitters enjoyed a five-run sixth inning in a 6-2 win over the A’s in the series opener on Friday night.&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;p id="8Il27k"&gt;The Royals struck in the first inning when Bobby Witt Jr. doubled and Salvador Perez hit a hot shot to third that would be an infield single, scoring Witt. Cole Ragans bounced back from a seven-run outing his last time out to toss seven shutout innings against the A’s. Ragans allowed just two hits and two walks while striking out seven in lowering his ERA to 3.70. He threw 62 of his 94 pitches for strikes and generated 15 swing-and-misses.&lt;/p&gt;
  104. &lt;p id="GjVxbv"&gt;The Royals offense struggled against spot starter Mitch Spence but found more success in the sixth of reliever Austin Adams. Salvador Perez led off with a walk, his 14th of the year, more than he drew in all of 2015. Michael Massey followed up with a two-run home run, his fourth of the year, to make it 3-0 Royals. MJ Melendez walked and Hunter Renfroe singled, setting up a three-run home run by Maikel Garcia, his fifth of the year.&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;div id="pXIEBv"&gt;
  106. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  107. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Maikel Garcia launches a three-run homer to add to the lead! &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Royals?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#Royals&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/cmLsRbdTfx"&gt;pic.twitter.com/cmLsRbdTfx&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Bally Sports Kansas City (@BallySportsKC) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/BallySportsKC/status/1791641216989241368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 18, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  108. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  109. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  110.  
  111. &lt;/div&gt;
  112. &lt;p id="OqPa7v"&gt;The result was a five-run inning, giving the Royals a 6-0 lead. They have scored 31 runs in the fifth innings, more runs than in any other inning except the 41 runs they have scored in the seventh inning.&lt;/p&gt;
  113. &lt;p id="jjEA1s"&gt;Chris Stratton pitched a scoreless eighth inning to protect the lead. Matt Sauer gave up a two-run home run to Shea Langeliers to put Oakland on the board, but was able to preserve the victory, giving Kansas City a 6-2 win in the series opener. &lt;/p&gt;
  114. &lt;p id="8hXpGs"&gt;The Royals have a chance to take the series tomorrow evening at 6:10 CT when Seth Lugo faces Ross Stripling.&lt;/p&gt;
  115.  
  116. </content>
  117.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24159523/cole-ragans-big-sixth-inning-give-royals-6-2-win-over-as"/>
  118.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24159523/cole-ragans-big-sixth-inning-give-royals-6-2-win-over-as</id>
  119.    <author>
  120.      <name>Max Rieper</name>
  121.    </author>
  122.  </entry>
  123.  <entry>
  124.    <published>2024-05-17T19:10:00-04:00</published>
  125.    <updated>2024-05-17T19:10:00-04:00</updated>
  126.    <title>Royals vs. Athletics Friday game thread</title>
  127.    <content type="html">  
  128.  
  129.    &lt;figure&gt;
  130.      &lt;img alt="Sam Mellinger: This will be a long and painful Royals rebuild, no matter what happens with Hosmer" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o4aZeTNuQpb7C_DJikNxgHbmCbI=/350x0:2624x1516/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354827/892161214.0.jpg" /&gt;
  131.        &lt;figcaption&gt;John Sleezer/Kansas City Star/Tribune News Service via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  132.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  133.  
  134.  &lt;p&gt;The boys are back in town!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="T3kY45"&gt;The Royals head back home tonight for a six-game homestand, starting with a weekend set against the Oakland A’s. It’s Cole Ragans day, but he’ll look to bounce back from a seven-run outing in his last start. The lineup hasn’t scored more than four runs in a game since last Thursday against the Angels.&lt;/p&gt;
  135. &lt;div id="kzdUE4"&gt;
  136. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  137. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;We're back in action tonight with Cole Ragans on the mound taking on the Athletics to open the homestand &lt;a href="https://t.co/1d8izIcnjR"&gt;pic.twitter.com/1d8izIcnjR&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Royals/status/1791543192560578863?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 17, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  138. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  139. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  140.  
  141. &lt;/div&gt;
  142. &lt;p id="0nQHsn"&gt;The A’s are starting reliever Mitch Spence, so expect a bullpen game. Brent Rooker and Shea Langerliers have combined for 19 home runs this year, and the A’s overall have the fourth-most home runs.&lt;/p&gt;
  143. &lt;div id="BASh2J"&gt;
  144. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  145. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Friday night baseball   &lt;a href="https://t.co/T3XlkWWvnF"&gt;pic.twitter.com/T3XlkWWvnF&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Oakland A's (@Athletics) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/Athletics/status/1791552110544458219?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 17, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  146. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  147. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  148.  
  149. &lt;/div&gt;
  150. &lt;p id="kRFK8G"&gt;The on-field celebration for the 2014 Royals team will begin at 5:45 if you’re headed out to the K. Game time is 6:40 CT on Bally Sports Kansas City.&lt;/p&gt;
  151.  
  152. </content>
  153.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24159209/royals-vs-athletics-friday-game-thread"/>
  154.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24159209/royals-vs-athletics-friday-game-thread</id>
  155.    <author>
  156.      <name>Max Rieper</name>
  157.    </author>
  158.  </entry>
  159.  <entry>
  160.    <published>2024-05-17T14:23:41-04:00</published>
  161.    <updated>2024-05-17T14:23:41-04:00</updated>
  162.    <title>Athletics series preview: A feistier team than expected</title>
  163.    <content type="html">  
  164.  
  165.    &lt;figure&gt;
  166.      &lt;img alt="Miami Marlins v Oakland Athletics" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CxPSuNMT6GoNgO2a7YjGnkeifEQ=/0x0:3600x2400/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354301/2151495504.0.jpg" /&gt;
  167.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  168.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  169.  
  170.  &lt;p&gt;They’re not groin-grabbingly awful!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="WxZkJk"&gt;The Oakland Athletics were embarrassingly bad last year, pretty much by design. Their 112 losses were the most in baseball and the most by the franchise in a century. It was a roster full of players that would make a Triple-A club blush. They couldn’t hit, they couldn’t pitch, they couldn’t win.&lt;/p&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="ozq4p8"&gt;This year, the A’s aren’t good necessarily, but they’re not god-awful either. Their 19 wins are already 38 percent of their win total from a year ago. They revamped their bullpen and it has gone from &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/a-s-bullpen-has-rebounded-in-2024"&gt;worst to one of the best&lt;/a&gt;. They still have one of the worst offenses and worst pitching staffs overall, and they’ve dropped 10 out of their last 12, so perhaps we are starting to see their true talent level. But they have been good enough this year to be at least a little bit feisty. &lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  173. &lt;p id="q3kkI3"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oakland Athletics (19-27) vs. Kansas City Royals (26-19) at Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="oNdG4c"&gt;Athletics: 3.72 runs scored/game (26th in MLB), 4.80 runs allowed/game (26th)&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="mqOXRp"&gt;Royals: 4.49 runs scored/game (14th), 3.49 runs allowed/game (2nd) &lt;/p&gt;
  176. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  177. &lt;p id="uPeN8J"&gt;The A’s have hit the fourth-most home runs, and former Royals outfielder Brent Rooker is tied for eighth in baseball with 10 round-trippers. They have the twelfth-highest walk rate, but the fourth-highest strikeout rate. They’re hitting just .218 as a team - only the White Sox have been worse.&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;div id="vEKkbS"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="table:12335449"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="zqZsqa"&gt;Abraham Toro, acquired from the Brewers last winter, has been on a tear lately, hitting .364/.410/.546 with two home runs over his last 20 games, but he has one of the lowest walk rates in baseball. Former Marlins prospect J.J. Bleday has turned a corner this year, but is hitting just .172 against lefties. Catcher Shea Langeliers has nine home runs and is ninth in all of baseball with a .278 ISO.