2007 Kansas City Royals - Here we go Again

[Dauis]

4/26/2008
GAME #17 – Minnesota (D. Bush 0-2, 11.88 ERA) at Kansas City (C. Hamels 1-0, 1.29 ERA)
Minnesota 2
Kansas City 6
W: C. Hamels (2-0) L: D. Bush (0-3)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (5) KC: T. Hunter (2), A. Huff (5)

I love when games are this easy. We put up 3 in the first, 1 in the third, and Huff and Hunter went back-to-back in the 8th. The Twins tacked on 2 meaningless runs in the 9th against Evert. Hamels had a great outing, going 8 innings, giving up 3 hits and 2 walks and striking out 6.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Toronto 2
Baltimore 3
W: C. Ray (2-1) L: D. Romero (1-2) S: D. Baez (5)
HR – BAL: R. Hernandez (4)

New York (A) 2
Boston 10
W: D. Matsuzaka (3-1) L: A. Pettitte (1-2)
HR – BOS: K. Youkilis (4)

Chicago (A) 1
Detroit 4
W: J. Zumaya (3-0) L: J. Vazquez (2-1) S: T. Jones (5)

Cleveland 4
Tampa Bay 2
W: A. Miller (1-1) L: B. Medders (2-1) S: R. Betancourt (3)
HR – CLE: D. Dellucci (2) TBA: E. Hinske 2 (7)

Oakland 2
Texas 11
W: K. Loe (1-1) L: C. Italiano (0-2)
HR – TEX: M. Kata (1), J. Owens (1)

Seattle 5
Los Angeles (A) 6 (11)
W: H. Carrasco (1-1) L: C. Daigle (0-3)
HR – LAA: V. Guerrero (7)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
St. Louis 9
Chicago (N) 8
W: B. Chen (3-1) L: R. Dempster (0-1) S: M. Lincoln (1)
HR – STL: A. Pujols (10), C. Rasmus (2) CHN: A. Ramirez 2 (4), A. Soriano 2 (8)

Washington 4
Florida 8
W: G. Reynolds (3-0) L: J. Blanton (2-1)
HR – FLO: M. Olivo (1), J. Willingham (6)

Atlanta 5
New York (N) 7
W: T. Glavine (1-1) L: C. James (0-4) S: D. Sanchez (6)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (6) NYN: J. Reyes (5)

Philadelphia 10
Cincinnati 0
W: B. Myers (2-3) L: M. Wood (0-3)
HR – PHI: J. Rollins (7)

Houston 5
Milwaukee 4 (11)
W: B. Lidge (1-0) L: F. Cordero (1-2) S: T. Miller (1)

San Diego 2
Colorado 4
W: J. Chamberlain (1-1) L: C. Carillo (2-1) S: C. Wilson (1)
HR – SDN: J. Bard (6), A. Gonzalez (4) COL: M. Holliday (5)

Arizona 11
San Francisco 2
W: Y. Petit (1-0) L: J. Towers (0-4)
HR – ARI: O. Hudson (2) SFN: B. Broussard (4)

Pittsburgh 3
Los Angeles (N) 5
W: J. Sanchez (3-1) L: D. Rasner (2-1) S: M. Melancon (3)
HR – LAN: J. Loney (2), M. Kemp (2)

[Dauis]

4/27/2008
RETIREMENT
Mariners right fielder Roberto Petagine has decided to retire.

GAME #18 – Minnesota (C. Silva 1-1, 5.68 ERA) at Kansas City (Z. Greinke 1-1, 3.27 ERA)
Minnesota 12
Kansas City 5
W: C. Silva (2-1) L: Z. Greinke (1-2)
HR – MIN: F. Catalanotto (3) KC: T. Hunter (3), M. Teahen (4)

This one got ugly fast. Minnesota used a 4-run third to take a 6-2 lead, and added 4 more in the 6th to make it 12-5. There’s really nothing good to say about this game from our standpoint. Frank Catalanotto went 1-2 with a home run, 2 runs scored, 3 RBIs, and 3 walks for the Twins.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Chicago (A) 7
Detroit 5
W: J. Garland (2-0) L: J. Bonderman (1-3) S: F. Bastamonte (4)
HR – DET: C. Guillen (2), B. Coats (3)

