With the Kansas City Royals missing another postseason, fans wonder when the team will make the playoffs, even with the expanded Wild Card. How about a playoff format where every team in the Majors is in a playoff tournament for a chance at the World Series? Think it sounds crazy? Atlanta Braves third baseman Chipper Jones doesn’t think so.

In a October 5 article in USA Today, the future Hall of Famer said, “Quite honestly, I think if we’re going to continue to let teams in year after year, we might as well just say, screw it; let’s have everybody in. Let’s play 162 games to seed yourselves and then we’ll let the Astros (55-107) have a shot at it and whoever else wants a shot at it, six or seven game winning streak and you’re the world champions.

“We’ll just have a 32-team, single-elimination March Madness tournament. That’s the way I think we ought to do it.”

Ok, Chipper isn’t being serious, but I think he’s overlooking the genius of a “October Madness” type baseball playoff. And someone needs to remind him there’s 30 teams in the Major Leagues, not 32.

With the Astros moving to the American League next year, making each league 15 teams, a 30 team playoff is possible.

Major League Baseball would eliminate the divisions and have a 15 team American and National League. The schedule would be balanced and have Interleague play. All the rounds to the World Series would be a single game elimination tournament, the brackets split between the American and National League. The bracket for each league would be seven first round games, four second round games, two third round games and one fourth round game, the winner of which would claim the league pennant. Then have a traditional seven game World Series.

The A.L. and N.L. team with the best record gets a first round bye and home field advantage through the tournament. The remaining 14 teams would be seeded in the tournament by their record, from 1-14, with the higher seed being the home team. I would seed the teams like this: 7-14, 6-13, 5-12, 4-11, 3-10, 2-9, 1-8, with the winner of the 7-14 game facing the top league bye team in the second round. This makes the teams more evenly matched and “easier” for the top league bye team to advance.

The logistics and travel would be difficult, but it’s possible. Have a day or two off between rounds and the tournament could be done in seven to ten days. Then play the World Series over nine days.

So what are the advantages of this type of playoff format? Well, every team is in the playoffs, which keeps fans and players interested through the season. If you’re Houston, your season isn’t over by Memorial Day. Heck, this even gives the Cubs a chance to make the World Series. Maybe.

What makes NCAA Basketball March Madness so exciting? It’s the Cinderella teams having a shot of knocking out the top seeded teams and playing deep into the tournament. A single game elimination tournament to get in the World Series gives the low revenue teams like the Royals a chance. Yes, a mediocre team could get hot and win four in a row, making it to the World Series. But they still have to win four out of seven games to be champions. And like most tournaments, the best teams are usually in the final rounds anyway.

Think about the story lines and drama of a single game elimination tournament with 30 teams. The pressure of teams deciding who starts their games. Where every move is scrutinized by the fans and media if the team loses, or wins. A one game playoff between the Cardinals and Cubs or Royals and Yankees to make it to the World Series. As a fan of those teams, that has to make you excited if you win and crushed if you lose.

I’m sure there’s some baseball purists out there who believe a single game elimination tournament might ruin the integrity of the game or some other nonsense. They might say, “Won’t it make the 162 game season meaningless?” Let’s be honest. If your team doesn’t win the World Series, isn’t the season technically meaningless anyway? If baseball can survive the Black Sox Scandal, Pete Rose betting on baseball, the designated hitter, interleague play and the expanded Wild Card, it will survive a tournament where every team is in the playoffs.

There is a danger some teams might aim for mediocrity and figure, “hey, we have as good a shot as anyone else to win the World Series, why invest in top players?” That sounds like something Royals owner David Glass might do. Major League Baseball could have a salary floor to force each team to spend X amount of dollars on team payroll so teams wouldn’t stock their roster with lousy, low cost players. Instead, they would have stock their roster with better quality players. Or in the case of recent Royals history, stock the team with lousy, high cost players.