&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="FxnR7x"&gt;Only six teams have stolen fewer bases than the A’s, who are 21-for-30 in attempts this year. The A’s are &lt;a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/outs_above_average?type=Fielding_Team&amp;amp;startYear=2024&amp;amp;endYear=2024&amp;amp;split=yes&amp;amp;team=&amp;amp;range=year&amp;amp;min=q&amp;amp;pos=&amp;amp;roles=&amp;amp;viz=hide"&gt;fourth-worst in baseball&lt;/a&gt; in Outs Above Average with especially poor play from infielders Max Schuemann, Tyler Nevin, and J.D. Davis.&lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;div id="JpDt2G"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="table:12335718"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  182. &lt;p id="YOGxsZ"&gt;The Oakland rotation has been decimated by injuries with Alex Wood, Joe Boyle, Luis Medina, and Paul Blackburn all on the Injured List, with Ken Waldichuk undergoing Tommy John surgery this week. Mitch Spence will start tonight, but he’s been a reliever and pitched on Monday, so expect a bullpen game. He’s a slider/cutter pitcher who gets hitters to hit grounders more than half the time.&lt;/p&gt;
  183. &lt;p id="wmVcGt"&gt;Ross Stripling is just 1-7 this year, but has given the A’s at least five innings in eight of his nine starts. He gave up just three runs in five innings against the Astros in his last start, but failed to get out of the second inning after allowing 11 runs in his outing before that. He has the &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=8&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;sortcol=8&amp;amp;sortdir=asc&amp;amp;pagenum=1"&gt;second-lowest strikeout rate&lt;/a&gt; among all starters with a fastball that averages 91 mph. &lt;/p&gt;
  184. &lt;p id="L7nfF3"&gt;J.P. Sears has the &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=2&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;sortcol=6&amp;amp;sortdir=default&amp;amp;pagenum=1"&gt;sixth-highest flyball rate&lt;/a&gt; among starters, the &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=2&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;sortcol=19&amp;amp;sortdir=desc&amp;amp;pagenum=1"&gt;seventh-highest hard-hit rate&lt;/a&gt;, and one of the &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=7&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;sortcol=2&amp;amp;sortdir=asc&amp;amp;pagenum=1"&gt;worst-rated fastballs&lt;/a&gt;, resulting in the&lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=pit&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=1&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;sortcol=5&amp;amp;sortdir=default&amp;amp;pagenum=1"&gt; tenth-highest home run rate&lt;/a&gt;. He does feature a plus sweeper that opponents are hitting just .153 against. Lefties are hitting just .180/.226/.340 against him.&lt;/p&gt;
  185. &lt;div id="F1ITDe"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="table:12335447"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  186. &lt;p id="DN7kb7"&gt;A’s relievers have a 3.41 ERA and are seventh in strikeout rate. The star has been rookie Mason Miller, who is blowing hitters away with a 100 mph fastball that clocks in as the fastest in baseball. He has converted all eight save opportunities, hasn’t given up a run since March, and has allowed opponents to hit just .113/.179/.161 against him with an insane 57 percent strikeout rate. Lucas Erceg and Austin Adams are also among league leaders with strikeout rates north of 30 percent. Lefty T.J. McFarland has allowed just one unintentional walk this year, but is allowing opponents to hit .338 against him.&lt;/p&gt;
  187. &lt;p id="3U4Agm"&gt;The A’s are just 1-7 on their current road trip that has taken them to Seattle and Houston, and are 9-14 on the road overall. The Royals dropped 4 of 6 to them last year, but could turn the tables this year with an improved pitching staff. The Royals will celebrate the 2014 team that defeated the A’s in the Wild Card this weekend, it would be great to see the current team get a few more wins against that club.&lt;/p&gt;
  188. &lt;div id="58KTL0"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="poll:12335244"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  189.  
  190. </content>
  191.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24158754/athletics-series-preview-a-feistier-team-than-expected"/>
  192.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24158754/athletics-series-preview-a-feistier-team-than-expected</id>
  193.    <author>
  194.      <name>Max Rieper</name>
  195.    </author>
  196.  </entry>
  197.  <entry>
  198.    <published>2024-05-17T12:00:00-04:00</published>
  199.    <updated>2024-05-17T12:00:00-04:00</updated>
  200.    <title>Garrett Hampson, roster creativity, and the veteran utility player conundrum</title>
  201.    <content type="html">  
  202.  
