After just a horrendous month of July, the Kansas City Royals start off the month of August on a good note.  A sweep, after a bad road trip and an even worse 30 days, is exactly what the Royals needed to get them back on the winning side of the game of baseball.  With timely hitting and some pretty good pitching the Royals started the month of August with two momentum shifting wins.

The month of July ended with the Royals trading their closer Jonathan Broxton to the Cincinnati Reds for two pitching prospects. The prospects look to be a good return for a guy that would, it seems, only be a Royal for two months.  Turning a two month closer into two guys who may or may not make it to the majors seems to be very welcoming by fans in Kansas City.  In the trade the Royals received Class AA right-handed starter J.C. Sulbaran and Class AAA lefty reliever Donnie Joseph. Joseph seemed to be the straw that broke to camels back in the trade.  A guy who by all accounts is a strike out king who may pair well with fellow lefty Tim Collins in the bullpen of the future.  Sulbaran projects to be a back of the rotation guy who won a state championship with first basemen Eric Hosmer in 2008 at American Heritage High School in Florida. So the Royals continue to put guys on a team that have won together before and could win together in years to come.

With Broxton gone and Joakim Soria recovering from season ending Tommy John surgery, right handed reliever Greg Holland assumes the role of closer which he stepped into Wednesday night as he got his first save of the season against the Cleveland Indians in a 5-2 Royals victory.

The stand out development of the Royals beginning to the month of August is the benching of both second basemen Yunieksy Betancourt and right fielder Jeff Franceour.  The problem with them being on the bench is that they may not see much more playing time since both Chris Getz, who took Betancourt’s spot in the order, and Jarrod Dyson, Franceour’s spot, have taken their opportunity by the reigns and excelled with it.  Getz went 3-9 with 4 runs scored and 3 RBI in the three game sweep of the Indians while Dyson went 7-12 with 2 runs scored and two RBI both contributing to run production with stolen bases in the series as well.  So the spots that seem to have been lost by the lack of productivity by Betancourt and Franceour have been given away and so far earned with Getz and Dyson.

After a road trip that saw barely any offense outside of designated hitter Billy Butler, the start of the home stand saw a resurgence in the Royal’s offense, scoring 20 runs in the last three games, with the absence of Billy Butler’s bat.  Butler having only two hits in the series and only driving in one run. The brightest spot, outside of the fact that the Royals came back from the dumps and have now won three games in a row, of the sweep of the Indians has to be the walk off win the Royals secured on Thursday.  After jumping out of the gates with 6 runs in the first, highlighted by a lead off home run by Alex Gordon and a three run shot off of the bat of Eric Hosmer, the Royals and struggling starter Bruce Chen let the Indians all the way back and it took extra innings to seal the win.  But it is how they won it in the 11th inning that stands out the most.

After late game at bats in crucial situations that did not see any success, manager Ned Yost had to keep reiterating that the need for shortstop Alcides Escobar to get the experience of late game at bats that could win or lose a ballgame for the Royals club.  Well that all came to fruition on Thursday.  Escobar has come up with clutch hits late in games all season long but none bigger than his walk off single in the 11th inning. It has been a season of firsts for Escobar after his first multi-homerun game of his life, as he stated, and now his first walk off win in the major leagues. To top all of that off he is having a season at the plate that no one saw coming but it needs to continue.

The Royals have done it once again.  They have hooked everyone right back on to what they are doing.  Now that does no mean that they have a chance at the division, which would take a Herculean effort from all 25 men on the roster, but they can give us that little tease that gets us all hyped and ready for the 2013 season.  Maybe then it will be “Our Time.”

Since being only 3 games under .500 and sniffing the top of the division the Kansas City Royals have done nothing but struggle.

The pitching has been horrendous while the bats have seem to come alive a little in the month of July.  The batting order has produced the best average in the major leagues for the month of July.  The biggest problem with that is the lack of extra base hits when needed and hitting with runners on base so that when they can put a team away they can do it without relying on a pitching staff that has not helped out at all.

