With the loss of Danny Duffy for the year and Jonathan Sanchez out for a few weeks, pitchers Luis Mendoza and Vin Mazzaro are in the rotation. Mendoza and Mazzaro don’t inspire much confidence from Royals fans. But last Sunday, Mendoza pitched well, filling in for injured Duffy. And Tuesday night Mazzaro was unMazzaro like and pitched well enough against the Texas Rangers to win the game.

Mendoza and Mazzaro know they have a great opportunity to prove they belong with the Royals. But they need to pitch deep into games and keep the runs down if they have any chance to stay in the rotation.

Sometimes closer Jonathan Broxton makes the ninth inning more interesting than it needs to be. But in 15 games, Broxton has eight saves and until last night’s game with Baltimore, he’s held the opposing team scoreless with a 1.32 ERA. Many fans were surprised the Royals got Broxton in the off-season, but with the loss of Soria, it looks like a smart move.

Of course the Royals would prefer to have Salvador Perez behind the plate, but Humberto Quintero and Brayan Pena are holding their own. Interesting stats: before Wednesday’s game with the Baltimore Orioles, Quintero and Pena had the same amount of hits (15), doubles (6), RBI (7) and batting average (.238). Which mean they’re about the same player performance wise and one of them will be the backup catcher when Perez returns.

With Lorenzo Cain out since early April, Jarrod Dyson was plugged in to fill the void. After a forgettable two-game stint which sent him back to Omaha, Dyson was recalled a couple of weeks later and has done well in 18 games with a .304/.383/.362 average with 17 runs, 24 hits and nine walks. However, despite his speed, Dyson only has four stolen bases and was caught stealing twice.

If Dyson continues to play well, he presents the Royals with a dilemma when Cain returns. Do the Royals keep Dyson as the starting center fielder and put Cain on the bench or does Dyson go to the bench or Omaha and Cain becomes the starting center fielder? As long as Dyson plays well and the team is winning, the Royals will cross that bridge when they get there.

Despite all the injuries, the Royals are playing better baseball. And this is with Hosmer still struggling at the plate and Alex Gordon striking out more often and getting less hits and runs. On the positive side, Chris Getz and Alcides Escobar are playing well in the infield. The bullpen is pitching better and starters Bruce Chen and Paulino are pitching well.

It’s hard to forget the 12 game losing streak earlier this season, but fans have to be encouraged by the way the Royals are playing lately, despite all the injuries. Perhaps the team is playing up to their potential. Now the Royals need Eric Hosmer to be Eric Hosmer again.

We give away books, movies, swag and much more on a regular basis.  Today, we were presented with the opportunity to award our fans with what they really want: the ability to go see their team play in person.

In conjunction with some of our favorite blogs, C70 At The Bat and Pitchers Hit Eighth, and on behalf of Sports Vacation Guys, we give you just that opportunity.

Ned Yost is a terrible in-game strategist. He mismanages his bullpen. “The Process” is just a myth. Our so-called “best farm system in baseball” means nothing at the big league level.

Something about our development of young pitchers is causing them to break down. Luke Hochevar is the new Kyle Davies. We should never have given Salvador Perez such a big contract at 21 years of age. Johnny Giavotella should have made the big league roster instead of Chris Getz.

I heard every one of these opinions expressed ad nauseum during the month of April. Particularly on talk radio, but also in the traditional newspapers and of course in the Internet blogosphere, Everyone piled on like a rugby scrum.

Now the team is the hottest in baseball, as of May 16, having knocked off the mighty Texas Rangers in back-to-back road contests.

I know this Royals team isn’t among the league’s best. But they are winning at that pace at the moment, and they’re steadily climbing back toward .500.

The negativity rubbed me wrong in April, and I couldn’t be happier that the Royals are vindicating themselves now.

Sure, the 12-game losing bender made me sick. But the rats fleeing the ship made me even sicker.

Think about it. Which team could have survived losing their ace reliever, centerfielder, catcher and a key starting pitcher (Felipe Paulino) at the start of a season?

Could the Rangers? They haven’t made a roster move yet. Take four key pieces from that team and see how good they would be.

Could the Yankees? They’ve limped along after the loss of Mariano Rivera.

I’m not trying to make excuses for the 12-game bender. But just as we’re probably not as good as our record in May would indicate, we probably weren’t as bad as we played in April.

I’m trying to not get too high over winning 12 of our last 18. But I don’t appreciate everyone who jumped off the bandwagon when we were 3-14. Maybe they didn’t belong on the bandwagon after all. Just stay off and leave room for the real fans.

Myers spent the early part of the 2012 season terrorizing Texas League pitching.  At the time of his promotion he ranked tops in the league in hitting at .343, extra base hits (25), and runs scored with (32) second in home runs (13), third in RBI (30), second in hits (46).

The outfielder leaves Northwest Arkansas with 21 career home runs with the Naturals.  The 21 home runs tie him for the sixth most in Naturals history with Corey Smith, and current Kansas City Royal Mike Moustaksas.  Myers was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the third round of the 2009 draft.

Odorizzi, 22, leaves Northwest Arkansas with a 4-2 record and 3.32 ERA in seven starts.  He is second in the Texas League in strikeouts (47) and fourth in WHIP (0.97).  He has been most impressive over his last four starts, going 3-1 with a 1.98 ERA, allowing six earned runs in 27.1 innings for a 1.98 ERA while fanning 33.  Odorizzi has limited opposing hitters to a collective .191 batting average through his first seven assignments.  He was acquired from the Milwaukee Brewers on December 19, 2010, along with Lorenzo Cain, Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress in exchange for Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt.  Odorizzi was the 32^nd overall pick of the Brewers in the 2008 First Year Player Draft and he also had a taste of big league spring training this year as a non-roster invitee.