  203.    &lt;figure&gt;
  204.      &lt;img alt="Garrett Hampson #2 of the Kansas City Royals looks on against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 28, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NRN6vq5GnSpaqspQLxsbk0aJBNc=/0x0:5111x3407/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353943/2150778279.0.jpg" /&gt;
  205.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Garrett Hampson #2 of the Kansas City Royals looks on against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 28, 2024 in Detroit, Michigan. | Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  206.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  207.  
  208.  &lt;p&gt;He fits a specific bill, but is it one the team needs?&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="0QofaH"&gt;The other day, I watched a Jon Bois video about &lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VfFn4NqQr_U"&gt;how the Pittsburgh Pirates blew a 10-run lead&lt;/a&gt; that they built in the very first inning to the Philadelphia Phillies on June 8th, 1989. There were many Phillies heroes that day, and one of the most notable ones was Steve Jeltz. Jeltz hit two home runs that day and ended up with 5 RBIs—the difference between the Phillies winning 15-11 (which they did) and losing 11-10.&lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;p id="kFLGYB"&gt;This was pretty stunning to everyone involved because, before the 1989 season, Jeltz had hit all of one homer in the previous six seasons combined. Across his career, Jeltz had two things going for him: he had excellent plate discipline could play every position in the infield. But he wasn’t a great fielder and he was certainly a poor overall hitter, posting a wRC+ of 61 in over 2000 plate appearances. The result: a replacement level player at the bottom of the roster. You knew what you were going to get, and it was not great. &lt;/p&gt;
  210. &lt;p id="EZmPyc"&gt;Nearly 35 years later, the Royals have their own version of Jeltz, and his name is Garrett Hampson. Like Jeltz, Hampson has spent his career playing all over the place as a utility hitter; he’s accrued at least 98 innings at second base, third base, shortstop, left field, and center field. Like Jeltz, Hampson’s offense is lacking: while he has much more power, he walks much less often than Jeltz did and strikes out much more than Jeltz, and his career wRC+ is at 70—better than Jeltz, but not by much. &lt;/p&gt;
  211. &lt;p id="Mf4qT7"&gt;In his video, Bois takes great care to emphasize how skilled Jeltz was. Every player who makes it to Major League Baseball is an extreme outlier on the upper end of the talent spectrum when it comes to all baseball players, and the margins between these players is razor thin. In his day, Jeltz was heavily criticized for being a poor big league player. &lt;/p&gt;
  212. &lt;p id="uDmKxd"&gt;Again, like Jeltz, Hampson is an incredibly skilled professional athlete at one of the hardest sports to play in the world. And like Jeltz, Hampson is one of the handful of players at the absolute bottom of the big league talent pool. Compared to his MLB peers, Hampson offers very little to a big league team, and players like him don’t move the needle for their teams. That is just how it is. &lt;/p&gt;
  213. &lt;p id="6kupOM"&gt;Look: there are only so many spots on a big league roster, and it’s fair to question teams’ usage of those spots. Like Bois, I don’t have any animosity towards Hampson or players like him. I hope they succeed. But baseball is a mutually exclusive game: because Hampson has a roster spot, other players that might be deserving don’t.&lt;/p&gt;
  214. &lt;p id="9LWQne"&gt;That is ultimately my problem with the Royals here. Hampson isn’t a good MLB player. By expected weighted on base average—which looks at exit velocity, launch angle, and sprint speed—Hampson is by far the worst player on the team. He’s been way outperforming his peripherals and still only has a 71 wRC+. He’s just not going to be anything other than a tail-end bench player, and the Royals knew that going in and still signed him to a one-year, guaranteed $2 million deal. He is a replacement level player, full-stop.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="XyDYoH"&gt;Yes, Hampson’s spot on the position player list is the very last one. But I will never understand why teams would rather sign a player like him when they could simply give somebody with more upside a try. I don’t get it. Before this year, Hampson’s career WAR in his previous 500+ games was 0.8. Could an unproven player be worse? Absolutely. It’s just, with the offensive bar so low for guys like Hampson and Jeltz and Willie Bloomquist and other veteran utility guys throughout the years, why teams wouldn’t give those fringe chances to their own eager, young minor leaguers is beyond me.&lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="OoeH2g"&gt;I suppose I know why teams in fringy contention mode like this year’s Royals sign guys like Hampson: it’s to get a certain performance floor for these specific roster spots. But at the same time, these vet utility guys won’t move the needle. Other players if given some playing time might. Kansas City isn’t the only team doing this, by the way. They’re just the team doing this right in front of us while intriguing players like Devin Mann, Drew Waters, and Logan Porter continue not to get shots while the “safe” options—which aren’t very good anyway—get those plate appearances. &lt;/p&gt;
  217.  
  218. </content>
  219.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24158742/garrett-hampson-roster-creativity-and-the-veteran-utility-player-conundrum"/>
  220.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24158742/garrett-hampson-roster-creativity-and-the-veteran-utility-player-conundrum</id>
  221.    <author>
  222.      <name>Matthew LaMar</name>
  223.    </author>
  224.  </entry>
  225.  <entry>
  226.    <published>2024-05-17T10:02:49-04:00</published>
  227.    <updated>2024-05-17T10:02:49-04:00</updated>
  228.    <title>How patient should the Royals be with MJ Melendez?</title>
  229.    <content type="html">  
  230.  
  231.    &lt;figure&gt;
  232.      &lt;img alt="MLB: MAY 04 Rangers at Royals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F8fLbtLLV72RqeabAZvGBmt8Fus=/0x0:4585x3057/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353616/2151419578.0.jpg" /&gt;
  233.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  234.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  235.  
  236.  &lt;p&gt;Now in his third season, the young slugger has yet to turn the corner.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="2NfnLB"&gt;The Royals have an outfield problem. Collectively, their outfielders are hitting .199/.257/.316 with just 11 home runs in 501 plate appearances. Their 61 wRC+ is the &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;type=8&amp;amp;month=43&amp;amp;team=0%2Cts&amp;amp;sortcol=17&amp;amp;sortdir=default&amp;amp;pagenum=1"&gt;worst among all MLB outfields by a large margin&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  237. &lt;p id="QnMOeA"&gt;There is plenty of blame to share for the offensive woes in the outfield. Hunter Renfroe has been a disaster just six weeks into a two-year, $13 million deal. But the size of that contract almost certainly ensures the Royals won’t cut ties with him over his slow start. Kyle Isbel has failed to hit much, but has been &lt;a href="https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/leaderboard/outs_above_average?type=Fielder&amp;amp;startYear=2024&amp;amp;endYear=2024&amp;amp;split=yes&amp;amp;team=&amp;amp;range=year&amp;amp;min=q&amp;amp;pos=of&amp;amp;roles=&amp;amp;viz=hide"&gt;one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball&lt;/a&gt;. Nelson Velázquez has had a power outage after an impressive final two months last season, and could find himself demoted soon.&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="AbWj8A"&gt;But one of the outfielders the Royals were really counting on to hit this year is MJ Melendez. And while he has made some &lt;a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/13/24154445/mj-melendez-has-done-the-impossible-on-defense"&gt;significant strides defensively,&lt;/a&gt; his offense has failed to turn the corner, and has actually regressed this year. His 56 wRC+ is&lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=bat&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;type=8&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;season1=2024&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;sortcol=17&amp;amp;sortdir=asc&amp;amp;qual=130"&gt; seventh-worst in baseball&lt;/a&gt; for players with at least 130 plate appearances, and he is in a horrific slump, hitting just .118 with no home runs and just one walk over his last 22 games.&lt;/p&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="FkRiWC"&gt;Last year, analytical types could point to his hard-hit rates and his exit velocities and argue he was just running into bad luck. But nearly all of Melendez’s underlying metrics have declined this year. His exit velocity is down. His barrel percentage is down. His hard-hit rate is significantly down. He’s swinging more, missing more, and striking out more. &lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="0y6apw"&gt;At the very least, Melendez seems due for a demotion to allow him to fix his swing and get a mental reset. But as we continue into his third season in the big leagues, we have to begin questioning whether MJ Melendez is really part of the future of this franchise.&lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;p id="hU8kR5"&gt;Melendez had a very up-and-down minor league career. He was a promising second-round pick out of high school in 2017, and hit well in his first two seasons. But his season in Wilmington in 2019 was a disaster. He returned as an offensive force, leading the minors with 41 home runs in 2021, with much of the &lt;a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article261490267.html"&gt;credit going to then-minor league hitting coordinator Alec Zumwalt&lt;/a&gt;, who now serves as Royals hitting coach. &lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;p id="h16NSh"&gt;He made his MLB debut in 2022, and while he hit just .217, his 18 home runs, 12.4 percent walk rate and 98 wRC+ for a catcher seemed very promising. He didn’t improve at the plate last year, although he had to deal with a transition to the outfield. His walk rate declined, his strikeout rate increased, and his offensive numbers that were fine for a catcher were well below average for an outfielder. &lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="D2GSyf"&gt;With Melendez under the tutelage of Zumwalt at the big league level for a second season, this was meant to be the year where he unlocked his potential. Instead, the potential remains in the vault. How long can the Royals afford to wait for him?&lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="ApjjL5"&gt;Out of 148 qualified hitters since 2022, &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=bat&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=8&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;startdate=&amp;amp;enddate=&amp;amp;season1=2022&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;pagenum=1&amp;amp;pageitems=30&amp;amp;sortcol=17&amp;amp;sortdir=asc"&gt;Melendez ranks 141st in wRC+&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders/major-league?pos=all&amp;amp;stats=bat&amp;amp;lg=all&amp;amp;qual=y&amp;amp;type=8&amp;amp;month=0&amp;amp;ind=0&amp;amp;startdate=&amp;amp;enddate=&amp;amp;season1=2022&amp;amp;season=2024&amp;amp;pagenum=1&amp;amp;pageitems=30&amp;amp;sortcol=21&amp;amp;sortdir=asc"&gt;145th in fWAR&lt;/a&gt;. Melendez now has 1,275 plate appearances over 317 career MLB games. Other Royals players had things figured out by the time they reached this point in their career. Bobby Witt Jr. was already on his way to stardom. Salvador Perez had already enjoyed a .300 season and Billy Butler and Eric Hosmer were on their way to a .300 season by the time they hit the 317 career-games threshold. Even Alex Gordon, who had a disappointing start to his career, had better numbers at this point than Melendez. &lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;div id="hIS5Mw"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="table:12335234"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="Wys3TL"&gt;The argument for patience would be Mike Moustakas, who floundered for his first four seasons and was even demoted mid-season in 2014. He rewarded the Royals for their patience by becoming an All-Star and earning MVP votes in 2015, and eventually setting the club single-season home run record.&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="LIAasc"&gt;J.J. Picollo may not have the same kind of patience that Dayton Moore had. He has a team that finds itself in contention a quarter of the way into the season. With the offense in dire need of help in the outfield, the Royals may not be able to wait for Melendez to figure things out. &lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="tOiIrn"&gt;Melendez’s most similar batter through age 24, &lt;a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/melenmj01.shtml"&gt;according to Baseball Reference&lt;/a&gt;, is Howard Johnson, a home run champ with the Mets. But it took a trade from the Tigers for him to become an All-Star. The Royals don’t need to get rid of Melendez at this point - he has options and perhaps he can figure things out as Moustakas did in 2014. But the Royals are no longer in evaluation mode. Players need to produce. And time is running out on MJ Melendez.&lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="vCF0oT"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  250.  
  251. </content>
  252.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24157777/how-patient-should-the-royals-be-with-mj-melendez"/>
  253.    <id>https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24157777/how-patient-should-the-royals-be-with-mj-melendez</id>
  254.    <author>
  255.      <name>Max Rieper</name>
  256.    </author>
  257.  </entry>
  258.  <entry>
  259.    <published>2024-05-17T08:00:00-04:00</published>
  260.    <updated>2024-05-17T08:00:00-04:00</updated>
  261.    <title>Royals Rumblings - News for May 17, 2024</title>
  262.    <content type="html">  
  263.  
  264.    &lt;figure&gt;
  265.      &lt;img alt="Kansas City Royals v Los Angeles Angels" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-8-71RPrIHPJ355ExYyoVlglY40=/0x0:6792x4528/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353349/2152669945.0.jpg" /&gt;
  266.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  267.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  268.  
