Royals 2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread - Page 583

duncan_idaho · 10:01 AM

Proposed 2013 Slogan: Tigers: They're what's for dinner
Actual 2013 Slogan: Come to Play
A better, more accurate, or alternative slogan: All in, no panic, we promise.

Dayton Moore has pushed all his chips in and is riding on King/Jack suited, hoping it comes together, he gets some good luck, and he hits the nuts by the river card. There's potential, oh yes, there's potential. There's also risk.

At the midway point, Dayton is left counting on the river card. The flop and turn didn't help him, and he's looking at the Tigers holding a pair of Queens and the Indians holding a pair of 9s. His 2013 plan hasn't failed - yet - but the odds are not in his favor.

Burning questions updates below.

Burning Questions for 2013:

1) Will the improve rotation be improved enough? Does James Shields pitch like a fringe No. 1 away from Tampa Bay? Does Ervin Santana pitch to his highest upside in his walk year? Can Jeremy Guthrie build on his strong performance as a Royal in 2012? Can Wade Davis bring his new mentality- and velocity - back to the rotation?

Midseason check-in: Yes, the rotation is certainly improved enough. Shields has pitched like a fringe No. 1 and Santana is having his best season. Guthrie has horrible peripherals but has continued to perform well at his home park and eat innings on the road. Davis brought neither his kick-ass mentality or improved velocity back to the rotation and is in Luke Hochevar/Hiram Davies territory.

2) When will Luke Hochevar be shown the door?
Midseason check-in: It appears, never, at this point. Hochevar has been solid in non-leverage situations, though pretty much every time he has been used with men on base in an inning, it has been a disaster.

3) Does Hosmer bounce back?
Midseason check-in: It took some time, but Hosmer's performance from June 1 on is probably the most encouraging thing about the 2013 season so far.
4) Can Moustakas hit for a whole season like he did in the first half of 2012?
Midseason check-in: Nope. Moustakas was god-awful, then great for about 3 weeks, then god-awful again. He has been better since he started working with Brett and Grafol but still has a long way to go.
5) Who regresses?
Midseason check-in: Welp, Alicides Escobar is not a surprising name here (though Yost's stubborn insistence on hitting him second is ridiculous). Billy Butler is a surprise. He isn't having a terrible year - still contributing a lot to the offense - but he's not hitting for the average or power he has displayed over the past several years.
6) Who plays 2B?
Midseason check-in: A whole bunch of people, and not that great. Gio is at least getting a shot, though he once again is not doing much with it.
7) Can Jeff Francoeur be at least replacement level, rather than epic horrible level?
Midseason check-in: Hahahahahahahahahahaha
8) Will Dayton Moore survive to see 2014?
Midseason check-in: Outlook uncertain. Probably still around, unless the team completely tanks in the second half and he does something foolish. My guess - he sacrifices Ned Yost this offseason and gets one more shot with a new manager in 2014.
9) Will Danny Duffy come back healthy? And if he does, is he the same, better or worse?
Midseason check-in: Yes. Velocity looks the same, and it looks likely he is the same guy as before.
10) And the big one: Has KC added enough to run down the big-money Detroit Tigers?
Midseason check-in: Doesn't look like it, does it?

AussieChiefsFan · 08-05-2013, 06:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

So, I guess we'd prefer to have Cleveland win their series against Detroit?

Well, do we want to play for the division or a wildcard spot?

Archie F. Swin · 08-05-2013, 07:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AussieChiefsFan

Well, do we want to play for the division or a wildcard spot?

unless something unforeseen happens, our only chance is for a wildcard

mr. tegu · 08-05-2013, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mr. tegu

Through Sunday for the AL Central teams.

Detroit:
- Strasburg vs Sanchez
- Gonzalez vs Verlander
This is a pretty equal series so Detroit going 1-1 is reasonable.

Detroit went 2-0.

- Three vs Chicago: Pretty lopsided so realistically our best hope is 2-1.
That would put Detroit at 62-47 after next Sunday.

Detroit went 3-0. They are now 64-45 so I was two games off.

Cleveland:
- Danks vs McAllister
- Peavy vs Kazmir
- Quintana vs Kluber
- Sale vs Masterson
Pitching wise, the matchups aren't that unequal. Hopefully, the White Sox get a little bit of luck and take two games and Cleveland goes 2-2.

