Salvage job

The bats finally do what they're supposed to do in Colorado. Bubic returns. The Royals put four on the All-Star team. And replay continues to frustrate.

It took two games, but the Royals finally got their Rocky Mountain high on Sunday. The Royals banged out 12 hits, including three home runs, and touched double-digits in runs in a 10-1 drubbing of the Rockies.

It was good to grab a victory, but to say the weekend didn’t go as planned would be an understatement. With Cole Ragans starting game one to be followed by fellow ace Seth Lugo in the second game, this was a series the Royals should’ve won. Ragans and Lugo did their part. It was the offense that decided to no-show until Sunday afternoon.

The Royals left wins on the table. It’s always a bit of a stretch to make a proclamation that a team should sweep, but two out of three against these Rockies is certainly something to shoot for. That the Royals leave Denver with only one victory is disappointing.

Because the game was at altitude, the Royals gameplan for starter Brady Singer was to rely on his old repitoire: A steady diet of sliders and sinkers. What do you know…it worked.

The altitude impacts the movement of pitches in a way that lessens horizontal movement. The vertical break that Singer can get on his slider and sinker was enhanced. That meant he likely avoided throwing his sweeper (which is hardly ever picked up by Gameday) and definitely eschewed his changeup. Again, not a stretch for Singer to abandon that particular offering. He still threw his four-seam fastball and kept it elevated. Although not so elevated like in his previous outing where he wasn’t throwing it for strikes.

That’s a good pitch chart for Singer. As far as the location of the slider, sinker and four-seamer go. And he was getting some wild swings and misses on his slider.

A dozen of his 14 swings and misses came on his slider. There’s a crazy amount of swinging strikes well out of the zone down and away on the first base side of the plate. If you have hitters fishing there, it’s going to be a good day.

Singer went seven innings, allowing just that one run on six hits while punching out seven. His ERA is now 2.93.

As I was watching the game and his performance, I found myself thinking that an argument could be made for Singer to land a spot on the AL All-Star squad. Insane to be here.

This season is weird.

Given how the offense performed at times over the last month, when the bats come alive as they did on Sunday, it’s like a gale-force exhale.

Maikel Garcia served notice this would be the Royals’ day in the second inning with a three-run home run. After hitting three home runs in the first six games of the season, Garcia seemed primed to be swept up in the launch angle revolution, getting the ball in the air, pulling it and generally connecting with authority. Since that first week though, the power has gone missing.

Garcia is pulling the ball 31 percent of the time. He is hitting a fly ball 21 percent of the time. Those rates aren’t exclusive, but good things tend to happen when he pulls the ball in the air. It’s that he just doesn’t do it enough. And at the same time.

I just don’t know if Garcia is capable of doing what I hope he can do. He remains overmatched by fastballs. He has the power, but has difficulty turning on pitches. If he is turning on pitches, he’s hitting them on the ground.

MJ Melendez also went deep, a solo shot in the seventh. Since that epic 12-pitch at bat in Los Angeles last month that ended with Melendez clubbing a grand slam, he’s hit .271 with a .352 OBP. That’s positive. Yet he hadn’t hit a home run since then and had only driven in a single run. That’s less positive.

Finally, Witt capped the scoring with a three-run blast in the ninth. He went 3-5 on Sunday and I probably jinxed him by hanging a Cycle Watch on the guy during Friday’s game. Seriously…The Royals own the longest cycle drought in baseball and if anyone in the majors is equipped with the tools and the talent to hit a cycle it’s Witt. Coors Field is an ideal place for that to occur, but really, any yard is a good yard for Witt to accomplish this. It’s going to happen, damnit.

After the game the Royals learned that Lugo and Ragans were named to the AL All-Star squad. They will be joined by Witt and Salvador Perez, who were selected as reserves. The four All-Stars is the most for the Royals since they sent four to the 2016 mid-summer classic. Lugo, Witt and Perez were selected by the players. Ragans was a pick from the Commissioner’s Office. (I’m not going to pretend to understand this whole selection process now. I’m also not going to spend time trying to figure it out. They’re on the team. Good enough for me.)

Given that the Royals are one of the more surprising teams in baseball and given that they are still firmly in the Wild Card hunt and have spent most of the season above .500, they should have multiple players on the AL roster. The four selected were all very deserving of the honor.

