Welcome to this week’s Triple Play. This week, we examine an ace lefty, a couple of Giant pitchers who are anything but, a pitcher rebounding nicely from a horrific injury, and more. Here we go:

Who’s Hot?

Chris Sale, Chicago White Sox

Sale has been breezing through opposing lineups. Since getting rocked for eight earned runs against Cleveland on April 13, Sale has allowed a total on seven earned runs in his next six starts. In fact, he hasn’t allowed a run in 23 innings. The Angels are certainly tired of facing him. In Sale’s past two starts (both against the punchless Halos), Sale shut them down for 16 2/3 innings, allowing four hits and four walks, while punching out 19. For the season, the lanky lefty is 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA and a glowing 0.92 WHIP. That puts him on pace to win 20 games with 240-plus strikeouts, and a 4-to-a strikeout-to-walk ratio – all numbers are pure gold for fantasy owners. His Fielder Independent Pitching (FIP) ratio is 3.19, which indicates that a small regression may be on the way, but it would be unreasonable to expect Sale to continue his current pace. Make no mistake, though. Sale is a stud, and you should be ready to pay accordingly if you’re looking to deal for him in your fantasy league.

Who’s Not?

Ryan Vogelsong, San Francisco Giants

It’s safe to say that whatever magic spell that turned Vogelsong into such an effective pitcher in 2011-12 has expired and he has turned back into a pumpkin. Simply put, Vogelsong has been terrible. How terrible, you ask? In eight starts, he has allowed an NL-worst 37 earned runs – that’s more than half the earned runs he allowed the entire 2012 season in 190 innings. He currently sports an ERA over 8 and a 2.67 WHIP. Stats like that will kill an entire fantasy pitching staff. But manager Bruce Bochy is going to stick with Vogelsong for the time being. You should not. The rest of the NL West is a muddled mess, so the first-place Giants don’t seem to believe finding a replacement is a priority. You should, however, if you’re stuck with Vogelsong on your fantasy team. You’d be better off with a middle reliever who isn’t single-handedly destroying your ERA and WHIP categories. A middle reliever might also vulture the occasional win or save.

Playing the Name Game

Player A: .121 avg, .319 OPS
Player B: .123 avg, .319 OPS

Player A is actually the collective batting average and OPS for the Seattle Mariners’ shortstops so far this season. Player B represents the same stats for National League pitchers. NBC Sports HardballTalk reported this hilariously eye-popping stat a few days ago. Upon closer review, Seattle’s Brendan Ryan and Robert Andino have combined for 1 homer (plus 11 RBI, two steals, and 12 runs scored). Meanwhile, the following NL pitchers have homered: Clayton Kershaw, Wade Miley, Tim Hudson, Gio Gonzalez, Jeff Samardzjia, and Eric Stults. All of this leads me to ask: how much longer are the Mariners going to wait to call up Nick Franklin? He’s hitting .328/.451/.509 with 4 homers, 17 RBI, 5 steals and 26 runs scored at Triple-A Tacoma. Talk about an instant upgrade. This should be a no-brainer. Come on, Jack Zduriencik. Fantasy owners are waiting, rather impatiently.

Player A: .210/.258/.347, 5 HR, 12 RBI, 17 runs, 1 SB
Player B: .293/.416/.455, 3 HR, 21 RBI, 18 runs, 0 SB

Player A is Josh Hamilton. Player B is Lance Berkman, the man the Texas Rangers signed to replace Hamilton after his defection to Los Angeles. Thanks to the DH, the Big Puma has been able to avoid playing the field – thus keeping his legs healthier than during his injury-plagued 2012 – and focus on hitting. At 37, Berkman remains a terrific hitter. His OPS+ of 130 ranks second on the team (to Mitch Moreland), and he is on pace to hit close to .300 and drive in 80 runs. Hamilton, meanwhile, is on pace for 46 RBI and an average below the Mendoza Line. Advantage: Texas. Fantasy-wise, Berkman was most likely had in your league at a bargain-basement price or a late round due to his injuries last season. He is on pace for around 15 homers and 75 runs scored in addition to those 80 RBI. Hamilton is on pace to hit just 19 home runs this season, plus 65 runs scored and a handful of stolen bases. After clubbing a career-high 43 long balls in 2012, fantasy owners no doubt paid big bucks to land Hamilton on their team. Barring a huge turnaround, he’s going to leave owners and Angel fans wishing they had picked up the Berkman instead.

