KC Royals Win a Barn-Burner; 7-6 over Toronto

Beyond basking in the sheer talent, and reminding yourself that these players really are on the KC Royals, one of the best things about this 2015 version is their ability to quickly shake away the stink of a crushing defeat. These guys don’t let the funk linger and rot. They prefer to get even; a fine and admirable quality.

And revenge was had on Saturday afternoon at the expense of the Toronto Blue Jays – a team that plays in a nation that spends only 1% of its GDP on defense (I wonder who’s paying to keep any would-be invaders away from their shores?).

The game was a dandy: A two-and-a-half hour (hear that beantown?) back-and-forth battle between two talented and exciting clubs with contrasting styles of play.

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Newly acquired super-utility man Ben Zobrist is quickly making lots of fans and friends in Kansas City. He hit two home runs and a double, including a game-tying solo shot in the eighth that completed a four-run comeback from a 5-1 deficit. That big eighth-inning rally was capped off with an RBI single by Eric Hosmer and an RBI sac fly from Salvador Perez to make the score 7-5.

The extra run would prove pivotal, as the great Wade Davis finally proved to be human, and gave up a solo homer (23rd on the season) to a very bad man – Jose Bautista – in the bottom of the eighth. Wade’s ERA ballooned all the way up to 0.60 – I think he’s a keeper.

And Greg Holland made it exciting in the ninth, en route to his 23rd save on the season, by giving up a single and a walk before ending the contest with two groundball outs.

Speaking of very bad men, that daggum ol’ Josh Donaldson is a menace, too. His two-run homer (26th on the year) in the fifth gave the Blue Jays a 4-1 lead. I recommend counseling, talk-therapy, and copious amounts of alcohol and anti-depressants to soothe that rage. I’d like to see a much kinder and gentler and thoroughly-medicated Josh should our teams meet again in 2015.

Yordano Ventura (6-7 / 4.98 ERA) struggled through seven uneven innings, allowing five runs on six hits (two homers) and two walks. He only struck out two, but kept his cool and kept his team in the game against a power-packed opponent.

The accomplished and cagey old vet Mark Buehrle (11-5 / 3.32 ERA) took the hill for the Torontoans, and delivered a typically professional performance: Three earned runs in seven innings on 89 pitches.

Tune in at noon central tomorrow as the heroic Royals attempt to mount another winning streak at the expense of all Canadians everywhere (international relations be damned!).

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