A Blue September

The first half of the 2013 season wasn't exactly the record the Kansas City Royals had in mind. They had a 43-49 record heading into the All-Star Break and wanting answers to questions. Those questions were answered with a Major-League leading 43-27 second half record. The 2014 season can be seen as a mirror situation with a dismal offense producing a 48-46 record for the first half. Although the team was two games above .500, they had 383 RS (runs scored) with 379 RA (runs allowed). Heading into September, the Royals have compiled a 26-16 second half record; not including their September 1st win at home against Texas. That is a winning-percentage of .619, thanks in part to a 19-10 August. Manager Ned Yost said at the beginning of the season that this team, the Royals, were a second half team. 

One of the many impressive records the Royals have put together this season has been in Inter-League play. They own a 15-5 record with 99 RS and 56 RA. The two best months for the Royals this season? June (17-10) and August (19-10) for a combined 36-20 record (.642 WP) with 256 RS and 202 RA. The team finished September 2013 with a 17-10 record. 

Top 5 Position Players (including offense/defense)
1. Alex Gordon - .280 BA, 75 R, 135 H, 29 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR, 63 RBI, 9 SB, 50 BB, 98 SO, .812 OPS, 5.9 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), 131 G, .993 Fld%, 1161.2 Innings played.
2. Salvador Perez - .269 BA, 51 R, 130 H, 25 2B, 1 3B, 16 HR, 62 RBI, 1 SB, 21 BB, 64 SO, .726 OPS, 3.8 WAR, 125 G, .994 Fld%, 1038.2 Innings played at catcher.
3. Alcides Escobar - .277 BA, 62 R, 133 H, 27 2B, 5 3B, 2 HR, 44 RBI, 27 SB, 20 BB, 73 SO, .676 OPS, 2.5 WAR, 137 G, .977 Fld%, 1221.2 Innings played.
4. Lorenzo Cain - .298 BA, 43 R, 114 H, 25 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 42 RBI, 24 SB, 21 BB, 88 SO, .739 OPS, 3.8 WAR, 109 G, .993 Fld%, 915.2 Innings played.
5. Mike Moustakas - .206 BA, 41 R, 78 H, 17 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 50 RBI, 31 BB, 60 SO, .642 OPS, 0.3 WAR, 113 G, .958 Fld%, 952.2 Innings played. 

Mike Moustakas and Billy Butler could both be No. 5 position player (offensively/defensively) for the Royals. Moustakas gets it for 6 more home runs (15), 26 fewer strikeouts, and he is flat out better on defense than Butler, who has a -0.2 WAR.

Goals for the remainder of the season: win more one-run games, provide more offense when pitching gets the job done during games, and keep the bullpen rested. 

A Case of Moose Fever - For Everyone

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

2nd Week Recap for Kansas City Royals

Since my 1st week recap of the season, the Royals have gone from 4-4 to 10-9. They've managed to go from an ugly, struggling offense to one that has shown what they can do when properly performing on all cylinders. They did lose center fielder Lorenzo Cain to the 15-day DL with a grade 1 groin strain. At this time last season, the Royals were at 10-7 and held a 1 game lead in the AL Central. The next objective is to close out this month above .500 and play better baseball in May. Do not repeat May 2013 when the team when 8-20. In their last 11 games this season, the Royals have managed to get swept at Minnesota, sweep the Astros in Houston, and take 2 out of 3 at home against Minnesota. They're in the middle of a four game series at Cleveland. Cleveland took the first game despite a Royals offense that hit .342. The Royals showed the true force of their offense in Game 2 as they defeated the Indians behind excellent pitching and a functional offense. James Shields, the ace of the pitching staff, threw six innings, allowed 2 runs (1 earned), walked one, and struck out 9 (21 in his last two starts) on 106 pitches. The bullpen threw three scoreless innings, two by Danny Duffy and one by Aaron Crow. The offense fed off of each other and clicked like a timely, well designed clock. Yes, I did just say that.

Let me throw some numbers at you. The No. 1, 8, and 9 hitters combined for 4 BB and 4 H. Eric Hosmer, the essential power hitter for the Royals in the No. 3 hole, went 4-for-5 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored, 1 RBI, and 0 SO. He is now batting .311 on the season with a .754 OPS. Billy Butler showed his true form with an RBI double that bounced off the top of the wall following a Hosmer double. Alex Gordon got into the scoring late with a 2-run double in the ninth. This is what you want from your 3-4-5 hitters; a combined .538 BA (7-for-13) for a game. Despite Salvador Perez's skid at the plate, No. 7 hitter Mike Moustakas behind Perez got the offense going with a 3-run laser shot to right. He has really picked up his game after starting off the season with nothing at all. 4 of the 8 runs for the Royals came with 2-outs, something that lacked for most of the season so far. Alcides Escobar has been the hottest hitter for the Royals in the last week. He stole his 3rd base of the season, boosted his BA to .317 with 2 hits, and continues to put on a highlight reel at shortstop. In the game alone, the Royals hit .342 (13-for-38) and had a .958 OPS. That is the offense that is continually need to win. Keep it up guys. You have even more potential.

2nd Week Royals Offensive MVP:Hands down, Alcides Escobar has been an offensive machine in the last week and a half. Since the team was 4-4 to start off the season, Escobar has managed to raise his BA from .185 to .317. In his last 11 games, Escobar has batted .416 (15-for-36) with 9 R, 5 RBI, 3 walks (in last 3 games), and struck out 8 times (4 in first 8 games). Lets not forget he is batting ninth. Ninth! He has a 5-game hitting streak right now. Atta boy Esky, keep it up.

2nd Week Royals Dominant Pitcher:Jason Vargas has exceeded many expectations according to 610 Sports Radio KC. I don't think anyone expected him to start off the season like this. But more power to him, just another reason why we went after him. In his last two starts, he has 14 IP (7 innings for both starts), given up 12 H, walked 4, struck out 8, allowed 1 homerun, and combined for a 1.44 ERA. He was unlucky with his loss at Minnesota where he gave up 2 runs but the bullpen mustered it and the team lost 4-3. In his second start at home against Minnesota, it was a different story. 7 IP, 7 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO, and he lowered his ERA to 1.24 (3rd in the AL). The team gave him more run support with 5 runs. Kudos to Vargas.

The Royals upcoming schedule includes the finishing of a four game series at Cleveland, three games at Baltimore, and 6 games at home (3 against Toronto and 3 against Detroit).

*All statistics are from www.baseball-reference.com*

(@DSEnick_brown32)