Games » Houston Astros
Jun19‘Impatience will kill you’
Lee Judge
The Kansas City Star
That was Ned Yost talking about — in no particular order — Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar, J.J. Hardy, Rickie Weeks and Prince Fielder. Same goes for Luke Hochevar: if you can see that a player has what it takes to be successful, you have to patient with them — sometimes, extraordinarily patient.
First-round draft picks who show flashes of brilliance in an organization starved for starting pitching will get a lot of chances. Luke Hochevar made the most of this one, recording 4? no-hit innings, 7? shutout innings and six strikeouts.
If you are one of those people who wonders why the Royals keep giving Luke Hochevar chances, here’s your answer: Games like this one.
Game notes
First inning: Baseball slang changes all the time, and one of the current phrases for hitting a ball hard is “barreling it up.” It means getting the barrel of the bat to the ball at a good angle. Billy Butler is an absolute genius at barreling up a ball. Billy barreled up a 90 mph two-seam fastball on the inside part of the plate — which is not easy to do — and homered to left field.
Second inning: With two outs, Jarrod Dyson, hitting in the 8-hole, walked. This was a good thing because it allowed the Royals to clear the pitcher’s spot before the next inning. If Hochevar made an out, the third inning would have started off with Alex Gordon at the plate. Luke screwed up this plan by getting a hit. This is normally considered a good thing, and in reality it is.
But pitchers who have to run the bases sometimes struggle on the mound in the next half-inning. Luke got back to the mound, walked the leadoff batter, induced a fielder’s choice, then hit a batter, but he got out of it with a double play. In interleague play, fans should pay attention to what a pitcher who runs the bases does in the next half-inning.
Third inning: Yuniesky Betancourt singled and then was pushed to second base by a walk to Billy Butler. One out later, Yuni advanced to third base on a fly ball to right field by Mike Moustakas. When Alcides Escobar bounced a single up the middle, Betancourt scored easily from third, instead of having to do it from second base. Yuni isn’t that fast, and there’s no guarantee he would have made it.
An insurance run allows pitchers to be more aggressive any time the opposition doesn’t have a runner on base. If the tying run is still on deck, the man at the plate can’t tie the game. Betancourt’s heads-up base running gave Hochevar a bit of breathing room.
Fifth inning: The Royals ran yet another “wheel play” (we first saw this in St. Louis), and Mike Moustakas made a diving catch of a bunt attempt that was popped in the air.
Here’s how the play works: With a runners on second (or first and second) and the bunt in order, the shortstop breaks for third before the pitch is delivered, and the third baseman “crashes” the plate. Meanwhile, the first baseman is also crashing the plate, and the second baseman eventually covers first.
In order to run this play, you have to be very sure that the hitter at the plate is going to bunt. Much of the infield is left unprotected, and the corner infielders are right on top of the plate. Should the batter swing away, bad things can happen.
You see this play more often in the National League. When I asked Chris Getz why, he said it was because a pitcher at the plate is the surest bet to be bunting. It seems we may not have seen the last of the wheel play. Watch for it in interleague play in National League cities.
Seventh inning: Hochevar came to the plate, which let you know what Yost was thinking. Hoch had a low pitch count and a shot at a shutout. In the bottom of the inning, Hochevar gave up a single before Butler and Escobar turned the most difficult double play in baseball, the 3-6-3. This play is especially difficult for a right-handed first baseman because it requires him to pivot and reset his feet before throwing to second base.
Eighth inning: With two outs, Luke walked Houston’s Jed Lowrie, then gave up a single to Carlos Lee that caromed high off the left-field wall. Alex Gordon played the carom off the short porch in left and then tried to throw Lowrie out at third. Normally, it would be a mistake to do this. Lee would have been the tying run, and a throw to second base would have kept that runner at first and the double play in order.
The distance from the short porch to third base might have played a role. It’s possible Gordon had a good shot at throwing out the lead runner and keeping the tying run at first. In fact, Lee did not attempt to advance until Gordon’s throw got away from Moustakas.
At that point, Ned brought in reliever Aaron Crow. Hochevar was showing signs of tiring, and the bullpen has been outstanding. Everyone is rested, and it’s common for managers to make sure that pitchers who pitch well and go deep in games are protected against losing those games.
