SB Nation - Luis Hernandez

The Baltimore Orioles All-Awful Lineup: 2000-2009

Stacey — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:51:31 -0000

More photos » by Chris Pizzello - AP

He has the WS ring and perhaps the last laugh, but he is still the worst 2B the O's had in the 2000s. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)

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I've encountered a number of articles around the web regarding the top 10 best things about this decade, be it movies, baseball players, or one-hit wonders. It's fair to say that I'm not above stealing someone else's idea, but given the that Orioles have spent the last decade in the toilet, it seems more appropriate to name the worst players of the decade, not the best. If there is one thing this Orioles fan likes to do, it's revel in failure. But if you're looking for a silver lining to the All-Awfuls, here it is: None of them came from the 2009 team and none of them will be on the team in 2010.

Catcher: Brook Fordyce

The candidates: Charles Johnson (2000), Brook Fordyce (2000-2003), Geronimo Gil (2002), Javy Lopez (2004-2006), Ramon Hernandez (2006-2008), Matt Wieters (2009)

Fordyce came to the Orioles in 2000, traded from the White Sox along with a handful of scrubs for Charles Johnson and Harold Baines. In 312 games from 2000-2003, Fordyce hit .257/.306/.379 (OPS+ 81). 2001 was especially awful for Fordyce as he hit just .209/.268/.322 in 95 games. Whatever the Orioles had in mind for Fordyce. it didn't work out. He was a complete failure as both offensively and defensively as he only managed to catch 58 base stealers out of 307 (18.8%) as an Oriole.

First Base: Rafael Palmeiro

The candidates: Will Clark (2000), Jeff Conine (2000-2003), Rafael Palmeiro (2004-2005), Kevin Millar (2006-2008), Aubrey Huff (2007-2009)

The numbers on the field may not back this up, but the only possible answer is Rafael Palmeiro. His positive steroid test in 2005, the subsequent denials and throwing of a fellow player under the bus, the ear plugs to drown out the boos, and his quiet departure from the team all help make the decision easy. Straight numbers-wise, the award probably goes to Aubrey Huff. He wasn't good in 2009 and league average in 2007 while splitting time at first with Kevin Millar. Although honestly, none of them was great shakes, so Palmeiro wins for emotional abuse of the fans.

Second Base: Jerry Hairston

The candidates: Delino DeShields (2000), Jerry Hairston (2001-2004), Brian Roberts (2003-2009)

This award has to go to Jerry Hairston. We all know the value of Brian Roberts, and Delino DeShields had a very solid 2000 at 2B. Hairston could never quite take advantage of his chances. He went from getting the majority of the playing time at 2B in 2001 and 2002 to losing time to Brian Roberts to being used as a utility man to being traded for Sammy Sosa. Overall he played 474 games for the Orioles in this decade with an OPS+ of 89.

Third Base: Cal Ripken

Candidates: Cal Ripken (2000-2001), Tony Batista (2002-2003), Melvin Mora (2004-2009)

Ok so here's the thing. Both Cal Ripken and Tony Batista were pretty lousy in their two year spans. I want to give the Awful Award to Tony Batista, I really do. But I don't think that I can. Cal Ripken was straight up bad in 2000 and 2001. As bad as Batista was, Cal was worse. From 2000-2001, he hit .246/.290/.347 with 29 HR and 32 2B. Batista hit .239/.290/.425 with 57 HR and 56 2B. The power is really the only difference, but it's enough to give Cal the edge in the awards voting. Argue with me if you like, but know that I feel bad enough about it already.