All that’s left to wonder is who will get the starting nod for the American League. I think you can make a case for either Lugo or Ragans to take the ball in the first inning. Because of how the schedule breaks Ragans’ next start will be on Friday in Boston with Lugo going on Saturday. Either one should be available. The competition is tough, as you would expect for an All-Star Game. While the case can be made for Lugo or Ragans, a similar argument can be had for Tarik Skubal or Garrett Crochet and even Tanner Houck or Corbin Burnes. The AL roster is sick with starting pitchers.

The selections of Lugo and Ragans help to underscore just how successful J.J. Picollo and his staff have been at turning around this rotation. Credit must also go to Brian Sweeney and the pitching coaches who have harnessed the talent assembled and turned it into something tangible—and wildly successful. An amazing job all around

For Perez, this is his ninth All-Star selection. Just prior to his selection, he collected his 1,500th career hit. Which leads us to this nugget:

The Perez Hall of Fame question is an interesting one and one that I’ve avoided up to this point. No doubt, there’s a segment of the electorate that places a high value on things like All-Star Game selections. He’ll also benefit from things such as a World Championship and a World Series MVP award. The way he’s going—even though he’s slowed down offensively of late—it’s probably a bit premature to engage on the HoF debate. He still seems to have plenty in the tank. Plus, he just loves playing.

The Witt selection could be put in the category of “no-brainer.” Gunnar Henderson is having an all-world type of season at short, otherwise Witt would’ve been a shoo-in to start.

Another weekend, another reason to ponder the existence of replay review in baseball.

Once again, Cole Ragans was the victim. Once again, we are left to wonder what the hell they’re looking at in New York.

With the Royals leading 1-0 in the bottom of the third, Ragans delivered a 2-2 pitch to Michael Toglia, who golfed it out to left field. The left fielder, Dairon Blanco, had a bead on the trajectory, found the wall and timed his jump. At first blush, I thought it tipped off his glove and over the wall. Bad luck. Except Blanco immediately began gesturing to the fan behind him, indicating interference.

Thank goodness for replay, right? The umpires initiated a crew chief challenge and presumably, someone in New York saw this:

I’m not sure how much more clarity is required. The fan is clearly reaching beyond the fence therefore is in the field of play. His bare hands are above Blanco’s glove. We can’t say for certain that Blanco would make this catch, but if you remove the fan from the field of play, it’s highly likely he comes up with the baseball.

And yet…

Two weekends in a row and Ragans is burned by a terrible call that should’ve been overturned via replay review. Here’s Matt Quatraro after the game:

I honestly don’t know. I don’t know what the explanation was, and whatever it was, it’s going to be a bad explanation, because it was clearly fan interference. There’s no chance that it should’ve been called anything else. That call, that was a mistake.

My note from last week on replay stands. To have this happen twice in less than a week? Infuriating.

Friday’s game was a 4-2 defeat and it was one of the worst losses of the season. The fates were sealed in the top of the ninth inning. Facing Jalen Beeks, who came into the game with a 4.19 ERA and 4.10 FIP, allowed back-to-back singles to start the inning. Rally time! Then with runners on first and second, Garrett Hampson squared to bunt.

A true WTF moment.

I believe in the justice the Baseball Gods mete out and that when, even with two runners on and nobody out, I realized the Royals were doomed. Why in the world would Hampson be giving up an out in that situation where the Royals would essentially be playing for a tie? On the road? At freaking Coors Field? I would ask someone to make it make sense, but you can’t make sense out of the nonsensical. To make matters worse, Beeks fell behind 3-0. With Hampson in the prime hitting count, he surely wouldn’t be looking to bunt?

Alas. Hampson squared and pulled the bat back on 3-0. Fine. Then on 3-1, he squared again and fouled it off. With the count full, Hampson was cooked. He swung at a four-seamer that was nowhere near the zone for the first out of the inning.

Four pitches later, the game was over. Do not anger the Baseball Gods.

Ragans delivered his typically dominating performance going seven innings on Friday; striking out eight. He allowed two runs—one on that bogus home run—and left the game with the score knotted at two. John Schreiber entered in the eighth and promptly untied the contest.

The less written about that, the better. Quatraro then called on Walter Pennington to make his major league debut and to clean up Schreiber’s mess. Pennington, as I’m sure you know, is from nearby Broomfield, Colorado and went to school at Colorado School of Mines. He was signed by the Royals in 2020 as an undrafted free agent.

Pennington impressed in spring training as a non-roster invitee and continued to roll through lineups in Triple-A. At the time of his call-up, the lefty was striking out 12.75 batters per nine, while limiting hitters to a .169 batting average. He deserved the call.