Nick Van Stratten returns to Northwest Arkansas after starting the season in extended spring training, after suffering a spring injury.  Van Stratten spent parts of the last two seasons in Northwest Arkansas appearing in 68 games in 2011, and 86 games in 2010.  The outfielder’s best year in Double-A came in 2010 when he hit .262 with two home runs and 34 RBI for the Naturals.  Van Stratten was originally selected by the Kansas City Royals in the tenth round of the 2006 draft.

Van Stratten will wear number nine for the Naturals, and there is another number change to report as Ethan Hollingsworth will now wear number 36.  Following the transaction, the Naturals’ roster is at the Texas League limit of 25 active players.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

New manager Mike Shildt, who took over for Ron “Pop” Warner after Pop was promoted to Memphis to manage the Tripe-A Redbirds, took exception to a call in a game against the Northwest Arkansas Naturals on 5/11.  An argument ensued and Shildt would not let it die for a good while.  Unfortunately, before all was said and done, he flipped his helmet into the field of play.  The bigger problem was that the umpire stood between him and the location he was flipping the helmet to.

Very seldom does throwing equipment come out as a good idea.  Check out the video below, provided by our friends at Rambling Morons.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Why did Matheny do that?  In 157 ABs (172 PA) Soriano has posted a .261/.320/.420 line against the Cardinals.  He’s terrorized the Kyles, off whom he’s hit all 5 of his HR (3 off Lohse, 2 off McClellan).  Other than those two, and Lance Lynn (he’s 3-7 against Lance), current St Louis pitchers have largely handled Soriano.  On the other hand, there’s LaHair.  He has a much smaller sample size, having a total of 19 AB (22 PA) against St Louis, but he’s made the most of them.  LaHair has hit 3 HR in those 19 AB, and has a .368/.455/.842 line.

Perhaps the critical pieces of data for this discussion are these – Soriano was oh for 9 with 7 K’s career against Boggs.  LaHair had never faced the right hander.  And, while LaHair was 3 for 4 with a HR in the game to that point, Soriano was 0-3.

So with all that data in mind, Matheny walked LaHair.  Boggs promptly fell behind Soriano 2-0 and 3-1, then surrendered a single to left which allowed the tie-breaking run to score.  5-4 Cubs.  Chicago would tack on an insurance run in the ninth to win 6-4.

Did Boggs lose Soriano simply because he fell behind?  Perhaps, but Boggs had fallen behind in the count to Soriano on three previous occasions, and had recovered to induce a pop-out to first and 2 strikeouts.  He had only surrendered a 3-ball count to Soriano once before and it had turned into one of the 2 strikeouts noted above.

So did Matheny do the right thing here? Well, he did successfully navigate a scoreless seventh inning while directing 2 intentional walks.  And, had Boggs not fallen way behind in the count perhaps he could have retired Soriano successfully.  I think in this game Matheny rolled the dice once too many times.  He was bound to get burned.

Mike Metzger is a freelance writer based in San Diego.  He blogs periodically about the Padres.  Follow him on Twitter @metzgermg.

The 2012 All-Star Game will be played at beautiful Kauffman Stadium on July 10. For 3 days, the city of Kansas City and the Kansas City Royals organization will take center stage in the baseball world. The hope was that the Royals would have an exciting young team that would be in contention at that point in the season. And while there is still time for that to happen with just under 2 months to go until the game, things have gone mostly poorly for the Royals so far this season. There was the injury to Catcher Salvador Perez, the injury to Closer Joakim Soria, the comical Broxton beanball walk-off loss in Oakland, the disastrous first inning the team played in front of its home crowd, the injury to Center-fielder Lorenzo Cain, the slow start by Alex Gordon, the 12 game losing streak, the Hochevarity of SP Luke Hochevar, the sub-.200 batting average of Eric Hosmer, Jonathan Sanchez becoming the pitcher version of Juan Gonzalez, and most recently the season-ending elbow injury to SP Danny Duffy. Nobody expected this season to go perfectly, but certainly nobody could have expected all of that disaster to hit before May 15. But despite all of that, there have been several bright spots for the Royals so far this season. And while it is extremely unlikely that any Royal gets voted in as an All-Star starter, it is not far-fetched to think that there are as many as FOUR players who could be deserving of selection as a reserve. Let’s take a look at these players, one by one, along with their primary competition to this point at their respective positions.

Designated Hitter

Billy Butler-Kansas City Royals

Avg: .285
R: 13
HR: 6
RBI: 25

David Ortiz-Boston Red Sox

Avg: .348
R: 24
HR: 7
RBI: 25

Edwin Encarnacion-Toronto Blue Jays

Avg: .276
R: 21
HR: 11
RBI: 29

Adam Dunn-Chicago White Sox

Avg: .250
R: 20
HR: 11
RBI: 26

Analysis: While “The Butler” is having a very nice year to this point, unless he goes on a surge and separates himself from this group in some way it is going to be very difficult for him to get selected out of this group. It is pretty clear that based on the numbers at this point, he would be the 4th most deserving candidate of these four players.  Not to mention, the likelihood of two DH’s being selected is not good.