New York (A) 2
Boston 8
W: I. Snell (3-1) L: K. Igawa (0-1) S: B. Baker (1)
HR – NYA: D. Jeter (1) BOS: D. Ortiz (3)

Toronto 3
Baltimore 1
W: D. Waechter (1-2) L: D. Levinski (1-1) S: J. Ray (2)
HR – BAL: J. Payton (3)

Cleveland 5
Tampa Bay 2
W: J. Borowski (1-1) L: B. Medders (2-2) S: R. Betancourt (4)
HR – CLE: G. Sizemore (2)

Tampa Bay outfielder Carl Crawford is listed as day-to-day with bruised ribs.

Oakland 3
Texas 6
W: R. Tejeda (1-1) L: B. Halsey (0-3) S: E. Gagne (4)
HR – OAK: N. Swisher (5) TEX: M. Teixeira (3)

Seattle 1
Los Angeles (A) 14
W: C. Lee (2-2) L: J. Washburn (0-1)
HR – LAA: V. Guerrero (8), B. Wood (4)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 7
New York (N) 5
W: R. Soriano (1-1) L: D. Sanchez (1-1) S: J. Nathan (3)
HR – ATL: C. Jones (7), A. Jones (3), S. Thorman (1) NYN: J. Reyes (6), J. Valentin (3)

St. Louis 8
Chicago (N) 11
W: T. Lilly (1-1) L: A. Wainwright (2-2) S: B. Howry (5)
HR – STL: S. Rolen (3)

Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa will miss at least 2 weeks with a bruised cheekbone he suffered after being hit by a pitch.

Arizona 11
San Francisco 1
W: E. Gonzalez (2-1) L: J. Dore (0-1)
HR – ARI: C. Monroe (2), B. Estalella (5), M. Cameron (2)

Washington 8
Florida 2
W: J. Williams (3-1) L: S. Olsen (1-1) S: E. Fruto (1)
HR – WSH: F. Lopez (2), R. Zimmerman (3) FLO: A. Cabrera (1)

Houston 2
Milwaukee 6
W: M. Parra (1-3) L: J. Johnson (1-2)
HR – HOU: L. Berkman (8) MIL: C. Hart (1)

Philadelphia 6
Cincinnati 8
W: T. Shearn (1-1) L: R. Nelson (0-2)
HR – PHI: C. Utley (3), W. Lydon (1) CIN: J. Valentin (4)

San Diego 3
Colorado 14
W: T. Martin (1-0) L: K. Benson (0-3)
HR – COL: G. Atkins (6), B. Hawpe (7), J. Nix (1)

Pittsburgh 1
Los Angeles (N) 2
W: A. Thompson (2-0) L: M. Peterson (2-1) S: M. Melancon (4)
HR – LAN: F. Menechino (3), M. Anderson (1)

[Dauis]

AL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Boston Red Sox        14  4  .778  ---  18       7-3       W2
Tampa Bay Devil Rays  12  6  .667  2.0  18       7-3       L2
New York Yankees       8  9  .471  5.5  17       4-6       L2
Toronto Blue Jays      8 10  .444  6.0  18       5-5       W1
Baltimore Orioles      7 11  .389  7.0  18       3-7       L1

AL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Chicago White Sox     10  7  .588  ---  17       4-6       W1
Kansas City Royals    10  8  .556  0.5  18       6-4       L1
Cleveland Indians      9  9  .500  1.5  18       5-5       W2
Detroit Tigers         8 10  .444  2.5  18       4-6       L1
Minnesota Twins        6 12  .333  4.5  18       3-7       W1

AL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Los Angeles Angels    12  6  .667  ---  18       6-4       W2
Texas Rangers          8  9  .471  3.5  17       7-3       W7
Oakland Athletics      6 11  .353  5.5  17       3-7       L2
Seattle Mariners       6 12  .333  6.0  18       4-6       L2

