Tigers Series Summary (4/24-4/26)

The Royals won 1 out of 3 against the Detroit Tigers.  They are now 9-9 on the season and are tied for 2nd place.

Friday 4/24
Matchup: Rick Porcello vs. Zack Greinke
Brilliance thy name is Greinke.  3 hits, 0 earned runs, 1 walk and 10 strike outs in 9.0 innings pitched.  The best pitching night for the Royals in the series was also their “best” night at the plate.  The offense hit .250 with a double and 2 home runs.  Coco Crisp and Miguel Olivo pitched in with multi-hit games, but in the end it was all about Zack.  The end result was a 6-1 Kansas City win and one very happy Greinke owner in fantasy baseball.

Saturday 4/25
Matchup: Zach Miner vs. Kyle Davies
The wheels fell off early for Davies.  After the 3rd inning, Davies and the Royals were down 4-0.  He finished with 5.1 IP and gave up 8 H, 7 R, 2 BB, 2 HR and struck out 2.  The bullpen didn’t fare much better allowing 2 runs in 3.2 innings of work.  At the plate the Royals hit .200 with no extra-base hits.  Alberto Callaspo was the only Royal to have more than one hit in the game.  Since the entire roster didn’t show up to play the game, the 9-1 loss was predictable.

Sunday 4/26
Matchup: Armando Galarraga vs. Sidney Ponson
Sunday saw the best Sidney Ponson had to offer the Royals.  In 8.0 innings he allowed only 6 hits, 3 runs and 0 walks with 7 strike outs.  After his strike percentage was around 56% over his last 2 starts, Ponson threw an astounding 72.3% of his pitches for strikes.  Unfortunately, Sidney saw the worst the Royals bats had to offer as they hit a dreadful .133 on the day with 1 double and 1 home run.  No Royals hitter had more than one hit in the game.  Final score was Tigers 3 and the Royals 2.

Series Impression:
The starting rotation threw 22.1 innings with a 4.03 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 19 SO.

In 4.2 innings of work the bullpen posted a 3.85 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, and 3 SO.

For the series the Royals hit .196 (18/92) while drawing 13 walks and striking out 15 times.  They left 20 men on base while scoring 9 runs.  In the series they hit 2 2B, 0 3B, and 3 HR.  With runners in scoring position they hit .167 (3/18).

The offense failed to hit .200 and in the process wasted one of the few “excellent” starts they can expect to get from Sir Sidney.  He has a 5.79 ERA in 23.1 IP, which is better than I had expected from him, but the Royals are 0-4 in his starts.

Upcoming Series:
The Toronto Blue Jays come to town 14-6 and boast most potent offense in the league.  They have scored 124 runs and allowed 85 on the season.  The Royals have scored 70 and allowed 64.  The Blue Jays offense was expected to be solid, but their rotation has overachieved, which leaves them ripe for the picking.  If the Royals can get another good start out of Bannister, a series sweep is a distinct possibility.  Meche and Greinke will both take the mound as heavy favorites in games 2 and 3.
4/27  David Purcey (0-1, 6.10) vs. Brian Bannister (1-0, 0.00)
4/28  Scott Richmond (2-0, 3.31) vs. Gil Meche (1-1, 2.63)
4/29  Brian Tallet (1-0, 2.95) vs. Zack Greinke (4-0, 0.00)