3rd Base

Mike Moustakas-Kansas City Royals

Avg: .308

R: 14

HR: 4

RBI: 15

Miguel Cabrera-Detroit Tigers

Avg: .294

R: 17

HR: 7

RBI: 29

Evan Longoria-Tampa Bay Rays

Avg: .329

R: 15

HR: 4

RBI: 19

Adrian Beltre-Texas Rangers

Avg: .302

R: 19

HR: 6

RBI: 21

Analysis: With the type of defense he’s been playing, and the fact that statistically nobody is separating themselves from the pack here, Moose has a very good chance at being selected as a reserve.  Cabrera will likely get voted in as the starter, and the numbers at this point are close enough that is easy to see defending American League Champions manager Ron Washington going with the hometown guy in Moustakas.  Unfortunately, it is also easy to see him going with his own guy in Beltre.

Shortstop

Alcides Escobar-Kansas City Royals

Avg: .296

R: 12

HR: 1

RBI: 10

SB: 7

Derek Jeter-New York Yankees

Avg: .372
R: 24
HR: 5
RBI: 15

Elvis Andrus-Texas Rangers

Avg: .328
R: 24
HR: 1
RBI: 17

SB: 6

Mike Aviles-Boston Red Sox

Avg: .261
R: 22
HR: 5
RBI: 21

SB: 5

Analysis: Clearly Derek Jeter is deserving of the starting spot he will surely be voted into.  And while Aviles is having a very solid year to this point, his relative anonymity and the fact that he is extremely unlikely to continue to put up numbers like this make him the odd man out of this group.  So once again, that would leave Ron Washington deciding between one of his own players and one of the host city’s players.  Though he lacks the power numbers, the defensive reputation combined with the average, steals, and home-field advantage give Escobar a very good chance of being selected.

Outfield

Alex Gordon-Kansas City Royals

Avg: .256
R: 22
HR: 4
RBI: 16

Adam Jones-Baltimore Orioles

Avg: .291
R: 27
HR: 10
RBI: 21

SB: 5

Josh Hamilton-Texas Rangers

Avg: .402
R: 30
HR: 18
RBI: 44

Curtis Granderson-New York Yankees

Avg: .258
R: 23
HR: 11
RBI: 20

While Gordon’s numbers don’t stack up at this point, this selection was taking into consideration the fact that he got off to such a slow start to begin the season and has hit put up very good numbers to get up to the respectable level he’s at now.  If he continues at the pace he’s been on since he broke out of his funk, he will be right in the mix come decision time.  And given the fact that he deserved to make it last year and didn’t (with Washington also being the manager who snubbed him), he should have a very good chance of being selected.

It’s been a long time since Jermaine Dye started the 2000 All-Star game and Mike Sweeney made the team as a reserve.  But 2012 may just be #OurTime to have multiple All-Stars once again.

Instead, the opposite has been true. Going into play Saturday, the Cardinals were leading the National League in hits, homeruns, RBIs, batting average, runs scored and tied for the league lead in triples.

Simply put, the Cardinals are mashing at the plate so far this season. In fact, the team is on pace to put up offensive numbers far superior to the numbers the World Series champion club did a year ago, even though that team also led the National League in batting average.

That’s not to say people expected the Cardinals to be horrible, but certainly not this good.

Many thought the Cardinals’ pitching staff would have to be incredible for the team to just keep pace this season. Well, it has been great so far. The staff is second in the National League in ERA behind the Washington Nationals.

But the offense has made a strong case that it can carry the team.

Right fielder Carlos Beltran is tied for the National League lead in homeruns and is second in RBIs. Third baseman David Freese is tied for fifth in the league in RBIs. Center fielder Jon Jay is hitting .376. Utility man Matt Carpenter is tied for third in the league in triples. Catcher Yadier Molina is tied for second in doubles and shortstop Rafeal Furcal is tied for the league lead in hits.

Good grief, this team is hitting the tar out of the ball. Even the most optimistic fan had to expect a bit of a drop off from the offensive numbers of the 2011 squad, but the opposite has been true.

What’s also amazing is how the Cardinals have built this offense. Beltran is 35 years old, Furcal is 34 and first baseman Lance Berkman is 36. Granted, Berkman has been sidelined much of the year with a calf injury, but the Cardinals have resurrected these hitters’ careers the way former pitching coach Dave Duncan brought old pitchers back to life to throw for a few productive years.

Beltran, Berkman and Furcal all looked to be at the end of their careers right before they joined the Cardinals.

Berkman joined the team in 2011 after hitting .248 the year before with the Houston Astros and New York Yankees. Furcal was hitting .197 with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2011 before he joined the Cardinals at the trade deadline. Beltran is already more than halfway to his 2011 homerun total of 22 that he hit while playing for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.

What makes these hitters find a reserve tank of energy when they join the Cardinals? Might hitting coach Mark McGwire have something to do with it? In any case, each player has certainly enjoyed his time with the Cardinals, and the franchise has gotten much more than people expected out of these aging stars.

The Cardinals have excellent clubhouse chemistry right now under the leadership of rookie manager Mike Matheny. Just observe the homerun line that forms in the dugout after each homerun.

This team is having fun, and it is winning ballgames. That’s a recipe that could make for quite a ride throughout the rest of this season, especially since it was unexpected.

1. Will Myers (AA) is absolutely raking. The 21 year-old outfielder is hitting .339 with an 1.127 OPS. He’s hit 11 home runs and driven in 25 runs in just 31 games.

Kool Aid Drinker’s Take: I for one think it is about time to give Myers the Hosmer treatment. Eric Hosmer ended the 2012 season by hitting 13 home runs and driving in 35 runs in 50 games at Northwest Arkansas. In 2011 the Royals made Hosmer prove it for just 26 games at Omaha before bringing him to Kansas City. Get Myers to Omaha now, and if he dominates like Hoz did, get him to Kansas City. This kid has the ability to be every bit as special at the plate as Hosmer was last season and could help fill in the void in the lineup that has been Jeff Francoeur.

