Weekend Rumblings - News for September 28, 2024

WE’RE SO BACK!

In case you missed it, the Royals are playoff-bound!

All of that only one year after they won just 56 games as the second-worst team in baseball. The Royals surpassed their entire win total from 2023 with win No. 57 on July 26 at Kauffman Stadium. With it, a plea followed from manager Matt Quatraro and some players:

Can we stop talking about last year?

“Respectfully, all of you guys can shut up now,” Pasquantino said then, looking around the media scrum. “Which is exciting. I’m sure it’s exciting for you guys, too. The book, it’s closed.”

Anne Rogers has an update on Vinnie.

The Royals don’t have a definitive timeline for Pasquantino’s return, but he’s making better progress than they originally expected of him, with manager Matt Quatraro saying Friday that Pasquantino is “well ahead of schedule.” They have not ruled out the possibility of a return during the AL Wild Card Series, although many things have to happen first, including the Royals clinching a postseason berth. Pasquantino will have to check a few more boxes and see how he feels after taking each new step.

“It’s really impressive what he’s been able to do in such a short amount of time,” Quatraro said. “... To watch how he’s gone about this and the mission he’s been on, to me it’s remarkable to see how much progress he’s made. It is exciting because we all know what he’s meant to our team for the whole season.”

She also writes that the bullpen has been terrific lately.

“As a starter, we want the ball as long as we can and go out there to finish the job, but it’s been really impressive the way they’ve come in for tough situations, in tight games, and holding it exactly where it is,” starter Michael Wacha said after allowing four runs (three earned) and exiting after five innings in a 4-4 tie. “They’re carrying it right now.”

J.J. Picollo called a meeting of Royals brass after the 2023 season that put the team on their current trajectory, writes Pete Grahoff.

“He was very open about not running from it: We lost 106 games,” Sharp said. “I did the major-league season breakdown and the elephant in the room is we were 56-106. There’s no way of getting around that. You can say you didn’t think we were that bad, but the bottom line is it’s a results-driven business. We won 56, we lost 106. What can we do to make sure that that is not what the result is in ‘24?”

Picollo wanted everyone from his top lieutenants to the training staff to be on the same page as the Royals prepared to move on from the dreadful season.

“It was a way to, I’ll say, reestablish what our identity is: pitching, defense, base running, situational hitting,” Picollo said. “The importance of throwing strikes, getting ahead of hitters, the importance of putting the ball in play as a hitter. And when you get a chance in defense to get an out, we need to convert the out. It’s a race to 27 outs. That’s what every night is. Defense should never take a backseat. And base running is something that we take a lot of pride in, just being aggressive and playing a fun style.”

David Lesky writes that Michael Wacha was a bit shaky in what could be his last start of the regular season.

Wacha has had some issues over his last couple of starts, even though the end result has been good. But this was his worst start in quite some time. He did give up five runs against Cleveland in that series back in August, but that was a result of him having to get overextended because the bullpen was taxed. With his five innings in this start, he’s now up to 166.2, which isn’t a career-high, but the most he’s thrown since 2015 when he threw 181.1. He’s averaged just 129 per year over the last three seasons. Is he a bit worn down? Maybe, but the good news is that if the Royals can avoid using Lugo and/or Ragans this weekend, he won’t pitch again until he’s had at least six days rest and maybe eight. That should help.

The Omaha Storm Chasers won the International League title and can win the Triple-A National Championship tonight against the Sugar Land Space Cowboys.

Ken Rosenthal writes Royals bench coach Paul Hoover could be a managerial candidate in Miami.

Jay Jaffe at Fangraphs writes about some of the weakest positions by contenders, with a few Royals on the list.

The Dodgers clinch the National League West division title.

The White Sox break the modern day MLB record for losses in a season.

The Reds and Cubs play the fastest MLB game since 2010.

ESPN details the organizational rot that has festered with the White Sox.

Who are potential breakout stars in the post-season?

Jeff Passan say MLB should make it easier for fans to watch games.

A preview of the left-handed relievers that could hit the free agent market this winter.

Former Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom will take a larger role in the Cardinals front office.

The Knicks acquire Karl-Anthony Towns from the Timberwolves.

WNBA attendance was up 48 percent this year.

Billie Jean King becomes the first female athlete to be awarded Congressional Gold Medal.

Could we recycle plastic by vaporizing it?

The 101 greatest movie soundtracks of all time.

Your song of the day is Aerosmith with Back in the Saddle.