Shortstop: The Five Headed Monster

Candidates: Mike Bordick (2000-2002), Deivi Cruz (2003), Miguel Tejada (2004-2007), Brandon Fahey/Juan Castro/Alex Cintron/Luis Hernandez/Freddie Bynum (2008), Cesar Izturis (2009)

Deivi Cruz had this award all but locked up until 2008 rolled around. In 152 games in 2003 he hit a lousy .250/.269/.378 with 14 HR and 13 BB, a dark spot at SS between Bordick and Tejada. But after the trade of Tejada, the Five Headed Monster set out to prove that no matter how bad one player can play a position, five guys can play even worse. In 2008 they hit a combined .217/.257/.277 with 3 HR and 18 2B. Well done, guys, you put together one of the worse offensive seasons at SS in history.

Outfield: Jay Payton, Luis Matos, and Sammy Sosa

Candidates: Brady Anderson (2000-2001), Jeff Conine (2000-2003, 2006), B.J. Surhoff (2000, 2003-2005), Albert Belle (2000), Chris Richard (2000), Melvin Mora (2001-2003), Chris Singleton (2002), Gary Matthews Jr. (2002-2003), Jay Gibbons (2001-2007), Luis Matos (2001-2006), Larry Bigbie (2001-2005), David Newhan (2004-2006), Sammy Sosa (2005), Nick Markakis (2006-2009), Corey Patterson (2006-2007), Jay Payton (2007-2008), Adam Jones (2008-2009), Luke Scott (2008-2009), Nolan Reimold (2009), Felix Pie (2009)

The Orioles outfield has pretty much been a hot mess this entire decade. If I ever get the urge in 2010 to complain about Reimold, Jones, Markakis, or Pie, someone please direct me to this list. I mean, look at some of those names. Minus the oldest names and the newest names, it's basically a list of players I can't stand. I immediately wanted to crown Jay Gibbons the winner , but honestly he wasn't the worst, not by a long shot. That honor goes to the other Jay, Jay Payton. From 2007-2008, Jay Payton played in 258 games for the Orioles in the outfield, second only to Nick Markakis' 318 games. Over the two year span he hit .250/.292/.363 with an OPS+ of 72. That combined with his chronic whining and the time he picked a fight with Melvin Mora in the dugout give him the title of worst Oriole outfielder of the 2000s. Congrats, Jay Pay!

Much like his BFF Cal, Brady Anderson's last two years as an Oriole were nothing be proud of. Unlike Cal, there have been enough lousy outfielders since then that Brady escaped this list. Luis Matos and Sammy Sosa, come on down! From 2000-2006 the injury prone Matos played in 494 games for the Orioles with a robust line of .256/.313/.375. One decent season afforded him 2.5 more years of horridness before the Orioles finally got rid of him. Sosa only spent one year (and not even really that) as an Oriole, but it was one of the more pathetic seasons I can recall. Anyone wondering why he was obtained for the bargain price of Jerry Hairston and Mike Fontenot found out why after seeing him play. He missed a number of games due to injury, the games he played were awful, and by all accounts he stirred up quite a bit of strife in the clubhouse with Miguel Tejada. Sosa was MIA for about the last month of the season, and one of my favorite stories from the Baltimore Sun of the whole year was about how the Orioles couldn't find Sammy Sosa.

Hell of a lineup. We Orioles fans have had it rough this decade. I think we're finally due for some happiness, don't you?

(Note: I tried to include pitching in this but it was just too daunting of a task. Perhaps some other time.)

Twins Hammer and Homer Royals for the Sweep: Bring On the Tigers!

Jesse — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 22:23:49 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

Minnesota Twins' Jason Kubel doffs his helmet to the crowd after his second three-run home run of the game off Kansas City Royals' Luke Hochevar in the third inning of a baseball game Sunday, Oct. 4, 2009 in Minneapolis, while Denard Span makes fun of his beard. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

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Twins 13, Royals 4

Do you hear that? Can you still hear it? It's the reverb from the cacophony of noise created by fans at the Dome. Why, you may ask?

Because we just forced game 163.

"BOOM!" said Jason Kubel.

"BOOM!" said Delmon Young.

"BOOM!" said Kubel, again.

"Ditto," said Delmon.

