Games: Cleveland Indians, April 24: Judging the Royals with Lee Judge

Games » Cleveland Indians

Apr24

They deserved to lose

As I’ve been saying the last few days, I no longer am going to try to correlate winning and losing to intangibles. I don’t care if the Royals hold meetings or go on benders. I don’t care if Ned Yost throws a chair or stays calm. I don’t care if they eat crow or chicken dinners in the clubhouse. Hell, I don’t care if they sacrifice live chickens in the clubhouse — maybe it would help.

From now on, I am going to correlate winning and losing to playing the game well. (Novel concept, but let’s try it for a while and see how it goes.) So if playing a game well is how you win, the Royals deserved to lose this one.

When a team’s pitching staff walks nine batters, hits another and every run it gives up was one of those walked or hit batters who scored, that team deserves to lose. For a while I thought the Royals were playing well but losing. Now I think they’re playing poorly and losing. That can change tomorrow night, but a team with little margin for error can’t give the other guys 10 free base-runners, let four of them score and blame it all on bad luck.

The good

The Royals’ defense continues to play well, and that’s a starting point. This is a much better fielding team than the 2010 version. The defense was one of the reasons people were high on this team before the season began.

Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer are hitting the ball the other way — a very good sign for a hitter. It keeps them from being one-dimensional and gives them a chance on off-speed pitches.

As has often been the case, the team continues to battle back. Even in this losing streak, the Royals have often scored late. They haven’t given up.

The bad

Yost said the players need to find the right emotional level and stay there. I can’t get in their heads, but from the outside, I see a team that is sometimes aggressive when it should be cautious and sometimes cautious when it should be aggressive. On Tuesday night, I thought that happened to third-base coach Eddie Rodriguez.

In the eighth inning with two outs, Eric Hosmer on second base and Mike Moustakas on first, Mitch Maier (who played a helluva game) doubled down the right-field line. Moose is neither the fastest guy on the team nor the slowest, but I figured he would score, considering the situation. That would have made the score 4-3.

The Indians’ right fielder, Shin-Soo Choo, did not exactly bust it going after the ball, and I figured it was a done deal, but Eddie held up Moose at third base. To make matters worse, you can be more aggressive sending the runner when the throw comes from right field. The catcher loses sight of home plate when he turns to receive the throw from right field. Then he has to turn back, find the runner and apply the tag. (We have a video on the site called “The catcher’s blind spot” that demonstrates this play.)

Now add the fact that Choo and Cleveland first baseman Casey Kotchman are both left-handed, and the decision looks even worse. Throws from lefties tail toward the first-base side, and the Indians’ catcher, Carlos Santana, would have been pulled even farther from home plate when receiving the ball. You might wonder whether a third-base coach should know all this in an instant, but when I was watching a game with Jason Kendall last season, he knew all this before the fielder picked up the ball — and Kendall was holding a beer in one hand at the time.

So when Chris Getz doubled to lead off the ninth inning on Tuesday night, he should have been the tying run but wasn’t. After Alex Gordon moved Getz to third, it’s possible Chris could have scored the tying run on Billy Butler’s groundout to the shortstop. But, to be fair to Eddie, that wasn’t likely. If that had been the case, the Indians would have moved their infield in. Maybe there is reason Eddie did what he did, but right now I don’t get it.

After Eddie held up Moose, Alcides Escobar had the tying run in scoring position, worked the count to 2-0 and then took a 90 mph four-seamer down the middle, another decision I don’t get. The table was set. I thought Esky would be looking for a fastball in a fastball count, and he got one in the middle of the strike zone. Esky hit the ball hard 3-2, but it was a one-hopper back to the pitcher.

The ugly

That white gunk on the back of Mike Moustakas’ cap is rosin — probably. Mike likes to grab the rosin bag as he goes past the pitcher’s mound to make sure his throwing hand is dry. The rosin then leaves a mark when Mike reaches back to adjust his cap.

It’s complicated

When I was talking with Ned Yost before Monday’s ball game, the topic shifted to the wind and how smart pitchers use it. Ned said Greg Maddux was a master at it. Maddux learned the skill in Wrigley Field. If the wind is blowing in, be aggressive. If the wind is blowing out, pitch your ass off.

I asked about the ball that Jeff Francoeur crushed into the wind Sunday, which turned into an easy fly ball. Ned pointed out that the Blue Jays’ J.P. Arencibia had done the same thing. Yost told Royals pitcher Danny Duffy that if he had used the wind to his advantage, that was very smart pitching. If the wind is blowing in, throw it down the middle of the plate and use your outfielders.

