Note: All stats in this article are through Tuesday’s action.

Who is Good?

The Diamondbacks rank as the best team in baseball in terms of framing runs with 19.1, which is a decent amount more than the Dodgers who are second at 16.9. Man, it can’t be fun to be a Padres hitter in that division with the best two teams in baseball getting extra strikes all over the place. The Rockies are seventh with 6.9, so the NL West is a framing bloodbath. The rest of the top 10 teams are Toronto, Boston, Houston, Cleveland, the aforementioned, Rockies, Seattle, Philadelphia and the Yankees.

It’s not a perfect correlation to ERA success, but six of those 10 are top 10 in baseball in ERA. Seven of the 10 are top 10 in DRA. And seven of the 10 are top 10 in FIP. Sometimes the team totals are brought down by a backup, but of the top 10 teams in ERA, all have them have at least one catcher in the top 30 in framing runs. So yeah, it matters.

Who is Bad?

The worst team in baseball in framing runs is actually the Cubs, who are quite good and rank seventh in baseball in ERA as a staff. They also rank 20^th in DRA, so take that for what it’s worth. But again, this isn’t always a perfect correlation. And second worst is your Kansas City Royals, worth -13.9 framing runs over the course of the season. The bottom 10 teams in framing runs are San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, the Mets, Cincinnati, the White Sox, Texas, Royals and Cubs. There’s a lot of range there in team quality and pitching staff quality, but they’re at the bottom.

Royals Factor

You’re reading this because you likely want to know what it means for the Royals. Just think if Danny Duffy had gotten the call against Jake Cave the other day or any number of instances where it sure seemed like the Royals got the short end of the stick. Well try this on for size. The Arizona Diamondbacks have had 50 pitches that were clearly graded as outside the strike zone called strikes. The Royals have had 27. That may not seem like a big deal, but it’s 85 percent more, nearly twice as many. That helps pitchers big time.

But the real value of framing can come on the borderline pitches. These are the pitches that are right around the edge of the strike zone, either just within it or just on the outside of it. This is where we see the most arguments from hitters, pitchers, managers, fans, broadcasters, passersby, etc. The Diamondbacks have gotten 1,685 called strikes on those pitches. The Royals have gotten 1,405.

Diamondbacks:

Royals:

Whoa.

It’s not all Zack Greinke either, though he’s a master of his craft. He’s thrown 13.6 percent of the Diamondbacks pitches this season and he has had 18 percent of their non-strikes called strikes, but only 15 percent or so of the borderline pitches were called strikes. So he helps, but not enough to write it off as him carrying a team in this statistic.

For some more reference, the Dodgers have had 39 non-strikes get called for strikes and 1,570 borderline pitches. The Cubs? They have just 23 non-strikes in their favor and actually have done well on the borderline with 1,550 borderline pitches called for them.

The point is that this is a problem. I brought it up in Friday Notes a couple weeks ago, but if the Royals are going to be counting on young pitching over the next few years, they’re going to need to find a catcher who can help steal them a few extra strikes. Well, now hold up. That’s not entirely true. If they can build a staff of swing and miss pitchers, that would help too. But based on the 9.2 percent whiff rate the staff has posted this year (league average is 10.7 percent and they rank second to last), I’m not sure that’s coming just yet.

The issue is that Salvador Perez isn’t the guy to steal strikes. Of 102 catchers rated, Perez ranks 100^th in framing runs at -7.7. And because I know you were wondering, Drew Butera ranks 98^th with -6.6. Royals pitching has been bad this year, but they certainly haven’t been helped much in this realm.

This isn’t me saying that Perez isn’t good enough to catch for a good team. He obviously was the rock on a World Series champion in a year where he ranked 90^th out of 109, but he was also worth a much more palatable -2.7 runs. And he obviously brings more value behind the plate than just framing pitches as he has one of the best arms back there of any catcher. This year, he ranks at the top of baseball in throwing runs with 1.0. I think that metric is a little faulty because I wonder how many attempts just don’t happen because he’s back there, but even so, it highlights how important framing is compared to throwing.

But never fear, Royals fans, there is good news. Drew Butera is a free agent after the season. That’s good news in itself, but the icing on that cake is that Cam Gallagher can frame a little. He ranks 41^st this season, but has a great reputation in that role and should be the backup catcher next season. I believe it would behoove the Royals for development purposes at the very least to give Gallagher at least 60 games behind the plate next season to let him turn some balls into strikes and get some of the young pitching to find maybe a little more success. It doesn’t hurt that Gallagher isn’t a zero with the bat like Butera and that he probably has some familiarity with a lot of the pitchers. And hey, it’s not like Salvy couldn’t use the days off.

The point here is that framing makes a big difference. Maybe stealing a few extra strikes won’t put the Royals in the playoffs in 2019 (okay, no maybe about it; it definitely won’t), but it could help in numerous ways for the years when they are fighting for that spot. Teams like the Royals can’t be passing up opportunities to get a little off the edges. You never know when it might pay off.

