Mays...not good

How much longer can this continue? The Joe Mays experiment was a decent risk, but RC has to believe that it's coming to an end. Mays today surrendered five more runs in 3.1 innings pitched, and he walked five while failing to strike out a single batter. Through the first month of the season, Mays has been the worst starter in baseball. Here are his stats through his first five starts:

IP	H	R	ER	BB	K	ERA
4.1	8	6	6	1	2	12.46
2.2	3	4	4	5	0	12.86
5.1	11	8	6	1	5	11.68
4.2	4	4	4	2	1	10.59
3.1	4	5	5	5	0	11.07

Folks, it's not looking good. It's never a good sign when a pitcher has allowed more runs than innings pitched. Is it time to replace him in the rotation, or should he get another start? RC would be willing to let him have one more shot, but as ineffective as he's been, we wouldn't mind if the Royals' just let him go right now and let Mike Wood take over his spot in the rotation. There is no question whatsoever that Wood would be a better option right now, so hopefully the Royals soon come to the conclusion that Mays doesn't put them in the position to win ballgames. The sooner the better.

There was some more bad news on Friday, as Shane Costa pulled up lame on a double to right center. Costa was removed from the game and replaced with Esteban German, and the word is that he's likely to be put on the 15-day DL, as early as tomorrow.

So who replaces him? There are clearly two options. Kerry Robinson had an excellent spring training, and he currently leads all O-Royals with a batting average of .367 through 20 games. Robinson is a slap hitter, and he has no power to speak of. He's not presently on the 40-man roster, so he remains somewhat of a longshot to get the call.

The other option is Aaron Guiel, who is on the 40-man roster, so the Royals wouldn't have to clear any space for him. However, Guiel has been mired in a slump of late, which has seen his batting average drop to .200. Nevertheless, he still leads the O-Royals with six homers, and he's maintained a SLG pct. of .523.

To RC, the choice is pretty simple. Guiel offers the most to the big club, and his promotion won't demand reshuffling, so he should get the call. We've never been a big fan of Robinson, and we'd rather have Guiel's power in the lineup than Robinson's speed.


It's time to see Guiel again.

It will be interesting to see what the Royals ultimately do, but if Guiel is recalled, we don't think the Royals will lose a whole lot in terms of production.

Editor's Note (4/29): Well, there's been no official announcement yet, but RC noticed that Kerry Robinson has been added to the active roster. Ughhh. Shane and David, please get back soon.