Royal Opportunity Wasted - 8 out of 11

The Royals always have trouble against the Minnesota Twins and we all went in to this short 2 game series with hope. Hope that the team has made steps to take advantage of opportunities to win against a good team. The game Tuesday night had such a situation after the Royals tied the game.

Down 1 run going into the 7th, the Royals get a lead off infield single from Alcides Escobar. Then on an attempted sac bunt by Chris Getz, Twins pitcher Brian Duensing air mails the throw over the first baseman and Escobar goes to 3rd, Getz to 2nd. Excellent, the Twins make an unusual critical error and try to and the Royals the lead on a silver platter. Next up Melky Cabrera lines one off the knee of Duensing, Escobar scores, Getz to 3rd.

1st and 3rd with nobody out, tie game in the 7th inning with Alex Gordon, Billy Butler and Jeff Francoeur due up. 3 tries to get one run across. Then an amazing thing happened. Those 3 men swung at 8 of the next 11 pitches ( all fastballs by the way )... 3 quick outs, game still tied. The last strike was a fastball middle in that Francoeur watches to end the inning. They seriously could not get ONE ball it on the ground, or in the air far enough for a sacrifice? These are the games that good teams win. I know this team technically is not a "good" team.

The best we can hope for is that this inning will be used as a "teaching opportunity" at all levels of the organization. I don't blame the bullpen for this loss, I blame the offense for failure to execute.

It's the little things that great teams do... let's be great.

Getz vs Pujols?

 The Royals stand at 2-1 to open the season against a tough team, many picked to win the Western Division in the LA Angels. Two wins in come from behind late game heroics, impressive. Just as Royals fans should not get too excited, fans of other teams should not worry about their teams poor start.

My brother wrote on Facebook today...

At least he understands it's a long season and his team the Cardinals are having a rough start on and off the field. Injuries have hit them hard in a season that is very important to the organization. To give you an example of why it's good to keep looking forward, here is a  comparison...

Team Pitching	W-L	ERA	K's
Kansas City	2-1	2.67	4th in MLB
St. Louis	0-2	6.75	9th in MLB
Player	BA	OBP	RBI
Chris Getz	.429	.500	2
Albert Pujols	.222	.222	1

Now the truth is somewhere in the middle, but in years past these numbers could have been easily reversed. This Royals team will not end up with this kind of comparison and I am pretty sure that Pujols will have better numbers than Getz, by next week. But I guess my point is and will be all season is, hang on Royals fans it's going to be a fun, and entertaining ride.

It might be hard to argue though that this 2011 team is much better than those in recent history, even without Zack Greinke. This team seems to be playing to win and playing with confidence. An excellent transition from the really bad teams to the future full of talent and winning.

I have had a busy weekend, both with my "paying" job and with a daughter that is getting married soon and HAPPY as I have seen her in some time. Life is good... how can it not be. It's April 2 and the Royals are 2-1.

As the season progresses, I will be watching close for the fire and desire to win that has been missing. See my post on i70baseball for more on that. If  you see examples of players playing with intensity, post them here.

Lets go get a winning April ! And Mike, your Cardinals will be just fine!