Of course what I’m suggesting is unlikely to happen. No major sport or league has every team in their playoffs and it would be hard to have ownership, the players union and the Commissioner’s office to agree on a radical playoff format like this. But when your team misses the playoffs year after year and you see the team across the state in the playoffs again, the tongue in cheek thoughts of Chipper Jones start making a lot of sense.

(Editor’s note: All stats used in this piece are as of Monday, 8/27)

This past offseason, Major League Baseball commissioner Bud Selig expanded the playoff system. Two wild card berths were added, one to each league. A single elimination game would be played to determine the Wild Card winner. The current standings are like this:

Atlanta 73-55 (home field advantage for playoff)

San Francisco 71-57* (lead NL West by 1 game over LA Dodgers)

St. Louis 70-57

LA Dodgers 69-59* (1.5 back of STL, 1 game back of San Francisco in NL West)

Pittsburgh 68-59 (2 back of STL)

Arizona 64-64 (6.5 back of STL)

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It’s safe to say that Arizona is likely out of playoff contention, barring anything dramatic and unusual. The Wild Card will be a five-team race, and an exciting one at that. We’ll begin the preview with our own St. Louis Cardinals.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals took 2 of 3 from Cincinnati this past weekend, and gained a game in the NL Central. Still, the Reds hold a 6 game lead in the Central and should be able to maintain that lead through the rest of the regular season. If St. Louis can maintain their offensive production, they should have an advantage at maintaining a spot for Game 163. It will be interesting to see how the Cardinals’ rotation will play out, with Joe Kelly pitching in Lance Lynn‘s rotation spot for the time being. September’s expanded rosters may help the Cardinals in their quest.

The Cards have the toughest remaining schedule of any Wild Card contender. They have five series against teams with records above the .500 mark, three of which are against division leading teams (two against Washington, one against Cincinnati).

Cardinals fans will likely remain nervous from now until playoff time, and have good reason to be that way. Everything will have to be clicking for the Redbirds. They cannot afford to give many games away. It can be done, but they have a tough hill to climb to get there.

Remaining games vs WC teams: at PIT (Aug 28 & 29) at LA (Sept 13-16)

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers, in pursuit of the playoffs, may have just become the biggest threat to the Redbirds” Wild Card hopes.

A nine-player trade took place between the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox on Saturday. Boston sent Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford, Adrian Gonzalez and Nick Punto to LA, while the Sox received James Loney and four prospects. For the Red Sox, the trade was a salary dump and concession for the 2012 season. For LA, the trade showed that the Dodgers are serious about the playoffs, and the near future, under their new ownership. The trade could turn out to be much like the Cardinals trading Colby Rasmus to Toronto last season, and we all know how that turned out for St. Louis.

The Cardinals, Nationals and Reds are the only non-division opponents that the Dodgers face in the rest of the regular season. Washington and Cincinnati have the upper hand in their respective divisions (4 1/2 and 6 games respectively). Of the Wild Card contenders, Los Angeles may be the toughest opposition St. Louis has for the next month and a half. The Dodgers’ dangerous pitching and newly-revamped offense, combined with the easy schedule, should strike fear in their opponents and give LA an edge in the race.

Remaining games vs WC teams: at SF (Sept 7-9), vs STL (Sept 13-16), vs SF (Oct 1-3)

San Francisco Giants

Tim Lincecum has been a huge disappointment in the otherwise stellar season so far for San Fran. The PED-suspension of Melky Cabrera will certainly hurt the Giants’ chances at an NL West title. Despite these events, the Giants have been able to hold a slight division lead on the Dodgers. The only non-division opponents remaining on the schedule for the Giants are the Astros and Cubs. The NL West is pretty much a two-team race between the Dodgers and Giants. The advantage, at least on paper, goes to LA because of the trade boost. The battle for the West (and subsequent Wild Card spot) should go down to the final days of the regular season, but don’t be surprised if LA runs away to a division title before then.