Random Thoughts

• After Baltimore closer Jim Johnson saw his team record of 35 consecutive saves snapped last week, he really imploded in spectacular fashion Saturday against the Rays: six batters faced, three hits, two walks, FIVE earned runs, one out. Yeesh.
• Raise your hand if you predicted that the Rockies would be supplying the Yankees with a consistent supply of infielders this season (first Chris Nelson, then Reid Brignac over the weekend). Notice I left the word “quality” out of the previous sentence.
• And yet, the Yankees keep winning. How long before the New York media starts touting Vernon Wells as an MVP candidate?
• Tony Cingrani made six starts, pitching 33 innings with a 41-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 1.02 WHIP. Mike Leake has made eight starts with a 34-to-13 K-to-BB ratio and a 1.49 WHIP. Naturally, it’s Cingrani being sent to the minors to make room for Johnny Cueto instead of Leake. Brilliant move, Cincinnati.
• Wainwright Walk Watch: The Cardinals’ ace pitched 37 innings this season before issuing his first walk. So far this season, he has walked six batters while striking out 71. Among NL starters who have tossed at least 50 innings, only Washington’s Jordan Zimmermann (9) has walked fewer than 10 batters.
• Conversely, Boston’s Ryan Dempster walked six Minnesota batters in less than five innings Saturday. Guess that little glove shake before he throws the ball doesn’t fool the umpires any more than it does the hitters.
• Did you see Tim Lincecum lose his balance and fall off the mound while winding up Saturday night against the Rockies? It resulted in the runner on first being balked to second, then the runner came around to score on a single by Tyler Chatwood (the opposing pitcher). A train wreck of an inning – and a perfect summation of Lincecum’s career the past few years.
• It’s not yet Memorial Day, but it might be time to stick a fork (phork?) in the Phillies. Getting a runner to third ONCE against a salad tosser like Bronson Arroyo? That’s ugly. I would suggest that Philly unload their veterans and rebuild, but outside of Cliff Lee, who would want them?
• It appears that Braves lefty specialist Eric O’Flaherty is going to join teammate Jonny Venters in elbow-surgery land soon. Last one in the Atlanta bullpen, please turn out the lights.
• What a great sight Saturday night, watching Brandon McCarthy spin a complete-game, three-hit shutout of the Marlins. Although it’s his first win of the season, McCarthy has been pitching pretty well this season. His 37-to-8 K-to-BB ratio is stellar, and his FIP rating of 3.74 indicates that he has been better than the results show. Focus on that if you’re thinking of picking him up in your fantasy league. In any case, Saturday night had to be extra satisfying for McCarthy, even if it was against the worst team in baseball. After that horrifying skull fracture last September, I’ll bet he doesn’t care who his opponent is, as long as he is out there able to play in good health. Here’s to continued success for him. Baseball is better with guys like McCarthy on the field.

Follow me on Twitter: @ccaylor10

As the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels spent unprecedented amounts of money during the offseason to try to establish dominance, a battle between rivals in the Midwest could be the most intense race of the 2013 season.

The St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds have won the National League Central Division in three of the past four seasons, and each team has made moves this offseason to bolster their chances to do so again next year.

The Cardinals haven’t added much, but they also didn’t have many holes to fill. They signed left-handed relief pitcher Randy Choate to a three-year, $7.5 million contract to fill the team’s biggest need in the bullpen. They also signed bench player Ty Wigginton to a two-year, $5 million deal, but unless Wigginton comes up with a late-inning homer against the Reds, that signing is negligable.

The Reds, who beat the Cardinals by nine games last year to win the division, made more substantial moves. They resigned reliever Jonathan Broxton to a three-year, $21 million contract to be the team’s closer for the foreseeable future and resigned leftfielder Ryan Ludwick for $15 million across two years. The Reds also traded for outfielder Shin-Soo Choo from the Indians to be their centerfielder and leadoff hitter next year.

