Baseball Thread Rated X -- Mature Audiences Only

Reds are done. Guardado moved to the 60 day DL.

It was great while it lasted, and I think they're a solid starter away from the playoffs. Maybe that starter can be Homer Bailey.

Now, I just hope they get to 82 wins.

 

90 percent of the Royals' free agents in the past five years or so have been total busts (ie, Sanders, JuanGone, etc.). There have been some diamonds found, however, and Mark Grudzielanek is one of them. Batting nearly .300, lots of doubles, great glove, good influence. He's been re-signed for next year already. With Ryan Shealy at first base, David DeJesus in LF/CF, Ryan Shealy (a major steal for KC) at first base and some dynamic prospects coming up (Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, Zack Greinke, Luke Hochevar, Tyler Lumsden), I'm hoping winning baseball is finally on the way back in Kansas City, a great baseball town.

 

Shealy has been raking the ball lately and Mark Teahen was coming along very nicely, but I heard he is having season-ending shoulder surgery. I really like DeJesus and think he could be a quality major leaguer. I read the Royals are not going to bring up Gordon to replace Teahen and I am wondering why not.

 

He's lost in all of the great rookie pitching in the AL, but I'd wager that Jeremy Sowers is probably the best rookie pitcher this season. It's a shame he wasn't called up earlier in the year. He might have been a difference maker for Cleveland.

Since the all-star break:

Sowers 6-1, 2.39 ERA
Verlander 5-3, 3.81
Weaver 4-2, 2.91
Liriano 2-2, 3.23 (only 5 starts, the other three have at least nine)

Apples to oranges here, but since the break Papelbon is 2-1, 1.61 and 9/12 in saves.

 

Anyone with access to the Sox-Sox game should watch it. Contreras really has his good shit tonight. He gave up a single and walk to start bottom-1, but dominated Papi (fly out), made Manny looks like a 2nd-grader (strikeout) and got Trot Nixon to half-swing on a nasty fork ball for Strike 3. He's throwing hard and accurately. Could be a special game.

 

Contreras just K'd the side in the 2nd, and every one was a thing of beauty.

Oh, and watching a game in HD is awesome.

 

Gordon's Wichita Wranglers are in the Texas League playoffs right now, and to the best of my knowledge, Dayton Moore wants to keep the core of that team together to experience a playoff run. He also doesn't want to rush along any prospects (like Greinke was originally). Gordon is expected to start next year at Triple-A Omaha, along with the likes of Butler and probably Hochevar. Dayton Moore is really going to take his time with some of these guys, and I don't have a problem with that.

 

Contreras' streak of 5 K's in a row ended with a flyout, and then Coco Crisp went opposite-field homer. Coco has both hits against Contreras. Loretta then drilled a ball headed to the RC gap -- but Dye laid out to get it. It'll be top 3 or 4 in ESPN's Plays of the Day. Then Contreras got Papi to feebily ground out.

 

Make a play in the field, make a play at the plate: Dye just went yard for his 40th of the season.

Jermaine Dye has 40 home runs. Is anyone else stunned by this?

 

No. He was well on his way to being this type of player when he broke his leg with the A's. And he's always been great in the field (like he showed tonight with a great diving catch to his right). I miss seeing him in Royal blue.

 

How many blown saves have the Nats hung on closers the past week?

Four?

 

Contreras in bottom-4:

• Manny grounds out on 1st pitch
• Trot again whiffs on check-swing
• Lowell flies out on 1st pitch