Remaining games vs WC teams: vs LAD (Sept 7-9), at LAD (Oct 1-3)

Pittsburgh Pirates

Other than St. Louis, the Pirates have just three series left with teams that have winning records (two with Cincinnati, one with Atlanta – one Reds series and the Braves series at home). The Pirates are much better at home than on the road (38-25/30-34). Pittsburgh’s contention will depend on their pitching, which has been a major plus for them in 2012. Led by James McDonald and AJ Burnett, the Bucs’ rotation has been one of the biggest surprises of the season. Barring a late season collapse or injuries, Pittsburgh should remain in the three-team race for Wild Card spot number two.

Remaining games vs WC teams: vs STL (Aug 28 & 29), vs ATL (Oct 1-3)

Atlanta Braves (current leader of first Wild Card spot, 2.5 games ahead of Cardinals for position)

The Braves have a big strength of schedule in the remainder of the regular season.  Thanks to a weak NL East, Atlanta faces only two opponents with winning records, Washington and Pittsburgh. It would take a Braves slump and Cardinals surge for St. Louis to take the number one spot and home field for Game 163. It happened in 2011, but given the schedule and sure-thing Braves pitching staff, don’t expect history to repeat itself. Atlanta should be hosting Game 163 in October. The only question they should have is who they will be facing on that day.

Remaining games vs WC teams: at PIT (Oct 1-3)

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The 2012 Wild Card race will be exciting to watch. It won’t quite have the excitement of the 2011 Wild Card, but the first year with the new system won’t disappoint. Expect some good baseball in the season’s last month and a half!

Home field advantage. A term usually reserved for football and basketball. If does not come into play very often in baseball. While some teams tend to play better at home is it often result of comfort level and a matter of routine. Not a result of intimidation, the crowd or the elements.

This might be because most ballparks these days are built to shield away such advantages in favor of providing the creature comforts of home to those in attendance. Warm weather cities such as Houston, Arizona and Tampa play in domes. While other cities like Milwaukee and Philly play in modern day softball parks where on the right day the ball flies out with ease. See game 5 of the NLCS for example.

No, few baseball teams set up there parks to give them and them alone the advantage like the Packers and Lambeau Field, Soldier Field and the Bears or even Cameron Indoor Stadium where the Duke Blue Devils play. The fans are in your face and so are the elements. For the teams playing half of their games in this kind of environment.

For those coming to visit they have to prepare for more than just the team they will be playing, but the where as well. While the physical game is the same the mental game can be vastly different and affect the physical game if not prepared properly.

Back to baseball. While the Texas Rangers played 81 of their regular season games on the road, winning 44 of them and 4 of their playoff games, going 3 &1, the majority of these games were played over the summer and in LA, Oakland, Seattle and Tampa for the most part. The other 85 were played in the hostile confines of Arlington, TX.

The Texas Rangers have yet to play in an environment like St. Louis in October. I am not referring to the wonderful group of fans that make up Cardinal Nation. Nor am I talking about Busch Stadium itself. No, I am talking about 50 degree temperatures at game time. Mist, Rain, hell who knows snow is never out of the possibility here in October.

Last year’s World Series road games took the Rangers to San Francisco, where it can get cold but not October in St. Louis cold. We say just how nasty in can get back in 2006 when Detroit came to town and when the Cardinals ventured up north. But this is different. Texas is not accustomed to playing in rally any kind of elements other than heat. And that will not be in play starting today.

This is the football equivalent of a dome team heading up to Green Bay for a road game in November. The Cardinals play in these conditions in both April (unfortunately) and October. The cold can affect the reflexes, the grip of the bat and ones state of mind. I welcome the cold and so should the Cardinals.

Home field advantage in baseball?….sure, so long as it’s October in St. Louis.

As always these are just my thoughts…keep on reading and you’ll get up to speed.

Derek is on Twitter @SportsbyWeeze and also writes for the Rams at RamsHerd.com

Also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/SportsByWeeze

The end of the regular season was one of the most exciting in history for the Cardinals and the post-season seems to be living up to the hype.