1. Jake Odorizzi (AA) is striking everyone out. Odorizzi sports a 3.32 ERA with 47 Ks and 10 BBs in 38 innings.

Kool Aid Drinker’s take: I would give Odorizzi until July and if his numbers are anywhere close to the same level it’s time to move him up to Omaha. I think he could turn into a steadier Zack Greinke for the Royals by 2013-2014. His best probably isn’t as good as Greinke’s but it is good enough to battle Danny Duffy for the ace role over the next few seasons.

1. Jorge Bonifacio (A) is emerging. Bonifacio has slumped lately, but still owns a .390 on base percentage at the age of 18 years old.

Kool Aid Drinker’s take: The kid turns 19 on June 4, meaning he has a lot of development to do before he’s anywhere close to Kansas City. Still, having young talent produce early in the process can only be good for the Royals. If he can keep this up, I think he becomes a prime candidate to be included in any type of trade the Royals might make for a legitimate starter.

1. Local kid Jason Adam (A) is dominating in Wilmington. Despite his 1-4 record, Adam has been outstanding so far this season with a 2.08 ERA and nearly a 3:1 K-BB ratio.

Kool Aid Drinker’s Take: I’m not sure Adam has much more potential than back of the rotation, but there would be nothing better than seeing another KC kid in uniform 2-3 years down the road.

I have made it clear that I’m not writing off 2012, but it’s nice to know that even as we expect better results this year, the future still looks brighter than the present.

Against the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees, the Royals had it all bad pitching with good pitching, timely hitting and then not so clutch hitting.  But the most important thing is that they were victorious 4 times.  After going 0-10 in their first home-stand the Royals stepped it up quite a bit with the above .500 home-stand ending it at 4-3.  Now it is not exactly the best result of a home-stand but the fact that they were able to come home and prove to the fans that they were truly a team and able to win ballgames is the biggest accomplish.  I believe that if they would have come home and laid another egg and only won 1 or 2 games the town would have gone nuts, some maybe even hanging the t-shirt jerseys in the closet for the summer.  But, just like in all sports patience is a virtue.

The surprise of the home-stand, at least on the mound that is, was the start of the season for Felipe Paulino.  Some at the beginning of the season did not want to see Paulino in the Royals’ rotation, and those that did got there wish with Paulino going on the 15-Day Disabled List to begin the season.  But once he was given the opportunity to pitch again in Kauffman Stadium he was not going to give his spot back.  Yes is was only one start but maybe it was exactly what the pitching staff needed not only for the quality starts that have been lacking so far this season but also the ability to rest the bullpen more with an innings eater like Paulino on the mound.  In his first start, he went 6 innings, while only throwing 96 pitches, 59 of which were strikes.  He had 6 strikeouts and only 2 walks.  Oh yeah and he didn’t give up any runs.  If Paulino can continue to be a good back of the rotation guy then his value on this team is unprecedented.  When you have pitchers like, Luke Hochevar and Jonathan Sanchez, on your staff that cant seem to get out of the fourth inning but once in a blue moon, having a guy that can tell the bullpen take a little time off for tonight is a huge help.

One hitter stood out on the home-stand, even though his hot streak started on the road in Cleveland.  After a terrible start Gordon has seemed to found his stride at the plate.  He has raised his batting average exactly 100 points since April 24th.  To say that he is hot would be about right.  Having a four hit game always helps the average this early in the season. The fact that he is now driving in runs not by hitting the ball out of the ballpark but cutting his swing down and getting just base hits is what stands out the most with Gordon. He is just getting base hit after base hit, as the singles come the doubles follow and the big flies follow suit.  If he continues playing both in the field and at the plate he will be finding himself playing an extra game at The K around early July.

Fans, our Royals are not fully back but boy does it feel good to have them playing baseball that we all enjoy to watch.  Although they had only one more wins than losses in the last seven games, it felt like the baseball that was being played was not only smart and productive but enjoyable.  Losing 12 games in a row is never fun but when it is happening without having any good baseball being played that changes is completely.  This team needs about a five or six game winning streak and they will be right where they and we all want to be.  Right back in the thick of things in a sluggish American League Central.

The 25+ minute fete of La Russa featured names and faces spanning his better than three decade career. On- and off-the-field representatives from the White Sox, A’s, and Cardinals were on hand to see their former skipper honored. Jerry Reinsdorf, Tom Seaver, Dave Stewart, Bob Welch, Walt Jocketty, Matt Morris, and Jim Edmonds were just a few of the special guests seated in the infield at Busch Stadium while Master of Ceremonies Mike Shannon took to the podium set up near home plate. Of course all of the current Cardinals were in the dugout, and some—like Chris Carpenter, Adam Wainwright, and manager Mike Matheny—sat in the seats on the field. After a few short speeches, a couple of good laughs, and a video montage, members of Team Fredbird unveiled the new image of La Russa next to a huge “10” as the newest addition to the retired numbers mural along the left field wall. It was a fitting tribute to the man who presided over one of the most successful periods of baseball in the history of the franchise.

But even La Russa pushed to get the game going, promising to keep his speech short and acknowledging that the crowd was really there to see the Cards and Braves play. Unfortunately, nothing went right for the Cardinals early in the contest. After two passed balls in the first inning, the Braves led 2-0. By the end of the third, it was 5-0. The Cardinals battled back to take the lead 6-5 in the 5th inning, but they would only score one more run the rest of the night. Tied at seven, the game went into extra innings and a Jayson Heyward two-run homer capped off the scoring.