  269.  &lt;p&gt;Salvy is playing A-OK!&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="rO1D0U"&gt;Sam Blum of The Athletic writes about &lt;a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5492885/2024/05/16/salvador-perez-endured-the-royals-dark-times-now-hes-driving-the-kc-renaissance/?source=dailyemail&amp;amp;campaign=601983&amp;amp;userId=3685012"&gt;Salvador Perez’s resurgence.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  270. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  271. &lt;p id="nxTinL"&gt;With the Royals in the AL Central mix, while currently holding a wild-card spot, Perez’s decision to remain has paid off. He’ll probably retire a Royal. They’ll retire his number, and maybe even build him a statue.&lt;/p&gt;
  272. &lt;p id="Notwra"&gt;And if he ever does go to Cooperstown, it’ll be with the only team he’s ever known.&lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;p id="DI7soV"&gt;“If you don’t think about making it to the Hall of Fame, what are you doing here?” Perez said. “Everybody wants to be in the Hall of Fame.”&lt;/p&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="wqYPwE"&gt;So, does he believe he’s on that trajectory?&lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;p id="7k4jKJ"&gt;“One hundred percent,” Perez said. “Yes.”&lt;/p&gt;
  276. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  277. &lt;p id="pCORX1"&gt;David Lesky was &lt;a href="https://insidethecrown.substack.com/p/cold-bats-leaky-bullpen-didnt-win"&gt;impressed with Alec Marsh on Wednesday.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  278. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="AUi1gS"&gt;I found myself actually quite encouraged by Alec Marsh’s uneven outing yesterday. The Mariners offense isn’t especially good. They struggle to score runs and they strike out a lot. But that doesn’t mean that Marsh’s performance wasn’t something to appreciate. He ended up going just five innings but he allowed only two runs with one earned while he struck out seven and walked just one. He didn’t have it easy. He had six different at bats where he threw six or more pitches. And it would have been a seventh if not for picking off Julio Rodriguez on first base after he threw five pitches to Mitch Haniger without a decision.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="eEX4Nd"&gt;R.J. Anderson at CBS Sports &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/mlb-first-quarter-grades-orioles-phillies-cubs-get-a-but-blue-jays-cardinals-fail-as-playoff-hopefuls/"&gt;hands out first quarter grades.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="Co2EfG"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Kansas City Royals: A&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="ECVLor"&gt;The secret to the Royals’ early-season success has been their play against bad teams. They’re 18-6 when faced with a losing club, and that performance has them on pace for 96 wins overall. Kansas City was hyperactive over the offseason, but we must admit that even with the upgrades we felt they’d fall somewhere around .500. Will they maintain this level heading forward? We’re skeptical. The lineup is shallow, and we expect some regression from &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/players/2210221/seth-lugo/"&gt;Seth Lugo&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/players/2942978/brady-singer/"&gt;Brady Singer&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/players/3152101/alec-marsh/"&gt;Alec Marsh&lt;/a&gt;. Still, the Royals are well positioned to enjoy their first winning season since 2015.&lt;/p&gt;
  283. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="iOOXyM"&gt;Jim Callis at &lt;a href="http://MLB.com"&gt;MLB.com&lt;/a&gt; has &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-pipeline-2024-mock-draft-mid-may?t=mlb-draft-coverage"&gt;his latest mock draft.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="vm2AOu"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;6. Royals: Konnor Griffin, SS/OF, Jackson Prep, Flowood, Miss. (&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/prospects/2024/draft/konnor-griffin-804606"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;No. 9&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  287. &lt;p id="5YyUlu"&gt;Griffin has the best all-around tools and the highest ceiling in the entire Draft, and he projects as a plus defender at shortstop or a Gold Glover in center field. There are some mixed opinions about his hitting ability, though his proponents think concerns are overblown. If the White Sox take Griffin, the Royals could turn to Smith or Burns.&lt;/p&gt;