Well the White Sox didn't get any luck. They lost three games to walk offs. Two of which they had the lead late so Cleveland ends up at 4-0 here.

- Three at the Marlins. We can really only hope that Cleveland loses one to go 2-1.
That would put Cleveland at 60-51

I got this one right. Cleveland is now 62-49. So again, I was two games off.

Kansas City:
- Santana vs Pelfrey
- Guthrie vs Correia
- Shields vs Diamond
The pitching matchups favor us big time. This is a series we must win two, but I think we can go 3-0.

- Three vs the Mets. The pitching matchups will be mostly equal. Their offense has been struggling even more than ours so hopefully we can get 2 to go 2-1. That puts us at 56-52 after Sunday.

Detroit - 62-47
Cleveland - 60-51, 3 GB
Kansas City - 56-52, 5.5 GB

If we can do this we pick up 1.5 games in the AL Central and assuredly move up in the wildcard standings.

I got the Royals exactly right. But we didn't pick up any ground in the division over this stretch.

.

**ChiTown** · 08-05-2013, 07:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Royals are 47-32 if you exclude May

8-20 in May

A .500 May and we have a 1.5 game lead for the 2nd wildcard spot. Meh, it is what it is. We need to keep chopping wood and treating every game like its do or die. Because, quite frankly, it is. Given how the teams in front of them are playing, this team can't afford to lose a series right now. And really, they need to play .630 ball the rest of the way to have a chance. 90 wins, IMO, is what it will most likely take to secure the last wildcard spot. 34-20 in the last 54 games.

So, go thru the schedule and see if you can logically get 34 wins out of the remaining games. It's doable, but we are going to have to have a HERCULEAN effort to get it done. I'm in, but it certainly looks like May will be the month that ****ed us, and ****ed us really hard.

tredadda · 08-05-2013, 07:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

So, I guess we'd prefer to have Cleveland win their series against Detroit?

I would rather see Detroit win that series and I think they will considering the routinely pound Cleveland. Our competition is Cleveland right now and that is the team we have been struggling with this year. Having the Tigers help us out some would be nice. If we continue to take care of business and continue to play well vs. Detroit we should be alright.

Prison Bitch · 08-05-2013, 07:53 AM

Cleveland had an 8 game skid earlier this year too. Every team goes through it. I think the Giants did it last year too and they won the WS. Our 8-20 month was awful yes but we were going to have a down time this year. We're just not good enough to avoid those spells.

Frankly our defense is so spectacular it has kept us in many games we'd normally have lost in years past. Stops losing streaks before they begin. We have plenty of games left withe Cleve anyway.

tredadda · 08-05-2013, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Cleveland had an 8 game skid earlier this year too. Every team goes through it. I think the Giants did it last year too and they won the WS. Our 8-20 month was awful yes but we were going to have a down time this year. We're just not good enough to avoid those spells.

Frankly our defense is so spectacular it has kept us in many games we'd normally have lost in years past. Stops losing streaks before they begin. We have plenty of games left withe Cleve anyway.

We need them to have another one as well. Difference between us and SF is that when they got hot, the rest of their division did not. For us, we are playing our best baseball of the year, but so is Cleveland and Detroit. That is how we could win 11 of 12 and not gain in the standings at all. We just need to stay hot and hope those two cool off. We also need to figure out how to beat Cleveland since we seem to have Detroit's number. The goal is to have at least a 2-3 game lead heading into the final series because Detroit ends the season against the Marlins and fully expect them to sweep Miami.

**ChiTown** · 08-05-2013, 08:15 AM

Here's a look at the "34" wins I think we need in the final 54 games of the season to get the last WC spot.

August
Home vs. Twins - Sweep 3 Game Series
Home vs. Red Sox - Split 4 game Series - 2 Wins
Home vs Marlins - 3 Game Sweep
@ DET - 5 Game Series - 2 wins
Home vs White Sox - Win 2 of 3 Games
Home vs Nationals - Win 2 of 3 Games
Make up Game with Rays at the K - Loss
@ Twins - Win 2 of 3 Games
@ Toronto - split 2 Games - 1 win
Remaining August Win Total - 17 Wins (20 Wins in August - .645 win clip)

September
@ Toronto - Win finale of the series
Home vs Mariners - Win 3 of 4 Games
Home vs Tigers - Win 2 of 3 Games
@ CLE - Win 1 of 3 Games
@ DET - Win 1 of 3 Games
Home vs CLE - Win 2 of 3 Games
Home Vs Rangers - Win 2 of 3 Games
@ Mariners - Win 2 of 3 Games
@ White Sox - Win 3 of 4 Games
September Win Total - 17 wins

34-20 in the final 54 gets us 90 wins. Like I said, that is doable, but we are going to have to really stay sharp with our pitching and D to have a shot.