But it’s not just the wind that affects fly balls in Kauffman Stadium. Keep an eye on the thermometer. When it’s cool, the ball doesn’t carry as well, and pitchers can be more aggressive. When it’s hot, the pitchers have to keep the ball down because it will carry better.

One more weather-related topic: In Sunday’s game, the Royals were trying to prevent Toronto’s Adam Lind, a left-handed hitter, from hitting the ball down the left-field line. It was the one part of the park where the wind was blowing out. So when you’re trying to figure out why that pitcher threw that pitch to that location, factor in wind and temperature.

Comments

Jack Irvine
1 year, 1 month ago

First, I deeply enjoy your column. However, it would be way more interesting if the ball team you are covering wasn’t record setting bad. Second, thank you for stopping the excuses for the Royals. My father used to say, “You had to do it on purpose. No one’s that stupid by mistake.” The Royals are long past that being true.

Every year the Royals are “too” young, “too” old, “too” poor, “too” this and “too” something else. It is past time the media called the Royals management for what they are, “too” disinterested in putting a winner on the field.
Scott Harrison
1 year, 1 month ago

Lee, I think that players like Gordon, Hosmer and Francoeur, who have struggled at the plate so far, should be moved down in the order. Reward guys like Getz, Escobar and our backup catcher (who have been nice surprises) by moving them up in the order. Let’s give our best hitters so far, a chance to get on base so that if someone ever does hit a home run, it’ll less likely be a solo shot. At this point, it can’t hurt to try. What do you think? Also, why not give Jake Odorizzi a few starts? Bring him up the way we did Sabes and Gubicza in ‘84. He’s doing well, and he can’t do much worse that Sanchez did Tuesday, can he?
Laura Moffett
1 year, 1 month ago

I thought the same thing about Moose coming in on that hit. Could have been a different game…
Michael Cost
1 year, 1 month ago

I agree with Scott on this one Lee. Lets pull up a couple minor league starters up as long relievers at least and see how well they get their feet wet. Herrera isn’t doing all he’s supposed to be, and we’ve got some bullpen injuries.
Mark Harkins
1 year, 1 month ago

Im with Laura… when I saw that double, my immediate thought was why didn’t the runner on 1st score on that. I wasn’t even thinking about throwing angles or all the other good stuff you talked about. I was only thinking that we’ve been hitting like crap in critical situations, and we finally got a timely hit. What, like you’re going to get another chance to score that runner?? You’ve lost 11 straight. What do you have to lose by sending him in?? Besides, the batter was the tying run, not moose. If I’m the cutoff man, I might not even let the throw go through.
Jim Kissane
1 year, 1 month ago
I agree, Lee, no need to overwork any brain cells on this one. Good effort by the bullpen, great game by Maier, and a little bad luck (Royals could have had a big inning in the fourth, but Hannahan made a good play on Francoeur’s smash down the third-base line to open the inning and Cunningham ran down Quintero’s drive with one on). Still, this one was gift-wrapped, plain and simple.

To my high school coach Dick Greenblatt, baseball was not a complicated game. He crystallized pitching into the succinct, “Ya gotta throw strikes.” (Hitting was likewise simplified: “Ya gotta swing the bat.”) He coached major leaguers Ken Holtzman and Art Shamsky, so his career wasn’t based entirely on his eloquence.