NL East                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Washington Nationals  13  6  .684  ---  19       6-4       W1
Florida Marlins       11  7  .611  1.5  18       5-5       L1
New York Mets         11  7  .611  1.5  18       5-5       L1
Philadelphia Phillies  9  9  .500  3.5  18       6-4       L1
Atlanta Braves         7 11  .389  5.5  18       5-5       W1

NL Central             W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Pittsburgh Pirates    10  8  .556  ---  18       4-6       L4
Cincinnati Reds        9  9  .500  1.0  18       5-5       W1
St. Louis Cardinals    9  9  .500  1.0  18       5-5       L1
Chicago Cubs           8 10  .444  2.0  18       4-6       W1
Houston Astros         7 11  .389  3.0  18       4-6       L1
Milwaukee Brewers      7 11  .389  3.0  18       5-5       W1

NL West                W  L   PCT   GB   G   Last 10   Streak
Arizona Diamondbacks  11  8  .579  ---  19       8-2       W4
Los Angeles Dodgers   10  8  .556  0.5  18       6-4       W2
Colorado Rockies       8 10  .444  2.5  18       5-5       W5
San Diego Padres       8 10  .444  2.5  18       3-7       L5
San Francisco Giants   7 11  .389  3.5  18       3-7       L5

[Dauis]

WEEKLY THOUGHTS
Not a good week. We went 2-4, losing 1 against Baltimore, 2 out of 3 against Detroit, and 1 of 2 against Minnesota. We seem to have trouble against our division early on. That is something we need to fix.

In transaction news, we made a minor deal, sending Omaha catcher John Buck to Arizona for 23-year-old AA right fielder Elijah Dukes and 20-year-old Rookie ball center fielder David Christensen. Hopefully a change in scenery will be good for everyone involved.

AL Player of the Week
3B Kevin Youkilis (BOS) .480, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 13 R

NL Player of the Week
1B Albert Pujols (STL) .429, 5 HR, 10 RBI, 8 R

[Dauis]

4/28/2008
GAME #19 – Minnesota (J. Santana 0-4, 4.02 ERA) at Kansas City (M. Rogers 1-1, 6.04 ERA)
Minnesota 4
Kansas City 7
W: M. Rogers (2-1) L: J. Santana (0-5) S: J. Broxton (1)
HR – MIN: M. Lowell (3), D. Span (1) KC: D. Ross (3), M. Teahen (5)

Another one where we jumped ahead early and held on. Rogers went 8.1 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits and 4 walks and striking out 5. Soria came in and gave up 3 runs without getting an out before Broxton came on to get the save. And in case you were wondering, you’re not seeing things. Johan is 0-5 this season with a 4.84 ERA. Good thing he’s already signed his extension.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Chicago (A) 4
Detroit 3
W: J. Contreras (2-2) L: J. Verlander (0-3) S: F. Bastamonte (5)
HR – CHA: J. Dye (5)

Toronto 7
Baltimore 5
W: J. Ray (1-0) L: H. Penn (1-3) S: B. League (1)
HR – TOR: L. Overbay (1), R. Johnson (2), T. Glaus (5) BAL: M. Tejada (3)

Cleveland 4
Tampa Bay 3
W: C. Sabathia (4-1) L: S. Kazmir (1-3) S: B. Thompson (1)

New York (A) 4
Boston 11
W: C. Schilling (3-1) L: C. Pavano (1-3)
HR – NYA: J. Posada (1) BOS: M. Ramirez (2), J. Lugo (3), J. Drew (2)

Oakland 5
Texas 3
W: S. Komine (2-1) L: V. Padilla (1-3) S: H. Street (4)
HR – OAK: B. Kielty (2) TEX: J. Piedra (3)

Seattle 2
Los Angeles (A) 6
W: J. Weaver (4-0) L: F. Hernandez (2-3)
HR – SEA: A. Beltre (4) LAA: P. Konerko (4)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Washington 3
Florida 1
W: J. Patterson (3-1) L: F. del Guidice (1-2) S: C. Cordero (2)
HR – WSH: N. Johnson (3)

Atlanta 2
New York (N) 3
W: T. Tucker (1-1) L: J. Nathan (0-1)
HR – ATL: J. Guillen (4), K. Johnson (1) NYN: J. Reyes (7), C. Delgado (3)