Friday night certainly had a little bit of everything: the return of La Russa to Busch Stadium; the illustrious group attending his ceremony; a long standing ovation for Chipper Jones, who is likely playing his last series at Busch; a big lead for the opposition; a comeback to take the lead from them; a Jaime Garcia meltdown that he was able to rein in; several lead changes; Skip Schumaker trying to be extra scrappy due to the presence of David Eckstein by diving head-first into first base for a hit; extra innings; Carlos Beltran finishing a single short of hitting for the cycle (and even taking a walk in the 11th); great weather, etc. etc.

But the loss was particularly disappointing because the Cards once again had runners on second or third—or second and third…and first—numerous times and the Cardinals failed to capitalize. The comeback from being down 5-0 early is great. But the Cards’ RISP numbers are not great, and they have to figure out a way to get guys in once they get on.

The Cardinals did not come out with a victory, but they did but on quite a show for La Russa. And if nothing else, that and Beltran’s performance were definitely the plays of the night. Perhaps, as the Cards’ former manager rides off into the sunset, they could take a page from La Russa’s notebook and get back to playing a hard nine or 12 or whatever it takes to finish and get out of this RISP funk. Just keep that pitcher batting ninth or Matheny may have a fan mutiny on his hands.

The following press releases were sent in to the i70 mailbox from the two teams.

Naturals No-Hit Cardinals
Holland, Dwyer, Lafferty, Volz combine to throw gem

SPRINGDALE, AR- The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (17-16) got the second no-hitter in franchise history topping the Springfield Cardinals 2-0 on Thursday night at Arvest Ballpark.  The no-hitter was the first in the history of Arvest Ballpark, and the second for the Naturals, the last coming on July 19, 2011 at North Little Rock.

Greg Holland was brilliant in his second major league rehab start.  He used just 14 pitches to strikeout the side in order.  The Naturals offense wasted not time getting to Cardinals (14-19) starter Trevor Rosenthal (2-4) getting three consecutive singles to start the game.  The last one was an RBI single from Wil Myers to give the Naturals a 1-0 lead.  Rosenthal was able to get Mario Lisson to ground into a force out and strike out Eric Duncan to strand runners on second and third.  The Naturals offense tacked on a second run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Julio Rodriguez smacked an RBI single to right field to score Duncan making it 2-0.

Chris Dwyer (2-4) came in the second inning and picked up right where Holland left off.  Dwyer worked six and two thirds inning without allowing a hit walking two and hitting one batter.  Brendan Lafferty came on and kept the no-hit bid alive getting Kolten Wong to fly out to Paulo Orlando just one step in front of the fence.

Kendal Volz got Jermaine Curtis to line out to Colon at short to get the first out of the ninth inning.  Cardinals top prospect Oscar Taveras grounded out to second base for the second out.  Kyle Conley stepped to the plate as the last chance for the Cardinals and he grounded out to shortstop to complete the no-hitter.

Naturals No-Hit Cardinals in 2-0 Loss
Springfield Suffers First No-Hitter in Franchise History

Springfield, MO – After a tremendous eight-game homestand which saw the Cardinals go 6-2, the Springfield squad embarked on yet another eight-game road trip beginning with four in NW Arkansas against the Naturals.

The last time away from Hammons Field the Cardinals went 0-8 and set a franchise record for most consecutive road losses in a row; they looked to snap that stretch Thursday night with Trevor Rosenthal on the mound. The Naturals countered with Major League Rehabber Greg Holland for an inning then lefty Chris Dwyer, coming off a start in which he allowed 10 runs to Springfield.

After a quick top of the first, Rosenthal battled through to bottom of the inning.  After allowing three straight singles, including an RBI single by Wil Myers, the Naturals had a 1-0 lead.  The righty settled down however to retire the next three batters to limit the damage to just the one run.

The Naturals added another run in the 4^th as former Springfield Cardinal Eric Duncan singled, stole second with two outs and scored on an RBI single by Julio Rodriguez to grab a 2-0 lead.  Rosenthal would leave after just 4.1 innings and gave way to Kevin Thomas with a runner at second and one out.  Thomas would strikeout the next two batters to keep the game 2-0 after five.

Springfield had their first real scoring chance in the 6^th with two outs after a hit by pitch and a walk brought Oscar Taveras to the plate, but the Cardinals’ centerfielder flied out to shallow center field to retire the side.

Chris Dwyer was dominant for the Naturals pitching 6.2 innings of no-hit ball while striking out five and walking just two.  After a two out walk in the 8^th, Dwyer gave way to Brendan Lafferty.  Kolten Wong was able to get good wood on the ball, but flied out to the wall in right field keeping the Cardinals out of the hit column.

In the 9^th, closer Kendal Volz retired the Cardinals in order to complete the second no-hitter in Naturals history.  It was the first time in Springfield’s history that they were no-hit.

The Redbirds will continue their four-game set against the NW Arkansas Naturals Friday night at 7:30pm.  Michael Blazek will start for Springfield against Jake Odorizzi of the Naturals. 

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

The Sanchez to the DL move was a surprise, but the Royals replacing him with Giavotella was more of a surprise. Usually, a team moves a position player with a position player and a pitcher with a pitcher. But not this time.

With the Thursday off day, the Royals won’t need to replace Sanchez until next Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. With the current roster, the Royals could go with Nate Adcock, Luis Mendoza or wait for it, Vin Mazzaro. There’s a chance the team could call up Ryan Verdugo, who is on the 40-man roster and pitching pretty well for the AAA Omaha Storm Chasers with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.63 strikeout to walk ratio and a 1.213 WHIP. Verdugo doesn’t give up a lot of hits, but he leads the Chasers with 19 walks. But it’s more likely the Royals will use Adcock, Mendoza or Mazzaro as a spot starter.

