MLB: Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels

Recap: Angels 9, Royals 4 – I Call No Joy

What if I told you the bottom third of the Kansas City Royals’ batting order (Perez, Infante and Dyson) would combine for five doubles on the night?  What if I told you Anaheim starting pitcher would not throw a pitch faster than 85 mph all night?  What if, my friends, I told you that your Royals would score four runs?

Positive thoughts?  You’re wrong. I hope you got a good night’s sleep and did not burn the midnight oil watching this.

THE PITCHING

It all started out quite swimmingly with Mike Moustakas depositing his seventh home run of the month into the outfield seats in the first inning, but it got rocky from there and eventually turned completely side-wise or maybe even upside down.

If you were worried about the Royals’ starting rotation prior to the season, the performance of Edinson Volquez – coming on the heels of a cruddy Ian Kennedy outing the night before – certainly rekindled those pre-season fears.

Volquez loaded the bases in the first and escaped, then loaded them in the second and gave up three runs.  Sure, those runs came with the help of a chop single off home plate and a seven bounce, run scoring ground out down the first base line, but the inning ended with a marvelous Alex Gordon running/diving catch in deep left center to rob Albert Pujols of a double the Angels of even of more runs.

On a night when getting anyone out was problematical, Volquez somehow managed to strike out Mike Trout twice with runners on base.  His luck ran out in the fifth, however, as Volquez gave up five runs courtesy of a couple of misplays (more later) and a Johnny Giavotella three run home run.  That, to make you feel even better, was Johnny’s first extra base hit of the year.

After Volquez departed with 12 hits and 8 runs against his ledger, he was followed by Danny Duffy for an inning and then Joakim Soria, who now pitches in the seventh inning of games in which his team is down four runs.

In that inning, Soria walked two and was saddled with an Alcides Escobar misplay, but was also aided by an inexplicable attempt to take third base by C.J. Cron, who had just been sacrificed to second.  Cron’s freakish decision was followed by a Johnny Giavotella double off an optimistically diving Jarrod Dyson.   Luckily for Cron, the Angels had plenty of runs to spare.

THE DEFENSE

On the night, the Royals were tagged with just one error (Escobar in the 7th), but they misplayed four, maybe five (hell, it might have been six) balls that they are known to turn into outs.  Omar Infante – remember this when someone tells you he doesn’t need to hit to help the team – bounced two off the heel of his glove.

Now, none of those plays, including Escobar’s error were routine, but none of them make any player’s highlight reel if they turn them into outs.  This was the Royals’ second ‘off night’ defensively in the last four games.

Bad luck? Rough patch?  Pattern?  Let’s tune in tomorrow to see.

THE HITTING

Alex Gordon doubled….he also struck out three times, twice on three pitches.

In the third inning, after Moustakas walked and Cain singled (a hit for Lorenzo!), Eric Hosmer grounded into a double play by swinging at ball four.  He was followed by Kendrys Morales, who swung and missed at a 67 mph curve and a 76 mph change.  Keep in mind when ruminating on that change-up, that Weaver had  thrown Morales a fastball (or at least Weaver’s impersonation of a fastball) only once in this at-bat or the appearance before.

In a game in which the Royals reached the coveted four run mark and rapped out seven extra base hits, there was still plenty to be critical of at the plate.

AND FINALLY

In the end and despite a promising (or at least interesting) start, this was a rather dismal effort by the Royals. Yet, they are still 12-8 on the season and that extrapolates out into all sorts of wins.  It doesn’t feel like it now and one might start to wonder if these games where the Royals don’t play ‘like themselves’ are going to becoming habit instead of exception, but I will remain steadfast like Kevin Bacon and remain calm.

All is well.

Maybe.

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