I have been covering the NLDS between the Cardinals and Phillies for Baseball Digest. You can read my in depth thoughts on the series daily at that site or by clicking here.

The Phillies set out to send a message in game one of the series, and they did just that, beating the Cardinals easily despite an early lead provided by a three run blast from the Big Puma himself, Lance Berkman.

Game two seemed to be everything the Cardinals needed it to be. Chris Carpenter struggled in three innings of work in his first every start on short rest in his career. After spotting the Phillies four runs with Cliff Lee on the mound, the Redbirds went to work and overcame the deficit to win the game 5-4.

The series now shifts to St. Louis for games three and four and has the Cardinals looking to do the exact thing that skipper Tony LaRussa preaches, just win two out of three.

In order to do that, the Cardinals will turn to their home field advantage pitcher, Jaime Garcia. It is time for St. Louis fans to come out in droves and join the Honkin’ For Jaime bandwagon. The Cardinals lefty is much better at home this season and has the opportunity to put the Cards in the driver’s seat for this series.

The Cardinals quest for 11 in ’11 continues on Tuesday night on TBS at 5 p.m. CDT.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig is toying with the idea of adding two additional playoff teams to the mix next year, bumping the field up while potentially watering the competition down. The concept hasn’t been set in stone, but the most likely scenario would involve each league getting an extra wild card berth. The two wild cards teams in each league would play each other in a best of three series, the winners move on and the playoffs as we know them today begin.

If the playoff expansion were in effect this year, the Cardinals would be right in the thick of things for the final National League playoff spot. While that would be great for Cardinals fans, count me as part of the crowd that says “thanks, but no thanks.”

Why don’t I like the idea? For starters, I think it’s unfair. It is absolutely ridiculous to have teams play 162 games only to have their fate decide in a one (or more likely three) game series. Take the standings this year as an example:

In the American League, the wild card leading Red Sox are on pace for 99 wins. The Rays are next in line, on pace for 88 wins. Think about that: Boston would have to face a team in the same division, 11 games behind them, in a crap-shoot three game series where anything and everything can go wrong. In the blink of an eye, their season could be over.

In the National League, it’s not much better. The 96-win Braves would have to play the 86-win Giants in a three game playoff… the same team that ousted them last year in a best of 5.

Did I mention that both Boston and Atlanta just so happen to have the 2^nd best records in their respective leagues? With the new playoff format, it wouldn’t matter. So what would/should be a #2 seed with home field advantage in the NLDS and a “bye” in the “wild card round” would instead be thrown into a best of 3 with a team that was basically only slightly above mediocre the past six months. It’s just not fair.

The other reason I wouldn’t be all too thrilled about the 5^th playoff spot is because frankly neither the Cardinals, Giants, Rays, or Angels particularly deserve to go to the playoffs, at least that would be the case this year. Typically in baseball, the motto is “90+ wins and you’re in.” This year, we’re on pace for 8 teams to have 90+ wins… funny how that works out, no? Obviously, there are exceptions to every rule (see: the 83 win World Champion Cardinals of 2006) and that’s why you won’t hear me say I wouldn’t want to see the Cardinals make it to the playoffs this year. Saying something like that is simply ridiculous. If the playoff field does expand to five teams in each league next year, I do not expect any fans of the 5^th team in to be making apologies or wish they weren’t in for fear of embarrassment. Sports are crazy. If you get in the field and anything can happen. Already this year we’ve seen Virginia Commonwealth University go from “last 4 in” and a play-in game in the NCAA Men’s basketball tournament to the Final Four… and the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks come within a touchdown of hosting the NFC Championship game. I already talked about the 83-win Cardinals winning it all.

The “anything’s possible” factor is the only redeeming quality about commissioner Selig’s plan to expand the playoff field. But the fairness-factor isn’t quite up to par. Thanks, but no thanks, Bud.

