Games » New York Yankees
May12A shutdown inning
Lee Judge
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When you look for key moments in a ball game, a six-run inning, especially against the Yankees and especially in New York tends to stick out. But something else of great importance happened immediately after the Royals scored six runs in the top of the second: nothing.
It’s called a “shutdown inning,” and you hope they happen right after your team scores a few runs. If you score and your pitcher goes back out and gives some of those runs right back, it tells both teams the game’s not over. It’s depressing to the team with the lead and encouraging to the team trying to come back.
Sean O’Sullivan, future Irish bar owner (Sean, if you invest in that bar, I’ll be there every night) came back out after being given a six-run lead and went through the middle of the Yankees order in 14 pitches. A-Rod grounded out to second, Cano flew out to center and Swisher grounded out to first.
That didn’t mean the game was over, but it did send the message to the Yankees that coming back wasn’t going to be easy. It also sent a message to the Royals that Sean was going to do his part by throwing strikes.
There’s a phrase you hear in baseball: “Step on their necks.” It means when you’ve got the opposition down, do not let them up off the ground, step on their necks. Sean not only stepped on their necks, but he put some weight into it.
Whenever you see a big inning, pay attention to the half-inning that follows: It will tell you a lot about the eventual outcome.
Another big deal
The shutdown inning is a big deal in terms of psychological advantage. One of the things sports psychologists talk about is “creating the expectation of defeat.” Once the other team decides it will probably lose, it’s much more likely to happen. They begin to go through the motions and aren’t prepared to take advantage of any mistakes the opposition makes.
That’s why scoring first is a big deal. Scoring first and scoring a lot is an even bigger deal.
The expectation of winning can be almost as dangerous as the expectation of defeat. The same thing happens: the winning team decides the game is over and they, too, begin to go through the motions, missing opportunities.
That’s why the “tack-on run” is so big. It convinces the other team that they can’t come back and keeps your team’s energy up. Grabbing a lead and then “tacking on” is a time-honored strategy. The Royals did a nice job of this last night, tacking on two in the 4th, one in the 6th and two in the 8th.
When the Royals grab a big lead, watch for the tack-on runs and get a little nervous if you don’t see any.
Esky and two strikes
Kevin Seitzer told me he wanted Alcides Escobar to be a bit more aggressive with two strikes. Seitz thought that Esky was often satisfied to just get the ball in play at that point and was taking something off his swing. Once Alcides gets in a two-strike count, pay attention to the quality of his hacks and you’ll see if he’s making progress in this area.
The Melkman runneth
Melky Cabrera is killing it in the heads-up base running category. He’s taking the extra base on a regular basis. Part of that is being in better shape and it seems like a number of Royals have lost weight since last season (Francoeur, Pena, etc.). I don’t know how much this has to do with it, but professional athletes are the most competitive people on Earth.
If most of us got cut from our high school basketball team, we’d figure we weren’t cut out to be basketball players. Michael Jordan went home and practiced for a year.
Maybe all the talk about the kids in the minors lit a fire under these guys. I don’t think they plan on giving up these jobs without a fight. It’s fun to watch.
Dayton deserves some credit
I generally stay out of GM issues. I’m unqualified to comment. I don’t know anything about contracts or trades or who’s in the minors. All I’m trying to do is watch this particular group a players and understand how they approach the game.
Having said that: signing a couple guys who have shown they can do it, are still young and have something to prove, seems like it’s working out pretty well. Jeff Francoeur and Melky Cabrera are giving fans a show and reviving their careers while they do it.
There’s still a long way to go, but so far so good.
Hosmer
Cabrera
Butler
Is it me or does Billy Butler look like he has gained a lot of weight since the beginning of the season?
Mornin' Lee....amazing game last night. Hosmer was....well Eric Hosmer. The line drive home run he hit was probably the fastest ball I've seen leave a ball park since, and I hate to say it, Albert Pujols hit one into the bullpen back in 2007 (we still won 17-8). It was definitely in a hurry to get outta the park. I liked that it was a balanced attack all the way around, that the entire line up got a hit and most got Ribbies and even those that didn't still got a walk to get on base. Billy sure had to be feeling good last night after getting 4 hits to end his slump. You could see the frustration mounting every single at bat for the last week or so.