I used Greener’s advice as the first of my 10 Commandments of Pitching, which I thought I’d share.
1. Throw strikes. No batter in history has hit for a higher average when he’s behind in the count. It follows, then, that every batter hits for a higher average when he’s ahead in the count.
2. Don’t “waste a pitch” when you’re ahead 0-2. Actually, “waste a pitch” is a misnomer that has been allowed to become a bad habit. When you’re ahead 0-2, the batter is defensive, so you can get an out on a marginal pitch. Wasting a pitch upsets your momentum, especially if you do it consistently enough that batters learn they can take the pitch without consequences. To maintain your advantage over the batter, make the pitch good enough to get an out – no more, but certainly no less.
3. You don’t have to strike every batter out. In fact, it’s better if you don’t. Your fielders are more alert if they’re part of the game, but they’re not going to be on their toes if you’re shaving the strike zone and going 3-2 on every hitter. Some might consider a truly perfect game one in which the pitcher strikes out every batter on three pitches, but that’s still 81 pitches. What about a game in which the pitcher gets 27 first-pitch outs – wouldn’t that be better? Save your pitches for the times when you need them, so you’ll have something left after Robinson Cano fouls off seven straight cutters with two on and two out. (I saw this happen in a game last year – Cano hit the 12th pitch of the at-bat for a three-run homer.)
4. There are three outs in every inning. You rest in the dugout after getting the third one, not on the mound after getting the second one. Two-out runs are killers.
5. Sometimes you have to get four outs in an inning. Fielders make errors, but they make fewer errors than you allow hits, or walks. Shake it off and move on.
6. Home plate has two sides – your side and the outside. Don’t be afraid to pitch inside. Ever.
7. Don’t gripe at the plate umpire. Umpires don’t like to be shown up, and you can’t argue about the strike zone without letting everyone in the stadium know you’re upset. Your catcher, on the other hand, can let the umpire know what he thinks of the strike zone without even turning around.
8. Protect your hitters. If one of them gets plunked – especially if it’s one of your key players – one of the other team’s hitters gets plunked. Period. Doesn’t matter if both benches have been warned, you do it even if it means a fine and/or suspension. Your teammates have your back; they need to know you’ve got theirs. (I wrote this long before the home-opening series; the Baseball Code will outlive Chin-Soo Choo, Chris Perez and Bud Selig.)
9. Be forgetful. The previous pitch is history, whether it struck out Albert Pujols or landed in the fountains. The only pitch you can control – and the only one that matters – is the one you have in your hand. You may want to reconstruct every pitch to every hitter, but you’ve got plenty of time between games to do that.
10. Relax. Breathe. Hitters, like sharks, can sense fear.
Chezaray Lighton
1 year, 1 month ago

Somebody needs to be fired.

Moustakas should have been waved home on that double in the 8th. When your team is on an 11 game losing streak its time to be aggressive. The Walmart Royals lose by 1 run when the game should have been tied.
Jim Wilson
1 year, 1 month ago

Getz is hitting really well, Gordon really poorly. WRONG! Perfect example of not using statitical analysis correctly.

Getz has a batting average of .313 because he’s been a little lucky on the balls he’s hit in play. He has ZERO walks so his OBP also is .313. That’s HORRIBLE! And he has a career OBP of .314. That’s HORRIBLE! As a very good defensive second baseman batting at the bottom of the order, that’s acceptable. BUT HITTING FIRST IN THE ORDER, JUST PLAIN STUPID!

Gordon has a batting average of .167 and an OBP of .276. Both horrible yes, but Gordon has been very unlucky on balls hit in play (but, granted, his strikeouts are up) and his OBP is .109 above his BA, which is very good. If Gordon hits at a mediocre .250 BA (career .259), his OBP jumps to .359. Gordon has a career OBP of .340. Clearly, he belongs at the top of the order.

Changing things for the sake of changing things (and foresaking knowledge and reason)is no different (but neater)than sacrificing chickens.

Fundamentals. Lee, you call a lot of things fundamentals (truisms, strategy, execution and talent) and I think that may be one of the reasons you get push back from some. For example, you mention throwing strikes as a fundamental. True, it is a “fundamental” part of the game, but throwing strikes is a talent. Making good pitches regularly and rarely making mistakes is a talent. A pitcher that doesn’t throw strikes or regularly makes mistakes is “fundamentally” bad. Jonathan Sanchez has walked 393 batters in in 725 innings. He is “fundamentally” bad at throwing strikes. Or, as I would prefer to say, he is not talented at throwing strikes. If the Royals value pitchers who throw strikes, they should not have acquired Sanchez. I find it ironic that when Sanchez can’t find the strike zone, as usual, a great cry goes up that the Royals are failing at the “fundamentals.” If command was what was desired, the failure was acquiring Sanchez to begin with.
zack_delmont
1 year, 1 month ago

Sure wish that Derek Lowe deal had gone our way…then we wouldn’t have Sanchez. I like Gordon in the leadoff spot. I say move Moose to #2 and Butler to #3.

So, since our SP (minus Chen and Duffy, maybe Hoch)sucks, how long before Monty and Odorizzi show up? And, Paulino is coming back, soon.

Leash has to be short.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month ago

Got a minute before I have to start the day: As I pointed out in the post, I didn’t understand Eddie Rodriguez’ decision. Maybe there’s something I don’t get, but it hasn’t occurred to me what that might be.