As the Detroit Tigers hung on to salvage one game from the Chicago White Sox this afternoon, the Twins were busy putting the hurt on the Kansas City Royals. It was 7-0 at the end of the third inning, with six of those runs crossing the plate stuck in Kubel's beard; a pair of three-run jacks lifted Jason to one of the best days of his career in a crucial game.

Young went deep twice of his own accord, solo shots that, "just enough" or not, certainly did the trick. His second blast put the Twins up 8-1 going into the sixth, and the game looked like it was on ice. But oh yeah, we were facing the Royals, and they have just as much fight as the Twins. Sadly for them they don't have the talent to match, but for one half of an inning, things were interesting.

Carl Pavano started on three days rest this afternoon, and he looked good. Working out of a second and third with one out situation in the second inning, he made a statement about exactly what kind of a pitcher he can be when he bears down. He worked John Buck out-in-out-in-in to induce a shallow fly-out to center that couldn't score a run, and then quickly sent down Alex Gordon as well. It was a microcosm of the game for the Royals: try as they might, it wasn't going to be good enough.

Pavano pitched around a Luis Hernandez leadoff double in the third before allowing a run in the fourth off back-to-back doubles by Alberto Callaspo and Mark Teahen. He looked strong again the fifth before falling off the table in the aforementioned sixth.

Mike Jacobs picked up a leadoff single before Callaspo tripled to bring the score to 8-2. Still Pavano battled back, striking out Teahen and inducing a Buck ground-out for out number two. Another run scored, but with the bases empty and the bullpen spare he attacked Alex Gordon.

"BOOM!", said Gordon. 8-4, hook for Pavano, enter Bobby Keppel.

Quick, ask me which pitcher I don't want to see in a game.

Keppel lasted six pitches, delivering five fastballs down the middle of the plate and a slider in the dirt. The Royals continued to jab with the left, trying to inch closer before coming in with a strong right. With runners on the corners and still just the two outs that Pavano managed, Ron Gardenhire went to Ron Mahay in order to get lefty Mitch Maier.

Mahay hit Maier.

Bases loaded, down by four and with Billy Butler at the dish, this game suddenly didn't look like such a sure shot. Gardenhire power walked to the mound for the third time that inning, stuck two fingers up Mahay's nose, pulled down, said "Get outta here you knucklehead" and then poked Mahay in the eyes. Out came Jon Rauch.

Big, surly Jon Rauch. The Jon Rauch whose tattoo changes color depending on his mood. I think it's like a mood tattoo, and today it was green. Whatever green means, it didn't bode well for the Royals. Rauch dusted in and out with a couple of breaking balls, and then attacked the outer half with two consecutive fastballs, the second of which Butler just stood and watched without flinching. Strike three, good sir.

From there things got considerably easier. In the bottom half of the sixth Denard Span walked, and then scored on an Orlando Cabrera double down the left field line. After Kubel singled in the seventh, Carlos Gomez replaced him on the bases and later scored on a Matt Tolbert (TOL-BEAR!!) double into right. In the bottom half of the eighth Span singled, and then scored on a Cabrera double down the left field line. Yes, again. Oh, and one more thing.

"BOOM!" said Cuddyer. With authori-tah.

Astoundingly the Royals actually out-hit the Twins 12-11, with the difference being that A) the Twins walked seven times and B) the Twins out-homered the Royals 5-1. That kind of thing usually makes it very easy to win.

Brian Duensing, Jesse Crain and Francisco Liriano dusted off the final three innings without allowing a run, and at the end of the afternoon the Twins had done the unbelieveable: they'd swept the Royals, and earned themselves a shot at the division title.

While the White Sox couldn't complete the miracle, it hardly seems to matter. Minnesota was written off for dead, not just by most of the baseball world but by many of their own fans. And you know what? I don't blame anyone. I don't harbor any hard feelings toward anyone for looking at the mathematical probabilities on Friday morning and saying "nope". But it was't over then, and it's not over now.

