Royalsblog

Royals continue to struggle getting through the middle innings in every game they play. Even with a 5-0 lead going into the 7th the Royals can’t seem to buckle down and pull out a W. Looking to get revenge against the Tigers, who won the first series match-up, the Royals came out with an urge to win. Kansas City was first on the scoreboard with a David DeJesus solo homerun, followed by hits from Butler and Guillen, which led to a single from Callaspo who plated 2. Knowing the Tigers wouldn’t put up a goose egg, the Royals continued to attack Dontrelle Willis. Jose Guillen hit a bomb in the 5th inning making that his 4th HR in 3 games. The Royals snagged another run in the 7th which made the score 5-0. Getting to the late part of the game, the Royals thought this game was in the books. But the Tigers had different plans and continued their streak of comeback wins this season. This was a result…of the KANSAS CITY BULLPEN. Starter Brian Bannister left in the 5th inning and could only sit and watch as 3 of the Royals bullpen pitchers, who held off the Tigers for awhile, let up 6 runs in the bottom half of the 7th inning.  That would be all the Tigers needed to pull out the victory leaving the home crowd standing on their feet and the Kansas City Royals gleaming out in disbelief. ESPN quoted Royals manager saying, “it was disheartening, disappointing, unbelievable and a lot of other words that I don’t want to use.” This just goes to show the irritation in the Royals clubhouse which needs a little help. Hopefully the Royals can turn it around and pull out a victory against the Tigers today, but as of now the Royals stand 3-5, 1 win ahead of the Indians for last in the AL Central.

Another day at Kauffman Stadium and yet another tally in the L column for the struggling Royals. With a record of 2-4, the Royals are tied for last place in the AL Central with the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox. Today, the Boston Red Sox were just too much for the Royals to handle. Boston took the early lead with 4 runs in the first inning but Kansas City kept it close with 1 run in each of the first 3 innings. This “close game” was short lived as the Red Sox came swinging back with a 3-run 4th inning with a homerun by Pedroia and manufactured runs by Adrian Beltre who had 3 hits on the day. Gil Meche who only lasted 3 1/3 was pulled and the Royals seemed to lose any sense of momentum that was in their favor. This lasted until the 8th inning when Jose Guillen, who had already homered earlier in the game, took another ball over the fence with his 2nd homerun of the year. This however was not good enough as these would be the only runs scored the rest of the game with an end result Boston 8 Kansas City 6. Yes, the Royals have had a rough start to their season, but they have played solid teams in the Tigers and the Red Sox. The Royals however, will get another opportunity to face the Tigers and get some payback, as they start a 3 game series tomorrow night in Detroit. Luke Hochevar will be on the bump and got the No Decision with his last start against the Tigers, in which Kansas won 3-2. Hopefully the Royals can catch a spark and get the W’s rolling and start to make a run in their division. What a better way to start, than to take on the division leaders in the Tigers at 1:05 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.

Kansas City fans couldn’t have asked for more for opening day in Kauffman Stadium. With AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke on the mound, facing the Detroit Tigers, everything seemed perfect for the start of the season. The fans of Kansas City were ready to see their Royals, who finished the 2009 season last place in the AL Central with a record of 65-97, start off the season on the right foot. However, the Tigers started off the game taking an early lead in the first inning on an error by Willie Bloomquist. The lead was short lived with Kansas City storming back in the 2nd with a 412 ft. homerun by Yuniesky Betancourt which plated himself and Jose’ Guillen. Then came the pitching duel, which was most anticipated with Zack Greinke and Justin Verlander. Both pitchers gained their composure after their first couple of innings, opening day jitters. Greinke and Verlander threw shutout 3rd and 4th innings but Verlander fell short as Chris Getz and David DeJesus both reached base safely. First basemen Billy Butler stepped up to the plate with 2 outs and blasted a single scoring both Getz and DeJesus, giving Kansas City the 2-run lead. In the 6th the Tigers responded with a run of their own, but Kansas City still retained the lead. Greinke, having pitched a brilliant game, going 6.0 innings with 4 strike outs was pulled and the demise of the Royals was in the making. The 7th inning led to a Tiger rally going through most of the Royals bullpen, with Colon, Tejada, and Cruz. Just about every Tiger had a contribution in the inning scoring 6 runs, with singles and doubles by Miguel Cabrera and Johnny Damon, the Tigers never looked back. Robinson Tejada was scored with the loss and Kansas City fans watched their star pitcher get the no decision. There are 161 games left of the regular season and yes, the Royals did show signs of improvement from last season, but at the end of the day the Royals are 0-1. The Royals will look to get their first win this season facing the Tigers Wednesday, gametime 8:10.