The question surrounding the organization now is how to keep fans interested one and even more how to get them to go out to the K to watch a team that is everything but mathematically out of the playoffs.  One way that they Royals can make some noise with their fans is by making a trade or two over the next five days before the non-waiver trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon.  One trade that would help fan get excited would the to tade away right fielder Jeff Franceour.  Now Frenchy is a fan favorite and also a good clubhouse guy but not only is he terrible at the plate as of the last few weeks but he is blocking players that seem to be the future in Kansas City.  At the big leauge level alone, he seems to be blocking Jarrod Dyson from getting any playing time not only because he is taking up an outfield spot but the team just cannot afford to have center fielder Lorenzo Cain out of the lineup right now.  The biggest Royal’s commodity that Frenchy seems to be blocking from he major leaues is number one hitting prospect Wil Myers.  Over the last few weeks in AAA Omaha Myers has regressed some but everything out of Omaha says that he is seeing a lot fewer fastballs and just hasnt adjusted to seeing all junk while at the plate.  Matter of fact is that whether he can hit a curveball right now or not he could probably at least hit somewhere north of the .242 mark that Franceour is currently sporting.  Not saying that he will be an instant success but at least it would be a development process and not a guy who seems to not know what pitches to swing at and which ones to take.  .242 is not good at any level especially when it is in front of guys who need to be in Kansas City to prepare for their future.

Another thing that could put the fans in their seats is if the Royals go out and get some kind of pitching that is not Jeremy Guthrie.  Nothing against that trade or the fact that it could end up being an okay thing for this season but that is not a name that is going to bring people to the ball park.  If the Royals were to show that they are committing to this town and this team with a blockbuster deal that would help for not only the next two months but also for the next 24 months or so people would get excited. The names have been thrown around the league of guys that are available but will the Royals bite.  They have the prospects it seems that would attract teams to answer the phone when general manager Dayton Moore comes a calling.  Not only that they could trade guys like Jonathan Broxton, Yuniesky Betancourt and Franceour, get prospects for them and then flip those prospects for a guy who is in the bigs already and coud help the team now and in the future.

Th simple fact is this.  The Royals would have to do something miraculous to play into October this season.  But they could keep everyone interested by making a late season run of good baseball along with the addition of a guy or two that will help in the future.  Training Camp is open in St. Joseph, Missouri for the Chiefs this week and if the Royals do not try and keep the fans interest, the fans will focus their attention to the other side of the Truman Sports Complex and just wait for Opening Day 2013 for a fresh start.

The following is a press release directly from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. It is reprinted here in its entirety.

Former Natural Hosmer selected as AL Rookie of the Month
Louis Coleman also nominated for award for month of July

KANSAS CITY, MO – Kansas City Royals first baseman and former Natural Eric Hosmer has been voted the July recipient of the Gillette presents American League Rookie of the Month Award.

Hosmer led A.L. rookies with 34 hits and 12 doubles in 27 games during the month of July. The 21-year-old also added five home runs, 19 RBI, 12 runs scored and three stolen bases with a .523 slugging percentage and a .358 on-base percentage.

Hosmer, who was the third overall selection in the 2008 First-Year Player Draft, recorded a career-best 11-game hitting streak from July 19^th-30^th, batting .426 (20-for-47) during the streak with a home run, five doubles, eight RBI and seven runs scored.

The left-handed-hitting slugger posted 10 multi-hit contests during the month, including a four-hit contest on July 3^rd at Colorado in which Hosmer tied a career-best with four RBI. Hosmer has now collected 27 multi-hit games on the season to lead all A.L. rookies. On July 15^th at Target Field in Minnesota, Eric connected on a game-winning, two-out, two-run home run in the top of the ninth to give the Royals a 2-1 victory over the Twins. In a four-game set against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park from July 25^th-28^th, Hosmer batted .421 (8-for-19) with two doubles, a home run and five RBI.

Of Hosmer’s ten home runs since being called up to the Majors on May 6^th, four have given the Royals a lead while two have tied the game. The Florida native leads the Royals with 16 go-ahead RBI and nine game-winning RBI this season. Among A.L. rookies, Hosmer ranks first in on-base percentage (.333) and walks (23); second in hits (89), doubles (19) and total bases (142); third in batting average (.284), home runs (10), RBI (47), slugging percentage (.454) and extra-base hits (31); and fourth in runs (33).

Hosmer hit 13 homers, drove in 35 runs, and batted .313 for the Naturals in the second half of last season before erupting for six homers during the Texas League Playoffs, tying a league record as the Naturals won the Texas League Championship.