Tuesday afternoon at four the Tigers come to town to defend a crown that should be theirs. There will be no pressure on the Twins in this game--they're "not supposed" to even be there. For the second year in a row the Twins have to play game 163 to decide whether or not they are the AL Central champions, to decide whether or not they earn the right to play post-season baseball. This time the game is being played where it should be played: in the comforts of Dome.

The season plays on for at least one more glorious afternoon of baseball. And we get once last shot under the teflon sky. Are you excited? Because you sure as hell should be.

Stars of the Game
#3: Delmon Young (2-for-5, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2 R, .071 WPA)
#2: Carl Pavano (5.2 IP on three days rest, 8 H, 7 K, 1 BB, 4 R, .096 WPA)
#1: Jason Kubel (3-for-4, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 2 R, .257 WPA)

Wednesday's Frosty Mug

KLSnow — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 14:28:19 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

5 months ago: Milwaukee Brewers manager Ken Macha argues with home plate umpire Bill Hohn during the third inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday, July 7, 2009, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)

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Some things to read while being three times as cool.

Umpiring issues took center stage last night as the Brewers lost 5-0 to the Cardinals, falling two games back in the Central. Home plate umpire Bill Hohn ejected Dale Sveum and Willie Randolph following their complaints that Hohn was inconsistent in asking for help calling check swings. Perhaps the most vocal criticism of Hohn came from Tom Haudricourt, who tweeted about Hohn no less than six times, including this one:

Hohn's strike 3 call on Hardy was a joke. If these guys really are being graded by QuesTec, he should see how bad that call was.

Umpiring has been under fire a lot this week around baseball, and deservedly so in some cases. However, major league umpires can't be fired for incompetence, leading Matthew Pouliot of Circling the Bases to call the profession "America's Most Secure Job."

Of course, Adam Wainwright was pretty good last night too. He's posted a 0.77 ERA in three starts against the Brewers this season, with 25 strikeouts and just six walks.

Ryan Braun and Doug Melvin met before yesterday's contest to clear the air between the two and hopefully mark the end of the issues between the two. After the meeting, Braun delivered this statement to the media. If nothing else, at least Braun got a new nickname out of the deal. Also, video from his Remetee event at Decibel has hit Youtube.

Meanwhile, Doug Melvin continues to work on making a move:

He freed up a spot on the 40-man roster yesterday, outrighting Joe Koshansky.
As noted in Rumorville, the Brewers reportedly have serious interest in Roy Halladay.
Ken Rosenthal says Javier Vazquez is too valuable to the Braves to be traded for any of the available hitters, including Corey Hart.
Here's one pitcher available for nothing: The A's designated former Brewer farmhand Dana Eveland for assignment yesterday. Eveland may not be the answer in the rotation at this point, but the Brewers have a 40-man roster spot open and Eveland is certainly better than Chris Narveson.

Manny Parra appears to be on his way back to the majors. He's not listed among Nashville's probable starters for this week, and the Brewers have now have "TBA" listed as their starter for Thursday. Jeff Suppan will start today, and Looper, Burns and Gallardo will pitch Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In today's only minor league story, Dennis Punzel of the Capital Times made the trip up to Grand Chute to see the Timber Rattlers and discuss the massive attendance bump they're seeing since becoming a Brewer affiliate. I'm thinking of going to Monday's afternoon game - anyone interested in doing a BCB meetup?

On Power Rankings and whatnot:

WhatifSports dropped the Brewers seven spots to thirteenth in their rankings.
Inside the Majors dropped the Brewers two spots to #11.
The Ghost of Moonlight Graham ranks the Brewer bullpen as the fourth best in baseball.

Did a pitcher from that Brewer bullpen belong in the All Star Game? Cory Provus makes a case for two snubbed relievers: Trevor Hoffman and Mitch Stetter.