The Broxton signing should allow flamethrower Aroldis Chapman to be in the starting rotation next year, and the trade for Choo fills a massive hole at the top of the lineup.

Drew Stubbs, who went to the Indians in the trade, held that spot last season, but he hit just .213 with a .277 on-base percentage and 166 strikeouts. By contrast, Choo hit .283 with a .373 on-base percentage and struck out 150 times. That’s still a lot of strikeouts for a leadoff hitter, but Choo provides more power and is certainly an upgrade in a spot the Reds tried to improve at last season’s trading deadline.

Although neither team has made nearly as many moves as several other teams so far in the offseason, the Cardinals and Reds have fortified their rosters to stage quite a battle throughout the 2013 season. They’ll do so without handing out contracts worth more than $100 million, as the Dodgers did by signing pitcher Zack Greinke and Angels did by signing outfielder Josh Hamilton.

The Cardinals and Reds have a recent history full of intense games that have at times led to shouting matches and even a full-out brawl in 2010. With both teams loaded and ready for battle heading into the season, one might think this could be a season series full of more temper tantrums and games that will leave blood boiling for both teams and both fanbases.

But this year’s rivalry might take a more professional turn. Both the Cardinals and Reds know each organization has a good team, and they will likely be the two strongest contenders for the NL Central Division title.

In past years, the Reds were an up-and-coming team that felt it had to rough up the more established Cardinals to gain entrance to the top of the division. Those days are gone. General manager Walt Jocketty has built a roster with a good starting rotation, solid bullpen and increasingly potent lineup filled with stars such as Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce.

This year’s Cardinals-Reds rivalry could be similar to recent battles in the AL West between the Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Both teams had some of the most talented rosters in the league, and they stuck strictly to playing solid, intense yet not over-the-top baseball games.

Although it might be fun for fans to watch for extracurricular activities on the field and in the dugouts similar to a playoff hockey game, it might be even more impressive to watch a season series that has good, high-quality baseball.

So while big-market teams on the West Coast battle each other with dollar bills in the offseason, actual games between the Cardinals and Reds next season could create the most interesting division races in all of baseball.

Offseason news is dominated with big trades (like the Miami Marlins shipping a part of their roster to the Toronto Blue Jays) and wondering where star free agents like Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton will sign. But there’s a lot of small moves Major League clubs make in an effort to improve their teams and the Royals are no different.

Last week, the Royals traded reliever Jeremy Jeffress to Toronto for cash and reliever Tommy Hottovy to the Texas Rangers for cash and our old friend player to be named later. And on Monday outfielder Jason Bourgeois elected to become a free agent. Earlier this month, the Royals designated the three players for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster.

Jeffress, 25, appeared in 13 games with the Royals with a 6.75 ERA. He’s out of options and the Jays will give him to opportunity to make the team. Kansas City native and lefty specialist Hottovy, 31, appeared in nine games with the Royals with a 2.89 ERA and hopes to be a part of the Ranger’s bullpen. Bourgeois, 30, had a .258 average in 30 games with the Royals and has yet to sign with a team.

With their limited roles, Jeffress and Hottovy were the odd men out in an already solid bullpen. And Bourgeois was expendable since the Royals already have speedy outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson on their roster.

To be honest, Jeffress, Hottovy and Bourgeois had a small role with the Royals and they weren’t going to be a part of the team’s future. These minor moves in the middle of November will be a fading memory as the 2013 season commences. But it’s the business of baseball and I hope Jeffress, Hottovy and Bourgeois have good luck with their new teams.

Last week, Greg Luethen wrote about how he almost missed game six of the World Series. We then challenged fans to tell us their story for a chance to win a copy of the World Series DVD from A&E. The following entries will be receiving a copy courtesy of A&E and all of us here at I-70.

