Angels SS (5/8-5/10)

The Royals lost all 3 games on the road against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Friday 5/8
Matchup: Gil Meche vs. Matt Palmer
Result: 4-1 Loss
Meche was not at the best of his game and had a rough outing. Since the offense hit 0.125 (4/32) there was little Meche could have done short of throwing a shutout that would have kept the team in the game. Butler’s double in the 6th inning was the only extra base hit and only hit with runners in scoring position on the night. They made Matt Palmer work in the 1st inning making him throw 29 pitches but after that it was smooth sailing for him until that 6th inning when Billy drove in the lone Royals run. Coco Crisp needs to be removed from the leadoff slot. He saw 7 pitches in his 1st at bats but then only 8 over his next 3 at bats. By contrast, Mark Teahen never saw less than 4 pitches in any of his 4 at bats. He may not be a legitimate 3 hitter on a major league team, but he has been the most steady and consistent hitter on the team this year and needs to be in the lineup every day.

Saturday 5/9
Matchup: Zack Greinke vs. Joe Saunders
Result: 1-0 Loss
It was another complete game for Greinke, but with a different result. In 8.0 innings pitched, Zack gave up only 4 hits and didn’t walk a batter. The bats were again absent hitting 0.166 (5/30) with 5 singles, 1 walk, and 0-5 with RISP.

Sunday 5/10
Matchup: Kyle Davies vs. Shane Loux
Result: 4-3 Loss
The offense showed up in the beginning, and forced Shane Loux out in the 4th. Against Loux they had 7 hits and 3 runs in his 3.2 innings of work. Against the Angels bullpen over the next 5.1 innings, they could muster only 3 more hits. Miguel Olivo was robbed of a game-tying HR in the 9th by Torii Hunter, but even if they had tied the game, I have no doubt that the Angels would have managed to win the game. It just seemed to be one of those days.

Series Impression:
The starting rotation threw 19.2 innings with a 2.75 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 16 SO.

In 4.1 innings of work the bullpen posted a 2.08 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 4 SO.

For the series, the Royals hit .196 (19/97) while drawing 7 walks and striking out 23 times. They left 20 men on base while scoring 4 runs. In the series they hit 4 2B, 1 3B, and 0 HR. They hit .167 (4/24) with runners in scoring position.

The magical run has come to an end. Now we will see what type of team the 2009 Royals truly are. Meche was off, but he didn’t get destroyed. Greinke was again brilliant, and Davies turned in his best start in awhile. However, the Royals couldn’t win a game. Lack of offense did the Royals in. There has only been one series this year where they performed worse and that was the 3-game set against the Yankees 4/10-4/12. In that series the Royals only drew 4 walks, struck out 24 times, and had a 0.188 BA. With that in mind I can’t say it couldn’t get any worse than what they did this weekend. We know that just one month ago against the Yankees they were even worse.

Soria going on the DL is a significant blow, but after watching him pitch through his shoulder discomfort, a long DL stint is probably the best move. The Royals are playing it like he will be back right away, but for the present and future of the franchise Soria needs to be shut down for a least a month unless they can pinpoint exactly what is wrong. As of today they are saying his shoulder is structurally sound and it is just a case of rotator cuff tendonitis. If that is indeed the case, he needs to rehab and rest for longer than 15 days. We may not see the 2008 version of Soria again this season if they don’t give him ample time. There is school of thought out there that he should just pitch through the pain, but doing that is a recipe for disaster. Even if he doesn’t damage his shoulder any further, he could end up altering his delivery due to the pain and discomfort and end up injuring something else along the way.