Author Topic: Kansas City Royals patching holes  (Read 1002 times)

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Offline franksolich

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Kansas City Royals patching holes
« on: June 26, 2009, 05:16:01 PM »
http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/baseball/wires/story/1115911.html

It's always good to have spares.

It's a long story, with much more at the link above.

Quote
Royals patching holes with minor leaguers

The proverbial injury bug has bitten a chunk out of the Kansas City Royals' active roster, and the results are about what you'd expect from a lineup of fill-ins.

The Royals (31-40) have been scuffling for the last six weeks or so. They've lost six of their last eight games and there doesn't appear to be a whole lot of promise on the horizon. Things have gotten so bad, in fact, that as of early Friday afternoon the team had not yet announced a starter for Saturday's game at Pittsburgh.

Kyle Davies (3-7, 5.67) was in line to start that game, but he was recently banished to the minors after posting one win in his last nine starts. He had been shelled for seven or more runs on five occasions and was clearly not the same pitcher that went 4-1 with a 2.27 earned run average last September. In the meantime, the team has been going with a four-man rotation, which was afforded by Monday's off day.

The front office also wanted to hold off its decision on a fifth starter until more was known about the injury to reliever Kyle Farnsworth, who collapsed on the mound Wednesday night after throwing a pitch to Houston's Pudge Rodriguez. Thursday's MRI revealed a grade 2 strain and partial tear of Farnsworth's right groin, meaning a trip to the disabled list is more than likely.

The news is certainly a tough blow for the team and for Farnsworth, who had a scoreless streak of 17 2/3 straight innings snapped last Saturday.

"When I talked to him after the game, he thought he was going to be OK, which really shocked me because of the pain he was in," manager Trey Hillman said. "I know he's a tough guy, but we'll see."

It's not clear at this point what the trickle-down effect will be, though there won't be any Cy Young candidates filling in that fifth starter's spot.

Sidney Ponson is one option. The veteran pitcher has been winding down his rehab assignment from a right elbow strain. However, Ponson wasn't all that impressive in 11 games -- including six starts -- this season, posting a 1-5 record and a 7.27 ERA.

A more likely candidate is Bruce Chen, who has gone 4-2 with a 3.40 ERA in 14 games for Triple-A Omaha. Chen was curiously removed after just two innings Wednesday night, typically the biggest precursor to a callup.

While recent developments will no doubt create an added strain on the pitching staff, the Royals have already been fairly shorthanded out in the field.

Center fielder Coco Crisp is finished for the year after undergoing surgery on a torn labrum in his right shoulder Wednesday afternoon. Crisp's first season with Kansas City hadn't exactly gotten off to a great start, as he was hitting just .228 in 49 games. But outside of him, the team still has a few players on the mend.

Third baseman Alex Gordon, who underwent hip surgery in April, has begun baseball-related activities. He is due back some point at midseason.

There is no set timetable for catcher John Buck's return from a herniated disc. He recently resumed light catching drills and began a Triple-A rehab assignment on Wednesday.

And shortstop Mike Aviles, who has been out since June 4 with a strained right forearm, hasn't been able to do any upper-body activity. Initially, team doctors were hopeful he could resume throwing by mid-June and return to action possibly by the end of the month. At this point, however, they are stuck in wait-and-see mode.

Meanwhile, Kansas City kicks off a weekend series with the Pirates Friday in Pittsburgh. The Royals are currently 7-8 in interleague play and would obviously like to get up to the .500 mark, if not better.....
apres moi, le deluge

Offline BlueStateSaint

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Re: Kansas City Royals patching holes
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2009, 06:25:32 AM »
Coach, this is no different than what the Mets have been doing.  What I cannot understand, for the life of me, is why the Philadelphia Phillthies aren't running away and hiding with the division lead.
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