Luke McGowan
My story, much like many others, was one of defeat, exuberance, defeat again, and utter hysteria to end it all. I was at a friends house watching the game and it was just us two. Living in St. Louis and only being miles from Busch Stadium I almost couldn’t handle that I was not at the stadium or at the very least downtown outside of the center field gates; then the game got ugly. I now was happy I didn’t waste my time going downtown, what a deflating loss to end it all. We had stepped out onto the front patio where we were taking a smoke break and I thought to myself ‘this might be the last Cardinals game until April…I have to at least keep an eye on it.’ Through the window of the house I could see the TV and saw Allen Craig’s home run. At that moment I too was even more disgusted with Matt Holliday and why he wasn’t replaced earlier that game. Plagued by Albert’s possible last at bat we went inside to watch the rest of the game, but for some reason I could not sit down. Deep down inside, I had a feeling, I knew it was possible, and it was causing me to be so anxious I couldn’t possibly sit. It was at that moment, when David Freese came to the plate that Greg himself text messaged me “brace yourself, you may never forget the next 10 minutes of your life.” This text turned out to be spot on. The home run by Josh Hamilton in the 10th was the most deflating moment of the entire game. After one of the highest highs, we hit the lowest lows….but little did we know that fate had not spoken. A day I will remember for ever, and a Championship I will share with my grand kids some day. Go Cardinals. #12in12.

Jake McGowan
I was in Washington DC at a tax conference sponsored by Ernst and Young. I enjoy attending this conference each year and had signed up about a month earlier. However, this year my plans had hit a bit of a coral reef. Through the good graces of my son Jack and daughter Grace, I had purchased tickets for games 1 and 7 of the World Series. Game 1 was a great success and a glorious start for the Cards. I then checked the calendar and realized (what a bummer) I could not attend Game 7. It was scheduled for Thursday October28th.

I arrived in DC on Wednesday for the first day of the EY Tax Conference. There were rumors floating about that the Cardinals game might be cancelled that night due to rain. If so, then the final two games would be rescheduled to Thursday and Friday. My flight on Friday was scheduled to arrive in St. Louis around 4:45.

I was elated at the thought that I could be able to attend game 7 after all. Game 6 now took on much greater significance for me. I could not believe I might actually see Game 7 of the World Series. Not only that, but I would be able to take that all-time famous sports fan by the name of Madj (lol).

As soon as the dinner banquet concluded on Wednesday evening I went to a sports bar in Washington DC by the name of Green Turtle. It was about the third inning and the Cardinals were losing when I arrived. I then witnessed the dropped fly ball by David Freese, replays of the earlier Cardinal errors and the two Ranger homeruns.

I was the only Cardinals fan in the place. I didn’t care and was bantering a bit with about 6 younger Ranger fans around the TV. It was a little bit of fun. After all it was the World Series. However, after 7 innings I could not take it any longer. I politely bid farewell to the Ranger fans and told them to come visit us in St. Louis sometime.

It was cold and dark and late and raining as I went back to the hotel. The weather fit my mood perfectly I went to my room watched TV news for about ten minutes and tried to go to sleep.

After about an hour I heard that familiar ching ching from my Iphone which meant I had gotten a text message. Out of curiosity I jumped up and looked to see what was happening. It was a text from my son Luke that simply read, “Best Cardinals game ever.” I though “oh my gosh, what is happening?” Had the Cardinals won and I missed it? I quickly turned on TV in my hotel room to see David Freese walking to the plate.

They were in the 11^th inning. I couldn’t believe the score was tied. My hope and anticipation suddenly woke up. At the same time I felt like I was in a dream. How did this happen? I cannot believe David Freese is coming to bat. Then, WHACK! ~ out to center field sails that majestic line drive that was clearly going to be a game winning walk off homer. The second it went over the fence I instinctively let out a very loud, “Yeeeaaaaaaahhhh.”

The euphoria of the Cardinals win was immediately intensified for me as I realized that I my life long dream of attending a game 7 of the World Series was going to probably happen!

The rest is happy history. I still think sometimes that I was in an amazingly good dream for the whole experience! I got to take my wife to game 7. My soon to be daughter in law Blake was there. She is great. The only member of my family not really involved was my lovely and dear daughter Esther. She doesn’t care about the Cardinals. Haha.