• I’m not sure how or why this started, but there’s a lot of discussion out there now about the role luck played in the Royals championship years. Luck or not, they won, so even though I’m a process over results guy, sometimes the results are all that matters, which is the case here. The 2014/2015 Royals taught me two things that I think are very important as I continue to watch and cover baseball, and these are two things I will never forget. The first is that clubhouse chemistry does matter. I don’t think it’s massively vital or anything, but it matters. Sometimes good chemistry comes from winning, so it’s a chicken and egg argument, but there’s value to be had in a roster having each other’s backs the way those Royals teams did. And the second and probably more important thing is that there is more than one way to win in baseball. I didn’t agree with probably the majority of what the Royals did to prepare for their postseason runs, but they still happened and there still was that parade in November of 2015. And I think that’s something that’s easily forgotten. Your way might be a great way to do things. Maybe it’s even a better way. But it’s certainly not the only way. As I get older, I think I start to realize that some people are so stuck in their way of thinking that they can’t even comprehend another way might work too. Getting a chance to be in the clubhouse occasionally and see those teams up close taught me a lot that actually translates to some life lessons too, so before I get too sappy about that, I’ll move on.
• Now, that said, the Royals do have their issues, and I think loyalty is one of them. This is especially true with Alcides Escobar, who continues to play like at all for no good reason. I get that the Royals are trying to be careful with Adalberto Mondesi for both health reasons and development reasons (though why start caring about his development now when they hadn’t until recently?), but this is getting ridiculous. If anything, their insistence on him playing and even being on the roster is hurting his legacy. It’s not like everyone loved Escobar before this season, but it would have been nice for a guy who isn’t productive at all anymore to have been able to get the sendoff that Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer did. Of course, time will absolve all of this and he will be remembered fondly for his role in the championship years, but it is just silly how much time he spends on the field even after the consecutive games streak was broken. I hope the Royals are able to make the right business decision with him and with Moustakas. Even if the market isn’t what they’d like for him, there’s no reason to keep him around. Ned Yost says that Dayton Moore isn’t going to trade him just to trade him, but really, he should. I’m sure there’s a number that would make sense if you want to extend him for three more years or something, but I don’t think it’s a number he’d take, even after his disastrous trip through free agency the first time. So trade the guy. Get what you can. And if you really want to bring him back, give him the deal in November that you would give him today and hope he says yes. I don’t think that’s necessary, but it’s at least a compromise.
• I was pretty hard on the Kelvin Herrera trade when it was made because I saw the return as really underwhelming. Maybe I’m talking myself into it a little more or maybe my opinion on the deal is just evolving as we see more facts are the actual deal, but I’m slowly becoming okay with it. I do believe the Royals wanted to move as fast as possible, especially after his first truly bad outing of the season against the Reds that night. And the market for rental relievers isn’t what people want it to be after the Aroldis Chapman for Gleyber Torres deal. But maybe more than anything, Blake Perkins has done way more than I ever expected from him. He’s hitting .282/.429/.376 with Wilmington with an 18 percent walk rate and a reasonable 20 percent strikeout rate. No, there isn’t much power, but the guy can really play center field and can steal some bases too. He’s just one of many high-OBP guys the Royals have in the lower levels, and if he can become a guy who can get on base at a good clip and play a fantastic center field, I’ll certainly take that. This could very well just be a hot streak as his walk rate is up and his strikeout rate is down from his time in Potomac, but it’s at least very encouraging.
• It looks like young pitching will be on the horizon for the Royals for this season and the near future, given their draft this season. With that in mind, and I’m sorry to harp on Perez, but they really need to find someone better behind the plate to help them. I know Sal’s arm is a huge plus and I know he’s going to catch a lot, but they need someone who is a better framer than he or Drew Butera. Heading into play last night, Perez ranked as the fourth worst in baseball and Butera was the seventh worst. You can argue until you’re blue in the face about whether or not that matters, but the fact is that it does. Cam Gallagher is, by all accounts, very good at it, so it might take care of itself when Butera hopefully leaves as a free agent, but if the Royals are serious about getting Perez out from behind the plate more often and they want to look elsewhere, they really need to be serious about finding someone who is a good enough receiver to really help the young pitching as they find their way to the big leagues over the next few seasons.

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Brewer Hicklen 2-4 2R, HR, 2 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Kris Bubic 4 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 5 K 5-2 GO-FO 57p/35k

Transactions – RHP Jackson Kowar assigned to Lexington, RHP Andres Sotillet promoted to Wilmington

Augusta GreenJackets 7 Lexington Legends 4

Royals draftee Jackson Kowar made his debut for Lexington on Thursday night after a three weeks hiatus. Perhaps that layoff lent to some rustiness on Kowar’s part as the right-hander gave up three singles and walked two hitters before recording his first out, allowing three runs on 27 pitches. Lefty Garrett Davila struck out nine hitters in relief of Kowar but ran into trouble in the fifth inning, giving up all five of his hits allowed including a pair of home runs during a four-run frame. Those seven runs would be enough to take the victory over Lexington despite a two-run home run by Brewer Hicklen.

MJ Melendez: 2-3 R, 2b, RBI, 2BB
Nick Pratto: 2-4 BB
Jackson Kowar: 0.1 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 1 K 27p/15k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Frederick Keys 2

Centerfielder Blake Perkins led the way again for the Rocks on Thursday as he played a role in all three runs which is all the combined pitching effort would need. A leadoff double for Perkins in the first inning allowed Wilmington to take a quick 1-0 lead after Gabe Cancel brought him home with a sacrifice fly. An inning later the bases were loaded for Perkins when he grounded a ball through the right side to bring home Rudy Martin and Oliver Nunez to push the advantage to 3-0. Starting pitcher Jace Vines worked just three innings, allowing one run before giving way to Cristian Castillo who also allowed a run in three innings. With no margin left to give, lefty Josh Mitchell and Julio Pinto worked the final three innings scoreless to secure the Wilmington win.

