Singles, singles, singles

Another day, another lockdown outing by a ChiSox pitcher against KC, this time a second consecutive 5-run loss at the hands of Mark Buehrle, who went 8 and gave up 5 hits with 1 BB and 6 Ks. Meanwhile, J.P. Howell went 5 and allowed 5 ER on 7 hits with 4 walks and 2 Ks. Bell's first sweep as KC manager. For the second straight game, no extra base hits. O-fers abounded up and down the lineup today as 4 Royals got hits (Teahen had 2, Brown, Graffanino and Buck got the others -- Brown was promptly picked off at first). McEwing led off and struck out 3 times. So the guy KC brings in in the spring as a bandaid 3B ends up leading off a game by late June? I can't say I was expecting that when he was signed off the scrap heap. Crazy Carl Everett's 3-run tater in the 5th sealed the deal, even tho with KC in Derek Bell "Operation Shutdown" mode it wasn't like they'd threaten Buehrle. On a good note, Bayliss got his second straight appearance with 0 hits and got a DP ball from Joe Crede to bail Graffanino out off an error. Not much, if anything, else good to report. In Huber's first start (as DH), he goes 0-3. Shane Costa also PH'd and was 0-1 to slip below .300. Not that those are good things.

Well, as The Nuge once sang, "This is just what the doctor ordered," only he wasn't talking about the Colorado Rockies. But that is what KC needs, a trip to the thin air of Coors Field and some games against retread pitchers. Game 1 lets KC at Byung-Hyun Kim, who hasn't been any good since 2002 and (from a Red Sox fan's POV) sucked it up for Boston for the most part -- some good appearances in 2003 aside. I see a 9-4 KC win on Friday after the nice head-clearing off-day. It's been a tough week to be a Royals fan, so maybe this will get things back on track. Andre David has his plate full with getting the crack back in the bats. Coors Field should help that along.