Meanwhile, SportingNews.com ranked every major league ballpark, and put Miller Park 15th, behind Wrigley Field, the new Yankee Stadium and Busch Stadium, among others. (h/t THT)

Around baseball:

Cardinals: Placed Mark DeRosa on the DL with a partial tear of the tendon sheath in his left wrist.
Cubs: Placed Ryan Dempster on the DL with a displaced fracture of his big toe.
Mariners: Placed Mike Sweeney on the DL with back spasms.
Marlins: Are expected to sign Scott Williamson to a minor league deal.
Nationals: Jesus Colome, who had been designated for assignment, cleared waivers and elected to become a free agent.
Padres: Designated Walter Silva for assignment.
Royals: Designated infielder Luis Hernandez for assignment.
Tigers: Designated outfielder Don Kelly for assignment.
White Sox: Acquired reliever Tony Pena from the Diamondbacks for a minor league infielder.

It's been about ten days since the Brewers lost to Giants starter Ryan Sadowski, who was making his major league debut. What we didn't know at the time was the long and winding road Sadowski took to the majors, including brain surgery and having his mom set up meetings with scouts after Sadowski pitched just 6.2 innings in college. The whole story is a great read.

Should baseball consider realignment to even out competitive balance? TangoTiger makes the case for it. It's also worth noting that the disparity between leagues in baseball is not as big as the disparities in the NHL or NFL.

Oh, and happy anniversary to Ben Oglivie, who hit three home runs in the first half of a doubleheader on this day in 1979, and also drove in the winning run in the second game.

Drink up.

31-42

NHZ — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:02:41 -0000

The Royals lose again. Everyone does realize that when myself and others were talking about the National League not being very good, none of actually said "but the Royals are much, much better!"? Good, glad we have that cleared up. Because right now more than ever, as the Royals drop a series to the NL Central cellar-dwellers, this team really isn't very good at baseball.

Bruce Chen made it through six-and-two-thirds, and would have had a quality start if the bullpen could've picked him up. Kyle Davies, you recall, had about negative three quality starts. I guess I should be encouraged, but it's hard to be when you're talking about a guy whose only good year came when he used voodoo, smoke and mirrors to go from journeyman to good starter in the AL East. Since then, Chen has reverted to journeyman. At least he'll always have 2005? But realistically, this was the Pirates he faced today.
"Journeyman" may actually have a hidden meaning "better than Kyle Davies, anyway."
Chen was 1-for-1 with a walk. He was infinitely better than DDJ, Olivo, Teahen, and Hernandez.
I know Trey doesn't care, but you could make a case for having neither Tony Pena Jr. or Little Luis on this team. And it'd be a pretty good one, too. We certainly don't need two utility guys who can't hit their hat size. Really, couldn't we at least give some of their PAs to someone marginally interesting such as Hulett. Oh right, he's not scrubby enough to be Willie Ballgame. Sorry, Tug.
Speaking of which, Bloomquist and Billy Butler had two hits each. The latter had two RBI, but he is terrible because he has clearly already peaked.
Brayan Pena had another hit in his only PA. With Olivo not going to be part of the next Royals competitive team, it's hard to see why BPJ shouldn't get more playing time. He's earned the right to fail, if he's going to fail.
I have only one thing to say about John Bale's pitching: was Terminator: Salvation any good?
Everyone congratulate Warden11 for correctly guessing Luis Hernandez's career SLG. It was .285 coming into this game.

29-35

NHZ — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 03:41:59 -0000

Diamondbacks 12, Royals 5.