Blake Perkins: 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Gabe Cancel: 1-3 RBI
Travis Jones: 2-4 CS

Tulsa Drillers 14 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

Another rough start for Emilio Ogando as the lefty gave up nine hits, walked five while allowing nine runs in just three innings. The Drillers hit three home runs off Ogando in those three innings, running his total to 20 on the season. The relief corps didn’t do a whole lot better with the next three on the hill all allowing at least one run each while Dodgers prospect Mitchell White limited the Naturals to just a single tally in the lopsided loss. One of the Dodgers top prospects, Keibert Ruiz had a big night at the plate going 3-4 with a pair of home runs and a double.

Khalil Lee: 1-5 2b, K
Kelvin Gutierrez: 3-4 2R
Jecksson Flores: 2-4 2b, RBI, BB, 2K

Memphis Redbirds 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Zach Lovvorn struggled in his five innings, giving up nine hits including a pair of home runs during his six-run outing. The Chasers offense countered with a three-run home run in the sixth by Cam Gallagher to cut the lead in half. They could get no closer though after two Memphis relievers struckout eight hitters over the final three and two-thirds innings.

Nicky Lopez: 3-4 3b
Ryan O’Hearn: 2-4 R
Cam Gallagher: 2-4 HR, 3 RBI

Danville Braves 8 Burlington Royals 1

Lefty Marcelo Martinez had his roughest start of the season, allowing nine hits and three runs in six-plus innings. After a leadoff triple in the first inning led to a run against Martinez he twirled five scoreless innings while striking out five hitters. With the game tied 1-1 the Burlington starter allowed a leadoff double before giving up a two-run home run to fall behind 3-1. Reliever Ismael Maldonado gave up four runs in relief and the Royals offense collected just five hits in the loss.

Marcelo Martinez: 6 IP 9 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 5 K 5-3 GO-FO 81p/64k
Eric Cole: 0-4
Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4 R, 2b

Idaho Falls Chukars 6 Helena Brewers 4 

Lefty Kris Bubic was impressive in his second start for the Chukars, allowing just one run over four innings while striking out five. The lefty gave up a leadoff single that the Brewers worked around to score in the first inning on Bubic’s wild pitch. The league’s top hitting offense took charge early, scoring five runs from the 2nd through the 4th innings with extra-base hits by Kyle Kasser and Jose Caraballo factoring in while Nick Eaton connected on a solo home run. Right-hander Tyler Gray couldn’t quite match Bubic’s effort, giving up a three run (1 ER) seventh that allowed the Brewers to draw within a run but Kyle Kasser connected on an RBI double and Gray got five outs prior to Daniel Duarte getting the final strikeout to secure the win. The win secured at least a split of the series for the Chukars while keeping them one game out of first place.

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Jake Kalish 5-5 4.13 ERA 1.33 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Scott Blewett 4-5 5.48 ERA 1.59 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 2-8 3.87 ERA 1.55 WHIP
Lexington – TBD
Burlington – Yerelmy Garcia 1-1 5.25 ERA 1.42 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Connor Mayes 3-1 5.21 ERA 1.74 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day Nicky Lopez 4-5 3R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, SB 

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Carlos Hernandez 7 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 3 Bb 3 K 12-4 90p/59k

Lexington Legends 1 Kannapolis Intimidators 0 F/11

The Legends and Intimidators locked up in a true pitching duel on Friday with the two teams going scoreless for the first ten innings of the night. Starter Carlos Hernandez gave the Legends his best outing in over a month, tossing seven scoreless with just two hits and three walks allowed. While recording just three strikeouts on the night the right-hander was creating plenty of worm burners with his 12 groundouts created on the night. The two teams stayed scoreless into the eleventh with both team’s working around the free baserunner in the tenth before Brewer Hicklen came through with a rbi single in the eleventh frame. That one run would be all Lexington would need with Andrew Beckwith working the final two innings hitless with four strikeouts to earn the win.

Nick Pratto 1-4 2b, 2K, SB (10)
Seuly Matias 0-3 BB, 2K
MJ Melendez 1-4 BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Lynchburg Hillcats 0

The Wilmington pitchers used the usual recipe for success in a 2-0 win Friday, walking 10 hitters in their shutout. Starter Nolan Watson went six and two-thirds innings scoreless despite five walks and zero strikeouts on the night thanks in part to four different double plays turned by the defense on the night. The Rocks offense scored a run in the first inning on a wild pitch that plated D.J. Burt before Gabriel Cancel unloaded on a two-run home run in the eighth to push the advantage to 3-0. That lead would be plenty with the bullpen working around five additional walks to earn the win.

Nolan Watson 6.2 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 5 BB 0 K 9-7 GO-FO 93p/48k
Gabe Cancel 2-4 HR, 2 RBI
D.J. Burt 2-2 2R, 2BB

San Antonio Missions 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 3 F/10

The Naturals lost a pitching showdown in extra innings against San Antonio. With outfielder Khalil Lee and pitcher Arnaldo Hernandez making their Double-A debut. Both made their presence shown in the outing with Hernandez striking out seven over five and one-third innings with two runs allowed in that time while Lee scored a run and reached base a pair of times in his debut. The game stayed 2-2 until the tenth inning when Bryan Brickhouse allowed the free baserunner to score on a single and then walked the bases loaded before giving up a rbi groundout for a second run allowed. The Naturals could counter with just one run in extras to drop the game.

