Put those brooms away!
Due to a stupid oversight, I forgot to set my DVR to record the Royals game today. Therefore, I have been unable to see anything from their 9-7 loss to the Giants, so I can't comment on a whole lot. A couple things did stand out, however, from what I've been able to find out about the game.
First, as we predicted, RC Official Scapegoat Jose Lima probably pitched well enough (5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K) to get another start from Buddy Bell. Lima's continued presence in the rotation is a sore point with just about any Royals fan who's seen him pitch this year, as it really takes on the feeling that the Royals are simply delaying the inevitable. But in the long run, it doesn't really matter. Yes, it's tough to watch, but it isn't like there are any prospects beating on the door to take his place in the rotation. He'll be gone soon enough.
Second, Marvin (a.k.a Leo Nunez) got roughed up pretty badly in just an inning of work (6 H, 5 ER, 0 K). However, according to a source who actually watched the game, Nunez wasn't nearly as bad as his line. As we've seen so often this year, Nunez was apparently victimized by a combination of bad luck and shaky defense, as little bloopers were finding outfield grass and ground balls were finding holes and funny bounces. Nevertheless, the smart money would be on Marvin getting a return ticket to the minor leagues on Saturday, when J.P. Howell is likely to be called up to make his Major League debut against the D-Backs.
The Royals seem to be catching Arizona at the right time, as the snakes have dropped eight out of their last ten games. The pitching matchups for the series are as follows:
Friday -- Zack Greinke vs. Russ Ortiz
Saturday -- J.P. Howell (probably) vs. Brad Halsey
Sunday -- D.J. Carrasco vs. Brandon Webb
Tomorrow night is probably KC's best shot at victory, but each of these matchups are intriguing, and you can bet your sweet behind that RC will be closely watching each game -- particularly if Howell does indeed make his debut on Saturday.
posted by Dave @ 8:16 PM
6 comments
6 Comments:
I'm not sure if you noticed, but there's a somewhat-fierce debate going on in regards to Buddy Bell leaving Marvin in the game as long as he did.
One side of the aisle believes that Bell should've yanked the kid at the first sign of trouble, while the other side (which includes yours truly) thought Buddy did the right thing by keeping him in there. This is about player development, and Nunez was going to learn NOTHING from his experience if Buddy'd come out with the hook before Nunez got out of the inning himself.
I'm pretty sure I know which side you'll, uh, side with, but I'm curious to know your opinion anyway.
I'd actually put the smart money on a position player getting shipped out to make room for Howell.
The R's want to keep a full bullpen, so it looks like they're going back to carrying 12 pitchers.
Kevin, I'm not particularly troubled by Bell's decision to leave Nunez in the game. That doesn't mean that I don't care if Buddy Bell blows games this season -- I'd like us to win, but of course, not at the cost of development.
Having not seen the game, I don't know how clear it was whether or not Nunez was competing. As I said in my post, from what I heard, he wasn't pitching that badly. If that's the case, then I have no problem leaving Nunez in to work out of trouble.
But at the same time, you don't want to leave a young guy in too long if he's getting slaughtered. That seems to be a good way to break a young guy's confidence, and a pitcher, above all else, needs to be confident in his stuff.
I've ordered my Allard Baird baseball jersey shirt from the official Royals Corner Store. Have you?
No, but I ordered the black hat and the grey T-shirt. I heard the chicks dig it...
Chicks Dig The Longball.
(Don't tell me you didn't see that coming...)
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