Greinke was not at his best tonight, and still struck out nine Arizonans. This should tell you something about how good Greinke is, and how bad the National League is.
That said, I don't see why Hillman left him in for 115 pitches when he was laboring pretty badly.
Our defense is still terrible.
Positives....uh....Mitch Maier was 3-for-5. Jose Guillen was 3-for-4. Mike Jacobs and Billy Butler both had two hits and a walk.
Miguel Olivo was horrible today. 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to bring his season K:BB to 53:2. I didn't think I'd see anyone eclipse Todd Greene's 2003 in that regard. And yet, here we are. Do people still think that Buck's adequacy is worse than Olivo's brand of hopelessness?
We let Tug Hulett into the game today. We'll probably demote him tomorrow. Not that it's incrediby relevant to this particular game, but baseball isn't much of a meritocracy when it comes to the 25th man types. Willie Bloomquist is a millionaire and Hulett is probably thrilled to be receiving a major league paycheck for once. Please let me know if you can find a difference between the two players that's worth a two-year, multimillion deal.
Luis Hernandez pinch hit. Which is just amazing. Just go back and read up on the Camden Chat threads when Hernandez was the starting SS for the O's last year. Fun stuff.
Luis Hernandez had a hit and an RBI. He probably DOES work the count better than Olivo!
We're now 8-6 in games that the Cy Young frontrunner has pitched.

The Royals are an 88-win Team in the National League

royalsreview — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 21:02:46 -0000

Brian Bannister went old school today, working his anti-BABIP mojo to the tune of just four hits allowed in eight innings, paired with a relatively modest strikeout total of four. Of course, the Reds weren't going to be walking anyway, so it hardly mattered, but Banny only issued one free pass (yay dead baseball cliches!). Though I had my doubts at the beginning of this season, Bannister now seems likely to pass D.A.R.Y.L. May's career starts total of 97 (though total games pitched remains in question). Bannister is at 78 career starts now, and even if he immediately becomes the worst starter alive, he'll probably get at a minimum 20 more chances now, enough to pass May.
Heading into today's game Mark Teahen was hitting .333/.364/.619 in his last seven games, a mini-hot streak that no one really noticed. After three more hits today, he may finally be out of St. Willie's shadow. Or not.
Jacobs drew two walks today.
Miguel Olivo had his weekly awesome game. Now prepare yourselves for another 2-18 stretch with 15 strikeouts.
I really love the Luis Hernandez-Tony Pena Jr.-St. Willie platoon of death the Royals have working at shortstop. You have to appreciate this roster. Hillman has the ability to start the game with an all-glove, no-hit SS, pinch-hit or defensive sub with an even worse option in the seventh, then do the same again in the ninth, if needed. It's like a classic 1980s "SuperGroup" only its primary function appears to be sexually exciting the broadcasting class.
How horrible did the Reds look this weekend? Completely horrific hitting, terrible plate approach, awful defense, and milquetoast pitching. This is a .500 team in the NL! The Royals displayed a near total mastery of them, and the Royals aren't good. The Royals looked potent, patient, and overpowering against the Reds. I know it's just three games, but after weekends like this, I don't doubt Beyond the Boxscore's contention that a .500 team in the AL would win 92 games in the National League.

Poll

How many games would the 2009 Royals win in the National League?

77-80

77 votes

81-84

86 votes

85-88

250 votes

89 or more

232 votes

645 votes | Poll has closed

Series Preview: 6/2-6/4 Kansas City Royals @ Tampa Bay Rays

R.J. Anderson — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:26:57 -0000

6/2: Kyle Davies vs. Andy Sonnanstine (7:08 SS)

6/3: Brian Bannister vs. Jeff Niemann (7:08 FSF)

6/4: Gil Meche vs. James Shields (4:08 SS)

C John Buck/Miguel Olivo

1B Billy Butler

2B Alberto Callapso

3B Mark Teahen

SS Luis Hernandez

LF David DeJesus

CF Mitch Maier

RF Jose Guillen

No lengthy preview today; Davis is eh, Bannister is meh, and Meche is ... huh, a sub-3 FIP? Also, this is fantastic (h/t Eric Seidman):

Delmon Young: 117 PA, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, .251 wOBA
Willie Bloomquist: 111 PA, 2 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, .346 wOBA

Luis Hernandez Was in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"

royalsreview — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:24:41 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

Chicago White Sox's Chris Getz (17) steals second as Kansas City Royals shortstop Luis Hernandez waits for the throw from home during the third inning of a baseball game Saturday, May 30, 2009, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Best known for his role as "Short Round" in the 1984 smash Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Luis Hernandez also appeared in Goonies and numerous episodes of Head of the Class before becoming an obscure journeyman infielder.