The move worked. Crow closed out the inning with a strikeout.
Ninth inning: Escobar led off with a hit, and Yost chose not to bunt with Humberto Quintero at the plate. The Royals opted instead for the hit and run. Quintero swung through the ball, and Escobar was thrown out. Quintero singled, Dyson hit a line drive to third and Humberto was doubled off first base.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jonathan Broxton came in and did what he generally does — he got the save and made it interesting.
See the ball, hit the ball … but you really have to see the ball
Kevin Seitzer, the Royals’ hitting coach, was talking about pitch selection and how it goes wrong. Too many hitters have cluttered minds. They are thinking about their mechanics or what the pitcher did the last time or what the pitcher might do this time. While all that is going on between their ears, they forget to see the ball. (It may sound strange, but I can tell you from personal experience that it happens all the time. The most important thing you can possibly do in the batter’s box — seeing the ball — gets ignored.)
The right process is to think mechanics outside the box and clear your mind once you cross the white line. Thinking about mechanics in the box won’t help. I once asked George Brett whether all he was thinking about was seeing the ball and he said no. “I’m not thinking about seeing the ball, I’m seeing the ball.”
If you need help getting your mind around that bit of wisdom, what it means is this: when he was hitting well, Brett’s mind was completely calm and clear, no conscious thought. He would put himself on automatic pilot, see the ball and let his body react. That was when he was going well. When he was going badly, Brett knew what the hot-dog vendors were saying, his focus was all over the place and seeing the ball got lost.
The process works like this: The hitter has a “broad” focus directed on the pitcher. The hitter usually has some kind of movement going. He may be taking half-cuts at an area, thinking, “Right here, right here.” All hitters come up with some kind of pre-swing routine.
Once the pitcher starts his motion, the hitter takes a breath — fresh oxygen for the brain — and holds it. He also shifts into “fine” focus, picking up a spot or “window” in which the pitcher releases the ball. Some hitters are so good at this that they can tell what the pitch is upon release — just by the way it comes out of the pitcher’s hand. Some hitters say they see the spin of the ball and read the pitch from the seams. Others say they can’t. But the best hitters have calm minds and complete focus. Brett told me he often didn’t know what he hit, just that he got a pitch in his zone and he knew what to do next.
The mind-set should be that every pitch is a strike until it’s not. It’s not “maybe yes, maybe no.” That can leave a hitter locked up on a pitch he didn’t expect. That’s OK before two strikes — if you’re not looking for it, don’t swing — but with two strikes, a hitter should assume he will be swinging until the pitch is so far out of the zone that he can’t.
Of course, all this is simpler for me to describe than it is for hitters to do. That’s why I’m writing for a living instead of making my money swinging a bat.
Hochevar
Butler
Escobar
Thayne Griffin
11 months agoNice break for the bullpen today (again).
Maybe as the weather warms, Luke will warm up again this year…
Greg Tatro
11 months agoThe problem is Luke has this type of game about 1 out of every 6 starts.
The other 5 he reverts back to Kyle Davies.
Terry Payne
11 months agoTremendous execution by Hoch. Complete command of the curve.
Lee, I’m ready to give J Sanchez the benefit of the doubt re: his wild pick-off throws and inability to throw strikes. Perhaps he has developed situational glaucoma :)
John Wilson
11 months agoAnother shutout by the pitching staff. Unexpected this is. At least when our pitching implodes, everyone seems to implode on the same day.
I know the Royals aren’t the greatest team in baseball but we also aren’t in the greatest division. We are 6 games under .500 BUT we are only 4.5 games out of first and its the middle of June. Would it jinx things to say we are still in the race?
Aaron Reese
11 months agoSecond game in a row in which Luke has effectively used the fastball/curveball combo and abandoned the Slider and changeup to get more speed differential per at bat. I hope the strategy remains so dominant.
