April 29, 2013 3:01 pm
Bubba Starling turning it around in Class A
by Michael Hurcomb | CBSSports.com

Royals outfield prospect Bubba Starling is beginning to turn it around after a horrid start to the season for Class A Lexington. While Starling is batting just .195 through 24 games, he's hitting .321 (9 for 28) in his last seven games.

Starling homered for the second straight game Monday and has three home runs in his last seven appearances. He also has 10 RBI in his last nine games. Starling, who was the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, is considered a top 100 prospect by MLB.com (No. 26) and Baseball America (No. 35).

Game 1 was a hot one out in the sun. Where we sat you could see balls and strikes ok but you can't see the scoreboard. You can call Dyson an animal and call STUBBS a bum 1000 times in a row like I did.

Game 2 much better seats. Great night for baseball. Sucks that Bucket Aviles went deep.

LMAO at the Boston paper's power rankings...

Number 1, Boston Red Sox (18-7): First Place, A.L. East. Last week, No. 1

Best record in the American League, best record in all of baseball, best run differential in all of baseball. Winners of seven of their last 10 and currently on a five-game winning streak.

Maybe the Red Sox won't end up having a great 2013, but the month of April really could not have gone any better.

The Sox are coming off of a week where they had seven home games, including fout against the lowly Houston Astros. A good team is supposed to win most of those games.

That's what the Red Sox did. They took two of three from the Oakland A's and then easily swept the Astros in four straight.

It is still April, but David Ortiz is as hot as any summer day. Since returning from the disabled list, Big Papi is hitting .516 with two home runs and 11 RBIs. The Red Sox were already hitting the ball well before Ortiz's return to the lineup, but he's provided a huge boost.

This coming week could provide a challenge. Boston plays six road games, three in Toronto and three against the Texas Rangers.

Number 2, Texas Rangers (16-9): First Place, A.L. West. Last week, No. 2

The top two spots remain unchanged. Texas might not be playing quite as well as the Red Sox, but they're still a darn good baseball team.

The Rangers stil are in first place and still own a very good record. The pitching must be a concern after last week.

Texas played seven games and allowed 72 runs.

Yes the Rangers still managed to win four of those seven, but there's no way that they'll continue to win more games than they lose if their pitching staff is allowing opponents to score 10 runs per game.

Yu Darvish is an early Cy Young candidate. He's 4-1 with an E.R.A of 1.65 and his 49 strikeouts is the highest in all of baseball.

Number 3, New York Yankees (15-9): Second Place, A.L. East. Last week, No. 4

Slowly but surely, every week it seems like the Yankees get a little higher in the rankings.

Will the ascent ever stop?

The Yankees are an enigma. They continue to absorb more and more injuries. This week it was Ivan Nova and Kevin Youkilis, both of whom needed MRI's. Francisco Cervelli hit the disabled list after breaking a finger.

Meanwhile, the Yankees completed a four game home sweep of the Toronto Blue Jays. Mariano Rivera has nine saves, Travis Hafner has six home runs and Robinson Cano is hitting .316.

With six home games against the Astros and A's this week, the team's current four-game winning streak could easily be extended.

Number 4, Kansas City Royals (13-9): First Place, A.L. Central. Last week, No. 5

The Red Sox are coming off a bad season, but the Royals are coming off a bad era. It has been over 25 years since the team played a postseason game. Don't tell these Royals, though. They're not listening. They're too busy winning games.

The Royals have won seven of their last 10. The pitching is still strong and the offense is being led by Alex Gordon.

Gordon is off to a great start. He's hitting .352 which is good for fifth in the league. He's got a great glove in left field, and even though he doesn't hit for a ton of power, he still drives in runs.

The Royals will spend the coming week playing at home against weak opponents, the Indians, Rays and White Sox. The team's impressive record seems likely to get even more impressive.

Isn't Paulino supposed to be back in May? If he's the Felipe that he was when he left that is some nice insurance in case Wade Davis struggles.

OR certainly a better option that Will ****ing Smith.

He struggled last night, but I think he eventually becomes a solid big league starter.That being said if Felipe is throwing a 3.5 at the 4 or 5 spot I can't imagine many teams with that deep of a rotation. Obviously a small sample size, but he had a 1.67 ERA in his 7 starts prior to underoing the TJ.

