40 Comments
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Clint Woods's avatar

This is a decent high school softball team that somehow snuck into MLB. Prove me wrong.

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Ken France's avatar

The proof is in the pudding. And the Royals are stuck in it!

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Craig Brown's avatar

This could be insulting to decent high school softball teams.

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Ken France's avatar

Hello Craig. Thank you 4alludo! I’m at a loss as well. Jun 26 and we haven’t won a home game yet? 3-16 in last 19 home games? We make Bradley with a 4.80+ ERA look like a Cy Young capable pitcher? Jansen, a Mendoza line hitter looks like a MVP candidate? It’s the same o same o. I love the Royals I have been following them in their entire existence back to 1969 when Buddy Blattner and Denny Matthews were the radio team, Denny’s first year. It pains me because I thought that last year we were over the hump. We now have awesome pitching yet to allow 2-3 runs a game is more often than not not enough. I know I’m on a drum roll to get rid of Zumwalt. By now that should be a given. Soon Quattaro will have to answer for the goings on. Our leadoff hitter is at .236. Yeah I complain a lot and I went thirty years (as did everyone else) w/o winning. It’s hard to keep up with 400 million dollar payrolls when your a small market. I’m grateful for last year and that’s not the norm. Unfortunately it’s closer to this year.

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Craig Brown's avatar

Pitching is so difficult to come by. So when you have a great rotation AND a talent like Bobby Witt Jr. and that’s all surrounded by some of the most inept offense you can find…what a terrible, wasted opportunity.

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Ken France's avatar

Yep

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herbie's avatar

I think it is more on the front office and ownership to answer for the goings on. EVERYBODY, including national media, knew the royals needed some bats in the offseason. Can't make a silk purse from a sow's ear, but dag if JJ isn't trying to churn that milk into butter

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Craig Brown's avatar

JJ said they tried to add a bat. But that doesn’t get you any points when the team is below .500.

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Ken France's avatar

The offensive funk has been going on since Aug of last year. They played thru it in playoffs. And the funk has continued. You don’t get shutout 9 times in half a season by accident. Their hitting needs tweaked. Evidently Zumwalt can’t tweak em.

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Craig Brown's avatar

September last year was especially grim. That's somehow carried over into 2025.

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Ken France's avatar

I’m not certain one missing bat is the problem. Perez, Witt, Jac need to pick it up. Even Vinnie too. They are last in home runs with Vinnie Witt and Perez in lineup.

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herbie's avatar

i think everyone was hoping for 2 cromulent OF bats in offseason, but yeah even then, the stars need to shine

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Craig Brown's avatar

Kind of difficult to believe they couldn't find something just closer to the league average. We're not asking for much!

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Terrry Payne's avatar

Have also taken to packing it in early; am on a writing project that necessitates watching and scoring the game, but it's quicker to do that on the replay rather than live.

June swoon is far too lame a term. Trying to find word(s) that rhyme with disaster or catastrophe.

Keep wondering if there's some kind of internal problem in the clubhouse, but keep coming back to the fact it's just mostly a dearth of hitting talent, most egregiously among outfielders. Keep hoping at least one of them will start raking (oh who am I kidding).

Fully prepared to say fork it at the All Star break, but the rate at which this team is fading . . .

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Craig Brown's avatar

I don’t think there’s any kind of internal issues. It’s the lack of firepower in the lineup.

It was easy to feel the frustration from Q in his post-game presser last night. First time I think I’ve ever seen him like that.

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Jim McWilliams's avatar

I quit watching when it was 3-0 after two innings because I knew it was over--though I was surprised that was the final, too. What's infuriating to me is that Q trots out the same lineup every game like he expects a different result. I doubt that any changes will make a difference, but might as well try. Remember when Joe Maddon put the position players names in a hat and whatever order he drew them was that night's lineup? Sure, it's silly, but why not break some tension and try SOMETHING? It would be ridiculous to have a lineup of Salvy, Vinnie, Isbel, Cags, Canha, Garcia, India, Rave, and Loftin (Witt doesn't play because his name doesn't get pulled), but is that worse than the WORST offense in MLB?

