How do the Royals respond to an uninspiring weekend where they lost two of three to the Phillies? By punching the division-leading Guardians square in the mouth. They are coming for the Central.
In game 1 I was sitting on 1 cheek, waiting for either J Ram or J Naylor to break my heart - again.
Naylor contained, Ragans got J Ram in 2nd, crucially.
If recent performances of Garcia, Schreiber and MJ are real, KC could blow up the Central. BTW, only 4 behind Yanx for best record & have 3.5 edge over 'Stros for potential 2 seed and bye & homefield in Divsion Round. Just sayin'.
Vinnie worries me. He's 2-20, taking some really bad swings. Just looks too anxious.
Why are Stratton & Smith still in 'pen? Surely SOMEbody in Omaha is capable of sucking up innings in
garbage time. And shouldn't somebody be testing Blanco's baseball IQ, or just general IQ?
We’ve seen what a collectively hot team can do in October. I’m not too worried about Vinnie…he’ll come around. I’m probably more skeptical about Garcia maintaining any kind of performance.
I think the Royals and Quatraro go extraordinarily deep into the data and find the best matchups given that night’s scheduled starter. Of course, it makes sense to sit Melendez against tough lefties, but I think there’s so much more to that. Which goes to your comment as “mostly” a platoon player.
MJ has quietly turned into a good defender. I know Q doesn't want him & Isbel both in the lineup against lefties, but I'd prefer them out there for defense 100% of the time. I'd want Blanco & Hampson for pinch running & occasional hitting only. (Unless Blanco can use his crayon bat--then I want him hitting clean up!)
I think Ragans & Lugo are both fatigued and Q needs to start skipping starts for extra rest.
This bullpen won't ever be a strength, but maybe it won't be a killer liability?
Melendez is MUCH improved in the outfield. Previously, he was a liability. Now, he’s solid. He doesn’t need to be pulled for a late inning defensive replacement.
Same for the bullpen. Just give us steady. Although no bullpen can do that. Reliever volatility is a thing. :)
To me, the bullpen isn't nightmare fuel. It had/has specific relievers who are nightmare fuel. Two of the current three are no longer on the major league roster. Lucas Erceg has obviously looked very good. James McArthur had a really bad stretch, but he's looked significantly improved for a few appearances now. Kris Bubic has been terrific ever since his return. Sam Long has been above average since he joined the team. John Schreiber is best as middle relief, IMO, but I don't mind him there. Carlos Hernández and Daniel Lynch have looked like new guys after their minor league stints.
Basically, the only guy still on the roster that I have absolutely no faith in is Stratton.
If Erceg comes in, I consider it definitely locked down.
If McArthur, Long, or Bubic come in I feel pretty good.
Hernández, Schreiber and Lynch have some work to do to earn trust, but they've looked good enough recently for me to give them more chances.
It's not an elite bullpen, but it might just be enough alongside this rotation to get the job done.
Erceg has certainly been an upgrade but overall this is an untrustworthy bunch. They lack the ability to consistently dominate which means there are going to be more white-knuckle turns though the pen than anyone would like. It’s inconsistent. And inconsistent bullpens torpedo October hopes.
Credit to the team for making the moves to build the best bullpen possible. Hopefully, Harvey can come back and be a part of that.
In game 1 I was sitting on 1 cheek, waiting for either J Ram or J Naylor to break my heart - again.
Naylor contained, Ragans got J Ram in 2nd, crucially.
If recent performances of Garcia, Schreiber and MJ are real, KC could blow up the Central. BTW, only 4 behind Yanx for best record & have 3.5 edge over 'Stros for potential 2 seed and bye & homefield in Divsion Round. Just sayin'.
Vinnie worries me. He's 2-20, taking some really bad swings. Just looks too anxious.
Why are Stratton & Smith still in 'pen? Surely SOMEbody in Omaha is capable of sucking up innings in
garbage time. And shouldn't somebody be testing Blanco's baseball IQ, or just general IQ?
We’ve seen what a collectively hot team can do in October. I’m not too worried about Vinnie…he’ll come around. I’m probably more skeptical about Garcia maintaining any kind of performance.
Just an awesome day. I’m impressed by the way MJ has rebounded mostly as a platoon player.
I think the Royals and Quatraro go extraordinarily deep into the data and find the best matchups given that night’s scheduled starter. Of course, it makes sense to sit Melendez against tough lefties, but I think there’s so much more to that. Which goes to your comment as “mostly” a platoon player.
MJ has quietly turned into a good defender. I know Q doesn't want him & Isbel both in the lineup against lefties, but I'd prefer them out there for defense 100% of the time. I'd want Blanco & Hampson for pinch running & occasional hitting only. (Unless Blanco can use his crayon bat--then I want him hitting clean up!)
I think Ragans & Lugo are both fatigued and Q needs to start skipping starts for extra rest.
This bullpen won't ever be a strength, but maybe it won't be a killer liability?
PS: Thanks for the detailed analysis!
Melendez is MUCH improved in the outfield. Previously, he was a liability. Now, he’s solid. He doesn’t need to be pulled for a late inning defensive replacement.
Same for the bullpen. Just give us steady. Although no bullpen can do that. Reliever volatility is a thing. :)
Appreciate the comment, Jim!
To me, the bullpen isn't nightmare fuel. It had/has specific relievers who are nightmare fuel. Two of the current three are no longer on the major league roster. Lucas Erceg has obviously looked very good. James McArthur had a really bad stretch, but he's looked significantly improved for a few appearances now. Kris Bubic has been terrific ever since his return. Sam Long has been above average since he joined the team. John Schreiber is best as middle relief, IMO, but I don't mind him there. Carlos Hernández and Daniel Lynch have looked like new guys after their minor league stints.
Basically, the only guy still on the roster that I have absolutely no faith in is Stratton.
If Erceg comes in, I consider it definitely locked down.
If McArthur, Long, or Bubic come in I feel pretty good.
Hernández, Schreiber and Lynch have some work to do to earn trust, but they've looked good enough recently for me to give them more chances.
It's not an elite bullpen, but it might just be enough alongside this rotation to get the job done.
Erceg has certainly been an upgrade but overall this is an untrustworthy bunch. They lack the ability to consistently dominate which means there are going to be more white-knuckle turns though the pen than anyone would like. It’s inconsistent. And inconsistent bullpens torpedo October hopes.
Credit to the team for making the moves to build the best bullpen possible. Hopefully, Harvey can come back and be a part of that.