I was glad to see SOS have another good outing and pounding that strike zone make all the difference. We know his stuff isn't nasty like other pitchers, and unless you've got a dynamite 93-98mph fastball, you can't nibble at the corners all night. He is a great contact pitcher, make them put it in play and he can get the ball low enough in the strike zone to induce those ground balls all night. I wouldn't be suprised if he couldn't go a complete game this season if he's able to keep the ball down and not try to nibble.
Let's throw this road monkey off our backs with another series win this weekend in Detroit!
Mornin' Lee....amazing game last night. Hosmer was....well Eric Hosmer. The line drive home run he hit was probably the fastest ball I've seen leave a ball park since, and I hate to say it, Albert Pujols hit one into the bullpen back in 2007 (we still won 17-8). It was definitely in a hurry to get outta the park. I liked that it was a balanced attack all the way around, that the entire line up got a hit and most got Ribbies and even those that didn't still got a walk to get on base. Billy sure had to be feeling good last night after getting 4 hits to end his slump. You could see the frustration mounting every single at bat for the last week or so.
I was glad to see SOS have another good outing and pounding that strike zone make all the difference. We know his stuff isn't nasty like other pitchers, and unless you've got a dynamite 93-98mph fastball, you can't nibble at the corners all night. He is a great contact pitcher, make them put it in play and he can get the ball low enough in the strike zone to induce those ground balls all night. I wouldn't be surprised if he couldn't go a complete game this season if he's able to keep the ball down and not try to nibble.
Let's throw this road monkey off our backs with another series win this weekend in Detroit!
Mornin' Lee....amazing game last night. Hosmer was....well Eric Hosmer. The line drive home run he hit was probably the fastest ball I've seen leave a ball park since, and I hate to say it, Albert Pujols hit one into the bullpen back in 2007 (we still won 17-8). It was definitely in a hurry to get outta the park. I liked that it was a balanced attack all the way around, that the entire line up got a hit and most got Ribbies and even those that didn't still got a walk to get on base. Billy sure had to be feeling good last night after getting 4 hits to end his slump. You could see the frustration mounting every single at bat for the last week or so.
I was glad to see SOS have another good outing and pounding that strike zone make all the difference. We know his stuff isn't nasty like other pitchers, and unless you've got a dynamite 93-98mph fastball, you can't nibble at the corners all night. He is a great contact pitcher, make them put it in play and he can get the ball low enough in the strike zone to induce those ground balls all night. I wouldn't be suprised if he couldn't go a complete game this season if he's able to keep the ball down and not try to nibble.
Let's throw this road monkey off our backs with another series win this weekend in Detroit!
I like Ned, but have you noticed that Billy's production nosedived immediately after being told (through Ned's asinine "joke" about being an astronaut) that he sucked so bad (after striving for 2 years to become a better 1st baseman) that he would never be allowed to play 1st again. His production has dropped steadily since then. He was batting .367 with an OPS of 1.0226 on that day. His BA has dropped every day but 2 since then and his OPS has dropped every day but 3 since then. He has had his worst 3 wks at the plate in his career. Before last night, he was 13 for his last 65 (BA of .200). What a great joke.
I like Ned, but has anyone else noticed that Billy's production nosedived immediately after being told (through Ned's asinine "joke" about being an astronaut) that he sucked so bad (after striving for 2 years to become a better 1st baseman) that he would never be allowed to play 1st again. His production has dropped steadily since then. He was batting .367 with an OPS of 1.0226 on that day. His BA has dropped every day but 2 since then and his OPS has dropped every day but 3 since then. He has had his worst 3 wks at the plate in his career. Before last night, he was 13 for his last 65 (BA of .200). What a great joke.
I like Ned, but has anyone else noticed that Billy's production nosedived immediately after being told (through Ned's asinine "joke") that he sucked so bad (after striving for 2 years to become a better 1st baseman) that he would never be allowed to play 1st again. His production has dropped steadily since then. He was batting .367 with an OPS of 1.0226 on that day. His BA has dropped every day but 2 since then and his OPS has dropped every day but 3 since then. He has had his worst 3 wks at the plate in his career. Before last night, he was 13 for his last 65 (BA of .200). What a great quote.
Sorry about the triple post.