The Royals are heading in the right direction once again. Sweeping the Twins at home and looking good while doing it gives more sparks to the fire of success that has started to grow in Kansas City this baseball season. The Twins, who have plagued this franchise for over a decade, were absolutely out hit and pitched the whole series.

Photo Courtesy of Minda Haas

The series against Baltimore proved to be a challenge against not only their opponent but also the very stadium in which it was played. In the Wednesday night game Aviles hit a rocket to the gap and circled the bases for what appeared to be an inside the park home run. This score was wiped out due to the ball being stuck at the bottom of the outfield fence. (So much for home field, advantage) If this had happened to last year’s team, it would have sent them spiraling into one of their five game or more losing streak. Not this year though. The Royals responded the next night with a 9-1 shelling to clinch the series. Who knew Bruce Chen was this good?

Jason Kendall and Robinson Tejada are recovering and rehabbing but are being very cautious though. The Royals called up Eric Hosmer from Omaha, and demoted the struggling Kila Ka’aihue. With this move, it definitely has the potential of increasing an offense that needed at least one stronger bat in the lineup. Although, one could make the case that the Royals were doing okay by platooning Betemit and Aviles at third and first base since both are hitting well.

Friday night marked the return of David DeJesus to Kansas City. The Athletics pulled out a tight one but if this season has taught us anything, it will not keep this young team down for too long. They are still above .500 and in second place in their division, which is still exceeding any expectations. They have a tough week coming up going to New York and then to Detroit.

The Yankees struggled this week at Detroit, losing the last three games of the series. Detroit is nipping at the Royals heels in the division. A little bit of pressure early in the season against these quality teams will be a very good barometer of how far the Royals have come since last year.

The Royals hot bats have ended the week on top of the American League rankings in batting average, doubles and triples, while finishing second in on-base percentage. Their defense and pitching are on the upward swing. A call up on the pitching side of things could be in the near future if the young prospects continue to show promise and current roster members continue to struggle.

Being positively consistent is the key to success in this game and the Royals are showing that they are very capable of being just that.

Twenty-five years. It’s a quarter of a century. It’s also been that long since the Kansas City Royals were in the playoffs. Nobody at the time knew it. They were too busy celebrating the first of what people believed would be many World Series titles. What nobody saw coming were 25 years of failure, losing and despair. Major League Baseball even expanded the number of playoff teams in 1994, but the Royals couldn’t take advantage and continued ending their season with game number one hundred and sixty two. The real shame of the matter is that the entire generation of Kansas Citians born after the 1970’s hasn’t had a single thing, other than a strike shortened 1994 and flukey 2003 to cheer for. However, it’s still important as Royals fans and as Kansas Citians to hold our heads high, be proud of our fandom and to celebrate history.

I could certainly rattle off a whole number of things which have changed in 25 years to bring perspective to the length of time it’s been since 1985. Instead I’d like to focus on how the game has changed. Specifically, how the fantastic seven game series we all remember, likely should have ended prior to Game 7. No, I’m not talking Denkinger. I’m talking relief pitchers.

Specifically, I’m talking about Game 2. The Royals had lost their home-field advantage by losing Game 1 at Kauffman by a score of 3-1. Winning Game 2 before hitting the road to St. Louis was seen as paramount to their goal of becoming World Champions.

Charlie Leibrandt

Charlie Leibrandt was taking the hill as the starter. He was 28 and was having the best year he would ever have. He had a 2.69 ERA and came in 5^th in the Cy Young voting. The Royals needed him to do what he had done all year – put the Royals in a position to take this “must win” game. Leibrandt gave the team and the fans exactly that. He was absolutely dealing that night. A single by Willie Wilson in the bottom of the fourth inning, followed up by a pair of doubles by George Brett and Frank White put the Royals ahead 2-0. Usually a two-run lead seems precarious, but not on that night. The score remained the same through eight innings. Leibrandt had allowed only two hits and struck out six.