And Cags. He obviously belongs in Omaha, but that ship has sailed. Besides, what do you do? Put Rave out there 100% of the time?

About time for the front office to pull the plug.

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Craig Brown's avatar

I remain a believer in Cags (the play he made in the outfield last night was bonkers), but worry that the frustration will become so great that he will fall into a spiral. Always a danger when you bring up someone before they’re ready. He didn’t sound great last night, postgame.

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Jim McWilliams's avatar

I have two concerns: (1) Cags will get some bad habits & these hitting coaches can't help him and (2) his confidence will be destroyed. I'm sure he's always been the most talented player on the field and didn't really need to work hard to star, so it's not a bad idea for him to see that maybe he's not the only stud out there, but this is getting brutal.

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Craig Brown's avatar

Those are two massive—and extremely valid—concerns.

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Hokius's avatar

I thought getting swept by the Athletics at home was the nadir of the season.

Sigh.

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Ken France's avatar

At least Tampa is above .500. Athletics rode into town with 14 game road losing streak. Left with a 3 gamer win streak.

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Craig Brown's avatar

IT CAN ALWAYS GET WORSE!!!

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Jeremy's avatar

I said this on Royals Review last night. At least I get to focus on football this October. Man, these guys suck

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Cloudydaze's avatar

If you are looking to watch some bad baseball, just turn on the Royals and watch them struggle. It has gotten to the point that the poor hitting is now impacting their fielding ability. The pitchers are still the only thing that gives any reason to watch this team. Bubic has lost his "other worldly" status as has Cameron, but both of them are still good, just not great. Unless the Royals make some type of move, the season is over. This team is now so used to losing and not hitting, it has become a disease.

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Craig Brown's avatar

There’s not just one move to make. Multiple moves are needed and the Royals don’t have that kind of depth to make that happen in June or July.

I dig great pitching, but even with that, this has still been a brutal watch of late.

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Brain of J-Hawk (he/him)'s avatar

Buddy Bell would agree with your last statement.

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Craig Brown's avatar

And I never want to invoke “Royals manager Buddy Bell.” Just like I never want to discuss “Royals manager Trey Hillman” or “Royals manager Tony Muser” or…

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Brain of J-Hawk (he/him)'s avatar

So no milk and cookie quotes, or making the team stay after practice for a scolding around home plate?

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Craig Brown's avatar

The good ole days?

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Brain of J-Hawk (he/him)'s avatar

I call it just the ole days.

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Royals Data Dugout's avatar

I'm sad, Craig.

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Craig Brown's avatar

We will get through this together.

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herbie's avatar

You always have your deepfake skills to fall back on if you decide to quit writing about the royals

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Craig Brown's avatar

Graphic design is my passion.

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Ken France's avatar

Not to get a head start but wow, 4-0 today. 10th shutout of the year.

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Jim McWilliams's avatar

Lorenzen has to be thinking, "Put me at DH. I'm better than what Q is trotting out there."

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Craig Brown's avatar

He wouldn't be wrong.

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Craig Brown's avatar

B A D. Bad.

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Caleb Hawkins's avatar

Am I stupid for thinking that we should call up MJ and Cam? I can’t understand why Zumwalt hasn’t been fired. Surely that’s coming soon.

This year has been hard. And if this year had happened last year, I don’t think anyone would be complaining too much. But it just feels like such a letdown because expectations were SO high for this team. Now, I’m not sure where to go. It just feels like we’re stuck.

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Stephen Smith's avatar

Maybe this is an overhyped team of Grand Canyon proportions, carrying a 3-mile pole for vaulting?

It used to be the little things one was doing, day-in / day-out. Now there's a 24-7 "who's gotta click today?" attitude saturating a team moving to any other "state of being", from the ownership, top-to-bottom. It reflects a feeling of being lied to.

You betcha, bettors. (Just ask Oakland.)

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