After co-starring in 1992's Encino Man, Hernandez decided to focus solely on baseball. Ironically, despite famously wearing a baseball cap during most of his screen time in Temple of Doom, Hernandez did not seriously take up the sport until much later.

The Biggest Royal Slide Since the French Revolution Continues

royalsreview — Tue, 26 May 2009 01:45:48 -0000

More photos » by Charlie Riedel - AP

I think the red hats look silly. What is this, Cuba? (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

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Catching up after a long weekend on the road...

On May 7th, the Royals were 18-11. Since that date, they've gone 4-12. The Royals are about two days from being closer to last than first place. At 22-23, the Royals merely seem like part of the huge pack of mediocre teams around baseball this season. Twelve teams currently have between 20 and 23 wins (inclusive). It's like one day we woke up and the entire game was one big version of the NL Central. I don't like this world.
With none of their rivals truly playing well the Tigers have an opportunity to distance themselves in the Central. You know what's funny about this division, you can almost perfectly order the teams inversely by how many games they've played against the AL East: Detroit-7, KC-11, Minnesota-16, CWS-14, Cleveland-18.
Can you imagine where the Royals would be without the reemergence of Brian Bannister?
Gil Meche is struggling. He's posted a game score below 50 in five of his last six starts and has killed the bullpen more than once this month.
Of course, in bizarro Royals world, who is or isn't hurt doesn't jive clearly with who goes on the DL and who stays around. I'm dreading a scenario in which Meche slogs through three more laborious starts, then hits the DL for a 15-day stint that turns into two months. But the good news is is that no other Royal players have had similar things happen this season, so why should I be worried?
Speaking of today's game, Hillman's curious bullpen usage continues. It is not so much that he's uniformly horrible -- he isn't -- or even that he's generic, it's just that... that... he's good for 0.75 head scratchers a game. Mahay in a 7-0 game? Wright in a 9-1 game in the 9th? Perhaps the root issue here is the fact that the Royals simply have a strange collection of guys out in the 'pen. I don't know.
Did you sell high on Jamey Wright in your fantasy league?
Offensively, it just looks like everyone is cold. Callaspo and Bloomquist (see below) are racing one another to see who can get from .380 to .300 faster, which is especially brutal since they are singles-based players to begin with. Butler, Jacobs & Guillen all have cooled off, and only DDJ appears to be really "hot" right now. Sadly, this isn't truly shocking, as at times it has looked like GMDM has been attempting to construct a boom/bust or feast/famine lineup. The nice thing about OBP guys is that drawing walks tends to be a steady skill. The Royals don't have those kinds of players, outside of Crisp and DDJ. The lineup misses Alex Gordon. (edit: actually Guillen and Butler have been decent, see comments)
It's fun having Luis Hernandez around. In nearly a month he's now collected nine plate appearances.
Did you notice Bloomy went 0-3 today? On May 3rd Bloomquist was hitting .372/.462/.558. I hope everyone enjoyed that first month, because it is likely to stand as his greatest time as a Royal. Prior to today's 0-3, Bloomquist had followed that hot start with a .237/.286/.263 stretch.
Here's the team's runs scored numbers during this 4-12 stretch: 1,0,3,3,2,5,8,2,7,6,5,3,0,0,3,1. The Royals have scored two runs or fewer in eighteen games this season.
I nominate The Jacobs Creature as Mike Jacobs's new nickname.
In case you missed it, I did a podcast with Lee Warren of Royals Reflections on Friday. What could be better than setting your settings to "shuffle" heading to the gym, and halfway through your treadmill workout landing on an hour+ conversation about the Royals?