Darral VanGoethem
11 months agoI am encouraged by Luke’s start last night as well. However, this is baseball and as this site has proven many times, you can’t get too up or down about a small sample size. I am not trying to be Debby Downer here but he was facing one of the most pathetic offenses overall in all of baseball. 20th in batting avg, 22nd in OBP, 21st in SLG, 2nd most strike outs in majors, 9th fewest walks drawn. 20th in hits, 19th in runs scored. Oh and they had a Perfect game thrown against them just 6 days before this game. So it is not like he was facing the Rangers or something. Look, he still has a career ERA of 5.33 has given up 710 hits in 633 innings, has walked 223 batters. Overall, he has faced at least 1991 hitters and has allowed 933 to reach base by either a walk or a hit. that means that 46.8% of the batters he has faced in his career have gotten on base. I am a believer in not putting too much stock in long term career numbers but that is all Hochevar ever has been consistently, the guy with these numbers. I hope her turns it around but I don’t like his chances.
Darral VanGoethem
11 months agoOne more thing. Even AFTER his start last night, Hochevar has faced 234 batters and guess what % have reached base against him? That’s right, 47%.
Tom Roesler
11 months agoA couple notes, first, once again, Lee writes about an element of baseball that can be used in life. I love the description of how hitters need to battle the issue of a cluttered mind. How often do we have a cluttered mind in life? I know I do better when I let my mind think about “the mechanics” (issues/details) outside of the “batters box” but “just play” when the action is going on. Great approach to hitting and to life.
Second, can we get some love for Alcides Escobar? I’m probably the most guilty party, but midway through the game last night it hit me…this guy has really worked hard to become one of the most dependable/valuable players on the team yet is often thought of as a second tier player. (Great glove, ok at the plate).
I’m not saying he’s Billy Butler, but he’s hitting .295 (second to Billy) with 23 runs scored (three behind Billy) and 15 doubles (three more than Billy). Plus he has 19 rbi’s and he usually hits bottom of the order.
Again, I’m just fascinated by guys who work outside the spotlight to get better (yet another good analogy for life). Last year I told myself, “If he can just hit .250 consistently, he’s going to be a solid SS for us.” Now, I’m starting to think he’s going to hit .290 consistently. Wow!
Keep sawing wood boys!
Tom Roesler
11 months agoPS…I hate what instant results have done to baseball fans. Everyone just chill on Hoch.
Baseball has always been compared to life and in life, things take time to develop. At 25, I was a little more mature than I was at 21. And, at 35 a LOT different (thankfully). I’m sure the same could be said in your life as well.
He’s not a Cy Young pitcher, but he’s not what he once was either. If you can’t see what’s happened since last year’s all-star break, you’re blind.
Let’s go Royals! Win the series and get back to KC!!! Believe!!
True Blue!
Dave Feit
11 months agoWhy did Gordon get the error last night?
Did he get it for not throwing to second (keeping Lee at first) or did he get because the ball short-hopped and got past Moose?
Assuming it’s the latter, I think the error should go to Moustakas. Yeah, that short hop was probably tough to field, but it wasn’t like Alex’s throw was wide of the bag - from the TV replays, it appeared to be on target. If Moose blocks the throw, Lee doesn’t take second.
Darral VanGoethem
11 months agoAgree on everything you said, Tom. Well said. I am beginning to think also that it isn’t the Royals pitching that is why they are still under .500 but their offense. Obviously they still need more innings out of their starting pitchers but I just took a look at the divisional standings and I was surprised. The Royals have given up the fewest runs in their division. In fact, they are 6th in the AL in Runs Allowed with 285. Problem is, they last in their division, yes, even lower than the Twins, in Runs Scored. That puts them next to last, by just 1 run, to the commonly viewed as TERRIBLE Oakland A’s offense. If this bullpen hits a wall in August then they are REALLY going to slide, and slide FAST!!
Tom Roesler
11 months agoThe reason the Royals are under .500 is because of the 12 game losing streak. If they simply went 6-6 during that run, they’d be over .500 easy.
But, yes, being at the bottom of the league in runs scored has hurt. More than anything its simply getting the big hit. We’ve had guys in scoring position all year long, but we leave them out there, which hurts. That’s also part of a young team. My hunch is those guys will get knocked in over the next year or two and we won’t have that problem any more.
It’s all starting to come together (slowly…day by day, game by game) and the future looks good.
Tom Roesler
11 months agoPS…I look at all of those stats (last in runs, etc) and say “Wow…we’re only 4.5 games back despite being last in the league in runs. Just wait till that stat turns around! We’ll be in first place!”