Matt Thiel
My story is pretty simple: I talked a buddy out of selling me his Game 6 tickets. With Game 6 and 7 originally scheduled for Wednesday-Thursday, I scheduled a vacation day for Friday so I wouldn’t have to worry about getting up at 3:30a eastern for work IF Game 7 happened. I had scheduled this vacation day out a week or so before, but with craptastic weather rolling through St. Louis Wednesday, a buddy with tickets to Game 6 and Game 7 shot me a text to see if I wanted to take his Game 6 tickets off his hands and just call off work Thursday too. His girlfriend is a teacher in St. Louis, and definitely had to work Thursday, so any sort of long rain delay would probably mean A). she’s miserable to deal with for the next couple of days or B). they would have to leave in the middle of the game.

I passed on Game 6 tickets on Wednesday. Then…

Thursday comes, and he asks me again ‘Hey, do you want to grab these Game 6 tickets?’. His girlfriend has to work Friday morning, and I don’t since I already had this vacation day set. I passed again since I would be back home in St. Louis in a couple of weeks for a Blues game, and at $225 a pop, it’s a little pricey to watch Jaime Garcia try to collapse.

Then magic happened, and not more than 30 seconds after Freese gallops home, I get a picture mail with no text from my buddy and his girlfriend. Dick move, but appropriate since I talked him out of selling me his tickets twice.

Needless to say, I would gladly pay him with a Brinks Truck full of gold to rewind it back to that Thursday.

Congrats to our winners.

An anti-climatic and perfectly normal baseball game took place on October 28, 2011 at Busch Stadium.

The night before was magical. It defined the 2011 season and this edition of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team. Game six of the World Series will be one that father’s tell their kids about. Cardinal fans will utter the phrase “where were you on the night the hometown kid took control of a championship run?” The most famous of questions that a St. Louisan asks, “Where did you go to high school?” will forever be known when talking about David Freese. Freese may never pay for a meal in St. Louis again. On that Thursday night, the Cardinals made their statement, David Freese lived out every little boy’s dream, and ultimately, a legend was born in October.

The cliches, analysis and legendary statuses were thrown around at the conclusion of game six. Fans piled into Busch Stadium for a game seven that would, in all honesty, never live up to the hype that the preceding games built up. There was very little chance that extra innings would be needed again, it was unlikely that someone would hit three home runs, and the odds were against a home town hero possibly doing anything more to improve upon an already dominant October. Well, two out of three ain’t bad…

Chris Carpenter started game seven off by allowing the Rangers to jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the first. With the first two runners quickly retired, Albert Pujols and Lance Berkman would draw walks. Freese would step to the plate searching for a little more magic from the night before. After working the count full and with the runners in motion, Freese would stroke a double into the outfield gap and the Cardinals had tied the game. Much like the night before, it simply seemed that they would not let the Rangers pull away.

Michael Young’s double that drove in Josh Hamilton in the first would prove to be the final run scoring hit in 2011 for the Texas Rangers. Meanwhile, it was another unlikely dominant force, Allen Craig, who would hit a solo home run in the bottom of the third to put the Cardinals on top for good. The team that had battled through the last two months of baseball would settle into six innings of solid baseball to put their opponents away.

The attention will likely turn to the off season almost immediately for fans, team officials and players. Players like Ryan Theriot, Skip Schumaker, Edwin Jackson, Nick Punto, Rafael Furcal and, yes, Albert Pujols might have played their final game in the uniform featuring the birds on the bat. Management will start planning how to possibly repeat this year’s performance. Articles will feature the return of Adam Wainwright to mound and player profiles on free agent signees and rookies with a chance to make the team.

For now, however, the focus is simply placed on what occurred on a cold Friday in October in the shadow of the Arch. The St. Louis Cardinals played an ordinary game without heroics or fireworks. A game that featured very few spectacular moments. A game that featured the pitcher who has won more postseason games than anyone in the history of the franchise simply go out and win another one. A game that featured a pitcher put on the finishing touches in the ninth inning, despite not being the team’s closer. A game that witnessed Yadier Molina drive in two of his nine runs during the World Series. Minor storylines featuring major names played out in a very ordinary fashion. Yet, the dust settled and game seven gave us the one and only thing it promised us in the beginning.

A World Champion was crowned.

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.

Improbable. Unbelievable. Impossible. Ridiculous.