Eddie is a very bright guy (watch his videos on coaching third and you’ll see what I mean). Maybe all the criticism of the aggressive base running made him overly cautious, but in my mind, that was a situation in which being aggresive was called for—and what people are saying shouldn’t be a factor.

One other quick note: these pitchers can pretty much throw a strike whenever they want to. Watch what they do on 3-0 (most of the time) and you’ll see what I mean. Nibbling is usually not a function of physical talent, it’s a poor mental approach.

Talent is obviously a big deal, but fundamentals dictate what you get out of that talent. “Wasted talent” happens so often, it’s a cliche. Ask most coaches—and I have—they’ll tell you they’ll get more out of less-talented guy who’s motivated, than a more-talented guy with a poor approach.

The Royals do not have enough talent to cover poor fundamentals. (Geez, it’s gotten so bad I have to defend the concept of doing things right?)
Jim Wilson
1 year, 1 month ago

Lee, now you’ve rolled more things into “fundamentals” — motivation and approach. I’m not disagreeing with you that those things are important — in fact, I couldn’t agree with you more — but they’re not fundamentals. I probably roll too many things into talent — to me the ability to motivate yourself, be coached, work hard and perform/execute in games are all part of talent. Few, if any, players have enough raw, physical talent to succeed. I include them in talent because they are not things that can be coached. Baseball is hardly unique on this front. And neither is sports in general.

You couldn’t be more wrong about throwing strikes in a game situation. Of course (duh!), I mean throwing quality pitches for strikes. Good luck throwing a 3-0 fastball down the middle on the first or second pitch or in a hitter’s count when the batter’s not taking the pitch. Even following your flawed logic, Sanchez can’t throw strikes — he faced a 3-0 count five times in the game and threw a ball three times and a strike twice. Mijares faced one 3-0 count and threw a ball. So, for the game, Royals pitchers faced a 3-0 count six times and threw four balls and two strikes on the next pitch. Oh, now I see your point . . .

“Geez, it’s gotten so bad I have to defend the concept of doing things right?” No, I don’t think so. I just think you’re being defensive.
Brian Robinson
1 year, 1 month ago

The only question I have is when are we going to see Aaron Crow get a shot at starting? It’s not like he could possibly make things any worse.
Don DeCelles
1 year, 1 month ago

Losing in epic fashion day after day like this tends to result in head-scratching decisions like the one Eddie made in the 8th inning. He would send Moose 99 out of 100 times under those circumstances if the team was playing even .500 baseball this year. I was one of those in complete disbelief that Moose was not waved home. No gaurantee we win the game if he had been allowed to score, but I assumed immediately we were destined for yet another L.
Thayne Griffin
1 year, 1 month ago

Lee, I saw Quintero tap the ground a handful of times again when he wanted the pitch in the dirt, just for our confusion from before.

In regards to Moose not going, WHAT THE HECK! When you’re on a big losing streak, you have to make plays, make things happen! As everyone before me has said, you have to send him and make it a 4-3 game! Moose could have made it easily in my opinion, and if it was to LF maybe he sees the ball and runs through the stop sign. This team has not been very good on the bases yet this season.
Brian Grant
1 year, 1 month ago

I don’t think the Royals organization is disinterested in putting a winner on the field, I just don’t think they know how to do it.

But that may be doing them a bit of a disservice, because I think they had it right this time: Pitching. Everyone is overlooking what I think is the key to this whole mess: Our young pitchers are behind our young hitters. Part of that has been injuries, and part of that has just been the nature of the game…young pitchers can take time to develop, if they do at all.

Moose and Hoz and Escobar and even Perez…these are not the keys to a future playoff team. Montgomery, Dwyer, Lamb, Odirizzi (sp?)…these are the keys.

This team has only ONE crucial player in place: Danny Duffy. Until (or IF) our young pitchers get here…this team will still be “a year away” from winning.