Truth is, the guys will have to continue to grow and eventually deliver, but I think we’re seeing signs that it’s not an impossible dream. You’re right, if they stay last in runs, eventually the bullpen will probably run out of gas. But, if the start to get some timely hits, look out. The question is, which is more likely? With the grit this team has, I’m betting on the offense improving.
Jay Hall
11 months agoHochevar’s start last night is a great example of why so many people get so frustrated with him. He has the ability.
Often we look at players and realize that they are limited by their ability and will never be more than an average or below average player. There’s not as much frustration with an Everett Teaford or Luis Mendoza because those guys don’t have the talent to be middle or front of the rotation players. Hochevar seems to have that type of physical talent.
And that’s why the meltdowns are so frustrating. We all have seen him be an overpowering pitcher (7 times he has struck out 80 or more batters). We have seen him be very efficient (80 pitch CG). 11 times he’s struck out at least seven while walking two or less. But then he will go and give up 5 runs in an inning.
There’s no physical explanation. He has the stuff. There’s really no statistical explanation. His peripherals have always been solid or even good. There’s not even an off the field explanation like drugs or alcohol. Everything suggests that Luke is a talented, upstanding individual that should be a #3 starter. Except his career results suggest he should be more of a journeyman.
I continue to be baffled by the Hochevar experience. He will have to pitch like that for at least another year straight before I get on board that train again.
Thayne Griffin
11 months agoSomething regarding runs and our offense: I feel like when we score 5 or more we have a losing record anyway. That’s what it feels like at least..every time we put up a big number, the other team puts up a bigger number.
Brendan Woodbury
11 months agoRoyals’ batting average with runners in scoring position: .253
MLB batting average with runners in scoring position: .252
Royals’ rank: 15th
Sean Fite
11 months agoi, too, am confused regarding the error being charged to Gordon. the Royals are taught to one hop the base, keeping the throw low, so the error must be due to the base he threw to. except it was clear that Lee didn’t advance to 2nd until the ball skipped past Moose. so it seems that Moose should have received the error.
it’s not that big of a deal, i’m just curious how the thought process works with the official scorer.
Jim Fetterolf
11 months agoHochevar is what he has been, inconsistent, bouncing between the best and the worst. He’s delivering a +50 Game Score in half his starts this year, so will continue to have a job until there are five starters on the team that are better. At least we aren’t hearing as much “DFA Hoch” as we did a couple of weeks ago.
I think Luke Hochevar is healthy and has gotten his mechanics straightened out after his injury and should get back to being a three out of five quality starts guy.
Jim Kissane
11 months agoDave and Sean, I was taken aback when Ryan and Rex said Gordon was charged with an error, until they showed the replay. Lee’s drive got to the top of the wall so fast that he wasn’t even going to attempt to take second. Gordon had a shot at the runner at third, and Lee was still holding at first until the throw got away from Moose. When it did, Lee moved up to second, and they had to charge Gordon with the error to account for the advancement. Still a raw deal, because most runners would have reached second anyway.
Larry, I’ve got nothing but love for Alcides Escobar! The guy can make all the plays at short (I’ve seen him have a couple of lapses, which disappoint me because he’s set the bar so high). As a manager, I’m happy to pencil his name into the lineup even if he can’t hit his weight - and you’re right, he’s hitting close to Broxton’s weight! - because he saves about a run a game with his defense. That equates to 162 RBIs, plenty good for a shortstop.
Darral VanGoethem
11 months agoBrandan,
That stat is all well and good but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Situational hitting more than just being able to get a guy home who is on 2nd or 3rd is the key. Their ability to maximize at bats to get the leadoff runner from 1st to scoring position WITHOUT giving up the out. Getting a guy from 2nd to home with 1 out without giving up an out. This is where they are REALLY struggling.
Aaron Reese
11 months agoDarrel, Hochevar’s opponent OBP of .338 is terrible. However, I don’t understand why it’s relevant that 46.8% of batters Hochevar has faced have reached base at some point. Miguel Cabrera has beaten Hochevar to death, getting on base most of the time and has a slash of .500/.529/.813. Denard Span has also reached base against Hochevar, but only puts up a slash of .136/.208/.273. I would think that it hardly matters that both players have reached base against Hochevar when their performances are so varied.
Brendan Woodbury
11 months agoDarral -
I agree with you. The Royals give up outs far too readily.