So why is Giavotella with the Royals? According to General Manager Dayton Moore, the Royals will face left handed pitchers over the next week or so and Giavotella gives the team a right handed bat. In Omaha, Giavotella hit .331/.408/.504 with 25 RBI and five home runs. He also drew 18 walks and 11 strikeouts. Giavotella’s offense and being right handed were some of the reasons he joined the Royals.

But what about his defense? For now, the Royals plan to use Chris Getz as the everyday second baseman. There’s no denying Getz is playing well, with a .288/.338/.424 average and good defense. The Royals won’t sit Hosmer or Moustakas for extended periods of time, so unless Giavotella plays second base against left handed pitchers, most of Giavotella’s time with the Royals will be on the bench. I’m sure Giavotella and Mitch Maier will become good buddies.

To be honest, this move is maddening to some Royals fans. Giavotella was expected to be the Royals second baseman of the future and be the starting second baseman this season. Instead, Giavotella was sent to Omaha and Getz and Yuni Betancourt shared time at second, at least until Betancourt got hurt. With this latest move, the Royals are treating Giavotella less like a prized prospect and more like organizational filler.

But then again, perhaps the Royals had little choice but to call up Giavotella. With injuries to right handers Salvador Perez, Lorenzo Cain and Betancourt, the Royals have a left handed heavy lineup of Jarrod Dyson, Getz, Alex Gordon, Hosmer, Maier and Moustakas. And with Giavotella’s strong offense, he does provide a right handed bat.

But how long will Giavotella be in Kansas City? In his projected role, it’s likely he will go back to Omaha when Betancourt comes back from the DL. Or Giavotella might stay if Getz gets hurt or if he plays his way to a permanent spot on the roster. Either way, many fans are wondering what the Royals are doing with Johnny Giavotella. Time will tell.

Second baseman Tyler Greene showed all those offensive skills Sunday that have labeled him still a prospect although he more often than not has been suspect at the big-league level.

Greene, mostly a reserve who was starting at second base against Houston LHP J.A. Happ, clubbed two homers and a double and drove in four runs as he bumped his average to .256. He stole one base and nearly had another and he also turned in a nifty double play in the field as the Cardinals captured the finale of a three-game series from the Astros, 8-1.

First baseman Allen Craig, knocked out for two months last May when he slid into a railing here and suffered a broken right kneecap, got his revenge on Minute Maid Park by homering and doubling and knocking in three runs.

As the Cardinals stopped their losing streak at three games and the Astros’ winning streak at five, RHP Adam Wainwright did what he always does against the Astros. Wainwright, winning his second straight, held the Astros to one run on seven singles in seven innings and struck out seven. It was Wainwright’s 10th win in 11 career decisions against the Astros and his earned-run average for that body of work is 1.54.

But what Greene did certainly was less expected than the feats of the other two. In fact, he did what no other Cardinals second baseman ever has done.

According to SABR research, Greene is the first Cardinals second baseman to have as many as four RBI, three hits and two homers and at least one stolen base in the same game.

“Hopefully, I was able to earn a couple of days out there (in Arizona),” said Greene. “Everybody wants to be out there every day. You just take whatever circumstance you’re given and do the best you can with it.”

A few notes

–1B Allen Craig is hitting .375 and slugging .750 after his first four games, including three doubles and a homer, after leaving the disabled list. “I can’t wait for the year I can see 500 to 600 at-bats from that guy,” said hitting coach Mark McGwire.

–RHP Adam Wainwright is getting closer to the form he displayed in 2009-10, when he won 39 games for the Cardinals before losing last season to an elbow operation. After pitching poorly in his first three starts this season, amassing an unsightly 9.88 ERA along with three losses, Wainwright is 2-0 and 2.70 since then, including a one-run, seven-hit allotment over seven innings on Sunday. “You could see he had a good feel for all his pitches. I don’t think (Wainwright) is very far away now,” manager Mike Matheny said.

–CF Jon Jay turned in his sixth spectacular play of the three-game series when he avoided LF Matt Holliday, who had pulled up, and made a sliding catch on Justin Maxwell‘s drive to left center in the fifth inning.

–Injured 1B Lance Berkman ran in the outfield for some 10 minutes before the game and said his strained left calf “felt a lot better than the other day. Marked improvement.”

–Matheny had pondered giving 34-year-old SS Rafael Furcal a day off Sunday. But too much was happening for Furcal and not enough was happening for the Cardinals.

–Furcal, matching Lou Brock in 1974, had led off six straight games with hits and he had scored in the first inning after five of them. Matheny said, “He was excited about getting in there and facing a lefty (J.A. Happ). And there’s no question that everybody’s pretty excited about winning a game here.” The Cardinals won but Furcal’s streak was snapped with a first-inning fly out.

–St. Louis has scored in the first inning for eight games in a row.

–The Cardinals’ five homers in Monday night’s game were their most since hitting six on July 5, 2007, against Pittsburgh.

–Beltran needs two stolen bases to become the eighth player in major-league history with at least 300 steals and 300 homers.

–Westbrook followed his most difficult outing of the season — a 6-3 home loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates — with his most dominant. He has as many quality starts through this season’s six outings as he managed in the first 16 in 2011

For more than two decades I’ve loved a loser. But like a parent, I could never give up on my kid and move on to another.

After 100 posts covering my favorite team in all sports, I’ve come to the conclusion that loving a baseball team can’t be about winning and losing. And further, writing about baseball can’t be about winning and losing.

As a journalist, I’ve covered floods, storms, arrests, trials, legislative proceedings, and business and religious events. All those would seem infinitely more important than sports.

Yet I spend most of my time covering sports. Why? Is it because I’m lazy or unable to focus my feeble mind on more important matters?

