Moose Fever. Symptoms include winning ball games, smashing home runs, forearm bashes, and having fun. The Kansas City Royals were starting to get national attention with their 10-game winning streak that almost included a 4-game sweep in Detroit. The 10-game streak was ended with a score of 2-1 by the Tigers that was a makeup game from their April 3rd rain-out. Before that loss, the Royals hadn't lost in nearly two weeks; dating back to Friday, June 6th. That game was at Kauffman where the Royals lost 4-2 to the Yankees before going on their incredible run. A 5-2 home stand against the Cardinals and Yankees? A 6-1 road trip against the White Sox (3-game sweep of Chicago) and three out of 4 against the Tigers? Royals fans have to be more than enthralled about their leap from 29-32 (5 games out of first) to 39-33 and a 1/2 game lead for first place in the AL Central. The Royals' streak was the 3rd longest in franchise history.
Even though the Royals lost on Thursday to the Tigers, they still secured their first-place lead heading home for a 9-game home stand against Seattle and both Los Angeles teams. But back to the 10-game winning streak. Everything was clicking the Royals way. Highlight plays on defense, a team actually hitting home runs, and scoring runs to back up excellent pitching. The formula to winning ball games. During the 10-game streak, the Royals outscored their opponents 69-30. With runners in scoring position, the team went 42-for-98 (.429) while hitting 13 home runs in the 10 games. These are the numbers for the Royals offense during their last 10 games, including the 2-1 loss to the Tigers:
1. Nori Aoki - 11-for-37 (.297), 7 R, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 1 SO
2. Omar Infante - 14-for-41 (.341), 10 R, 2 HR, 11 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO
3. Eric Hosmer - 10-for-42 (.238), 6 R, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 3 BB, 9 SO, 2 SB; also had a HR on June 7th
4. Billy Butler - 15-for-37 (.405), 7 R, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SO
5. Alex Gordon - 11-for-39 (.282), 8 R, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 13 SO, 1 SB
6. Salvador Perez - 12-for-39 (.308), 7 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO
7. Mike Moustakas - 10-for-34 (.294), 7 R, 3 HR, 7 RBI, 5 BB, 5 SO (hence Moose Fever)
8. Lorenzo Cain - 12-for-40 (.300), 5 R, 7 RBI, 0 BB, 9 SO
9. Alcides Escobar - 14-for-36 (.389), 7 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SO, 2 SB
10. Jarrod Dyson - 8-for-27 (.296), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 6 SO
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