29 May 2005

At 13-37, the 2-for-1 sale continues

The policy of the Royals' pitchers and defense to give up 1 to 2 runs for each 1 the offense scores held true Sunday as KC once again scored first but lost, 7-6. At least the Royals rallied for 4 runs in the 8th and 9th to give the Angels a run. Steve Finley's bases-loaded triple and score on Stairs' throwing error was big and typical '05 Royals. There's a reason Stairs was DH everywhere else he played in the AL. The trend continued after Teahen's rare HR with Jose Molina's bases-loaded 3-run double. Teahen came through in the 8th with 2 RBI and Graffanino had a great 5-for-5 game. Other than Berroa and Diaz most of the Royals had a nice day at the plate -- it just didn't translate into runs until late as KC left 11 on base. More missed opportunities. Runelvys, to put it simply, didn't step up. 7 ER in 5 IP. MacDougal also had a nice 2 inning relief outing after Friday's control problems. The Angels had no one hitting .300 in the lineup today but got crucial hits when needed, which makes a big difference.

It gets no easier for KC as the Yankees come to town Tuesday. This week may hold the revelation of the new manager, although none of the candidates named excites me too much. Art Howe and Terry Collins would be acceptable but I don't want to be anywhere near Schaefer or Buddy Bell. I'm also leaning against the idea of Jerry Manuel. We'll see how it pans out.

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