In baseball circa 2010, with a two run lead going into the ninth inning, most fans, announcers and managers are thinking “time to bring in the closer”. In fact, it wasn’t too different in 1985. Managers brought in their closers late in games when the score was close. It wasn’t as common as it is today, but it also wasn’t exactly a ground breaking bullpen move.

Dick Howser, the Royals Manager had a decision to make after the 8^th inning. Leibrandt was dealing, but could he do it for three more outs? Dan Quisenberry, the AL leader in saves and owner of a 2.37 ERA had only walked 16 batters in 129 innings. However, Quisenberry had appeared in four of the seven games in the American League Championship Series against the Toronto Blue Jays, and he hadn’t fared well. He’d pitched 4 innings and given up 3 earned runs. He led all relievers in innings during the regular season and pitched four times in seven games during the ALCS. It’s possible he had been over-worked, but maybe Howser relied too much on a small sample size. He possibly put too much stock in a couple of rough outings against the Blue Jays.

While the use of relievers in 1985 was common late in games, it was still commonplace to see pitchers throw complete games. Leibrandt had eight complete games in 1985, so he wasn’t a stranger to that 9^th inning. However he wasn’t very effective in them. In the nine games during the 1985 regular season in which he pitched, his ERA in the 9^th inning was 6.14. It’s only 7.1 innings, so again we run into the sample size issue, but he wasn’t really effective in the eighth inning either, posting a 4.40 ERA and an opponent’s batting average of .333 in 14.1 innings pitched.

It was one of those gut-instinct moments for Dick Howser. Does he run out the pitcher who is just rolling along, but tends to run out of gas in the last innings? Does he go to the closer, who dominated during the regular season but was having some troubles in the post season? It wasn’t a particularly unique moment; those are the kinds of decisions that managers are faced with all the time. However, in this case, the wrong decision could mean losing a championship.

Dan Quisenberry might have been a better option

Howser ultimately decided to go with Leibrandt and hope he could get the last three outs with a two run lead. The first batter, Willie McGee doubled to left field. Dick Howser might have questioned himself at that very moment. Ozzie Smith then grounded out and Tommy Herr flied out. All the Royals needed to take a two game lead in the World Series was a single out. The decision to leave Leibrandt in had worked pretty well up to that point. Then, a single by Jack Clark scored McGee and a double by Tito Landrum brought back the unease.

The tying run was now on third base, 90 feet away from resetting the score. Leibrandt walked Cesar Cedeno and the bases were loaded. Again, Dick Howser had to choose to either bring in his closer or let Leibrandt finish the game. He elected to let Leibrandt pitch to Terry Pendleton with the go-ahead run on second base. Pendleton hit a base clearing double to left field, the Cardinals had suddenly taken a two run lead, and the best relief pitcher in Royals history was sitting on the bench. The Cardinals took care of business in the bottom of the ninth, and suddenly, the Royals were down two games to none and had lost both games at home.

After the game Dick Howser said “I thought Charlie was in complete command.” It was a gut call for him at that moment, and it ended up being the wrong one. With the Cardinals in control of the series, lots of heat fell on the manager for his decision. In the moment, when all you need are a couple of outs, managers can tend to ignore the percentages and put their faith in their feel of the game. It’s something that’s as old as baseball and is what can make the game so great and so frustrating. Royals fans were seriously concerned about the World Series, but without that bad decision by Howser, we don’t get that fantastic (for Royals fans) Game 7. So, thanks Dick, for making that call. In the end it actually worked out better. Could you imagine the 1985 World Series without Bret Saberhagan taking the mound for Game 7?

The Kansas City Royals have been out of the 2010 American League Central hunt since… well, since approximately 1994. For fans who are only interested in a team that has a chance to win a championship, there’s absolutely no reason to go to the ballpark and watch the Royals this time of year.

But in a crazy way, this is the best time of year to go see the Royals.