For as ugly as it was, Game 6 of the 2011 World Series will be remembered as a classic. Five home runs. Three lead changes. Five ties. A two-strike, two-out, bases clearing triple to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth. A two-run home run in the tenth to give Texas the lead. An RBI ground out and broken bat single to tie it again. The first time a team has trailed in the ninth and extra innings in a World Series game and come back to tie. All the defensive miscues that marred the early stages of the game have been forgotten thanks to the late-game drama.

Why do I love baseball? Because Kyle Lohse, pinch hitting in the bottom of the tenth inning, down two, almost bunted for a base hit (he sacrificed the runners into scoring position). Because the Rangers have thrown knockout punch after knockout punch at the Cardinals, and the Cardinals keep getting up. Because Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz, Josh Hamilton, Mike Adams, David Freese, Lance Berkman, and Jake Westbrook have all been the hero at different points during the game. Because games can’t end because the clock runs out. You have to retire 27 men, and if the game is tied you have to retire 3 while holding the lead.

Bad managerial decisions get trumped by clutch hitting and pitchers making pitches. Tension rises and falls with every hit, every out, every pitch. Fans yell until they’re hoarse. Beer flows until it’s gone. Children wonder why their fathers, mothers, siblings, and relatives shout at the TV on each play.

And then, channeling a Game 6 seven years ago, replicating a feat pulled off by the man St Louis traded to San Diego to get him, David Freese launches a home run deep into the batter’s eye in dead center. 10-9 Cardinals.

Unbelievable. Improbable. Impossible. Ridiculous.

I have no more words. I’m thankful I got to see this one and can’t wait to watch tomorrow.

Mike Metzger is an I-70 Baseball contributing writer. He also writes about the San Diego Padres for Padres Trail. Follow him on Twitter @metzgermg.

Throughout the post-season, Tony LaRussa has been praised for his in-game strategy, and rightly so – on multiple occasions, his aggressiveness turned a game in St Louis’ favor. Every now and then, however, his moves backfire. Call it the law of averages catching up to him. It happened during the season, and it happened in Game 2.

Last night, the decision to remove Jason Motte with second and third and no out is the one that doomed the Cardinals. With Josh Hamilton due, LaRussa opted to go with Arthur Rhodes. Hamilton is suffering from a groin injury even he admitted would have placed him on the DL if it was earlier in the season. Hamilton is not a threat to drive the ball, and if he can’t turn his lower body he likely can’t catch up to a good fastball.

Rhodes faced him in Game 1, and after falling behind him 2-0 and 3-1, retired the 201o AL MVP on a fly ball to center. That fact alone should have given LaRussa pause. In Game 2, all the Rangers needed was a fly ball to tie the game. What the Cardinals really needed in that situation was a strikeout. Motte possesses the necessary hard stuff to get that strike out. And, with runners already in scoring position (having advanced as far as they could without scoring), Motte would just have to worry about the hitter and no baserunning. Motte seemed the better choice in that situation.

Obviously that’s not how it happened. Rhodes allowed a sacrifice fly to Hamilton, and the runner on second (Elvis Andrus) advanced to third. Lance Lynn came in and allowed a sacrifice fly to Michael Young, scoring Andrus. The Rangers won 2-1. Given that the Cardinals were three outs away from a 2-0 lead in the series, this was a tough loss to take.

But all is not lost. This series is far from over. If this Cardinals team has proven anything over their past eight weeks, it is that they are resilient. The last devastating, season-ending loss St Louis suffered happened on 22 September against the Mets. I’m sure you remember – St Louis blew a 4-run lead in the ninth and lost that day 8-6. The lost the next day too; then won four of their last five to finish the season.

If they close like that over the next 5 games they win the World Series.

One other thing to consider. Perhaps this World Series had to go this way. St Louis has hosted the first two games of the Fall Classic seven times (including this year). In every other year – 1982, 1964, 1946, 1944, 1942, and 1931 – they split the first two games at home. Every other year they had home field advantage, they eventually won the World Series.

Tony LaRussa will learn from his Game 2 mistakes. The team will rebound. There are at least three games left, and anything can happen.

Mike Metzger is an I-70 contributor and life-long Cardinals fan watching the Fall Classic from the edge of his couch. He writes Padres Trail, a San Diego Padres blog. Follow Mike on Twitter @metzgermg.