Khalil Lee 1-2 R, BB, K, CS, Sac
Kelvin Gutierrez 1-4 K
Arnaldo Hernandez 5.1 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 7 K 4-2 GO-FO 92p/58k

Omaha Storm Chasers 10 Nashville Sounds 1

Not often does one player shine so much in a game that features five home runs by five different players but that was the case in Omaha’s return to Werner Park Friday. Former Creighton alum Nicky Lopez put on a show for the hometown faithful with an effort that featured a little bit of everything as he played his usual flawless defense, stole his first Triple-A base and hit his first Triple-A home run while going 4-5 on the night. His teammates pitched in plenty as well with Triple-A All-Star starter Trevor Oaks allowing just one run over six innings to continue his outstanding season. Not to be outdone by Lopez and Oaks the rest of the lineup connected on 10 additional hits while four others hit home runs with Frank Schwindel and Ryan O’Hearn each connecting on home runs while Cam Gallagher and Ramon Torres chipped in longballs during the lopsided effort.

Trevor Oaks 6 IP 6 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 10-2 GO-FO 87p/58k
Ryan O’Hearn 3-4 HR,2b, 3 RBI, BB
Cam Gallagher 1-3 HR, 2 RBI, BB

Burlington Royals 2 Pulaski Yankees 0

The two teams combined for a 1 for 19 effort with runners in scoring position while striking out a combined 31 times but the Royals did just enough to earn the win on Friday. Royals 1st round pick Daniel Lynch made his second start working three and two-thirds innings with just a hit and walk allowed while striking out six. The Royals connected on a pair of doubles by Juan Carlos Negret and Freddy Fermin in the third frame to score the games only runs while Lynch, Bryar Johnson, and Kyle Hinton combined to strikeout 17 Yankees in the shutout win.

Daniel Lynch 3.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 6 K 4-1 GO-FO 31p/26k
Juan Carlos Negret 1-5 R, 2b, RBI, 3 K
Bryar Johnson 3.1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 3 BB 7 K 1-1 GO-FO 59p/31k

Idaho Falls Chukars 7 Grand Junction Rockies 6

The Chukars had to tie the game in the tenth and navigate free runners in the eleventh and twelfth inning before walking off for a win Friday night. The Chukars fell behind 4-0 after four innings but the middle of the lineup carried the load towards a comeback with the 2-5 hitters in the lineup combining for all 11 hits while driving in five and scoring six of the seven runs for the Chukars. Reliever Jordan Floyd navigated Grand Junction’s free baserunner in the final inning before Kyle Isbel walked things off with a single to left to drive in Tyler James.

Kyle Isbel 3-6 R, RBI, SB (4)
Nate Eaton 4-5 3R, 2b, RBI
Reed Rohlman 2-4 2-2b, 3 RBI, BB

Featured Photo Property of Minda Haas Kuhlmann

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Cam Gallagher 2-4 2b, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Richard Lovelady 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 3-2 GO-FO 19p/15k

Transaction – Rudy Martin activated back with Wilmington.
Rumor – Looks as though 18th Rd pick R.J. Dabovich will make his signing official soon.

Texas League All-Star Game South 2-2 Final
South Wins on HR Derby Sudden Death
Nicky Lopez: 0-2 RBI
Erick Mejia: 0-2
Elier Hernandez: 0-2 K
Nick Dini: 0-1
Jecksson Flores: 2-2 R, SB
Scott Blewett: 1 IP 2 H 0 R 0 BB 0 K
Zach Lovvorn: 1 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 0 K
Emilio Ogando: 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Walker Sheller: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K

Lynchburg Hillcats 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

A 2-2 game got away from Wilmington in the ninth inning when Carter Hope struggled during his third inning of relief. The right-hander who rejoined the organization last year after being away for over a year created his own problems in the ninth with a fielding error and a wild pitch before giving up four hits to the next five hitters up in the inning. Lefty reliever Justin Camp came in to help clean up the mess but six runs had crossed in the inning to put Wilmington into too large of a hole to dig out of. Royals top prospect Khalil Lee accounted for all three Wilmington runs, driving in two and scoring another in the ninth.

Khalil Lee: 2-2 R, 2 RBI, BB, CS (3)
Jace Vines: 6 IP 4 H 2 R 1 ER 2 BB 6 K 9-2 GO-FO 92p/54k
Gabe Cancel: 1-4

Round Rock Express 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Three runs off left-hander Jake Kalish in the fourth inning were enough to do in the Chasers on Tuesday evening. The game was scoreless until that inning when Top 100 prospect Willie Calhoun connected on a two-run double. One hitter later, former major league infielder Cliff Pennington drove Calhoun home with a single to push the Round Rock advantage to 3-0. The Chasers would be limited to six hits on the night with a solo home run from Ramon Torres in the fifth and an RBI single by Cam Gallagher in the sixth that cut the deficit to 3-2. Following the Gallagher hit in the sixth, the next eight Chasers hitters would be retired until Cam doubled with one out in the ninth but nothing would come of that threat with the next two hitters going down in the loss.

