Results tagged ‘ Sidney Ponson ’
The Odd Blog Week In Review (Week ?)
I don’t know what week it is. It’s summer, why should I be keeping track of dates? There is one date that I’m counting to, next Friday my second cousins visit, with five kids aged 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. Suggestions, please!?
Now to baseball, where the Royals are playing the Pirates, and I am ashamed to say that we have a worse record than Pittsburgh. Yipe! That means, with respect to the Pirates, that the Royals are worse than I thought they were. Let’s see how we do in this series.
There is one Royal who is doing good as of recently, and that’s Luke Hochevar. According to MLB.com’s player search, there are four of him (seriously, try it!) and as long as the one that has shown up in the last few starts keeps the other three away, I’m fine with that. Imagine all four showing up to start a game or something. That would be odd. Anyway… he’s had some great starts recently, pitching an 80 pitch complete game against the Reds last week and getting a pretty good start in this week against Houston, despite having a no-decision thanks to our imploding bullpen. So, the start in the series finale against Pittsburgh, assuming I have the schedule right, is the one where he can either prove himself ready for the majors and possibly be a Zack Greinke in the future, or falls down like he did early in the season and have to be sent to the minors… again.
Next, (M/B)anny Ramirez. What was he doing playing minor-league ball? You would think that they wouldn’t allow to play any baseball, but apparently there’s a loophole or something. So I’m offering (of course) my take on what the rules should be:
“When a player is suspended for any amount of time by the league, that player will not be allowed to play baseball with the MLB or any of its affiliates, but should be allowed to participate in practices with the team, so long as he is not in the dugout, clubhouse etc. during a game. They will not be allowed on road trips, unless they are suspended for more than 15 games and will be reinstated during a said road trip, etc. etc. etc.”
I had more, but I have a feeling that was getting a little boring.
Finally, a topic that, as a Buffalo Sabres fan, I unfortunately know way too much about. Injuries! Coco Crisp is gone for the season after getting shoulder surgery, and that is a big blow to our chances. Coupled with other injuries that have plagued our team, including those to Alex Gordon at the beginning of the season and Kyle Farnsworth now, that’s not good. AND… breaking news from three hours ago (that’s what they call late-breaking) Sidney Ponson tests positive!?! Yipe! But what for? Read the article, but apparently it’s for a banned stimulant. He’s banned from international play for two years, but of course the WBC and the Olympics (which no longer have baseball) aren’t for three years. Nice going, IBAF.
The Odd Blog Week In Review (Week 4)
May day! Mayday! What mayday? Great week for the Royals. Three of four from the AL East leader… or former AL East leader (there you go, Julia), and then there was this:
Lots of KC publicity in this issue, the Chiefs had an article, too. But at the same time, I’m still wondering why they didn’t put the NBA playoffs on the cover. As usual, I’m not complaining.
First of all, congratulations, a little late, to Albert Pujols on his 1,000th RBI. Also, be sure to vote for Zack Greinke in the Pepsi clutch performer of the month award: 5-0, 0.50 ERA, 44 Ks. That sounds clutch to me.
Zack Greinke no-earned-run streak ends
Yes, it’s over. It was very exciting, but when Greinke gave up two runs Wednesday vs. Toronto, it was all over. I’ve been posting a lot about Greinke. Hitters get there just desserts next week! Now, the only question is whether they’ll be good or bad. But…
Royals offense explodes for 19 runs in two games
…it’ll probably be good, if this keeps up. The only problem is that 11 of these runs occured when Greinke was pitching. We need to save some for Sidney Ponson, who happens to be at the other end of the spectrum in wins. Even so, I’m not complaining. (That’s getting to be my favorite phrase.)
Well, I must leave now. The reason I did this on Friday is that tomorrow I’m heading up to Worlds of Fun, the local theme park in KC. Of course, new roller coaster opening + band festival + rain forcasted = mass chaos. It’ll be interesting.
The Odd Blog Week In Review (Week 3)
Zack Greinke’s streak ends at 38
Last night, the Detroit Tigers did something no else has done this season: scored a run against Zack Greinke. But when his shutout streak ended, he didn’t throw his glove in the dirt or get angry with his catcher for dropping the ball that could have prevented the run. He just walked back to the mound grinning. Why? “That was almost the best play of my entire life,” he said, “but I
didn’t quite get it. That’s what makes it exciting pitching out there
– doing stuff like that actually. And after that happened, I just got
a big boost of energy.” (The full story is here.)
It’s not all that bad. I can still keep track of another streak- Zack Greinke hasn’t allowed an earned run in 43 straight innings. The run was scored on a throwing error by Mike Aviles, so it was unearned. That also means that Greinke still has a 0.00 ERA. And while were on the subject of ERAs, let’s take a look at the Royals’ current rotation’s ERA.
Gil Meche: 2.63
Greinke: 0.00
Kyle Davies: 2.89
Sidney Ponson: 7.04
Brian Bannister: 0.00
The combined ERA for the rotation: 2.51. That’s one of the best in the league. Let’s compare, shall we?
The New York Yankees (you knew I’d pick them first) has a rotation with a combined: 9.80 ERA.
The LA Angels: 4.88
The Boston Red Sox: 4.73
and the league-leading Toronto Blue Jays: 4.08
Anybody notice how the Royals are at least one and a half points better?
*All stats subject to change… drastically… as the season goes on.
No game recaps for my week in review, just highlights.
Albert Pujols gets very close to 1,000 career RBIs
With 21 already this year, the Cardinals’ first baseman has 998. Just two away. Good luck, Pujols!
Yankees/Sox
This is so much fun to watch… and laugh at the losing side. Of course, it’s a lot worse if you lose on an 11th inning walk off homer.
NFL Draft? Here’s my mock draft
I only have one selection so far…
With the first overall pick, the Detroit Lions select… me! It’s not called a mock draft for nothing. I think maybe next somebody might choose the president. Or maybe Zack Greinke, at quarterback. I see here that the commissioner is giving twitter updates. That’s a first.
That’s all for now. Next time I write, I’m hoping Zack Greinke has got it to 52 innings w/o an earned run.
How gullible are we?
Very. Here’s a hint: If you aren’t wearing shoes with laces, don’t look down when I say your shoes are untied.
I don’t have much time now, but what kind of Odd Blog would this be without a post on April Fool’s Day?
The KC pitching rotation is set with Sidney Ponson and Horacio Ramirez rounding out the group of 5. I like Brian Bannister, but I do think some time in the minors would be good for him.
NL East Preview
Right now I like:
- NY Mets
- Philly Phillies (I still don’t know what kind of name the Phillies is. Or Mets, for that matter.)
- Florida Marlins
- Atlanta Braves
- Washington Nationals
I don’t care that much about the NL, except for the fact that they don’t have a DH. I prefer having the pitchers hit.
Coming up next is my full preview. Sports Illustrated’s should be out tomorrow, I think.
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