News: Paulino (elbow) threw 25 pitches during a live batting practice session Saturday, the Kansas City Star reports. (Sun Apr 28)

Spin: It was Paulino's second such outing as he continues to recover from last July's Tommy John surgery. He hopes to work his way up to five or six innings by the one-year anniversary of his procedure and could join the big-league rotation shortly thereafter.

If nothing else, we'll have some nice, ready-made ML talent to flip for players at the trade deadline, should we be in a position to buy.

Possibly, but aren't decent bats usually rented at the dealine for solid, but not great prospects? Not pitchers with middle to top of the rotation potential. This whole buy at the deadline thing is new to me, but it seems like when we had bats they brought back relievers or Vin Mazzaro/Sean O'Sullivans.

Smith wasn't great last night, but his teammates didn't help him much.

He should have been out of the first with no runs scored. The HR by Aviles was legit, but it also was set up by a bloop hit.

Jeff Francoeur cost the team at least 2 and probably 3 runs last night as well.

Smith really should have been through the 4th with only 3 runs in.

It depends on what you're buying, and how much people want it.

The Royals haven't sold a highly valuable player at the deadline in quite a while. It's been a lot of complementary pieces.

My hope is that they buy someone like Chase Utley (I'll keep banging that drum). It wouldn't cost the world in prospects, but it would take a decent guy (maybe someone like Orlando Calixte).

Did everyone hear about Johnathan Sanchez last night pitching for the Pirates? Facing the Cardinals he gave up back to back HRs to start the game, followed by a single, followed by throwing the ball at Allen Craig's head. He was promptly ejected. It is amazing that this guy was our 3rd starter to start the season last year.

Sadly, it's not really. The number of buttholes that have been on the Royals is pretty amazing.

That was a few days ago. He's been suspended 6 games

Boy we really ****ed the Rockies good in that trade.

I'd be shocked if he pitched another meaningful inning this year.

Dude has literally lost it. He has nothing left. I was pissed because the aforementioned game I had a Cardinals load for my FanDuel lineup and I had the first two guys who went back to back thinking I was a genius...

and he literally lasted 4 ****ing batters.

not only that

but even had we traded Melky for Guthrie that, at this point, would be considered a real good trade

...and think about that

last year we were PISSED about trading Melky for Sanchez once we realized how terrible Sanchez was

They have the best record in baseball, do you think the Royals should be #1?

Of course

GMDM has done pretty well with his trades. Compared to the lady gut he looks like a genius. The Myers trade looks better everyday imo. Of course I'd Myers wins roty that will change

Hopefully Shields can stop this little two game losing streak. Last season there was no end in sight to a losing streak but this season we have legitimate stoppers.

Come on Bubba!

Better than throwing Hoch or Chen.

Giavotella is playing pretty good in Omaha, Getz isn't hitting for crap in KC.

Guise, I'm telling you, call up Sheratelli!

he exhausted all his powers with that home run in Atlanta

You think Shields might crap his pants staring down his former teammates?

This type of game is why we traded for Shields. The hitters are playing like crap, and they need a stopper that can hold a team to 1 or 2 runs to let the hitters get their feet under them.

That being said, I think it's time to move Alex Gordon into the 3 hole. The leadoff guy cannot lead the team in RBIs throughout the season.

Sam Mellinger ‏@mellinger 5m

Jonathan Sanchez, DFA'd by the Pirates, the last two seasons: 1-12, 8.73 ERA, and per-9-IP avgs of 12.3 H, 2.1 HR, and 7.0 walks.

yeah for some reason they let him pitch again last night and he served up a homerun to our very own Yuniesky Betancourt...who is having a MONSTER year for the Brewers.

I thought this was interesting, before the season began ZiPS ran their projection as usual, and I'm sure everyone saw them, but last night they re-ran them to see how everyone's playoff odds have changed.

Here's how the AL Central looks, first number is the preseason projection, 2nd number is the odds as of this morning, third number is the change.

DET 65.1% 81.2% +16.1%
KC 22.6% 28.0% +5.4%
CLE 24.5% 9.5% -15.0%
CWS 23.7% 9.5% -14.2%
MIN 2.4% 1.5% -0.9%

Implied odds of the AL Central receiving at least one wild card:

38.3% 29.7% -8.6%

Moving on up.

Have you guys seen the forecast for the rest of the week? It's supposed to start raining tomorrow night, rain all day Thursday and maybe SNOW on Friday. Great....just great.

That's a DIRTY Sanchez!

I know, I'm pissed about it. I was planning on going to the games Friday and Saturday.