Imagine working your way through high school, a college that isn’t exactly a baseball powerhouse and then joining a team without being drafted. Grinding through the minor leagues and you finally make your big league debut and it’s in your hometown. I love stories like that. With his family and friends in the yard, he didn’t let the moment overwhelm him. This was how he handled the first batter he faced.

Pennington retired the second batter he faced, stranding two inherited runners. The next day, he was optioned back to Omaha.

Pennington was shipped back to Omaha because Kris Bubic’s rehab assignment was expiring. The official line from the Royals as reported by Anne Rogers:

Bubic had hit the maximum number of days on his extended rehab assignment on Friday, and then there's an extra day given for travel. So the Royals had to make a decision, either activating or optioning him, by Sunday. Because Pennington had thrown two days in a row -- Thursday with Omaha and Friday for his Major League debut -- he was going to be unavailable Saturday night and thus the victim of the roster rules.

Hmmm. Not sure I agree with the reasoning here. Pennington threw 18 pitches on Thursday for Omaha. He actually had a rough outing, allowing two runs on two hits, including a home run. He threw eight pitches in his major league debut on Friday. Sure, he was going to be unavailable on Saturday, but the Royals had a well-rested bullpen at their disposal and Seth Lugo on the mound.

I think what was more likely is that, with Bubic pitching in relief for the moment, had they kept Pennington around, they would’ve had five lefties in the bullpen. That would’ve been quite a unique situation. Otherwise, you could’ve looked at what Schreiber has done since the start of May—a 7.20 ERA in 20 innings where opponents are hitting .348/.416/.472—and he’s the guy laying tracks on I-29. Schreiber has options remaining. The lone lefty in the bullpen with an option is Angel Zerpa. He’s not especially easy to watch, but he’s generally been effective. I don’t know that Pennington is an upgrade there.

Bummer for Pennington to have to go back down right after he made his debut. At least he got into a ballgame. I’m sure he’ll be back up at some point this season.

Bubic made his 2024 debut on Sunday, throwing in the ninth inning. He faced three batters, striking out two. His four-seamer was at a lively 94 MPH, touching 95 MPH at times. He threw just three changeups, but got two swings and misses on that pitch. And his command was exquisite. He looked like the Kris Bubic that got everyone amped after his first two starts last season. This is an outstanding development.

I understand the Royals wanting to keep it easy with Bubic and it makes all the sense in the world for him to be in the bullpen as he makes his way back from Tommy John surgery. Yet you can’t help but salivate at the possibility of a fully recovered Bubic throwing important innings for the Royals as the season winds down in a couple of months. He was that impressive on Sunday.

The good news is the Royals have a solid rotation at the moment so there’s no need to throw Bubic into that mix. He can be a multiple inning guy out in relief. And an emergency starter as the Royals manage his innings down the stretch. Perhaps at some point the Royals will roll with a six-man rotation. Plenty of options for Quatraro and Sweeney. It’s a good problem to have.

Central Issues

Tigers 5, Reds 1

Tarik Skubal again. The Tigers lefty went seven innings, striking out 13 without a walk. Detroit held a 2-1 lead when Zack McKinstry cashed in some insurance with a three-run bomb. The Tigers swept the series from Cincinnati.

Astros 2, Twins 3

Christian Vázquez crushed a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth off Astros closer Josh Hader to walk it off for the Twins. Houston strung together two singles and two walks along with a sac fly to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the second. The Twins clawed one back on a Vázquez single in the bottom of the second and tied the game in the fourth on a wild fielder’s choice of the bat of, who else, Vázquez. The Minnesota ninth-place hitter accounted for all three runs.

Giants 4, Guardians 5

Down 3-2 in the sixth, Bo Naylor clubbed a pinch-hit three-run home run that was the difference for Cleveland. The Guardians took two of three from the Giants.

White Sox 4, Marlins 7

The Hapless White Sox held a 4-3 lead entering the ninth in Miami. Closer Michael Kopech walked the leadoff hitter…you know where this is going. After retiring the next two batters, Kopech surrendered a game-tying, two-out double to Josh Bell. After an intentional walk, Jake Burger settled the score by hammering a game-winning home run.

Here’s a jumbled mess of some Wild Card odds.

It’s a cluster of three teams at the top and damnit if it isn’t a couple of AL East teams with your Sunday Night Baseball stalwarts firmly in the mix. The early part of the season felt so promising. In the next tier you have the Royals along with the Rays and the Astros. The Astros are closer to the AL West division lead than they are the Wild Card. Still plenty of the season left to play.

The Royals are off Monday before they head to the east side of the state for a brief, two-game series against the Cardinals.