  288. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  289. &lt;p id="V1tqt9"&gt;Jaylon Thompson talks to Royals players &lt;a href="https://www.kansascity.com/sports/mlb/kansas-city-royals/article288518201.html"&gt;about their first MLB home runs.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  290. &lt;p id="ulXX1Y"&gt;Zac Miller at Farm to Fountains is &lt;a href="https://farmtofountains.com/the-rise-of-walter-pennington/"&gt;ready for Walter Pennington to get a chance.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  291. &lt;p id="IFnW6S"&gt;The Angels &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40158734/angels-activate-luis-rengifo-acquire-roansy-contreras-pirates"&gt;acquire pitcher Roansy Contreras from the Pirates&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  292. &lt;p id="OQfwQm"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/brandon-bielak-traded-to-athletics"&gt;Oakland acquires pitcher Brandon Bielak&lt;/a&gt; from Houston.&lt;/p&gt;
  293. &lt;p id="Jm1Rir"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/05/eric-lauer-opt-out-pirates-release-free-agent.html"&gt;Pitcher Eric Lauer opts out of his deal&lt;/a&gt; with the Pirates.&lt;/p&gt;
  294. &lt;p id="lPY4Io"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2024/05/white-sox-acquire-corey-julks-from-astros.html"&gt;The White Sox acquire outfielder Corey Julks&lt;/a&gt; from the Astros.&lt;/p&gt;
  295. &lt;p id="EpeDsJ"&gt;The Rangers transfer &lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/40154341/rangers-transfer-max-scherzer-60-day-injured-list"&gt;Max Scherzer to the 60-day Injured List.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  296. &lt;p id="gbg5xD"&gt;Astros pitcher Ronel Blanco is &lt;a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/astros-pitcher-ronel-blanco-receives-10-game-suspension-after-foreign-substance-ejection-in-win-over-as-021923432.html"&gt;suspended 10 games for using a foreign substance.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  297. &lt;p id="QnygpZ"&gt;Writers at CBS Sports discuss &lt;a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/batting-around-are-first-place-guardians-the-best-team-in-the-al-central-or-are-twins-royals-contenders/"&gt;who is the best team in the AL Central.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  298. &lt;p id="yc1OHX"&gt;The A’s bullpen has &lt;a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/a-s-bullpen-has-rebounded-in-2024"&gt;gone from worst to one of the best.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  299. &lt;p id="uq7oTq"&gt;Is Giancarlo Stanton a &lt;a href="https://blogs.fangraphs.com/will-giancarlo-stanton-deliver-a-cooperstown-speech"&gt;future Hall of Famer&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;
  300. &lt;p id="SAaQOL"&gt;The Yankees are expected to &lt;a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/yankees-juan-soto-contract-extension-2024-season"&gt;discuss a long-term deal with Juan Soto.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  301. &lt;p id="mA7d7d"&gt;ESPN, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery will &lt;a href="https://awfulannouncing.com/streaming/espn-fox-wbd-joint-streaming-venu-sports.html"&gt;start a joint streaming service called Venu Sports.&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  302. &lt;p id="YU7hJl"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nba/new-york-knicks/news/knicks-vs-pacers-fart-game-5/283df7d247a9de6e966db18e"&gt;An “epic fart” loosened up the Knicks&lt;/a&gt; before their Game 5 victory.&lt;/p&gt;
  303. &lt;p id="s1S7lv"&gt;What are the &lt;a href="https://www.axios.com/2024/05/16/misunderstood-emojis-2024"&gt;most misunderstood emojis&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;
  304. &lt;p id="nR9XJQ"&gt;Does our&lt;a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2024/05/regional-accent-emotion-identity-critical-period/678398/"&gt; accent really change from a short visit abroad&lt;/a&gt;?&lt;/p&gt;
  305. &lt;p id="u2hyWe"&gt;Grand Theft Auto VI is &lt;a href="https://www.theverge.com/2024/5/16/24158510/gta-6-release-date-fall-2025"&gt;launching in fall 2025&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="9ZaXV7"&gt;Your song of the day is Toadies with &lt;em&gt;“I Come From The Water”.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;div id="QvDavt"&gt;&lt;div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6vlBd4AqbcI?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  308.  
  309. </content>
  310.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.royalsreview.com/2024/5/17/24158565/royals-rumblings-news-for-may-17-2024"/>
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  312.    <author>
  313.      <name>Max Rieper</name>
  314.    </author>
  315.  </entry>
  316. </feed>
  317.  

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