Jorge Bonifacio: 1-3 R, BB
Josh Staumont: 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K 3-2 GO-FO 32p/19k
Donnie Dewees: 0-4

Danville Braves 2 Burlington Royals 0

Newly acquired right-hander Elvis Luciano made his second start with the organization, performing better than he did in his first effort. Hitting the zone with 53 strikes on 79 pitches the right-hander walked three hitters, gave up two hits and one run in five innings of work. Unfortunately for Luciano, his solid effort wasn’t rewarded with the offense failing to score with a 0 for 7 effort with runners in scoring position. Local Wichita State product Greyson Jenista hit his second home run of the series in the sixth inning off reliever Luis Alcantara to up the score to 2-0 where it would end after Burlington failed to push multiple runners in scoring position home over the final few innings.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4
Isaiah Henry: 1-1 BB
Elvis Luciano: 5 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 5 K 5-1 GO-FO 79p/53k

Grand Junction Rockies 4 Idaho Falls Chukars 2

The Chukars grabbed an early lead, but a seventh-inning defensive error helped them find themselves in a two-run hole. The Royals 13th round draft pick Jon Heasley made his second start, working four innings with just one run allowed. It was an efficient outing for him with 37 strikes thrown on his 51 pitches while he kept the ball on the ground with six groundouts created out of seven and four of the five singles allowed also coming via the groundball. Along with the groundball contact being created, Heasley still put away four hitters with strikeouts before reaching his pitch limit. The Chukars had a 2-1 lead through six innings after a pair of run-scoring outs but a solo home run in the seventh prior to an error that opened the door to two more runs to put Idaho Falls down 4-2. The Chukars threatened in the ninth with the tying runs in scoring position but Offerman Collado struckout to end the game.

Kyle Isbel: 0-3 BB, 2 GIDP
Jon Heasley: 4 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-1 GO-FO 51p/37k
Offerman Collado: 3-5

Tuesday Boxscores

Wednesday Probables
Omaha – Glenn Sparkman 7-2 3.48 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 2-5 4.12 ERA 1.66 WHIP
Lexington – TBD
Idaho Falls – TBD

Sure, we survived this kind of nonsense before—looking at you, 2004-2006 Royals—but coming off a five-year period that featured a World Series title, an American League pennant, and three years of contention, this is tough to take.

It would be a little easier to take if we could see steps being taken for the future. By that, I mean seeing the building blocks for the next good Royals team. For the most part, those guys are in distant locales like Lexington and Wilmington. I get that, and there is no good reason to rush any of those players. However, the Royals have committed two major sins so far this year at the big-league level: they are bad at baseball, and as an entertainment concern, well…they’re kind of boring.

Yes, boring: the offense is 14th in the league in home runs, eighth in stolen bases (but with only 38, they average one every other game), and 13th in on-base percentage. They do put the ball in play (fewest strikeouts!) but seldom successfully, as evidenced by their .239 team batting average, good for 11th in the AL. And let’s not forget the second-most double plays in the league—at 75, they are averaging nearly one per game.

On the pitching side, despite working in spacious Kauffman Stadium, the Royals have allowed the most home runs in the league (well, at least that’s exciting for other teams). They have picked up the fewest strikeouts. And they have issued the fourth-most walks in the league, a deadly combination when you give up all those home runs. You might think, “Well, at least the ball is in play a lot,” but when you look up the Royals’ defensive efficiency on the Baseball Prospectus site and realize it is the second-worst in the league (thanks, Baltimore!), you realize that’s not good news. In recent years, you got excited when a Royals opponent put the ball in play, because there was an excellent chance one of the defenders would make a highlight-reel catch. By and large, that’s not happening this year. In fact, by that standard, they’re not even making catches an average team would make.

So yeah, boring. None of this is news if you’ve spent much time watching the Royals this year. But I had to make my case.

Now, how do the Royals solve this? Like I said, they don’t have a raft of top prospects to call up from Omaha. That’s not going to change even when they trade off assets before July 31; if Kelvin Herrera didn’t bring back major-league ready talent, Lucas Duda is unlikely to do so (no offense to Duda). Maybe Mike Moustakas will, but I wouldn’t count on it. Still, there are a few personnel moves the Royals could make that would at least make following the team a little more interesting, even if they do nothing to stop the losing. Thinking about the future and trying to figure out which players might stick in the majors is about the only way Royals fans are going to be entertained the rest of this season.

The Royals actually did a couple of these things over the last week, bringing Adalberto Mondesi and Rosell Herrera to the majors. They also made the right call by keeping Hunter Dozier in the majors when Duda came off the disabled list, dispatching Paulo Orlando to Omaha. Applause for both of those moves. On the other hand, they sent Scott Barlow and Ramon Torres down, and those are probably mistakes.

See, there is a lot of veteran dead weight on this team. Some of it, due to massive contracts, is probably unmovable. Of course, here I refer to Ian Kennedy and the $16 million he is owed this year. Oh, and the $16.5 million he’ll get next year. And the year after that. Sigh.

Anyway, there are lots of other options to clear off the roster. Players like Abraham Almonte, Drew Butera, Ryan Goins, Justin Grimm, Jason Hammel, and Brandon Maurer (along with the aforementioned Orlando) offer little upside. Alcides Escobar really doesn’t, either, but I can’t imagine the Royals cutting him loose, so let’s not worry about that for now. The good news is the Royals have very little money or development time invested in these players. Trade ‘em for lottery tickets, or just release ‘em.