If the Royals were in other divisions:

http://i.imgur.com/eVDwmsD.png

****.

I clicked on a baseball thread on accident...

http://media.salon.com/2012/03/vietnam_war.png

REQUESTING IMMEDIATE E-VAC!1!

The weather is probably gonna get stoopid tonight.

Snow in May. Terrific.

So I'm listening to some dipshit shitkicker on 810 saying he's a big fan but he's not going to go to the K until the Royals get a real manager. Says even though the team's 14-10 they would be 18-6, "guaranteed," if Yost would make the right moves.

You didn't like my take?

LMAO

I heard that nimrod. What a moran.

booyah!

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index..._copy_26733445

Just got my tickets for the Yankee series! :toast:

LOL

I bet the guy in question never played baseball above the Little League level, to boot.

I'm not going to bang the table for Ned Yost, but he has pushed the right button a lot of times this year. He hasn't blatantly got in the way, and that's about all I expect from most managers.

My primary complaint is continuing to play Jeff Francoeur like a starter when he should be a platoon guy, but I think that's GM-directed more than manager-directed.

Thanks for the compliment. "Shitkicker"

Loved the Moose calls....really happy for him. You know it's been killing him to play as poorly as he has. Glad he got that first one out of the way. Now, hopefully he can relax and really get things going.

Moose walked a couple times the first game at that double hitter. Seemed to be seeing the ball better atleast.

Weather.com is so confused by the random snow that they've accidentally switched to the metric system!

If we go on a losing streak, I'm blaming the absence of Black Box in yesterday's game thread.

It's bad juju to Strike it Up or be Breakn a Sweat before a series is won or swept.

I was waiting for black box but the way the Royals were amped up was alittle bit meh. Baseball is such an up and down game I actually don't like that much emotion for a win.

Jeff Parker ‏@RoyallySpeaking 17m

The #Royals have never finished under .500 when starting the season 14-10 or better. Has happened 7 other times. Most recent was '03 & '89.

Good news? Obscure as hell stat.

SKC outdrew the Royals last night?

All the soccer fans were pumped after the Jason Collins announcement.

http://i.imgur.com/oQ2YVvJ.gif

Frenchy making solid contact on the ball(s).

They do until weekend games.

hahahahahahahahaha :LOL:

Anyone got a gif of Moose in the dugout after his bomb?

i want one from after he hit the sac fly the next inning also

Jeff "I'll Tap Your Nuts" Francoeur"

Betancourt still raking...another HR today...7 on year.

This explains a lot.

Be nice to have him at 2nd right now.

Just checking to see how rusty it is down there.

I wonder if Royal Fan still HATES the Shields trade. I'm sure they've warmed up to the Sanchez and Sisk trades.

The Shields trade can succeed on a few levels/or in a few ways:

-- The Royals make the playoffs in 2013 or 2014

OR

-- James Shields pitches great for two years before leaving as a free agent (and resulting in a high comp pick) and Wade Davis is more successful as a SP than Jake Odorizzi over the next 5 years

It's a failure if Odorizzi is better than Davis and the Royals don't make the playoffs.

It's also a failure if Wil Myers is Ryan Braun, part 2.

Tigers lost to Twinks 6-2 today.

Royals back in first. :thumb:

Looking forward into May, what are your thoughts on the schedule?
I'm simply hoping for a winning record in May

2 vs Tampa Bay (1-1)
3 vs White Sux (2-1)
3 @ Baltimore
3 vs NY Yankees
3 @ LA Angels
3 @ Oakland (want to go .500 over these 12 with 9 of them on the road)
3 @ Houston (3-0)
4 vs LA Angels (2-2)
2 vs StL
2 @ StL (2-2)
1 @ Tex (0-1)

That's 16 wins, but would quite happy to go 15-14 in May

Damn we have a heavy first two months.

We'll sweep Baltimore.

How Royals work, they will get swept by Baltimore but sweep New York and the Angels.

Nah. We'll kick the O's ass. Put it on the board.

Keep up the pace in May with the schedule and June looks nice with 10 games against the Twins and Astros.

that's what this thread has been missing.... a certain orioles troll poluting it with filth for the past month..

Damn, it's been nice.

So TINSSTAPP and all... but:
Yordano Ventura, RHP, Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas): 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 10 K

I am afraid John Lamb is done though. His fastball was only reaching 84-86 yesterday according to Baseball Prospectus.

@BigCatDaddy OMFG SHUT UR MOUF DOOD

#ChiefsandO's4lyfe