Philadelphia 10
Cincinnati 6
W: A. Eaton (1-1) L: D. May (1-2) S: B. Morrow (3)
HR – PHI: M. Lieberthal (2), P. Burrell (3), C. Utley (4) CIN: S. Hatteberg (2), A. Dunn (9)

Houston 4
Milwaukee 5
W: C. Mason (1-1) L: C. Sampson (2-1) S: A. Otsuka (1)
HR – HOU: L. Berkman (9), L. Scott (3), C. Gonzalez (1) MIL: J. Estrada (5), R. Weeks (2)

St. Louis 12
Chicago (N) 9
W: J. Isringhausen (1-1) L: B. Howry (2-3)
HR – STL: A. Pujols (11), P. Nevin (5) CHN: A. Ramirez (5), D. Lee (3)

San Diego 5
Colorado 6 (11)
W: B. Fuentes (1-0) L: C. Meredith (1-1)
HR – SDN: A. Escobar (1) COL: G. Atkins (7), B. Hawpe (8)

Arizona 4
San Francisco 2
W: B. Lyon (2-2) L: N. Lowry (2-1) S: J. Valverde (4)
HR – ARI: C. Monroe (3)

Pittsburgh 5
Los Angeles (N) 6 (11)
W: E. Ramirez (2-0) L: T. Armas (0-1)
HR – PIT: J. Wilson (1) LAN: C. Koskie (1), A. Ethier (2), J. Guzman (5)

[Dauis]

4/29/2008
GAME #20 – Chicago (A) (J. Danks 1-3, 4.50 ERA) at Kansas City (B. Penny 2-1, 0.39 ERA)
Chicago (A) 7
Kansas City 3
W: J. Danks (2-3) L: B. Penny (2-2)
HR – CHA: A. Pierzynski (2), R. Sweeney (7) KC: D. Ross (4), B. Stavinsky (1)

Penny gave this one away early, allowing 5 runs in the second. Ryan Sweeney went 2-4 with a home run, a run scored, and 3 RBIs to lead the Sox. To make matters worse, Mark Teahen suffered a damaged meniscus and is day-to-day.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Oakland 7
Baltimore 5
W: D. Haren (3-1) L: E. Bedard (0-5) S: H. Street (5)
HR – OAK: J. Gomes (6), M. Ellis (2)

Toronto 4
Boston 5
W: J. Beckett (1-0) L: R. Halladay (3-3) S: M. Delcarmen (3)
HR – BOS: M. Ramirez (3), D. Ortiz (4)

New York (A) 10
Tampa Bay 13
W: E. Jackson (1-0) L: L. Vicaino (0-2)
HR – NYA: J. Damon (2), E. Duncan (4) TBA: E. Hinske (8), T. Wigginton (1), D. Navarro (1)

Seattle 2
Texas 3
W: K. Millwood (2-3) L: J. Hammel (1-2) S: E. Gagne (5)
HR – SEA: R. Sexson (3)

Cleveland 1
Minnesota 4
W: J. Rincon (1-0) L: D. Denham (0-2) S: T. Gonzalez (4)
HR – MIN: J. Morneau (6)

Detroit 2
Los Angeles (A) 5
W: E. Santana (1-1) L: N. Robertson (2-2) S: F. Rodriguez (5)
HR – LAA: P. Konerko 2 (6)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Atlanta 2
Florida 10
W: A. Sanchez (3-0) L: M. Hampton (1-2)
HR – FLO: C. Shelton (2)

Colorado 1
New York (N) 12
W: C. Capuano (2-2) L: I. Kennedy (2-3)
HR – NYN: C. Delgado (4), C. Beltran 2 (5), L. Milledge (3)

Milwaukee 1
Chicago (N) 7
W: C. Zambrano (1-3) L: B. Sheets (2-1) S: R. Dempster (1)
HR – CHN: D. Lee (4), A. Soriano (9)

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by Dauis

It's comments like these that get me re-energized about this dynasty. Not that I've lost any passion for this team, but sometimes, as all dynasty writers know, it can feel like you're just writing for yourself. It's great to see others enjoy this small diversion.