Prison Bitch · 08-05-2013, 08:34 AM

20% of the Rangers remaining games are vs. Houston. I knew that dog crap team would unduly influence the WC at the end. Then again maybe the White Sux do that for us

KChiefs1 · 08-05-2013, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tredadda

I would rather see Detroit win that series and I think they will considering the routinely pound Cleveland. Our competition is Cleveland right now and that is the team we have been struggling with this year. Having the Tigers help us out some would be nice. If we continue to take care of business and continue to play well vs. Detroit we should be alright.

I hope Detroit sweeps them.

mr. tegu · 08-05-2013, 08:53 AM

As long as we win each of the next four days, we are guaranteed to make up ground. That is a nice change!

mr. tegu · 08-05-2013, 09:01 AM

Best case scenario for the next four days.

Detroit and Cleveland split. Detroit is now 66-47. Cleveland is 64-51.

We win each of the next four and are sitting at 60-52. That puts us only 5.5 back of Detroit and 2.5 back of Cleveland. I think this is what we should be hoping for because we gain 2 games on both teams in front of us in four days. That would be huge.

**ptlyon** · 08-05-2013, 10:00 AM

It will be interesting to watch.

The fact that KC, Detroit, & Cleveland all are 9-1 in the last 10 games is unreal.

Fansy the Famous Bard · 08-05-2013, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ptlyon

It will be interesting to watch.

The fact that KC, Detroit, & Cleveland all are 9-1 in the last 10 games is unreal.

And painful

Deberg_1990 · 08-05-2013, 10:40 AM

When do they expand the rosters for minor league callups? Who will get promoted?
Posted via Mobile Device

12-11-2012, 09:59 AM
duncan_idaho M-I-Z-Z-O-U Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Kansas City Casino cash: $-1889692	2013 Kansas City Royals Repository Thread Proposed 2013 Slogan: Tigers: They're what's for dinner Actual 2013 Slogan: Come to Play A better, more accurate, or alternative slogan: All in, no panic, we promise. Dayton Moore has pushed all his chips in and is riding on King/Jack suited, hoping it comes together, he gets some good luck, and he hits the nuts by the river card. There's potential, oh yes, there's potential. There's also risk. At the midway point, Dayton is left counting on the river card. The flop and turn didn't help him, and he's looking at the Tigers holding a pair of Queens and the Indians holding a pair of 9s. His 2013 plan hasn't failed - yet - but the odds are not in his favor. Burning questions updates below. Burning Questions for 2013: 1) Will the improve rotation be improved enough? Does James Shields pitch like a fringe No. 1 away from Tampa Bay? Does Ervin Santana pitch to his highest upside in his walk year? Can Jeremy Guthrie build on his strong performance as a Royal in 2012? Can Wade Davis bring his new mentality- and velocity - back to the rotation? Midseason check-in: Yes, the rotation is certainly improved enough. Shields has pitched like a fringe No. 1 and Santana is having his best season. Guthrie has horrible peripherals but has continued to perform well at his home park and eat innings on the road. Davis brought neither his kick-ass mentality or improved velocity back to the rotation and is in Luke Hochevar/Hiram Davies territory. 2) When will Luke Hochevar be shown the door? Midseason check-in: It appears, never, at this point. Hochevar has been solid in non-leverage situations, though pretty much every time he has been used with men on base in an inning, it has been a disaster. 3) Does Hosmer bounce back? Midseason check-in: It took some time, but Hosmer's performance from June 1 on is probably the most encouraging thing about the 2013 season so far. 4) Can Moustakas hit for a whole season like he did in the first half of 2012? Midseason check-in: Nope. Moustakas was god-awful, then great for about 3 weeks, then god-awful again. He has been better since he started working with Brett and Grafol but still has a long way to go. 5) Who regresses? Midseason check-in: Welp, Alicides Escobar is not a surprising name here (though Yost's stubborn insistence on hitting him second is ridiculous). Billy Butler is a surprise. He isn't having a terrible year - still contributing a lot to the offense - but he's not hitting for the average or power he has displayed over the past several years. 6) Who plays 2B? Midseason check-in: A whole bunch of people, and not that great. Gio is at least getting a shot, though he once again is not doing much with it. 7) Can Jeff Francoeur be at least replacement level, rather than epic horrible level? Midseason check-in: Hahahahahahahahahahaha 8) Will Dayton Moore survive to see 2014? Midseason check-in: Outlook uncertain. Probably still around, unless the team completely tanks in the second half and he does something foolish. My guess - he sacrifices Ned Yost this offseason and gets one more shot with a new manager in 2014. 9) Will Danny Duffy come back healthy? And if he does, is he the same, better or worse? Midseason check-in: Yes. Velocity looks the same, and it looks likely he is the same guy as before. 10) And the big one: Has KC added enough to run down the big-money Detroit Tigers? Midseason check-in: Doesn't look like it, does it? Last edited by duncan_idaho; 07-15-2013 at 10:01 AM..
Posts: 22,311