As Yost put it in his post game comments, coming back with runs after they scored was huge. I never thought the game was over until late in the game. I'm starting to think Frenchy is the glue on this team. He's always got a smile on his face.
The average points per game show what a good job the Royals did in selecting free agents who can help this team right now. The average scores of Frenchy,Francis, Chen ,Melky, and Traynor show just how important these guys have been to the Royal revival. And the play of these guys (and Escobar) on defense has been a real key. Kudos to the front office.
We've got a problem with the site. They're working on it. I'll post when it's fixed.
Hey...loved today's post.
This is a test.
Lee, let me be the first to say it today, another great article and I've really enjoyed the commentary you've provided on the team. On a side note, you're crazy for taking the pitch to the kidney.
I really enjoy seeing the Royals play well, but how much can we really get behind this team? They say that the 40 game mark is a good sample size to judge by, but how true is that since we're not even into the "Dog Days of Summer"?
Hey, guys, we had trouble with the site all day so I haven't been able to respond to comments. I'm watching the game now, but will get back to this thread before posting tonight's numbers.
OK, tonight's game is over and I'll spend some time responding to the comments people made today before getting to work on tomorrow's post:
*I have no idea if Billy's put on weight since the beginning of the season and after seeing my midsection flashed around the world (I heard from a guy who saw the hit by pitch video in JAPAN!) I'm not going to give anyone a hard time about love handles.
*Yes, you could see Butler's frustration mounting, but that's not always a good thing. Everybody slumps and pros are expected to take it in stride and not mope or pout, it brings the team down. That's why players like Escobar and Getz are admired for their steady approach. They're both scuffling, but both find ways to help the team anyway.
*Sean O'Sullivan, like most pitchers needs to pitch on a downhill plane. When he overstrides his arm can't catch up and the ball levels out. Sean is well aware of this and is making adjustments faster than in the past. That means a bad AB or inning as opposed to a bad game.
*Feel free to disagree, but I don't think Ned making a joke had anything to do with Billy scuffling. (You hurt my feelings so now I can't hit?) As I recall, Ned didn't say Billy would never play first again, just that he wasn't the everyday first baseman. Last season I had Billy down for several mental mistakes when he didn't go to his assigned coverages and when I asked someone with the team if I was right, he said I was. So there is some question about how committed Billy is to being a good first baseman. I don't know if he just doesn't like being thought of as one-dimensional, but wandering around the infield while the game is being played doesn't do a lot to convince your team you should be out there.
*Yes, Frenchy is a team leader. He's vocal and he's playing well (both are required) and he's relentlessly upbeat. That's very important over 162 games. Jason Kendall is still a clubhouse leader and he's got an extra chair by his locker for players who want to sit and talk, but it's easier to have influence when people see you play. Although, Jason doesn't have much left to prove to his teammates.
*Should you get behind the Royals? Absolutely. We're all going to die some day, but it doesn't stop me from enjoying a short end and a beer now. (Figuring out where the love handles came from?) Nobody, including the Royals, knows how they'll play in the future, but they are playing well now. Enjoy it. If you still want to worry Jason Kendall recently told me the season doesn't really start until after the All-Star game. The old saying is you can't win a division in April, but you can sure lose one. So after the break, look around and see who is still in it. No matter what happens, this is a better team than we've seen in a while, so enjoy it while it lasts.
And save a short end for me.
OK, got to get to work on tomorrow's post.
Lee - I agree, great kudos to Dayton with Frenchy and Melky, it is good for all of us that he is improving as a GM, as this is really helping us, whereas his earlier moves, such as to give away a good reliever for Mike Jacobs, who then stopped us from being able to give Kila a fair shake in time, was a very bad move. But to know he is improving as a GM at the major league level, is huge. In fact, both Frenchy and Melky give us huge insurance, if the boys in the minors falter, it looks like they could be part of a championship team (if we ever get good starting pitching), or could net us good returns in trades, if/when our minor leaguers (Cain, Lough, Myers) are ever ready. So overall, a very nice move, definitely fueling this sooner than expected good play, and a big improvement over past bad moves.
I have always thought predicting how someone would play in the future is one of the hardest things in sports. Glad I don't have a GM job, but it's nice to see some of the moves work out.