Keep going! Love the story as well

[Dauis]

4/30/2008
GAME #21 – Chicago (A) (M. Buehrle 3-0, 3.18 ERA) at Kansas City (M. Ford 1-1, 1.52 ERA)
Chicago (A) 5
Kansas City 6
W: M. Ford (2-1) L: M. Buehrle (3-1) S: J. Soria (4)
HR – KC: N. Garciaparra (3), E. Brown (1)

We got off to a good start in this one. Esteban German hit Buehrle’s first pitch of the game up the middle for a base hit. Emil Brown followed with a 2-run shot to center to give us the early lead. Teahen followed with a double down the first base line and advanced to third on a Betemit ground out to short. He then scored on a sac fly by Nomar to make it 3-0 good guys after 1.

The White Sox got 1 back in the second on an RBI single by Juan Uribe to score Joe Crede.

Things stayed the same until the 4th, when we got into some trouble. Thome and Crede led off the inning with back-to-back singles. Sweeney reached on a fielders choice at second and moved Thome to third. Uribe followed with a base hit to score Thome and move Sweeney to second and make it 3-2. Anderson hit a routine grounder to third, but Teahen booted it, making everyone safe. Pierzynski followed with another fielders choice at second, scoring Sweeney and moving Uribe to third, tying the game at 3. Pedro Lopez followed with a base hit to score Uribe and advance Pierzynski to second. Finally, Donny Lucy grounded out to third to end the inning with the Sox leading 4-3.

That lead didn’t last long, however. Nomar led off the bottom of the fourth with a first pitch shot to left center to tie it at 4. Spiezio followed with a single, and Hunter hit a double that advanced Spiezio to third. Millar popped out to short for the first out of the inning. Ross hit a base hit to center to score Spiezio and give us the lead. That’s all we could muster in the fourth, as German flew out to right, and Brown hit a grounder back to the mound.

We got our final run in the bottom of the fifth, when Nomar hit a two-out triple, and Spiezio brought him home. The Sox added a run in the seventh, but could never get that tying run across.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCORES
Seattle 1
Texas 3
W: B. Colon (2-0) L: J. Weaver (1-3) S: E. Gagne (6)

Oakland 6
Baltimore 4
W: S. Drucker (1-0) L: D. Baez (0-1) S: J. Duchscherer (1)

Toronto 1
Boston 5
W: C. Hansen (4-0) L: D. Romero (1-3) S: B. Baker (2)
HR – BOS: M. Ramirez (4), D. Ortiz (5)

New York (A) 10
Tampa Bay 5
W: M. Mussina (3-2) L: K. Saarloos (1-1)
HR – NYA: H. Matsui (3), R. Cano (8) TBA: R. Baldelli 2 (4), T. Wigginton (2)

Cleveland 2
Minnesota 1
W: R. Harden (2-2) L: S. Linebrink (1-1) S: R. Betancourt (5)

Detroit 3
Los Angeles (A) 9
W: J. Lackey (1-0) L: G. Majewski (0-2)
HR – DET: M. Thames (6) LAA: V. Guerrero 2 (10)

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCORES
Washington 2
Philadelphia 1
W: A. Kown (4-1) L: R. Madson (2-1) S: L. Ayala (7)
HR – PHI: W. Helms (3)

Atlanta 4
Florida 6
W: O. Perez (2-3) L: J. Gobble (1-2) S: J. Julio (8)
HR – FLO: H. Ramirez (2)

Houston 5
Pittsburgh 0
W: R. Oswalt (1-3) L: Z. Duke (2-2)
HR – HOU: C. Lee (7), M. Lamb (4)

Roy Oswalt stopped the Pirates on 4 hits with 1 walk and 6 strikeouts. This year he is 1-3 with a 4.81 ERA.