Another former Natural, Hosmer’s teammate Louis Coleman, was among the nominees for the award. Coleman, who has been stellar in the Royals’ pen all season, posted an 0.61 ERA in ten appearances. The right-handed sidewinder and 2010 Texas League All-Star reliever allowed just nine hits and five walks while fanning 15 in 14 2/3 innings.

Hosmer will receive a specially designed trophy, suitably engraved, to commemorate his Rookie of the Month performance.

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.

Back in March I wrote an article previewing the month of July for the Royals. Since July is nearly complete I thought now would be a good time to review that article and see if I knew what I was talking about. Let’s get to it:

“The days are long and hot. It is the only month Major League Baseball has to itself on the sports calendar. If you are reading this, you probably like that. It is when most of America takes their vacations. In recent years it is when Royals fans begin taking their vacations from watching or listening to the Royals. They would rather listen to cicadas and think about Chiefs training camp, or their favorite college team.”

I have taken a vacation. The days are defiantly long, and we all hope it’s another 31 years before we see another summer this hot. The end to the NFL Lock-Out has cut short MLB’s time in the spotlight. It might re-emerge sometime in September. Overall, the Royals are where we thought they would be for the same reasons we thought they would.

“With the exception of Cleveland at the end, all of them are expected to compete for play-off spots in 2011”

Oops. This will make the third time I’ve mentioned this. The Royals need to get some wins against the Indians this weekend. They have cooled off since jumping out of the gate, but they are still contending for the division title. Collectively they are the same age as the Royals…except their starting pitching is decent. I don’t see any reason they won’t get better. As a Royals fan I’m worried and jealous of the Indians. Beginning the weekend with a 12-0 thrashing is a good start.

“July is when the much publicized prospects will likely be called up. I expect Mike Moustakas to be the first, followed by Mike Montgomery. Watching them develop will be a reason to pay attention”

And

“But if you haven’t noticed the Royals have a log jam of power hitting first baseman. I anticipate one of them being traded, along with Eric Hosmer making his MLB debut.”

It has not exactly gone down like this. Eric Hosmer was the first to be called up. Many of us were shocked by the timing of Hosmer’s call up. But, he’s done the best out of any of the prospects promoted. Mike Montgomery has turned it around lately, but has struggled most of the season at Omaha. Mike Moustakas destroyed PCL pitching while he was there. Since being called up he has struggled. However, he did show signs of life this week in Boston. Too bad the other power hitting first baseman mentioned in the March article doesn’t bring any trade value.

“The end of July is also the trade deadline. I love the trade deadline. You never know what might happen”

The trade deadline is fun if you’re a fan baseball in general. I’ve been a tad frustrated about what the Royals haven’t done at the trade deadline. I want some veterans out of here, and Lorenzo Cain, and Johnny Giavottella called up. But then I remember that each trade needs a trade partner. I can’t figure out a team that needs Frenchy, Melky, or Chris Getz who can’t find a better option on another team. And I wouldn’t wish our starting pitching on anyone. This leads me to believe the Royals are done for this trade season, and if they aren’t, it won’t be anything to get excited about.

“the Royals are .500….”

Pfffft!

“Finally, we all know there won’t be any football training camp to look forward to. So you might as well watch the Royals”

I’m glad to have been wrong on this statement. Baseball is my favorite sport, and the Royals are my favorite team. But I love the Chiefs and the NFL too and I’m glad that their CBA has been settled. Despite being hopelessly buried in last place I still get sucked in. Especially when they have a stretch like they have had in the last week. August through October is my favorite time of the year. There is a lot going on in the world of sports, and the weather and leaves turn to awesome. And for the first time in several summers the Royals have proven they can be interesting enough to be apart of that.

Throughout the month of July, the hot stove has been on full tilt for most contending teams in baseball. The Cardinals, with a few exceptions, have not really been one of those teams.

They were connected to Roy Oswalt, but the Astros refused to deal within their division and shipped the veteran off to the Philadelphia Phillies. They were briefly connected to Miguel Tejada, but there really did not seem to be a good fit. Other than that, the Cardinals have openly discussed their desire for a starting pitcher and a bat in the middle infield.

Check Starting Pitcher off that list. St. Louis has completed a three team swap that will bring Jake Westbrook of the Indians and Class A pitcher Nick Greenwood of the Padres to the team in exchange for Ryan Ludwick, who is on his way to San Diego.