But all I was trying to do here was to provide the statistics to ground the discussion. Lots of people explain the gap between the Royals hitting (around league average) and their run scoring (dead last) by saying the Royals aren’t hitting with runners in scoring position. But we’re actually about league average for BA with RISP.
Jim Fetterolf
11 months agoBrendan, you’re working against perceptions. When someone mentions RISP, a lot of us think of the times when the Royals had the bases loaded late and the hitter struck out. Warching Alex look at Justin Verlander’s 131st pitch is more memorable than Esky beating out an infield hit with runners on 1st and 2nd. The average doesn’t discriminate among types of hits.
“I agree with you. The Royals give up outs far too readily.”
Of course. That, along with our terrible starting pitching and Ned Yost’s incompetence have been ongoing fads this year. Everybody has covered it.
Brendan Woodbury
11 months agoJim -
What purpose is served by referring to ideas you don’t agree with as “fads?” It seems designed to incite the sort of arguments that most people say they don’t want to see on this site.
Jay Hall
11 months agoHere are the Royals team ranks for the offensive categories in the AL, followed by the league average.
Runs - 14th 260/306 Hits - 5th 603/597 2B - 2nd 132/118 3B - 4th 13/11 HR - 14th 50/75 TB - 9th 911/959 RBI - 14th 244/291 BA - 6th .259/.254 OBP - 11th .315/.321 SLG - 9th .391/.408 OPS - 11th .707/.729
As the numbers show, the Royals are above average in hits, batting average, doubles and triples. However, their high batting average is compromised by their low overall OBP. Remember, the Royals should have an advantage in OBP because they have a high BA compared to the league. However, because this team doesn’t walk very much, they have a below average number of base runners.
The Royals also have a significant lack of HR power in the every day lineup. That’s partly due to their home ballpark, but also due to roster construction. The Royals have 2 HR from the catcher position all year. They have 2 HR from the CF position on the year (both by Mitch Maier). They have 1 HR from the shortstop position. 4 from 2B (counting Betancourt exclusively at 2nd). That’s 9 total HR from 4 every day positions.
The only Royals that have above average BA and OBP are Butler, Gordon, Moustakas, Getz, and Escobar. Francoeur’s .270 BA is above the league mark, but his .309 OBP hurts the offense, especially in the middle of the order. Hosmer’s .217 and .286 marks are poor. Betancourt’s .257 BA is just above league average, but his .290 OBP is well below. And he’s supposed to be setting the table for the middle of the lineup in the 2 spot! Dyson’s .324 OBP is pretty solid, but his BA is slightly off the league mark at .253.
Basically the Royals put four or five above average batters in the lineup every day with one average bat, and three or four below average ones, depending on whether Getz or Betancourt is at second. You can’t build an above average offense out of below average batters.
The solution lies mostly in hoping Hosmer rebounds close to his numbers from last year, hoping a healthy Lorenzo Cain increases what we are getting from CF and a healthy Salvador Perez does the same at C (hopefully in a platoon with Pena rather than Quintero, who is slowly creeping towards the Mendoza line .286 in April, .219 in May, .194 in June), eventually replacing Francoeur with Myers unless Francoeur’s power increases to make up for the fact that his OBP is below league average and using Betancourt only as a RH PH rather than an every day player.
Brian Rose
11 months agoI think the Royals problems with RISP is basically experience. i loved what Billy did in the 9th, seemed like he almosted baited him into throwing the fast ball. billy has been around for a while and figured it out. i assume a pitcher and the defense muscle up with risp. they may even give a pitch to entice a hit to a certain area which will be covered by a fielder. it would then be up to the hitter to recognize what is going on, adjust their approach, and beat the pitcher by hitting the ball someplace else. I imagine it is very hard to figure all of this out. seems like the longer guys play the better they are at thses things. Jason Kendall was a mid to low 200 hitter but always seemed to get that important hit… just a guess, i have nothing to back it up with. Anyone else have ideas or thoughts on this? would love to hear/learn more.
Dave Moffett
11 months agoInteresting article. It’s nice to know what Yost’s thoughts are when managing. Too often, he gets second guessed (after the game) or slammed for a move or non-move. He’s a much better manager than he gets credit for.