It’s ALL about pitching. Ask the “mighty” Detroit Tigers. The Royals have a better slugging percentage and better on base percentage than the Tigers. That says it all.
Eric Miller
1 year, 1 month ago

I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating:

“The same things win that always won, and we just a different bunch of excuses if we lose.” —Bear Bryant
Jim Wilson
1 year, 1 month ago

Brian, I agree that the Royals having a better slugging percentage and better OBP than the Tigers says something but it doesn’t say it all. The Tigers have scored 14 more runs in the same number of games. One of the big reasons why? The Royals lead the AL in caught stealing and have a 56% success rate for stolen bases. Oakland has stolen 18 bases and been caught only five times. The Royals have 10 SB and 8 CS and one pick-off. Interestingly, only Oakland has scored less runs than the Royals. So even a “successful” running game has not resulted in runs scored. Our runs allowed are not that bad. Yes, we need better pitching to be a contender but we suck right now because we’re not scoring runs. And the reason has much more to do with our coaching strategy (when to steal (or not stop the steal), when to bunt, when to send a runner) than our hitters performance (we are 6th in the AL in OPS).
Ben Weddle
1 year, 1 month ago

Lee, It’s a tough job you’ve got right now trying to “polish this turd” that is the 2012 Royals. Lat night, I came out of my chair in a fountain of expletives when Eddie held Moose at third. What possible explanation could there have been for holding the runner when you’re riding an 11 game losing streak? And Sanchez looks as though we’ve bought a “pig in a poke.” Anybody who starts a beanball war by plunking the same guy he hit last year when he was pitching for another team has some serious issues. Then last night, when he can’t find the plate with a seeing eye dog and loads the bases after narrowly escaping in the previous innings, Ned lets him serve up a double before calling on Collins. That is systemic incompetence.

I love this team the same way one might love a drug addled relative. Enough is enough. It’s time for some tough love. My heart doesn’t want to believe we’re out of it before the end of April but when will personal pride affect this organization to the point when they will “refuse to lose?”

Oh, and Hudler is still the worst commentator I’ve ever heard.
Jim Witkowski
1 year, 1 month ago

Anyone else think its funny that the last game (before last night) that Sanchez started and blew, that Melky got a late game tying hit for the Giants. We gave up a 27 year old outfielder who gave us great production at the plate, was good in the clubhouse, and had many good years left for a pitcher who was gonna be released and a rookie center fielder who just had another setback with an injury. But at least we decided to keep Dyson too. I like Maier, I feel he at least hustles every play and has shown that he can put up good numbers when given a chance. I just think it goes to show how cheap and poorly managed this team is. We wont sign any quality pitcher because we have so many “future stars” and we trade away a quality player for an unproven Rookie and a bad starting pitcher. I still love the idea that we told Jason B and Mitch M they were good enough to make the ML Roster but we go down to get Dyson for opening day and start him over those guys. How did that turn out? Just a preview of things to come.
Brian Rose
1 year, 1 month ago

no one seems to talk about it much, so I don’t expect you to either, but it seems every once in a while when a veteran is struggling they have an “injury” and are place on the DL with a minor league “rehab” assignment. My guess is Gordon goes on the DL before the next homestand if he doesn’t get it going soon. Thoughts?
Jim Witkowski
1 year, 1 month ago

At least if this was football I would cheer last place for the first pick in the draft, but that doenst matter much in baseball. Geez, I feel like a Cub Fan and yet I still cheer and root for my team and watch every pitch with a sense of hope
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month ago

Sorry, I’ve been married far too long to not recognize the “I-get-to-criticize-you-and-if-you-disagree-with-that-brilliant-criticism-you’re-being-defensive” gambit.

I still contend that not throwing strikes is “usually” (same word I used the first time) a function of a poor thought process, not a physical inability.

I’ve seen Jonathan Sanchez throw strikes consistently on the back fields of Surprise, but then decide that wasn’t good enough and hump up for a game.

Hell, I can throw strikes (20 years of BP will do that for you) and if I had long enough, I could probably teach you to throw strikes.

In fact, one of the teaching methods pitching coaches use is to force a pitcher to watch BP and count how many sure hits he sees. 50-year-old coach, throwing 70 MPH down the middle and people still make outs.

If you want to read an excellent book on the subject, I’d suggest “The Mental ABCs of Pitching” by Harvey Dorfman.

Dorfman was a sports psychologist and concluded that the right appreach was for the pitcher to “force” contact—not avoid contact or allow contact—but force it.

A lot of the guys have been strikeout pitchers their whole lives, get here and don’t have the stuff to strike out major league hitters consistently, but continue to try—biting off smaller and smaller chunks of the plate in the process.

I can’t speak for Dave Eiland, but I heard a Royals pitcher say he’d rather give up a walk than a home run—to me that’s the wrong attitude.