Westbrook has been successful in his time for Cleveland, posting seasons of 15 wins in 2005 and 2006 and 14 wins in 2004. He has been exactly what the Cardinals are looking for, an innings eater. He has eclipsed 200 inning four times in his career before succumbing to Tommy John surgery in 2008. A pitcher that seems to have already subscribed to the Dave Duncan pitching manual. While he pitches to contact and has a high ground ball ratio, Westbrook will look to refine his approach under some of the top pitching coaches in the league.

More on the Cardinals trade can be found at Stan Musial’s Stance.

Ryan Ludwick has been a cornerstone of the Cardinals for a few years but has struggled with injuries lately and has often been discussed as being priced out of the Cardinals’ range. With the looming Albert Pujols contract extension, the Cardinals will need to save money at certain positions and with the production of Jon Jay, the Cardinals appear to have a surplus in the outfield. Ludwick will take a productive bat to San Diego to solidify a playoff run for a team that has quietly been one of the best in baseball over the last 12 months.

Nick Greenwood has spent the 2010 season playing for the Fort Wayne Tin Caps, the Padres Class A Affiliate. A starting pitcher that has struck out 65 batters in 95.1 innings and only walked 19, Greenwood projects by many scouts to be a middle of the rotation starter or long relief pitcher. The Padres drafted Greenwood in the 14th round of last year’s draft and has expressed that he is learning about the scouting system and how hard it can be at this level to face the same hitters repeatedly.

All things considered, the Cardinals took care of one of their needs in Westbrook, but John Mozeliak will still be on the lookout for a productive addition to his offense. Now the focus turns to players that can clear waivers.

Bill Ivie is the founder of I-70 Baseball and the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com

It’s All-Star week so fantasy baseball will take a backseat until the weekend. St. Louis will host Los Angeles for a 4 game series. Heading into Week 15 this is make or break time for many fantasy league teams. Either you’re going to hold on to the top spot, make a run for the top, or free fall to the bottom. This week won’t give you much room for error so you need to make sure your roster is complete with players that can give you production. As always, the Cardinals have the fire power to give you that production you need.

Albert Pujols should of course be in your lineup. There is no reason to sit Pujols unless he’s on the DL. He doesn’t have his best career numbers against LA but their better than average. Matt Holliday is heating up, which is a good thing. He has always hit LA pitching. Over his career against LA he has a .335 Batting Average (BA), 18 Homeruns, and 63 RBI’s through 87 games. Look for Holliday to have a huge weekend. Colby Rasmus is coming off having hamstring soreness and was not in the starting lineup last weekend at Houston. All signs are pointing to Rasmus being ready to go so make sure he is in your line up this week. He’s has a .355 BA for the month of July and has been productive all season. Pujols, Holliday, and Rasmus are must start in all formats.

Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, and Jaime Garcia are all scheduled to pitch against LA but not sure who they’ll match up against until after the All-Star game. The rotation will be set by if and how much Carpenter and Wainwright pitches. Either way all three are must starts in all formats. Wainwright has only allowed one earned run over his last 23 1/3 innings pitched. You can’t get more lights out than that. He is 13-5 now with a 2.11 Earned Run Average (ERA). Carpenter may be 0-2 in his last three starts but that’s no reason to sit him just yet. He has a career 1.88 ERA against LA. This series will give him a very good opportunity to get back on track. Garcia has had a very impressive start to the season. He has struck out 80 hitters in 99 2/3 innings while issuing 40 walks. His ERA of 2.17 sits third in all of baseball and as long as that ERA continues to impress, he should be in your lineup. Ryan Franklin had a horrible game last Tuesday when he allowed more runs than in the last two months combined. Franklin came back strong on Sunday with an eleven pitch, one inning performance for the save. Leave that bad performance behind and make sure he’s in your lineup this week.

Fantasy Minor League Profile of the week:

If you’re in a fantasy league which allows you to keep minor league players on your roster, here is a name you need to pick up, Shelby Miller. He was selected in the 1^st round (No. 19 overall) of the June 2009 First-Year Player Draft. He’s currently pitching for the Single-A Quad Cities River Bandits in the Midwest League. Miller has had an up and down season so far. Overall his first full season is going as expected. His current stats are below. He’s not expected to reach the Major Leagues until sometime 2013 but he is worth keeping long term. Pick up now if available. Don’t give another team a chance to pick up a pitcher who has the makings of being the ace of your staff.