Because there are actually some options at Omaha to replace these players. Relievers Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady have had success there, and Barlow pitched decently in limited time in Kansas City. We’ve seen a little of Cam Gallagher at the major-league level and he seems like a passable backup catcher. Frank Schwindel and Ryan O’Hearn might deserve a look in the majors. Torres probably won’t ever hit in the majors…but I’d rather find out about him than watch Goins not hit in the majors.

Then there’s the Mondesi/Escobar situation. Most of the players I just mentioned probably aren’t part of the next good Royals team, but this is the time to find out. But with all the hype he’s had, it would be nice if Mondesi turned out to be part of that team. Let the kid play shortstop as often as possible. I actually approve of the Royals trying Escobar at some other positions if it means Mondesi plays more frequently. Escobar chasing down fly balls has the potential to be entertaining. At least it’s different. And that’s what the Royals and their fans need now. Because if you can’t be good (and none of these moves will make this team good in the short-term), you can at least be entertaining.

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Cam Gallagher 3-5, R, 2-2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Dan Tillo 5 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 10-1 GO-FO, 82p/51k

Frederick Keys 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks will like to get out of their spacious home park after another night of limited offense. On Thursday, they went just 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position as they were unable to capitalize on seven hits and six walks, scoring just a run in the first inning and in the ninth. The lack of offense overshadowed another solid start from lefty Dan Tillo, the 2017 third round pick from Iowa Western. Making his third Carolina League start, Tillo struggled with his control early, walking three of the first six hitters he faced, but was able to navigate it with just one run allowed thanks to the groundballs that he’s so adept at creating. An error on a potential double-play ball when an Oli Nunez throw went wild allowed a Keys runner to score. From that point, Tillo found the zone, locked in and put away the next nine hitters he would face from the end of the second until two outs in the fifth when Ryan McKenna won a seven-pitch at-bat bat by lining the first hit against the Wilmington pitcher into leftfield. After the starter left the game, Wilmington’s Carter Hope couldn’t match the effort, allowing four runs (3 ER) on a wild pitch and bases-loaded double that scored all three runners. The Rocks offense couldn’t get much going following that hit, falling to 21-32 on the season.

Khalil Lee: 1-2, 2b, 2 BB, CS (1)
Xavier Fernandez: 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Josh Mitchell: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 15p/11k

Frisco RoughRiders 7, NW Arkansas Naturals 0

Another rough start for Foster Griffin in a lopsided loss for NW Arkansas on Thursday. The former first round pick got knocked around for 10 hits and seven runs in just 5.1 innings including seven extra-base hits, two of which went for home runs. The last two times out now Griffin has given up 26 hits and 16 runs in just 12 innings of work, ballooning his ERA to 5.76 ERA on the season. Those runs were plenty to put away the Naturals who were held scoreless on seven hits and a walk as Frisco starter Richelson Pena tossed a complete game shutout.

Erick Mejia: 1-4
Nicky Lopez: 0-4
Elier Hernandez: 1-4

Oklahoma City Dodgers 9, Omaha Storm Chasers 6

The Chasers built a lead in the seventh inning, but the bullpen couldn’t stop walking hitters in a late loss. Lefty Jonathan Dziedzic hit a bump in the road in the second and third innings, giving up four straight hits in the second that scored two runs before a solo home run allowed in the third to fall behind 3-1. From there, the lefty straightened things out to get into the sixth with just those three runs allowed. The Chasers evened the game with back to back doubles in the sixth before the Omaha lineup scored three more in the seventh with a wild pitch that scored Adalberto Mondesi, before Ryan O’Hearn singled in a run, and Cam Gallagher’s double scored another to go up 6-3. Reliever Luis Vasquez struggled in the seventh, walking a pair as part of a two-run inning after Wily Peralta gave up a hit and a pair of walks. That small one run lead was given away in the eighth when Mike Broadway struggled, loading the bases with a pair of hit by pitches, a walk and a single in a four-run inning to put Omaha behind in the eventual loss.

Adalberto Mondesi: 1-4, 2R, BB, 2 K
Frank Schwindel: 4-5, R, 2b, SB
Ryan O’Hearn: 2-5, 2R, 2b, 2 RBI

Thursday Boxscores

Friday Probables
Omaha – Heath Fillmyer 3-4, 5.58 ERA, 1.66 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 3-3, 5.09 ERA, 1.43 WHIP
Wilmington – Jace Vines 2-6, 5.43 ERA, 1.59 WHIP
Lexington Gm1 – Garrett Davila 3-1, 3.50 ERA, 1.31 WHIP
Lexington Gm2 – Janser Lara 1-2, 2.78 ERA, 1.24 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day Elier Hernandez 3-4 2R, HR, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Arnoldo Hernandez 6.1 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 3 BB 8 K 2-6 GO-FO 97p/60k

Asheville Tourists 6 Lexington Legends 4

The Legends had a reliever struggle in relief of Janser Lara that put the game out of reach late in this one. It was the hard-throwing Lara that gave Lexington a solid start, working five innings with seven strikeouts against five hits and one walk. The only damage off Lara came in the fourth after Lexington had taken a 2-0 lead with a two-run triple from Brewer Hicklen. In that fourth Lara gave up a solo home run to Casey Golden, now tied with Seuly Matias for the home run lead, prior to a triple by Ryan Vilade to knot the game back up 2-2. That score held up until the seventh when reliever Sal Biasi struggled to end the inning, allowing five hitters to reach with two outs including a pair of run-scoring doubles as part of a four-run frame. The Legends would get a run back in the ninth via a Hicklen rbi groundout but the rally would end there in the loss.