I was fortunate to accompany my mother, a diehard KC fan, to the Royals-Twins contest at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday, Sept. 28. The Twins had already clinched a playoff berth, and besides Minnesota’s desire to gain home-field advantage in the playoffs, the game was meaningless.

And we had a blast.

It took me back to one of the best days of my life as a baseball fan.

The year was 1989. It was the last game of the season, a home game at then-Royals Stadium. I was attending the game that day with my father and my brother, along with some family friends.

The Royals had a darn good team that year. They won 92 games, powered by Bret Saberhagen’s second Cy Young season (23-3 record, 2.16 ERA, 193 strikeouts – suck on that, Greinke). The team also featured George Brett, Frank White, Danny Tartabull, Willie Wilson, Kevin Seitzer and Bob Boone. Bo Jackson hit 32 home runs. Bill Buckner was on team (yes, that Bill Buckner). Jim Eisenreich was the fourth outfielder and may have been the best of the bunch that season.

But this was in the days before the Wild Card, so the second-place Royals were well out of the playoffs and seven games behind Oakland on that final day.

We had tickets in the upper deck – in fact, I think we were the only people in the upper deck. It was cold as hell. I don’t remember who won, or even who the Royals were playing.

But I’ve never had so much fun at a baseball stadium.

After the game, as per family tradition, we hung around by the players’ exit to get autographs. Usually, my brother and I would get three, maybe four autographs per game, mostly from the visiting team. That night, nearly every single player from both teams signed. Buckner, a notoriously bad signer ever since his 1986 World Series disaster, granted every request until the last autograph seeker had gone away. Danny Tartabull was picked up by a stretch limousine with a fine lookin’ woman inside. And all the players, even though their playoff hopes were dashed, seemed genuinely happy to be there. It’s almost as if for once they acknowledged that they got paid to play a game.

I didn’t stick around for autographs Tuesday night. My memories of the evening will largely be from what happened on the field. What we saw unfold before us was pretty amazing.

The Royals put a 10-1 beatdown on the Twins. Sean O’Sullivan, who has struggled this season, pitched six masterful innings to get the win. Mike Aviles nearly hit for the cycle. Jarrod Dyson didn’t get a hit but he was on base twice and stole two bases. Dyson is fast – probably the fastest player I’ve seen with my own eyes except Joey Gathright, and Dyson’s a better baserunner than Gathright. I really hope he’s the starting center fielder next year. The big hero on the night was Kila Ka’aihue, who smashed two home runs and a triple, scoring four runs and knocking in four more. Maybe we’ll be able to look back and say that was the game where Kila put it all together.

I normally don’t place much stock in September baseball, especially for non-contending teams. Kyle Davies made a name for himself two Septembers ago, and because of it he was handed a rotation spot on a silver platter.

But there’s something special about late September ball.

It produces the best memories.

Matt Kelsey is a Royals writer for I-70 Baseball. He can be reached at mattkelsey@i70baseball.com.

The Royals put a damper on the Twins’ hope for having home field advantage in the post season by unleashing a near non-stop onslaught against the Twins’ formidable pitching staff. In the first two games, the Royals scored twenty runs. The Royals have a chance to influence post-season seeding again to conclude the 2010 season versus the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Royals sweep the Rays, the Rays will go from being the number one seed to the number four seed in the playoffs. With a division title and playoff implications on the line, the Rays can ill afford to slack off against a team that scored over twenty runs in the past three games.

Game 1: Matt Garza (15-9) vs. Zack Greinke (9-14)

Matt Garza is getting his last start before the post-season begins. He is one of the key ingredients for the Rays’ ability to maintain pace with the Yankees all season long. He has one start against the Royals this season back on April 29th. He went six strong innings, giving up only five hits and one run.