This graphic was designed by Lorena O’Neal, you can check out more of
her work here.

Source:http://www.sportsmanagementcolleges.net

The Royals offense this week, like the weather, wasn’t very pretty. The Royals scored only three runs or less in five of the games this past week, as expected when any major league team puts that few of runs, there were more losses than wins this week. However, the week ended on a high note by splitting the series with the Rangers and won on Friday night against our in-state rival, the St. Louis Cardinals.

The team’s highest batting average this past week was a mediocre .273. The only homerun was from Hosmer (who led the team with extra base hits with 3 this week) that sent a game into extra innings. In fact, Hosmer hit more extra base hits than Gordon (0), Cabrera (0), Aviles (0), Betemit (0), Escobar (0), and Butler (2 doubles) combined. Not exactly a good time to have a cold streak on the bats when facing one of the hottest teams right now in the Cleveland Indians and a very formidable Ranger team, who are playing well despite not having their best player in the lineup in Josh Hamilton.

The pitching did their part in four of the games in that they only gave up three runs or less in those contests. However, in the other three games alone, they gave up a whopping thirty-one runs, including nineteen against Cleveland on Monday night. This presented zero opportunities for Joakim Soria to work his magic, but even he has been showing signs of being off this year.

Jeff Francis has to be the highlight of the week on the pitching staff, making two solid appearances by pitching fifteen solid innings by only giving up three runs, while striking out nine. He is definitely filling in nicely for Bruce Chen in the starting rotation as a crafty southpaw. With Chen due back in the Rotation late next week, the Royals could have two solid lefties in the Rotation.

Jason Kendall could be making his way back to catching again in a couple of weeks after being on the DL with shoulder problems. The Royals are not rushing Kyle Davies by any means to get back into the rotation with his rotator cuff injury.

The Royals have fallen quite a bit since the beginning of May, however, a few inspiring quotes I remembered hearing a few times come to mind for this young team and its fans.

“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday’s success or put its failures behind and start over again. That’s the way life is, with a new game every day, and that’s the way baseball is.” – Bob Feller

“Look at misfortune the same way you look at success – Don’t Panic! Do you best and forget the consequences.” – Walter Alston

Being at .500 at this point in the season, after playing the teams they have had to play so far, is still a solid start for a very young and inexperienced ball club. This club maybe be labeled inexperienced for the most part now, but by the end of the season, these young guys will have taken their lumps and had enough successes to have built something that might surprise everyone when it comes September.

In today’s age of advanced statistics, in-depth comparisons no longer need to rely simply on batting average, fielding percentage, slugging percentage, and on base percentage. In this breakdown, the Royals and the White Sox players will be analyzed using Wins Above Replacement (WAR) according to fangraphs.com.

WAR takes into count the myriad statistics and variables in baseball and compiles them into one simple stat: How many more victories is a player worth than an average replacement who can be found on waivers or at the Triple A level. This is a great statistic because you truly understand how good a player is compared to other guys at his respective position.

For a little perspective, here are the top 5 in WAR last year:

1. Josh Hamilton – 8.0
2. Joey Votto – 7.4
3. Albert Pujols – 7.3
4. Ryan Zimmerman – 7.2
5. Adrian Beltre – 7.1

Here are the top 5 projected leaders for 2011:

1. Albert Pujols – 8.4
2. Jason Heyward – 7.9
3. Evan Longoria – 7.4
4. Chase Utley – 6.9
5. Troy Tulowitzki – 6.9

Now, let’s examine how the Royals and White Sox stack up, according to WAR:

Starting Pitching

Royals Sox

Luke Hochevar: 1.7 Mark Buehrle: 3.8

Kyle Davies: 2.0 John Danks: 4.3

Vin Mazzaro: 0 Jake Peavy: 1.8

Sean O’Sullivan: -0.2 Gavin Floyd: 4.3

Jeff Francis: 1.9 Edwin Jackson: 3.8

The advantage in pitching clearly goes to the White Sox, even with the recent addition of Jeff Francis. Its rotation is dangerous and arguably the best in the division. The return of Jake Peavy to the Sox will be key on whether or not they can contend with the Tigers and Twins. If Peavy returns healthy and stays that way the entire season, don’t be surprised to see the White Sox go deep into the playoffs.