Janser Lara 5 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 7 K 0-5 GO-FO 84p/56k
Nick Pratto 2-4 2R, 2K
MJ Melendez 1-4 R, 2b

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 Salem Red Sox 3

The Rocks received another quality start from Arnoldo Hernandez as the right-hander seemed to find a groove after giving up a home run to Bobby Dalbec. At that point in the game Hernandez had given up a pair of hits and not yet recorded a strikeout through one complete inning but from that point he got much more aggressive, striking out a season high. In addition to the strikeouts, Hernandez would yield just one more hit while working through six and one-third innings. A three-run third inning which featured an Oli Nunez two-run double and a rbi single by Khalil Lee to drive in Nunez had given Hernandez a lead to work with. That 3-2 lead was added to in the seventh with a wild pitch that scored Chris DeVito after the catcher tried to throw him out at third and tossed it away. The 4-2 lead was secured by Bryan Brickhouse with one and one-third innings of work despite the hard-throwing right-hander allowing his third hit of the season. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera had to leave the game after an injury during a swing he made late in the game.

Khalil Lee 1-3 RBI, BB
Bryan Brickhouse 1.1 IP 1 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 2 K 0-1 GO-FO 34p/18k
Chris DeVito 2-3 2R, 2b

Midland RockHounds 11 NW Arkansas Naturals 3

This start for Foster Griffin didn’t go that well as the lefty was hit often and hit hard while he stayed aggressive in the zone for a bit too long. In seven inning Midland connected on sixteen hits which accounted for nine runs against Griffin despite him throwing 69 strikes on 90 pitches without walking a hitter. The Naturals couldn’t match that type of offensive night of their own, collecting nine hits and just three runs in a losing effort.

Foster Griffin 7 IP 16 H 9 R 8 ER 0 BB 6 K 4-3 GO-FO 90p/69k
Nicky Lopez 0-4 K
Donnie Dewees 1-5 R, 2b

Omaha Storm Chasers 11 Round Rocks Express 1

The Chasers had on of their largest offensive outputs of the season Friday night in Papillion, putting up 17 hits on the board while scoring 11 runs. A 4-1 game was broke open in the sixth when Round Rock turned to former major league pitcher Tim Lincecum. The Chasers quickly countered with three runs, getting a run on an error that scored Terrance Gore and a two-run home run by Frank Schwindel to push the advantage to 7-1. A reliever for Round Rock, Michael Roth, wouldn’t fare much better giving up three more runs with a two-run by Humberto Arteaga double mixed in to put the game well out of reach.

Adalberto Mondesi 1-4 2R, 2b, RBI, BB
Ryan O’Hearn 1-3 R
Cam Gallagher 3-4 2R, RBI, BB

Friday Boxscores

Saturday Probables
Omaha – Jonathan Dziedzic (lhp) 1-5 3.66 ERA 1.31 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Zach Lovvorn 2-3 5.87 ERA 1.54 WHIP
Wilmington – Dan Tillo (lhp) 1-2 4.70 ERA 1.28 WHIP
Lexington – Andres Sotillet 2-2 3.35 ERA 1.30 WHIP

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nicky Lopez 4-5, 2R, 2b, RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yunior Marte 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 40p/30k 

Rome Braves 4, Lexington Legends 1

Lexington starter Carlos Hernandez gave his teammates a quality start, tying a career high with seven innings completed for just the second time in his brief two-year career. The right-hander was hit a little harder than he had been the last two times out, giving up five hits including a solo home run in the fourth that accounted for the second run against him. Despite the five hits, Hernandez did an outstanding job of attacking the zone with 70 strikes on 97 pitches thrown. The Legends scored their only run in the third inning on a fielder’s choice following a leadoff double by Marten Gasparini. The Braves starter Odalvi Javier controlled the Lexington offense with ten strikeouts and just two hits allowed in six innings before their bullpen finished off the Legends over the final three innings.

MJ Melendez: 1-4, 3K
Carlos Hernandez: 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 3-5 GO-FO, 97p/70k
Marten Gasparini: 2-3, R, 2b

Potomac Nationals 6, Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 

The Rocks were given eight free passes Wednesday night but they couldn’t do enough with them to secure a win over Potomac. The Nationals starter Joan Baez gave six of those free passes away in his 4.1 innings, but the Rocks were unable to cash any of those free passes in, scoring their only run with a DJ Burt single in front of a Khalil Lee triple. Wilmington starter Ofreidy Gomez fell behind after allowing three runs in six innings on five hits, including a first inning two-run home run. That deficit lasted until the eighth when the Rocks scored three runs to tie things up, the big hit coming via Gabe Cancel’s two-run double. Potomac took the lead back in the eighth before Wilmington tied it again in their half of the ninth only to see a sacrifice fly walk things off for Potomac.

Khalil Lee: 3-4, R, 3b, 2 RBI, BB
D.J. Burt: 2-4, 2R, 3b, BB, SB (10)
Gabe Cancel: 1-2, 2b, 2 RBI, 3 BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 7, Frisco RoughRiders 6 – F/10

The Nationals fell behind early but received outstanding bullpen work which provided the offense time to catch up and eventually take a win away from Frisco. Starter Emilio Ogando surrendered two home runs and six total runs in just four innings of work before handing the game over. Those six runs stood up until the ninth inning when the Naturals evened the game up with a sac fly by Alex Liddi that brought home Erick Mejia. In extras, NW Arkansas worked around the free baserunner while Nicky Lopez doubled home Mejia to secure their fifth consecutive series win, a NW Arkansas record.