Maybe.

But there is something about sports that draws me. When I see children playing on a playground, my eyes are unavoidably drawn to those who are competing at a sport, rather than the ones on the swings or playing imagination games. Why is that?

I recently came to the conclusion that I’m drawn to any sport where I see people trying to accomplish a task. Whether it’s a small child trying to put a ball in a hoop, or a general manager trying to rebuild a loser through the draft, there is some challenge that requires determination, resilience and effort.

So perhaps floods, trials and elections are no more important than the Royals snapping a 12-game losing streak. After all, the human struggle to overcome, persevere and achieve is played out no more gloriously than on the athletic field.

The Royals continue to dredge the depths of the baseball world. They continue to lose far more games than they win. But they persevere in the battle to overcome. And that’s why I’m drawn to watch.

When it comes to the Royals, I am more drawn to write stories about minor leaguers and about the draft, and about roster makeup than I am about the wins and losses of the big league club. And I think that’s because I’m more into the grind to develop than I am about the wins and losses.

The losses keep coming. We hoped this year would be different. But so far it’s not. Still, I keep watching, keep writing, keep caring.

After 100 posts, I’m still just as passionate about my team as a parent is about their child. Some day they’ll win, but that doesn’t matter. What matters most is the struggle the Royals engage in, to overcome, to persevere, and to achieve.

In watching the 2012 version of the Kansas City Royals, it is hard to deny that this is the most talented team they have put on the field in quite some time. This is not the same collections of “has-been’s” and “never-will-be’s” that Royals fans have become accustomed to seeing. But the fact of the matter is, the Royals are currently sitting with the second-worst record in the major leagues at 9-19. And it is hard to ignore idea that mental toughness is a big reason for the slow start.

Not just baseball, but all sports have seen supremely talented players who were not successful because they couldn’t hack it mentally. Whether that equates to a player buckling under pressure, a player’s lack of desire to properly prepare, or a combination of the two, there is no denying that the mental side of the game is absolutely critical to success. The two most recent demonstrations of a lack of mental toughness were put on display on Sunday agains the Yankees and Monday against the Red Sox by starting pitchers Luke Hochevar and Jonathan Sanchez. Both of these players have talent. And not just enough talent to be a big league player. These guys both have the talent to excel in the big leagues. They have each demonstrated that at different points in their careers.

Luke Hochevar was a #1 overall pick in 2006. In 2009 he threw an 80 pitch complete game against the Cincinnati Reds, and later in the season struck out 13 against the Texas Rangers. This is why the Royals continue to put up with his inconsistency and made him their Opening Day starter in 2011 and de facto “ace” going into 2012.

On Sunday, Hochevar made it only 2 1/3 innings into his start, giving up 7 earned runs on 7 hits. This was the 3rd time in 6 starts this season that Hochevar had put his team in a hole early in the ballgame that they had almost no chance of digging out of. His ERA for the season is now 9.00.

Jonathan Sanchez has averaged 9.3 SO per 9 innings over his 6+ year career. He also struck out 205 batters in 193 innings for the San Francisco Giants in 2010. This is why the Royals traded Melky Cabrera for him this past off-season.

In his start on Monday, Sanchez made it only 3 innings, giving up 6 earned runs on 6 hits while throwing only 35 of his 73 pitches for strikes. His ERA for the season is now 6.75.

There are other examples. Earlier in the season, over about a week period, Alex Gordon seemed to be coming up to bat on a nightly basis in key late-game situations. Each time he came up short-handed. While Gordon has begun to catch fire at the plate after an extremely slow start, his lack of success in these pressure situations is telling. This could be explained away by saying that since Gordon got off to such a slow start, he was lacking confidence in these situations which led to his inability to produce. Let’s hope this is true and now that he has snapped out of his funk that this pattern comes to a halt.

Last October, St. Louis Cardinals fans watched one of the most magnificent displays of the other side of this. On the largest stage in the sport, David Freese, Lance Berkman, and other Cardinals players showed the world the importance of mental toughness. Until the Royals have a team full of players who are not afraid to prepare for the big situations, and not afraid of the spotlight, they will be nothing more than a talented team that won’t win anything.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

Triple-A
The Omaha Storm Chasers (Pacific Coast League) went 4-2 over the past six days making them 21-10 trailing only the Fresno Grizzlies who are 23-8 on the campaign in the race for the best record in the Pacific Coast League.  The Storm Chasers have remained hot despite sending several more players up to the Royals including Nate Adock and most recently Irving Falu.

Who’s Hot
The offense has continued to carry the Storm Chasers to wins providing walk-off victories on two consecutive nights thanks to home runs by Cody Clark and Johnny Giavotella.  Giavotella has been on fire since the calendar turned over to may hitting .458 (11-for-24) in the first six games of the month.  He has also hit two home runs and knocked in eight, while working six walks over that span.  On the mound for the Storm Chasers a pair of pitchers who returned from the Kansas City Royals have been on.  Everett Teafordtossed five and two thirds innings in his first start of the season in Triple-A.  Louis Coleman has allowed just three hits and one run over five and a third innings of work.

Who’s Not
Sean O’Sullivan looked to have found it working and inning and a third scoreless innings in his last appearance against Oklahoma City, but prior to that he allowed nine hits and five runs over five and a third innings in his previous two relief outings.  Jason Bourgeois has struggled at the plate since being demoted to Triple-A.  He is hitting .200 (6-for-30) in his first seven games of the season, but has hit a home run.

Double-A
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Texas League) are back to .500 after at 15-15 and have won the first two games of a four game homestand against the Tulsa Drillers to pull within five games of the Drillers for the North Division lead.  The Naturals have been brilliant at Arvest Ballpark this season going 12-4 at home.