I’d rather hear a pitcher say he’d rather force contact, early in the count and live with the results—knowing that the odds will be with him—than give up a walk and a 100% guaranteed runner.
Tom Roesler
1 year, 1 month ago

Hey Lee…it’s been a while since I chimed in, but once again I just want to say what a pleasure it is to read your stuff. Keep up the awesomeness!

As for “throwing strikes” I can totally see what you’re saying. These guys are pros and they can throw strikes. I wonder if there is any connection to what you’re saying and “habits.” In other words…if a guy “nibbles” too long, when it comes time to actually throw a strike (3-0 count with two on and don’t want to load the bases), they can’t.

I’m a huge Bill Snyder fan and he’s all about always doing things right so that when the time comes, you’ll be able to do it. If you take short cuts or try to “get fancy” too often, when the critical moment comes, you won’t be able to do what needs to be done. Part of me thinks some pitchers just set bad habits and when the critical moment comes, they can’t do it right.

I don’t know…just throwing out thoughts here and not saying what hasn’t already been said, but man…it’s frustrating watching a guy throw more balls than strikes in the middle of a horrid losing streak. At this point, I wish we could get just ONE game where everyone pounded the strike zone all day and said, “Hit it if you can but we’re throwing strikes!”

Hopefully it starts tonight. But, at some point it’s gotta turn around. It’s tough to take as a fan. I can only imagine how hard it is as a player.

Keep up the good work!
Greg Tatro
1 year, 1 month ago

Well that doesn’t surprise me a Royals pitcher would say they would give up a walk than a home run…which is definitely the wrong attitude. How many big innings start with a walk or have a walk involved? I would say at least 75 if not 90% A home run means the hitter had to earn it…a walk means the pitcher essentially gave up.

I’m not a pitcher and never will be but if I had the talent I’d pound them with strikes…a walk would be more madding to me than a hit or a home run. I would ask the pitchers how nibbling the zone is helping them…all I see is walks and high pitch counts.
Jim Wilson
1 year, 1 month ago

Lee, I will leave that alone!

I already can throw stikes too, thanks. I know a lot of guys who can hit 300+ yard straight drives on the driving range all day long. It’s a long way from the range to the first tee. And it’s a long way from the back fields of Surprise to the mound in the K. And most of it’s mental. The greats in any sport have much more than mere physical ability.

I understand your argument and don’t disagree with the general proposition of pitching to contact. Batters cannot control with great specificity where a ball goes so even well hit balls are likely to be hit at or near a defensive player. But with very, very few exceptions, the most successful pitchers have had high strikeout rates. Why? Strikeouts never fall in for a hit or advance or score a runner (ingoring a steal).

The disconnect to me is summed up by your comment about “wasted” talent. The problem is that it’s not true talent. Physical abilities that do not get results are no better than no physical abilities at all (but are much more frustrating for everyone around the player with the physical abilities). True talent requires possession of all the skills it takes to execute and perform at a high level — not the promise of doing so if they would just work a little harder, have a better mental approach, etc. That’s why looking at pure numbers helps — “just the facts, mam.” For us optimistic folks, the possibilities can taint our judgment.
Brian Courington
1 year, 1 month ago

How long of a leash does Sanchez have? He was 1 of the 3 to have locked up a starting role before training camp, but if he can’t throw strikes, how long can they stick with him?

Who is likely to lose their starting spot when Paulino comes off the dl? Is any starting pitcher earning a promotion? If so how likely are the Royals to call them up?
Greg Tatro
1 year, 1 month ago

I watched the Rangers-Yankees game on ESPN Monday night. These concepts of fundamentals apply to every team. The Yankees gave up a run off an error (which was only their fifth of the year). The inning in which the Yankees knocked around Derek Holland started with a walk to the #9 hitter. Derek Holland also pitched scared to Alex Rodriguez and walked him twice and gave up a 3 run HR. CC had a bad inning when he gave up a walk. The common theme with a bad inning is a walk and the Royals pitchers should hate walking batters.
Lee Judge
1 year, 1 month ago

I’m getting ready for the game to start and just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you. Agree or disagree, this web site has some of the best readers and best reader comments to be found anywhere.

Instead of name-calling, readers get on here and write essays—some of those essays tell me why they think I’m wrong, but they add to the mix of information available.

As the season gets going I’m finding less time to respond to each and every comment, but I read every one of them and appreciate the effort put into them.

Thank you.

Judging the Royals