11 Comments
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Tracey's avatar

The fact that Jac was able to get the ball in the air during his last at bat to move the runner over is almost as encouraging as the HR. He'll be fine as long as this disaster of a start doesn't mess with his head permanently.

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Craig Brown's avatar

Agree. On both points. Super important for him to at least advance Garcia.

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herbie's avatar

Ultimately I think Jacs head will be just fine, cant blame it for being a little bloated after the constant success and talent he has known since little league.

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Terrry Payne's avatar

Jac is just too amped most of the time, although his fly in the 9th was most encouraging.

People forget George Brett also bombed in his first call-up. Look it up.

I mean, who else is there, right now, who can give this team the jolt it desperately needs 6 thru 9

Erceg is no longer trustworthy in late leverage. Would much rather have Cruz in there. "Lights out" has not been the same since coming off IL.

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Craig Brown's avatar

Brett needed Charlie Lau to get him right. That could open a whole "Let's talk about the hitting coaches" discussion.

Agree on Erceg. He's pitched just one clean inning in 11 outings since his return. That's a 1.59 WHIP post-IL compared to a 0.74 WHIP prior.

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Hokius's avatar

Jac's plate appearances on the whole looked better last night. But I've said that a couple of times. I think once it finally clicks all the way in, he's gonna be a monster for a minute and fine overall, but waiting for that to happen has taken a lot longer than I worried.

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Craig Brown's avatar

At some point, it will click for Cags. I do believe that. But the game moves at a different speed at this level, which will take some adjustments on his part. Last night was a good step. Let's see if he can build on that.

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Caleb Hawkins's avatar

Glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who felt confident even after the Pirates tied it! I was sure that the Royals would win as long as Estevéz didn’t allow a run. It was strange to feel that way (especially because the offense has let us down SO much over these past couple months).

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Craig Brown's avatar

Right? It was a different feeling. Nice to see them cash in that first and second with nobody out in a clutch situation.

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herbie's avatar

In ‘24 and even the last bit of ‘23 the boys kept me watching because i always really believed they could win the game, no matter what the deficit. Felt that way last night. Appreciate the several guffaws while reading your article- baseball is fun and hope is a wonderfully enjoyable rollercoaster

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Craig Brown's avatar

Thanks, Herbie. It did feel that way last night for the first time in a while.

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