Who’s Hot
Wil Myers who was named the Texas League Player of the week (April 23-29) has continued to be the best player on the field nearly every night.  Myers has homered in three of his last four games and is hitting a healthy .336 on the season to lead the Texas League.  He is also tops on the Naturals with 22 RBI, knocking home seven runs in his last four games.  On the mounc Jake Odorizzi has been just as good as advertised winning the Texas League Pitcher of the week (April 30-May 6) and turning in a seven and a third inning eleven strikeout performance his last time out on the mound.

Who’s Not
Julio Rodriguez is still trying to find his rhythm at the plate going 7-for-36 in his first ten games of the season.  He has delivered some key hits knocking in three runs in ten games on the season.  On the mound for the Naturals Chris Dwyer is coming off his worst start of the season and will look to rebound later in the week.  Last time out Dwyer went three innings allowing five hits and ten runs, seven of which were earned, while walking a season high six.

Class-A Advanced
The Wilmington Blue Rocks (Carolina League) went just 2-4 last week and after getting back and are now 12-17 on the season sitting in third place in the Carolina League’s Northern Division trailing the Potomac Nationals by just one game for second.

Who’s Hot
Brian Fletcher has been giving opposing pitchers nightmares so far in the month of May.  The former Auburn Tiger is hitting .348 in the month of May lifting his average to .314 on the season.  Nick Rogers turned in what has become a run of the mill performance out of the bullpen on Saturday going two innings allowing just one hit and fanning three.  Rogers has yet to allow and run this season and have fanned 12 in 11 innings of work.

Who’s Not
Catcher Kenny Swab is still trying to find himself at the plate this season in limited playing time.  The backstop has appeared in ten games for the Blue Rocks and is hitting .094 (3-for-32) on the season.  Sam Runion had a couple of tough appearances in the last week allowing four runs in five and a third innings of work, but for the season he has now allowed just five runs over 13 innings.

Class-A
The Kane County Cougars went 3-2 over the past week and they now sit at 14-16 on the season.  The Cougars are sitting in fifth place in the Midwest League’s Western division, but are just 4.5 games behind the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers for the division lead.

Who’s Hot
Outfielder Lane Adams has continued to be one of the focal points of the Cougar offense.  He is hitting a cool .330 with a home run and 18 RBI on the campaign.  On the mound for the Cougars, Santiago Garrido is undefeated on the season, going 3-0 with a 0.68 ERA over 26.1 innings of work.

Who’s Not
First baseman Murray Watts is still trying to hit for a better average, but his power swing has definitely been there.  Despite hitting just .191 on the season Watts has popped five home runs and driven home 13.  Aaron Brooks is coming off of a pair of rough starts allowing seven runs in his last 11 innings of work to go along with 15 hits.

Alumni Report (Former Naturals outside the Kansas City organization)

Who’s Hot
Corey Smith turned in a great week for Double-A Birmingham posting a .407 batting average, to go along with four doubles and four RBI.  Blake Johnson made three scoreless appearances for Double-A Chattanooga in the Los Angeles Dodgers organization.  He logged two and a third innings surrendering just one hit and striking out two.

Jeff Bianchi posted a .300 average for the week while with Double-A Huntsville in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, and earned his first career promotion to Triple-A on Saturday.

Who’s Not
Dusty Hughes got knocked around this past week working a third of an inning allowing two hits, walking two, and surrendering three runs.  Hughes had been one of the hottest pitcher for the Atlanta Braves Triple-A affiliate prior to that outing.  Jordan Parraz, also with the Gwinnett Braves had a rough week at the plate going 0-for-16 with six strikeouts.

Josh Johnson who is now with Triple-A Syracuse in the Washington Nationals organization is 1-for-16 with a walk and three strikeouts.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Greene became the first Cardinal second baseman since 1918* to start a game and hit 2 home runs, drive in 4, score 3 times, and steal a base.  Considering the great players who have manned second base throughout the years – Rogers Hornsby, Red Schoendienst, Ted Sizemore – that is amazing.

It gets better.  Only three other Cardinals have ever had a final box score line like that.

1. Jim Edmonds pulled it off during a Fourth of July destruction of the Cincinnati Reds.  Fireworks during and after the game that day.  I think the fans went home happy.
2. Stan Musial watched Wally Moon turn the trick in a June 1956 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.  Moon’s line that day was virtually identical to Greene’s, except Moon had one more PA (he walked).  Musial also homered.  Personally I like it when I can connect Musial to anything going on with the team today.
3. Twenty years before that, Don Gutteridge was the first Cardinal with the line.  Gutteridge actually scored 4 runs and knocked in 5 during the first game of a double header that day.  For what it’s worth, he doubled and struck out 3 times in the nightcap.

I half expected all three men would hit high in the order, and indeed Edmonds hit third and Moon fifth.  But Gutteridge hit seventh during his game, and Greene eighth Sunday; more proof that on any given day you can see anything at a baseball game from any given spot in the order.

One more factoid of interest.  There have only been four other second baseman with a day like Tyler Greene’s:  Joe Morgan, Ryne Sandberg, Juan Samuel, and Orlando Hudson.  That’s not bad company, is it?

*Baseball Reference’s play index only goes back to 1918, so although we could argue ‘first ever’ it is prudent to put the date, just in case. Search was done for games where the starting second basemen had two or more HR, 4 or more RBI, scored 3 or more runs, and stole 1 or more bases.

Mike Metzger is a freelance writer based in San Diego.  He blogs about the Padres.  You can follow him on Twitter @metzgermg.