Catcher

Royals Sox

Jason Kendall: 6.2 A.J. Pierzynski: 1.8

The advantage goes to Kendall, but I can’t imagine him registering a 6.2 in 2011. They both possess an intangible leadership factor, but it’s no secret they’re not getting any younger. Kendall has two years on Pierzynski in terms of age, but this could be their last year behind the plate.

First Base

Royals Sox

Kila Ka’aihue: .3 Paul Konerko: 4.2

The advantage at first base goes to Konerko and the Sox. It should be mentioned both players are at opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their careers. Ka’aihue could be an emerging star in this game, yet Konerko appears to be a fading one. That being said, Konerko will more than likely have a better year than Ka’aihue.

Second Base

Royals Sox

Chris Getz: -.1 Gordon Beckham: .9

The advantage goes to Beckham and the Sox – he’s a clear cut winner in this instance. I expect his WAR to be above 3 this year, and only continue to rise in subsequent years.

Third Base

Royals Sox

Mike Aviles: 1.5 Brent Morel: 0

Going into the season, it appears as though Aviles has the advantage in this category. Morel is still very young, so his ceiling is much higher than Aviles’. I’ll call this one a wash given what we’ve seen from Morel last year when he was called up and what the Royals can expect from Aviles.

Short Stop

Royals Sox

Alcides Escobar: .6 Alexei Ramirez: 3.8

The advantage goes to Ramirez and the Sox. Escobar isn’t likely to beat out Ramirez this year in WAR, but does provide the Royals with a solid short stop for years to come. Look for Escobar’s WAR to be somewhere near Ramirez’s in about two years.

Left Field

Royals Sox

Alex Gordon: -.2 Juan Pierre: 2.2

Going into the 2011 season, Pierre and the Sox have an advantage in left field. However, as the season progresses, I would expect this to be a wash. Pierre is getting older and slowing down a bit, which hinders his offensive production. Additionally, one would reasonably expect Gordon to only grow from his current -.2 status.

Center Field

Royals Sox

Melky Cabrera: 1.2 Alex Rios: 3.7

Lorenzo Cain: 0

The advantage in Center Field goes to Rios and the Sox. Melky Cabrera had an abysmal season last year with the Atlanta Braves, so there’s no reason to believe he will improve with the Royals. In addition, Lorenzo Cain will probably push Cabrera for his job later in the season, which is why he is mentioned. Rios is a solid player for the Sox, and will probably match his production from last year.

Right Field

Royals Sox

Jeff Francoeur: .5 Carlos Quentin: 0

The advantage barely goes to Francoeur for the right field position. Quentin is highly overpaid and has yet to show Sox fans anything for the salary he is receiving. If Francoeur is going to resurrect his career and prove his hyped prospect status, he’ll have to do so by posting a higher .5 WAR in 2011.

Designated Hitter

Royals Sox

Billy Butler: 3.4 Adam Dunn: 3.9

Save the most compelling argument for last. Both of these players will be splitting time at first base when their respective teams need them. For the sake of this article, they are designated hitters. Billy Butler is the best hitter the Royals have. The same could be said for Dunn and the Sox. I’m going to give the advantage to Butler for the 2011 season because I believe his upside is stronger than Dunn’s. Dunn strikes out way too often still, and Butler can hit for average. It’s my opinion that getting on base, driving in runners when they’re in scoring position, and hitting for average always outweighs the occasional home run when you’re striking out every 2.8 at bats like Dunn. Dunn is a boom or bust type of player and Butler provides a sense of consistency. Expect Dunn’s WAR to reach low 3’s, and Butler’s to reach high 3’s. Both will be valuable to their teams in 2011, but since Butler is the best hitting talent on the Royals, he’ll get the nod in this category.

Summary

The overall advantage goes to the White Sox. Its pitching will keep them in contention for the division in 2011. While the hitting and defense don’t necessarily match those of the American League East division, the White Sox could be primed for a division title and a deep playoff run. Royals fans should expect another 100-loss season, unless its minor league talent matures earlier than expected.

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