Lima Bloody Lima

4 innings, 8 earned runs, 7 hits, 2 walks, 1 K, 3 HR allowed -- it's time for Lima to say goodbye to KC via being "designated for assignment" and move on. We could bring up Jimmy Gobble or Chris George to get that kind of line and an 8+ ERA. The good news is Steve Stemle and Mike Wood came in with 4 hitless innings but the damage was done. It also doesn't help that the Royals only had 6 hits, and only 1 extra-base hit -- a double by Angel Berroa, which he promptly screwed up on the basepaths in getting doubled up on a lineout by Mike Sweeney to LF. Can we just start calling that "pulling a Berroa"?

Stemle was a call-up that made sense as he was 1-1 with a 0.45 ERA in 20 IP at Omaha. He also had a 4-1 K/BB ratio for the O-Royals. 3 Ks in 3 IP tonight. Good outing. At least they ended Kenny Rogers' scoreless inning streak in the 1st -- of course they didn't get a runner past second the rest of the game. Hidalgo ate up the Royals pitchers in the series -- 3 HRs and he bats eighth in the order. Tell me again why Joe McEwing is still up? Why did we bring Chris Truby in for if he's not gonna get MLB time when he's healthy. McEwing was a late spring band-aid and his usefulness is past. Take him, Marrero and Lima and put them on the first, cheapest flight out of town. At least the continual losing may keep Baird from hiring Schaefer as the permanent manager. That's a plus. Now it's on to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Orange County, California, the western region of the U.S., North America, Earth, Milky Way galaxy as Will Ferrell aptly put it on the Dan Patrick Show. The first matchup is against ol' buddy Paul Byrd. At least D.J. Carrasco doesn't have to pitch to Vlad. Plus the Royals somehow took 2 of 3 from the Angels in the teams' first series. How that happened I don't know, but maybe they can recreate it.