Colorado 1
New York (N) 6
W: P. Humber (3-0) L: C. Vargas (0-4)

Milwaukee 1
Chicago (N) 4
W: S. Marshall (2-2) L: J. Suppan (1-1) S: B. Howry (6)
HR – CHN: A. Ramirez (6)

Cincinnati 0
St. Louis 4
W: C. Carpenter (3-0) L: A. Harang (2-1)
HR – STL: S. Rolen (4), M. Rouse (5)

San Diego 1
Arizona 4
W: B. Webb (3-1) L: J. Peavy (1-4) S: J. Valverde (5)
HR – ARI: J. DaVanon (1)

San Francisco 5
Los Angeles (N) 3
W: M. Cain (3-2) L: D. Lowe (1-3) S: F. Cabrera (4)

[Dauis]

MONTHLY REVIEW
Not a terrible month. We went 12-9 and are only a half game behind the Sox for the division lead. We are definitely better than last season, and are somewhat competitive. I’m not sure we’re ready to win a division yet, but hopefully I’m proven wrong. Mark Teahen is leading our offense, hitting .320 with 5 homers and 17 RBIs, leading the team in all 3 categories. Our pitching staff is better than last season, although our bullpen is still performing poorly as a whole. Hopefully we don’t fall off like we did after the first month last season.

Team Batting Stats & Rankings
Batting Average .268 – 7th in AL
On-Base Percentage .326 – 6th in AL
Slugging Percentage .474 – 4th in AL
On-Base + Slugging .801 – 5th in AL
Runs Scored 108 – 5th in AL
Hits 194 – 7th in AL
Extra-Base Hits 75 – 4th in AL
Home Runs 34 – 2nd in AL
Bases-On-Balls 60 – 10th in AL
Strikeouts 116 – 2nd in AL
Stolen Bases 8 – 11th in AL

Team Pitching Stats & Rankings
Earned Run Average 4.05 – 3rd in AL
Starters’ ERA 3.30 – 1st in AL
Bullpen ERA 6.08 – 13th in AL
Runs allowed 100 – tied for 6th in AL
Hits allowed 168 – 1st in AL
Opponents AVG .238 – 1st in AL
BABIP .259 – 1st in AL
Home Runs allowed 24 – 6th in AL
Bases-On-Balls 87 – 14th in AL
Strikeouts 128 – tied for 8th in AL


AL Batter of the Month
OF Vladimir Guerrero (LAA) .371, 10 HR, 24 RBI, 22 R

NL Batter of the Month
1B Albert Pujols (STL) .411, 11 HR, 26 RBI, 27 R

AL Pitcher of the Month
C.C. Sabathia (CLE) 4-1, 2.06 ERA, 5 GS, 39.1 IP, 42 HA, 5 BB, 32 K, .275 OBA

NL Pitcher of the Month
Andrew Kown (WSH) 4-1, 2.36 ERA, 5 GS, 34.1 IP, 35 K, .217 OBA

AL Rookie of the Month
CF Bill Butler (BOS) 19 G, .300, 21 H, 70 AB, 2 HR, 20 RBI, 9 R

NL Rookie of the Month
CF Colby Rasmus (STL) .365, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 7 BB, .423 OBP

[Dauis]

Unfortunately, I have some bad news, which is the reason I haven't updated in a while. My hard drive on my laptop crashed about a week ago and I haven't been able to fix it, so unfortunately, that means I will need to get a new hard drive for it, meaning this dynasty is officially over. I have installed the game on my desktop and might start a new dynasty in the near future. I want to thank everyone for their interest and comments, and am really sorry this must come to an end.

[Loeffle]

Uff, thats bad news

I feel with you as several of my football (soccer) manager dynasties crashed as well!

Anyway loved your story, and look forward to the next one. You even made me thinking of starting my own

[Dauis]

By all means, start your own. I'm going to be moving the next month or so, so I'm not sure if I'll get started before the middle of November. It'll also give me some time to try out different roster sets and see if I like any of them better than the one I used this time.

If you start your own, it'll give me something to read while I'm in the process of packing and moving.

[Loeffle]

Originally Posted by Dauis

By all means, start your own. I'm going to be moving the next month or so, so I'm not sure if I'll get started before the middle of November. It'll also give me some time to try out different roster sets and see if I like any of them better than the one I used this time.

If you start your own, it'll give me something to read while I'm in the process of packing and moving.

Good luck on your move!

I'm not sure if my English is good enough to write such an epic story ...

If I write mine, it will start AFTER the 2007 playoffs. Expansion and Re-Alignment are very likely