A New Record and A New Blogger

Greetings! I'm joining the Daily Lancer after starting my blog, David's Royal Blog, which was recently showcased on the Daily Lancer. Here's a little more about me:

First Name: David (now two Davids blogging here)

Area of Expertise: Royals' farm system, Organizational overviews (finances, needs, etc.)

Pet Peeves: Rushing talented, young arms to the big leagues and converting them into relievers, utility players playing OF positions, overusing Terrence Long

Favorite Positions to Play: Outfield, Pitcher

That's enough about me. Tonight, the Royals set the franchise record for longest losing streak, dropping their 13th straight game. I witnessed the Royals' record-setting game tonight at the "K". The Royals didn't play terribly. But, they lost a game that they certainly could have won.

The Royals had a good start to the game. DJ Carrasco pitched very well through 6 innings, allowing just 2 hits and no runs. The Royals scored 2 runs in the 3rd inning, with 4 hits by the 1-2-3-4 hitters in the lineup. But, that was all the offense could produce. The Royals' offense had its opportunities. In the 5th inning, DeJesus hit a leadoff double and Ambres moved him to third on a sac bunt. But, Sweeney popped up on the infield and Long grounded out, failing to score the runner. In the 6th inning, Emil Brown led off with a triple. Berroa hit a sharp grounder to the pitch and Brown got thrown out in a run down between third and home. Berroa managed to move up to third base and the Royals failed to score him as well. It always felt like this would come back to get the Royals, and it did.

In the 7th inning, Carrasco began to work through the lineup for a 3rd time. He walked the leadoff man (a classic sign of a tiring pitcher). The Royals began to stall, although there was no action in the bullpen. For a team that has lost 12 straight games, it might not have been a bad idea to get someone ready in the bullpen. Carrasco gave up a single and a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. After a visit to the mound by Hansen, the Royals finally start warming up Burgos in the bullpen. The next at-bat, Carrasco leaves a fastball right down the middle and Jeff Liefer hits a grand slam off of Carrasco. A disappointing inning indeed, ruining a very good start for Carrasco.

Then, the Royals offense collasped. The Royals used McEwing, Hocking, and Buck as pinch hitters, going 0 for 3. Matt Stairs wasn't available to pinch hit, but why would you pinch hit Joe McEwing for Terrence Long, even with a lefty on the mound? Joe McEwing has no business playing RF. Is Tony Pena still managing this team from wherever he's hiding? If that wasn't enough, the Royals pinch-hit Hocking for Murphy? First of all, if we're going to have 2 utility guys on the team, let's at least find one that can hit. How about having one utility guy for the middle infielders and another for the corner infielders? Perhaps Chris Truby, who has hit 17 HRs in 310 ABs, would be a better fit. Considering all of the times McEwing or Graffanino have played first, it'd be nice to have someone who can hit for power there. But, the Royals seem very inept at managing their roster.

Minor League Notes: JP Howell had a good start for Omaha, going 6 innings and allowing just 1 run, walking 3 and striking out 7. Huber went 3 for 4 with a HR (1) and a double (6). Billy Butler finds a way to contribute everyday. Butler went 0 for 4, but drove in a run.