Zack Greinke is going for his last attempt at reaching double-digit wins this season. For him, it would be a building block going into next year and a personal statistical milestone. If he pitches like his Cy Young caliber self, the Rays will have to take advantage of any mistake he makes. Last time Greinke faced the Rays he was nearly unhittable. He went eight strong innings and only gave up four hits and one run while striking out six. Despite this excellent performance, he took the loss due to the Rays pitching staff’s shutout performance.

Game 2: James Shields (13-14) vs. Bruce Chen (11-7)

James Shields has been on a roller coaster this season in terms of his effectiveness. At times, he has been forced to take early exits as he did against Florida in June (3.1 innings/ 10 ER). In other instances, he was very solid as he was against the Yankees two weeks ago (6.1 innings/ 1 ER). It is difficult for me to see him as a starter for the Rays in the post-season because of this inconsistency.

Bruce Chen is trying for win number twelve to cap off his most impressive season since 2005. He does have some quality experience against the Rays when he was with Baltimore. This will mark his first start against them this year. He is coming off an impressive outing versus Cleveland. He pitched 6.2 scoreless innings but wound up not being a part of the decision.

Game 3: Wade Davis (12-10) vs. Kyle Davies (8-11)

Last time Wade Davis got a start against the Royals, he pitched a magical seven scoreless innings against Zack Greinke. Since then, he has pitched .500 ball. He has not won a game since September 11 while visiting Toronto. Despite this fact, his ERA in the month of September has dropped steadily with each start.

Kyle Davies has a chance to tie a career high in wins if he can earn the victory on Saturday. His most recent start against Tampa Bay was back on May first of this year. He lasted six innings while striking out six, walking five, and giving up just two earned runs. In his last outing, he was shelled by the Twins. He lasted only 3.1 innings and gave up seven earned runs on eight hits and three walks. In order for him to get a strong consideration for next season he will have to have a solid outing against the Rays.

Game 4: David Price (19-6) vs. Sean O’ Sullivan (4-6)

David Price, a Cy Young candidate this year, will finish off the season for the Rays. Depending upon how the first three games go, he could be the man the Rays count on to bring home the division title, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He has a chance to join the 20-win club in just his second complete season in the majors. Back on May first, he ended up not being a part on the final decision against the Royals. He went six innings and gave up two earned runs on just four hits. In his most recent start though, he pitched eight shutout innings against Baltimore.

Sean O’ Sullivan did something for the Royals that was more than just a “W” in the standings in his second-to-last start. Because of his quality pitching performance against Cleveland he assured the Royals would not suffer a 100-loss season this year. He also has the opportunity to make a stronger case for the Royals to keep him around for next year if he is able to repeat his winning performance against the Rays.

Offense:

The Royals were hot in the series against the Twins. With those performances, the Royals were able to move into a tie for second in the American League in team average. The Rays have been on and off the past few games, including a 2-0 loss against Baltimore on Wednesday. The Royals batters have a chance to do some damage to the Rays’ post-season expectations. Billy Butler and Mike Aviles have been swinging the bat really well all September. If the leadoff hitter can get on, this will give these two hitters a chance to drive in some runs.

Defense:

Going into this season the Royals thought they had improved on the defensive side of the ball. According to the numbers, they have not. This will be a point of emphasis going into the off-season. In contrast, Tampa Bay is ranked third in the American League in fielding percentage behind two other Playoff bound teams (New York and Minnesota).

Pitching:

This is another point in which the Rays and the Royals are polar opposites. The Rays are ranked second in team ERA, first in saves and third in strikeouts. The Royals rank fourteenth, fifth and eleventh in the same categories. The Royals need solid outings by their starters in order to set the game up for closer Joakim Soria. If each of them can go six or more innings while keeping the game close, this will allow Soria to attempt to eclipse the forty-five save mark.

X-Factor:

The Royals are playing for pride and evaluating talent for next year. The Rays are battling for a division title and playoff seeding (even though they are guaranteed a spot). The big question is, will the Rays finally cave under the pressure that they have been under all season or will they prove that they are the best team in the A.L. East?