The annual invasion of the Sea of Red begins this week when the 2010 version of the I-70 Series embarks on Kauffman Stadium this weekend, June 25-27.Perhaps no Major League team travels better than the St. Louis Cardinals, whose fans from Springfield, Joplin, Butler, Columbia and Warrensburg take advantage of the short drive into the city where the banks of the Kaw and Ole Missouri converge.
This year they only play the one three-game series. That, Commissioner Bud Selig, may be your biggest mistake this year! These rivalries need to play a home-and-home series each year. The heck with KC playing at Atlanta this past weekend! Why didn't KC play at St. Louis before its early-week series this week in Washington? Guess Selig was more concerned about looking his best when he announed this past week The K would be the site of the 2012 All-Star Game.
Guess we'd better not complain too much, huh?
Oh well, enough about that. Let's talk Cardinals-Royals while we can!
The Royals have held their own against their National League counterparts in 2010. They are 5-5 following Friday night's 6-4 loss in Atlanta. Still, they had won back-to-back series (first time that's happened in 2010) against Cincinnati and Houston going into their six-game roadtrip that began Friday night.
Ned Yost may just be the man for this job. He's taken a lifeless Boys in Blue that Trey Hillman couldn't resuscitate to a respectable 17-16 mark since taking over. Overall, they are 29-39 and are 9.5 games behind AL Central leading Minnesota, which seems to treat the Royals like Voo-Doo dolls. Since there are three teams ahead of them in the AL Central standings, they are only four games behind the Chicago White Sox for third place. Considering where they were headed two months ago, third place and 75 wins for the year wouldn't be a bad accomplishment.
The Royals are tied with Boston for the top spot in the majors with a .279 team batting average, 16 points better than the Cardinals. The difference between the Cardinals contending and the Royals running in the other direction is simple - pitching. St. Louis boasts the second-best team earned run average in the bigs at 3.21 (only behind San Diego). Only four teams are worse than the Royals, who check in with a 4.85 team ERA.
If you're a Royals fan, you cringe when looking at these 2010 pitching stats:
St. Louis - five shutouts, 15 saves in 20 save opportunities, 51 home runs allowed in 606 innings pitched.
KC - 0 shutouts, 17 saves in 28 save opportunities, 72 long balls in 603 innings pitched.
Ya think Albert Pujols is looking to pad to his 15 long balls and 50 RBI through Friday night?
The Royals are OK offensively. Billy Butler is likely headed to this year's All-Star game as the Royals representative as he leads the team in doubles, hits, total bases and average. Heck, his .338 average is third-best in the AL. Jose Guillen, yea he's making boat loads of cash, is the team trend-setter in runs scored, homers and RBI. Throw in Scott Podsednik's 19 stolen bases and notable years from David DeJesus and Mike Aviles (.324 and .317 averages, respectively) and you have something to build on for 2011.
Pitching? News flash to Topeka native and Missouri Tiger star Aaron Crow at Northwest Arkansas, please get your act together and soon. This team needs you PRONTO!
Everything good that happened to Zack Greinke in 2009 is happening in reverse for the defending Cy Young Award winner. He's 2-8 but does sport a respectable 3.94 ERA and a nifty 78:18 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Then there's Brian Bannister, who had won five straight games before getting blasted at Cincinnati and was the loser Friday night at Atlanta. He's now 6-5 overall with an ERA nearing six as he prepares for his next scheduled start Wednesday at Washington and some guy named Stephen Strasburg.
"I was really gun shy out there tonight," Bannister said following Friday's loss in which he allowed five runs in the first four innings. "I was having flashbacks to Cincinnati. I had zero confidence."
Fortunately, Bannister won't have to face the Cardinals. The Royals' scheduled hurlers in the series include Kyle Davies (4-5, 6.01), Bruce Chen (3-1, 4.15) and Anthony Lerew (0-0, 3.00), who is coming off a strong six-inning, no-decision effort Thursday against Houston.
Should be a fun series. The K will be packed, even though red will be the primary color all three days. That's Ok, they're honoring the 1985 World Series champions Saturday. Maybe Don Denkinger will throw out the first pitch as well! Go Royals!
My shout this week? You hafta ask? It's my purple-clad Lakers, Baby, who sent those Bean-town Boys back East following that dramatic win in Game 7 Thursday night! I don't care if Patterson calls them the Evil Empire. To me they're called NBA champions who won me five bucks in the process! Nice!
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