Erick Mejia: 2-3, 3R, SB (12)
Elier Hernandez: 3-5, R, 2-2b, RBI
Donnie Dewees: 1-6, SB (6)

Omaha Storm Chasers 5, New Orleans Baby Cakes 4

A pitching duel for six innings saw both starters pitching an early gem with a bunch of zeroes on the board. Those zeroes lasted until the bottom of the sixth when Omaha’s Humberto Arteaga doubled and scored to give the Chasers a 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, that lead didn’t last long as Scott Barlow struggled to finish off his start, giving up a pair of singles to start the seventh before an intentional walk loaded the bases with one out. A mound visit didn’t settle Barlow down as the right-hander gave up a wall-scraping grand slam just over the 310-foot mark in left field to put the Baby Cakes up 4-1. The Chasers would answer though with a four-run frame of their own two innings later with an RBI groundout by Aldaberto Mondesi, a two-run single by Frank Schwindel and an RBI single by Cam Gallagher that scored Schwindel. Reliever Brandon Maurer would run into some trouble in the ninth, loading the bases but getting the final strikeout to secure the win.

Adalberto Mondesi: 0-4,RBI, K
Cam Gallagher: 2-4, 2b, RBI
Scott Barlow: 7 IP, 7 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, HR, 10-4 GO-FO, 95p/62k

BPKC Hitter of the Day: MJ Melendez 2-3 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, BB, HBP

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Trevor Oaks 5.2 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 4 BB 2 K 9-3 GO-FO 89p/49k

Greenville Drive 13 Lexington Legends 12

A 2-2 game got crazy at Low-A on Monday with the two offenses breaking loose in a late inning high scoring affair. The Lexington starter Dan Tillo had yielded two runs going into the sixth when the Red Sox farm club used a pair of singles to left sandwiched around two bunt singles and an error by shortstop Jeison Guzman to drive the lefty from the game with six runs to his line. The Legends answered that inning with a four-run frame of their own to even the score back up. The bullpen couldn’t answer the call for Lexington, allowing six runs over the final three innings to fall behind 13-8 heading into the ninth. In that frame, MJ Melendez hit a two-run home run prior to a pair of triples by Marten Gasparini and Travis Jones brought the home team within 90 feet of tying the game but Jeison Guzman struckout and Nick Pratto grounded out to end the rally a run short.

Seuly Matias: 1-5 2R, HR, 2 RBI, 2K, SB (3)
Nick Pratto: 2-6 R, SB (4)
Dan Tillo: 5 IP 10H, 7R, 5 ER, 0 BB 4 K, 10-1 GO-FO 77p/58k

Arkansas Travelers 13 NW Arkansas Naturals 5

This one got out of hand for the Naturals with the struggles of starter Andres Machado and the bullpen. Machado got tagged for a grand slam in the first after an error by third baseman Jecksson Flores kept the inning going. The right-hander allowed two more unearned runs before leaving after five innings and that’s when the game got out of hand as newly promoted reliever Jared Ruxer could get just two out in the sixth before handing it over to Yunior Marte and his own struggles to get out of the sixth. All told, seven runs were plated in the inning against the two to expand a 6-2 deficit into 13-2, putting away the game in the process. The Naturals did reach double digit team hits for the ninth time in eleven games despite the pitching struggles.

Nicky Lopez: 2-4 RBI, BB,  SB(7)
Erick Mejia: 2-4 R, 2b, BB
Donnie Dewees: 3-5 R

Omaha Storm Chasers 4 New Orleans Baby Cakes 2

Starter Trevor Oaks’ struggles with walks continued in New Orleans but he was able to keep the defense involved to get through five-plus innings for the Chasers. The right-hander who had never walked four or more with the Dodgers farm clubs in his career walked four for the third consecutive game in this one despite that he shutout the Baby Cakes for five and two-third innings with just two singles allowed. As usual, he earned nine groundouts in his time on the hill before turning things over to the bullpen who couldn’t match his effort to leave him out of the decision. The Chasers offense had staked Oaks to a 1-0 lead when Cam Gallagher pushed Ryan O’Hearn to third with a double before a Paulo Orlando RBI groundout in the second inning. That lead held up until the eighth. In that frame Justin Grimm, in his first rehab appearance, walked a hitter, allowed a stolen base and gave up a one-out single to tie the game at 1 apiece. Fortunately, Omaha’s struggling offense answered that run with three runs on a pair of home runs by Frank Schwindel and Paulo Orlando to take a 4-1 lead and the win after Mike Broadway got through the ninth after allowing a run.

Cam Gallagher: 2-4 R, 2b, 1-2 CS-AT
Richard Lovelady: 1.1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K 1-1 GO-FO 26p/16k
Frank Schwindel: 1-4 HR

Monday Boxscores

Tuesday Probables
Omaha – Jon Dziedzic (lhp) 1-4 2.95 ERA 1.17 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Foster Griffin (lhp) 2-4 4.25 ERA 1.47 WHIP
Wilmington – Jace Vines 1-5 7.08 ERA 1.81 WHIP
Lexington – Andres Sotillet 1-2 3.90 ERA 1.47 WHIP