08-05-2013, 07:53 AM	#8736
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	Cleveland had an 8 game skid earlier this year too. Every team goes through it. I think the Giants did it last year too and they won the WS. Our 8-20 month was awful yes but we were going to have a down time this year. We're just not good enough to avoid those spells. Frankly our defense is so spectacular it has kept us in many games we'd normally have lost in years past. Stops losing streaks before they begin. We have plenty of games left withe Cleve anyway.
Posts: 87,025

08-05-2013, 08:15 AM	#8738
ChiTown Stroking to the SB Champs! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Flatlands of Kansas Casino cash: $-321038	Here's a look at the "34" wins I think we need in the final 54 games of the season to get the last WC spot. August Home vs. Twins - Sweep 3 Game Series Home vs. Red Sox - Split 4 game Series - 2 Wins Home vs Marlins - 3 Game Sweep @ DET - 5 Game Series - 2 wins Home vs White Sox - Win 2 of 3 Games Home vs Nationals - Win 2 of 3 Games Make up Game with Rays at the K - Loss @ Twins - Win 2 of 3 Games @ Toronto - split 2 Games - 1 win Remaining August Win Total - 17 Wins (20 Wins in August - .645 win clip) September @ Toronto - Win finale of the series Home vs Mariners - Win 3 of 4 Games Home vs Tigers - Win 2 of 3 Games @ CLE - Win 1 of 3 Games @ DET - Win 1 of 3 Games Home vs CLE - Win 2 of 3 Games Home Vs Rangers - Win 2 of 3 Games @ Mariners - Win 2 of 3 Games @ White Sox - Win 3 of 4 Games September Win Total - 17 wins 34-20 in the final 54 gets us 90 wins. Like I said, that is doable, but we are going to have to really stay sharp with our pitching and D to have a shot. __________________
Posts: 40,896

08-05-2013, 08:34 AM	#8739
Prison Bitch Rabbi Goldmann Join Date: Nov 2012 Casino cash: $5450159	20% of the Rangers remaining games are vs. Houston. I knew that dog crap team would unduly influence the WC at the end. Then again maybe the White Sux do that for us
Posts: 87,025

08-05-2013, 08:53 AM	#8741
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $-1658700	As long as we win each of the next four days, we are guaranteed to make up ground. That is a nice change!
Posts: 26,454

08-05-2013, 09:01 AM	#8742
mr. tegu Forever Royal Join Date: Mar 2012 Casino cash: $-1658700	Best case scenario for the next four days. Detroit and Cleveland split. Detroit is now 66-47. Cleveland is 64-51. We win each of the next four and are sitting at 60-52. That puts us only 5.5 back of Detroit and 2.5 back of Cleveland. I think this is what we should be hoping for because we gain 2 games on both teams in front of us in four days. That would be huge.
Posts: 26,454

08-05-2013, 10:00 AM	#8743
ptlyon Bono & Grbac wasn't enough Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Sioux City, IA Casino cash: $9473829	It will be interesting to watch. The fact that KC, Detroit, & Cleveland all are 9-1 in the last 10 games is unreal. __________________ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Advertise here: $19.99 a month
Posts: 40,585

08-05-2013, 10:40 AM	#8745
Deberg_1990 In Search of a Life Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: San Antonio Tx. Casino cash: $344454	When do they expand the rosters for minor league callups? Who will get promoted? Posted via Mobile Device
Posts: 68,401