Royals Rumblings - News for July 11, 2024

Always satisfying to beat the Cardinals, doubly so at their yard.

Salvador Perez was the difference as the Royals took game one yesterday:

Perez made it all count with his 19th go-ahead RBI of the year, which is tied for second with teammate Vinnie Pasquantino in the American League behind Aaron Judge’s 21.

And the top of the Royals’ lineup came alive in the eighth thanks to singles from Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr., a sacrifice fly from Pasquantino and Perez’s second RBI of the day, this time on a base hit up the middle, insurance runs that were huge later when James McArthur allowed a solo homer before locking down his 16th save of the season.

“Two to three guys can carry a lineup maybe for a couple of weeks, but throughout the season, you’re going to need some contributors down at the bottom of the order,” Hampson said. “The more traffic we can create for those guys to get up, that’s the most important thing. We want the bases loaded for Bobby and Salvy.”

Michael Wacha faced the Cardinals in St. Louis for the first time since leaving his first team:

Wacha returned to his old stomping grounds on Wednesday. After spending seven seasons in St. Louis, he finally had the chance to face his former team in Busch Stadium. “It’s definitely a cool experience,” Wacha said. “It was something I was looking forward to since I had left, you know? But I tried not to let too much of that stuff kind of take away from my normal game plan and things like that.”

The veteran pitcher, who is in his first season with the Royals, didn’t disappoint his current team. He scattered seven hits and struck out three. He allowed a solo homer to Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar in the second inning but recovered to earn his sixth victory of the year.

The Royals have played some excellent defense this season:

If the Guardians are a positive surprise, the Royals are even more of one, as their 49-43 record gives them a shot at their first winning season and first playoff appearance since their 2015 championship. They didn’t crack the top three in any of the categories, but they are third overall in DRS (including catchers) behind Toronto and Cleveland, and fourth in both FRV (including catchers) and UZR; their infield ranks among the top three in all three metrics. DRS and UZR particularly seem to love this team; at the 100-inning cutoff, everybody but catcher Salvador Perez (-1 DRS) and right fielder Hunter Renfroe (-0.5 UZR) are average or better in their respective metrics.

The standout, not surprisingly, is Bobby Witt Jr., whose 10 FRV leads all shortstops; he’s tied for fifth with 5 DRS as well. Center fielder Kyle Isbel (5 FRV, 4 DRS, 2.3 UZR) has been excellent. Their second basemen (mainly Michael Massey, Adam Frazier, and Nick Loftin) have combined for 8 DRS, 3 FRV, and 3.0 UZR. Catching-wise, Freddy Fermin’s 8 DRS is an outlier for what are otherwise more or less average ratings; even Perez, whose career framing work is so poor (-116.7 FRM, including -41.2 over the past three) that it will keep him off my Hall of Fame ballot someday, comes in at just -1.2 FRM in his 439 innings behind the plate.

David Schoenfield gives the Royals an A- for their first half ($):

It does feel like things are starting to slip away after the Royals peaked at 39-26 in early June. They’ve struggled since then, other than winning three of four against the Guardians at the end of June. It’s not exactly a two-man show, but it sometimes does seem that way with Bobby Witt Jr. having an MVP-caliber season and Seth Lugo perhaps the American League Cy Young favorite (11-2, 2.17 ERA). Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino have been big contributors, but the Royals will need more from the rest of the lineup, and adding a couple of relievers is a must. It will be fascinating to see where Witt ends up: He’s already at 5.0 WAR, giving him a shot to challenge George Brett’s single-season franchise best for a position player (9.4) in his memorable 1980 season.

I love a good arbitrary stat:

On the 10th birthday of Statcast, take a look back at how it was implemented and how it was changed the game. ($) It includes this lovely nugget:

It was also installed in Kansas City and San Francisco ahead of the 2014 World Series. In Game 7, Giants second baseman Joe Panik made a diving stop and turned a game-defining double play. Statcast not only concluded that Panik had a slightly negative reaction time — he was moving toward the ball’s eventual path 10 feet before it met Eric Hosmer’s bat — but that Hosmer would have been safe if he hadn’t slid into first base.

I am once again imploring players to stop diving into first base.

Elly De La Cruz is learning Japanese to speak with Shohei Ohtani at the All-Star Game.

Michael Kopech threw an immaculate inning, becoming the first White Sox pitcher to do so in over a century.

Wander Franco will go to trial next month after being formally charged by Dominican prosecutors.

An Iowa state representative was called on to make an emergency start for Sioux City’s American Association team.

Gregg Berhalter’s tenure as USMNT manager is over.

Jayson Tatum, A’ja Wilson, and Vince Carter will grace the cover of NBA 2k25.

Derrick White will replace Kawhi Leonard on Team USA’s Olympic roster.

Houston residents are turning to Whataburger not for food, but to determine what areas have power.

Tough couple months for Drake, first being pantsed by Kendrick Lamar, and now by Lionel Messi and Argentina.

A Bitcoin mining operation is causing a severe health crisis in a nearby Texas town.

The Hannah Montana generation of popstars has arrived. ($)

Your song of the day is Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus.