The Return to Glory: A Kansas City Royals Dynasty

[Royals #1]

After almost 6 years as the GM for the Kansas City Royals, Allard Baird was fired as General Manger of the Royals by owner David Glass. This move seems to come about 3 years too late, though. Glass announced that 17 year-old Jason Green will take over as the new GM. This move is very controversial indeed, but Green promises to bring a winning tradition back to KC.

So, I'm going to start a Kansas City Royals dynasty starting in 06. Enjoy.

[Royals #1]

Manager Buddy Bell has announced his opening day lineup:

Lineup:
1. David DeJesus LF
2. Mark Grudzielanek 2B
3. Mike Sweeney DH
4. Reggie Sanders RF
5. Doug Mientkiewicz 1B
6. Angel Berroa SS
7. Mark Teahen 3B
8. John Buck C
9. Joey Gathright CF

Bench:
Matt Stairs RF/1B
Emil Brown OF
Esteban German 2B
Paul Bako C
Tony Graffanino IF

Pitching Rotation:
1. Mark Redman
2. Scott Elarton
3. Zack Greinke
4. Runelvys Hernandez
5. Bobby Keppel

Bullpen:
Closer: Mike MacDougal
Setup: Elmer Dessens
Short: Ambiorix Burgos
Middle: Andrew Sisco
Long: Jimmy Gobble
Alternate: Jeremy Affeldt

[Royals #1]

Royals Top Prospects:

1. Alex Gordon (68/94)
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/8372/gordonjt1.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Gordon, who won the Golden Spike Award for the best player in College BAseball, a year ago, was the 2 pick in the amateur draft. Gordon will most likely play this year in AA.

2. Billy Butler (63/94)
http://img190.imageshack.us/img190/7277/billybutlerpk7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Butler has been in the Royals organization for 2 years after being drafted out of high school. Butler shows better power than any other prospect in the Royals organization and like Gordon, will spend this year in AA.

3. Justin Huber (76/89)
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/6021/huberai9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Huber, 23, is a "veteran" of the Royals minor league system after coming to the U.S. from Australia. He has played a little at the Major League level. Huber could see time in the majors this year, but will start the year in AAA.

4. Andres Blanco (72/89)
http://img116.imageshack.us/img116/8162/blancobe2.png (http://imageshack.us)

Blanco is one of the better defensive prospects in the organization. He has played in the majors, but has been overshadowed by Angel Berroa. Blanco should be the first one up to replace Berroa if that time should come, but for now, he will be starting the season in AAA.

5. Luke Hochevar (70/85)
http://img179.imageshack.us/img179/4807/hochevarki6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Hochevar could be one of the better arms to come up the Royals organization in a long time. Hochevar was the #1 draft pick in the '06 amateur draft after not siging with the Dodgers last year. Hochevar will most likely not play in the Majors this year and will start in A and work his way up.

[HoustonGM]

Minor nitpick: Huber was in the Mets farm system until 2005. So I guess he's a "veteran" of the minor leagues, not of the Royals farm system.

Lookin forward to the rest.

[Royals #1]

Minor nitpick: Huber was in the Mets farm system until 2005. So I guess he's a "veteran" of the minor leagues, not of the Royals farm system.

Lookin forward to the rest.

Ahh, thanks for the fact, I wasn't aware of that.

[Tigers 94]

continue doing this,don't get mad if(when) they don't win.

[Royals #1]

April 4-7 Chicago White Sox (0-0) @ Kansas City Royals (0-0)

Probable Pitchers:
April 4: Freddy Garcia (0-0, 0.00) vs. Mark Redman (0-0, 0.00)
April 5: Javier Vasquez (0-0, 0.00) vs. Scott Elarton (0-0, 0.00)
April 6: Mark Buehrle (0-0, 0.00) vs. Zack Greinke (0-0, 0.00)

Recaps:
April 4: Mark Redman didn't make it past the 2 inning after allowing 7 runs in 1 2/3 innings of work. Royals 3, White Sox 9

April 6: Scott Elarton pitched well through 5 innings, but Javier Vasquez allowed just 5 hits through 9. Royals 0, White Sox 3

April 7: Zack Greinke pitched good, allowing 3 runs in 7 innings, but Elmer Dessens allowed 1 run and the Royals offense couldn't catch up. Royals 3, White Sox 4

Royals News:
None

League News:
None

Division Leaders:
AL East: Tampa Bay (3-0)
AL Central: Chicago (3-0)
AL West: Oakland (3-0)
AL Wild Card: 4 Tied (2-1)

NL East: Atlanta (2-1)/Florida (2-1)
NL Central: 3 Tied (2-1)
NL West: San Diego (2-0)
NL Wild Card: 4 Tied (2-1)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Giants LF Barry Bonds (.778)
Home Runs: Giants LF Barry Bonds (4)
Hits: Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez (10)
ERA: 10+ (0.00)
Wins: 10+ (1)
Strikeouts: Houston P Roy Oswalt (12)
Saves: Atlanta P Mike Remlinger and Boston P Keith Foulke (2)

Injuries:
None

[Tigers 94]

Wins: 10+ (0.00)
Do you mean 1?

[Royals #1]

April 8-10 Kansas City Royals (0-3) @ Cleveland Indians (1-2)

Probable Pitchers:
April 8: Runelvys Hernandez (0-0, 0.00) @ Jake Westbrook (0-0, 0.00)
April 9: Bobby Keppel (0-0, 0.00) @ Jason Bere (0-0, 0.00)
April 10: Mark Redman (0-1, 37.80) @ C.C. Sabathia (0-1, 27.00)

Recaps:
April 8: Runelvys Hernandez barely held onto the lead through 5 2/3 innings, but homers by Mark Teahen and John Buck put the Royals up for good. Royals 6, Indians 5

April 9: Bobby Keppel was shelled in his first career start, giving up 7 runs in 5 innings, and his counterpart Jason Bere was brilliant going 7 2/3 innings and allowing just 1 run. Royals 1, Indians 7

April 10: For the second start in a row, Mark Redman failed to get to the fifth innings... let alone the fourth inning. Redman lasted just 3 innings after gving up 8 runs and the Royals never had a chance. Royals 4, Indians 11

Royals News:
- After once through the rotation, Zack Greinke is the only starter with an ERA under 5.

League News:
- Cardinals released LF Brandon Berger, 3B Scott Seabl, and P Brad Voyles
- Twins released 1B Kevin Young and 2B Andy Fox
- Rockies signed RF Kit Pellow and 1B Fernando Seguignol

Division Leaders:
AL East: 3 Tied (4-2)
AL Central: 4 Tied (3-3)
AL West: Oakland (6-0)
AL Wild Card: 3 Tied (4-2)

NL East: New York (4-2)
NL Central: Chicago and Houston (4-2)
NL West: San Diego (3-2)
NL Wild Card: Houston (4-2)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Cubs C Michael Barret (.545)
Home Runs: A's SS Bobby Crosby and Giants LF Barry Bonds (4)
Hits: Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez and Phillies RF Bobby Abreu (13)
ERA: 10+ Tied (0.00)
Wins: 4 Tied (2)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (20)
Saves: Ranger P Francisco Cordero (3)

Injuries:
- Brewers P Doug Davis will miss 2 weeks with a sprained ankle
- A's P Esteban Loaiza will miss 2 weeks with an ankle stress fracture
- A's RF Nick Swisher will miss 2 weeks with a sprained ankle
- Cardinals LF John Rodriguez will miss 4 weeks with ruptured knee ligaments
- Blue Jays CF Miguel Negron will miss 4 months with a broken hip.

[Royals #1]

Do you mean 1?

Fixed It. Thanks.

[Royals #1]

April 11-14 Chicago White Sox (3-3) @ Kansas City Royals (1-5)

Probable Pitchers:
April 11: Javier Vasquez (1-0, 0.00) @ Scott Elarton (0-1, 5.40)
April 13: Mark Buehrle (0-0, 4.50) @ Zack Greinke (0-0, 3.86)
April 14: Jon Garland (0-0, 0.00) @ Runelvys Hernandez (1-0, 6.35)

Recaps:
April 11: Scott Elarton pitched great, going 7 2/3 innings while only gving up 1 run, but the Royals offense remianed silent as Javier Vasquez shut them down for the second straight time this year. White Sox 4, Royals 1

April 13: Zack Greinke pitched well enough to keep his team in the game, but it wasn;t enough as White Sox pitching again dominated the Royals. White Sox 6, Royals 3

April 14: Jon Garland went 7 innings, giving up 2 runs in his first outing of the season, but Runelvys Hernandez kept the Royals in the game, and once again, all the Royals could muster was a two-run homer by Mike Sweeney. White Sox 3, Royals 2

Royals News:
- Mark Redman is 0-2 with a horrific ERA of 21.21 thus far this season. Expect Redman to be traded if he cannot step his game up.

League News:
- Marlins released CF Ryan Christenson, C Matt Treanor, LF Matt Cepicky, 1B Larry Sutton, P Justin Wayne, and P Allen Levrault
- Reds released Pitchers Dan Serafini and Jason Standridge

Division Leaders:
AL East: Tampa Bay (6-3)
AL Central: Chicago (6-3)
AL West: Oakland (7-2)
AL Wild Card: Texas (6-3)

NL East: Atlanta and Washington (5-4)
NL Central: Houston (6-2)
NL West: San Francisco (5-3)
NL Wild Card: Chicago (6-3)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Giants LF Barry Bonds (.550)
Home Runs: A's SS Bobby Crosby and LF Barry Bonds (5)
Hits: Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez and Angels OF Chone Figgens (18)
ERA: 4 Tied (0.00)
Wins: 10+ (2)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (20)
Saves: 8 Tied (3)

Injuries:
- Red Sox P Rudy Seanez will miss 4 weeks with a stretched knee ligament
- Phillies P Paul Abbot will miss 2 weeks with a spiked achilles tendon
- Mets P Tom Glavine will miss 2 weeks with a strained knee

[Royals #1]

April 15-17 Minnesota Twins (5-4) @ Kansas City Royals (1-8)

Probable Pitchers:
April 15: Victor Moreno (1-0, 1.00) @ Bobby Keppel (0-1, 11.12)
April 16: Brad Radke (0-0, 5.40) @ Mark Redman (0-2, 21.21)
April 17: Johan Santana (0-0, 3.97) @ Scott Elarton (0-1, 2.84)

Recaps:
April 15: Bobby Keppel pitched brilliant in his second career game going 8 innings and allowing 1 run despite giving up 11 hits. Twins 1, Royals 4

April 16: Mark Redman finally gave the Royals' front office a reason to reconsider their recent trade rumors involving him. Redman went 7 2/3 innings, allowing just 2 runs to get his first win as a Kansas City Royal. Twins 2, Royals 9

April 17: Scott Elarton again gave the Royals a chance to win, but an all and powerful Venezuelan by the name of Johan Santana was just too much. Twins 3, Royals 1

Royals News:
- John Buck will miss the next 5 games with a dislocated collar bone. .235 with 1 homerun so far this season. Backup catcher Paul Bako will take Buck's place.
- Not one person in the Royals lineup is batting .300+ this season yet. The closest canidate is CF Joey Gathright who is batting .289

League News:
- Padres C Mike Piazza hit his 400th career homerun
- Pirates RF Jeromy Burnitz hit his 300th career homerun
- D-Backs RF Shawn Green hit his 1000th Run

Division Leaders:
AL East: Tampa Bay (8-4)
AL Central: Chicago (8-4)
AL West: Oakland and Texas (8-4)
AL Wild Card: Texas (8-4)

NL East: Atlanta and New York (7-5)
NL Central: Houston (9-2)
NL West: San Francisco (7-4)
NL Wild Card: Chicago (9-3)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Giants LF Barry Bonds (.480)
Home Runs: A's SS Bobby Crosby (6)
Hits: Cubs 3B Aramis Ramirez and Angles OF Chone Figgins (22)
ERA: White Sox P Javier Vasquez (0.50)
Wins: Cubs P Carlos Zambrano, Mets P Pedro Martinez, and A's P Joe Kennedy (3)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (31)
Saves: Astros P Brad Lidge (5)

Injuries:
- Brewers RF Geoff Jenkins will miss 5 weeks with a wrist stress fracture
- Red Sox P Abe Alvarez will miss 4 weeks with a broken finger
- Yankees P Scott Proctor will miss 2 weeks with a sprained ankle
- A's P Shane Komine will miss 3 months with a broken back vertebra

[Royals #1]

April 18, 2006
The Kansas City Star:

Royals send Pitcher Redman to Dodgers for top-prospect Broxton

http://img143.imageshack.us/img143/3575/redmandl8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Kansas City Royals sent pitcher Mark Redman along with his $5 million salary to the Los Angeles Dodgers for 21 year-old pitching prospect Jonathan Broxton. Broxton has pitched in 14 games in the Majors, all of them in relief. Broxton will immediately report to AAA Omaha until the Royals see it fit to promote him.

[Royals #1]

April 18, 2006
Kansas City Star:

Royals bring back Lima, hope third times a charm

http://img102.imageshack.us/img102/4655/limapj8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Royals decided to give Jose Lima one last chance in the big leagues by aquiring him in a deal with th Mets for veteran OF Matt Stairs and a player to be named later. Lima was 5-16 with an ERA of 6.99 a year ago, but was a 13 game winner with the Dodgers in '04. Lima will replace the hole in the rotation left by Mark Redman.

[Royals #1]

April 18-19 Kansas City Royals (3-9) @ Detroit Tigers (7-5)

Probable Pitchers:
April 18: Zack Greinke (0-1, 4.85) vs. Kenny Rogers (1-0, 2.63)
April 19: Runelvys Hernandez (1-1, 5.11) vs. Jeremy Bonderman (1-0, 2.30)

Recaps:
April 18: The Tigers' offense came to play as they amassed 20 hits of of 3 Royals pitchers, while the KC offense played well, but once again, the Royals could not get an all-around effort from both pitching and batting. Royals 5, Tigers 8

April 19: Runelvys Hernandez was able to hold the Tigers back and allow the Royals the "window of opportunity," and they took advatage of it, knocking 12 hits and 3 runs off Tigers starter Jeremy Bonderman, and that proved to be enough. Royals 4, Tigers 2

Royals News:
- CF Joey Gethright has been moved to the leadoff spot in the order after posting a .319 batting average so far this year. The lineup will be the same with the exception of Gathright in the 1 spot instead of the 9.

League News:
- Rockies released LF Doug DeVore, C Danny Ardoin, RF Kit Pellow, P Nate Field, P Hector Almonte, P Gabe Molina, and P Jose Acevedo
- Giants signed 1B Roberto Petagine and P Randy Flores

Division Leaders:
AL East: Tampa Bay (9-5)
AL Central: Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit (8-6)
AL West: Oakland (10-4)
AL Wild Card: Texas (9-5)

NL East: Atlanta, New York (9-5)
NL Central: Houston (11-2)
NL West: San Francisco (8-5)
NL Wild Card: Chicago, New York (9-5)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Giants LF Barry Bonds (.464)
Home Runs: 5 Tied (6)
Hits: Angels OF Garret Anderson and Dodgers OF Kenny Lofton (24)
ERA: White Sox P Javier Vasquez (0.50)
Wins: 5 Tied (3)
Strikeouts: Mets P Victor Zambrano (35)
Saves: Astros P Brad Lidge (5)

Injuries:
- Twins LF Rondell Whits will miss 4 months with a broken back vertebra
- Nationals P Chad Cordero will miss 2 weeks with a hand stress fracture
- Astros C Brad Ausmus will miss 2 weeks with a sprained neck
- A's P Rich Harden will miss 8 months with a broken wrist

[Royals #1]

April 20-21 Kansas City Royals (4-10) @ Seattle Mariners (6-8)

Probable Pitchers:
April 20: Bobby Keppel (1-1, 5.27) vs. Damian Moss (0-1, 5.40)
April 21: Jose Lima (0-0, 0.00) vs. Jarrod Washburn (2-0, 3.27)

Recaps:
April 20: Bobby Keppel was again fantastic, this time going 7 innings and allowing only 2 runs to earn his second career victory. Tony Graffanino helped out the cayse by going 1 for 4 with a 3-run homer. Royals 5, Mariners 4

April 21: The Kansas City offense reared it's ugly head, helping out Jose Lima, who pitched decent, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. Mike Sweeney belted a pair of solo homeruns and Joey Gethright was a homer away from the cycle. Royals 14, Mariners 8

Royals News:
- Setup man Ambiorix Burgos has been suprisingly effective in the bullpen this year, posting a record of 1-0 and an ERA of 2.92. Closer Mike MacDougal on the other hand has notched 3 saves, but has done it with an ERA of 7.36. Expect a swap in roles soon.

League News:
None

Division Leaders:
AL East: Boston (11-6)
AL Central: Detroit (10-6)
AL West: Oakland (12-4)
AL Wild Card: Chicago, Tampa Bay, Texas (9-7)

NL East: Atlanta, New York (11-5)
NL Central: Houston (12-3)
NL West: San Francisco (9-6)
NL Wild Card: New York (11-5)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Dodgers OF Kenny Lofton (.441)
Home Runs: Orioles SS Miguel Tejada (7)
Hits: Tigers OF Nook Logan (28)
ERA: White Sox P Javier Vasquez (0.50)
Wins: Mets P Pedro Martinez (4)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (38)
Saves: Astros P Brad Lidge (6)

Injuries:
- Braves P John Thomson will miss 2 months with a broken elbow
- White Sox C A.J. Pierzynski will miss 2 weeks with a finger stress fracture
- A's P Dan Haren will miss 3 weeks with a chipped knee cap
- Giants CF Steve Finley will miss 4 weeks with a wrist stress fracture

[HoustonGM]

Are you taking fan questions? If so,


"Get rid of that hag Jose Lima. What is the front office thinking signing that guy? He's proven time and time again that he is not a professional baseball player. He's junk."

[Royals #1]

Well, it's been almost three weeks into the season and we have our first fan e-mail. He says: "Get rid of that hag Jose Lima. What is the front office thinking signing that guy? He's proven time and time again that he is not a professional baseball player. He's junk."

To answer that question, we have Royals GM Jason Green here to answer it.

"Well, the whole logic behind aquiring Jose Lima was that we shipped off Matt Stairs. Matt was just too expensive to be wasting away on the bench with our payroll, so we got some offers, but none for starting pitching, except for Jose. Jose pitched well for this club in '03, and was a solid third man in the Dodgers rotation in '04. Anyway, Jose is what we call a 'short-term-fill' and is just replacing the hole left by Mark Redman. Also, you have to be rooting for this guy, it's his last stop in the bigs!"

[Royals #1]

April 22-24 Kansas City Royals (6-10) @ Oakland Athletics (12-4)

Probable Pitchers:
April 22: Scott Elarton (0-2, 2.75) @ Joe Blanton (0-0, 0.00)
April 23: Zack Greinke (0-2, 5.79) @ John Rheinecker (0-0, 0.00)
April 24: Runelvys Hernandez (2-1, 4.05) @ Barry Zito (1-0, 4.18)

Recaps:
April 22: Scott Elarton was once again brilliant allowing 1 earned run over 7 innings while the Royals offense took care of the rest. Royals 5, A's 4

April 23: Zack Greinke went 9 innings giving up 1 run and trying to hold down a 1-1 tie, but the KC offense never came through as Mike MacDougal blew it in the bottom of the tenth. Royals 1, A's 2

April 24: The pitching was great, the offense was great, what more could you ask for? Runelvys Hernandez went 8 strong, allowing just 2 runs while the Royals offense, led by David Dejesus' 4 RBI's, knocked the A's around. Royals 7, A's 2

Royals News:
- As anticipated, Mike MacDougal has been taken out of his closers Role and moved to short relief. Ambiorix Burgos will move up and replace him. MacDougal and appeared in 7 games posting an ERA of 10.13 while converting 4 saves.
- Andrew Sisco was sent down to AAA Omaha after a disappointing start to his season. Sisco posted an ERA of 14.73 and will work on his stuff down in Omaha. P Joel Peralta was called up and will be the setup man.
- Jimmy Gobble was also sent to Omaha after having an ERA over 8 in 7 innings pitched in relief. Gobble currently held the alternate starter position. Brandon Duckworth was recalled from Omaha to take his spot.

League News:
- Twins released C Mike Redmond, RF Ruben Sierra, and signed P Edwin Almonte
- Mariners released P Kevin Appier

Division Leaders:
AL East: Boston (13-7)
AL Central: Chicago (12-7)
AL West: Oakland (13-6)
AL Wild Card: Cleveland, Tampa Bay (11-8)

NL East: New York (13-6)
NL Central: Houston (13-5)
NL West: San Francisco (12-6)
NL Wild Card: Atlanta (12-7)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Dodgers OF Kenny Lofton (.423)
Home Runs: Indians DH Travis Hafner (8)
Hits: Tigers OF Nook Logan (33)
ERA: White Sox P Javier Vasquez (0.67)
Wins: Mets P Pedro Martinez (4)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (38)
Saves: Astros P Brad Lidge, Dodgers P Eric Gagne, and Brewers P Derrick Turnbow (6)

Injuries:
- Astros P Roy Oswalt will miss 2 weeks with a hand stress fracture
- Blue Jays P A.J. Burnett will miss 11 months with a torn rotator cuff

[Royals #1]

April 25, 2006
The Kansas City Star -

Royals send Veteran Sanders and two prospects to Minnesota for Liriano

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/2019/liriano2kk8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

In a move that is sure to bolster their pitching staff, the Royals have traded veteran OF Reggie Sanders along with minor leaguers Colt Griffin and Adam Bernero to the Twins for top pitching prospect Francisco Liriano.

Sanders was batting .162 with 4 homeruns for the Royals in 17 games this year and a move to send him out of Kansas City was sure to come soon. Colt Griffin and Adam Bernero were two prospects for the Royals that never fanned out for them and trading them for Liriano seemed like a good option.

Liriano will be sent immediately to AAA Omaha.

[Royals #1]

April 25, 2006
The Kansas City Star -

Mientkiewicz sent back to New York with the Mets in return for 17 year-old

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3051/mientkiewiczue6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Doug Mientkiewicz was the latest casualty in the Royals quest to dump off pricey veterans as Mientkiewicz, along with P Bobby Madritsch, was sent to the Mets in exchange for 17-year old prospect Fernando Martinez. Martinez is a good contact hitter with good speed and will be a nice fit for this organization in the years to come.

The Royals number 3 prospect Justin Huber will be recalled from AAA Omaha to fill in at first base. Huber was batting .316 with no homeruns for the Omaha Royals in 16 games.

[HoustonGM]

Why is Liriano so easy to get? :(

[Royals #1]

Why is Liriano so easy to get? :(

Hmmm.. I don't know, the only thing that I can think, is that the AI likes to look at players' overall ratings more than their peak, so if you give them some old veteran with a decent rating (ie, 75-80), they'll go after it.

[HoustonGM]

Hmmm.. I don't know, the only thing that I can think, is that the AI likes to look at players' overall ratings more than their peak, so if you give them some old veteran with a decent rating (ie, 75-80), they'll go after it.
Yeah, I know. =\

[Royals #1]

April 26-28 Cleveland Indians (11-8) @ Kansas City Royals (8-11)

Probable Pitchers:
April 26: Jason Bere (2-1, 3.38) vs. Bobby Keppel (2-1, 4.25)
April 27: C.C. Sabathia (2-1, 4.98) vs. Jose Lima (0-0, 7.20)
April 28: Cliff Lee (1-2, 4.62) vs. Scott Elarton (1-2, 2.33)

Recaps:
April 26: Bobby Keppel had good stuff, going 6 strong innings allowing 3 runs, but only 2 were earned. However, with the game tied in the bottom of the ninth, Joey Gathright singled, was moved over to second, then sacrificed to third, and was driven in on Mike Sweeney's groundout. Indians 4, Royals 5

April 27: Jose Lima was very effective in his second start of the season, this time allowing just 2 runs in 7 innings while striking out 7. Ambiorix Burgos got his first save of the year by throwing a nearly perfect ninth. Indians 2, Royals 4

April 28: For the first time this year, Scott Elarton was roughed up, allowing 5 runs in 4 innings, but the bullpen didn;t help out either. Brandon Duckworth, who was making his first appearance of the season, gave up 3 runs in 1 2/3 innings. Indians 9, Royals 4

Royals News:
- After a miserable .190 average, Emil Brown was taken out of the starting lineup. Brown had taken the departed Reggie Sanders' place, but had not produced. Chip Ambres was recalled from AAA Omaha to take his place. Ambres was batting an even .300 with 4 round-trippers for the O-Royals.

League News:
- Orioles released CF Tsuyoshi Shinjo, 3B Luis Lopez, and signed C Danny Ardoin
- Braves released LF Matt Diaz, C Todd Pratt, and signed CF Tsuyoshi Shinjo and P John Bale

Division Leaders:
AL East: Boston (15-8)
AL Central: Chicago, Detroit (13-9)
AL West: Oakland (13-9)
AL Wild Card: Detroit (13-9)

NL East: New York (15-7)
NL Central: Houston (15-6)
NL West: San Francisco (14-7)
NL Wild Card: Atlanta (13-9)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Tigers OF Nook Logan (.429)
Home Runs: Indians DH Travis Hafner (9)
Hits: Tigers OF Nook Logan (39)
ERA: White Sox P Javier Vasquez (0.67)
Wins: Tigers P Steve Avery and Mets P Pedro Martinez
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (43)
Saves: Boston P Keith Foulke and Brewers P Derrick Turnbow (7)

Injuries:
- Twins LF Reggie Sanders will miss 4 weeks with a stretched knee ligament
- Yankees 1B Jason Giambi will miss 4 weeks with a stretched knee ligament
- Rangers C Rod Barajas will miss 5 weeks with a broken finger
- Nationals P Tony Armas Jr. will miss 3 weeks with a dislocated shoulder

[Royals #1]

April 29-30, May 1 Detroit Tigers (13-9) @ Kansas City Royals (10-12)

Probable Pitchers:
April 29: Jeremy Bonderman (1-1 ,4.44) @ Zack Greinke (0-2, 4.23)
April 30: Nate Robertson (0-2, 6.23) @ Runelvys Hernandez (3-1, 3.54)
May 1: Bob Henkel (0-0, 2.57) @ Bobby Keppel (2-1, 4.05)

Recaps:
April 29: Zack Greinke was absolutely magnificent, throwing a complete game one-run masterpiece while striking out 7. Tigers 1, Royals 3

April 30: The Royals moved up to .500 with a great pitching performance by Runelvys Hernandez, who went 7 2/3 innings and gave up 3 runs while moving up in a tie for the league lead in wins. Tigers 3, Royals 7

May 1: A beautiful end to a beautiful series by the Royals. Bobby Keppel finished it off by going 8 2/3 innings, giving up just 1 run to give the Royals their first sweep of the season. Tigers 1, Royals 9

Royals News:
- Not one Royals starter has an ERA above 5 and only one has an ERA over 4 (Jose Lima, 4.38).

League News:
- Mets released LF Dave Berg, RF Ron Calloway, P Jesus Sanchez, and P Jose Parra

Division Leaders:
AL East: Boston (16-10)
AL Central: Chicago (15-10)
AL West: Oakland, Texas (14-11)
AL Wild Card: Tampa Bay, Texas (14-11)

NL East: New York (16-9)
NL Central: Houston (16-8)
NL West: San Francisco (16-8)
NL Wild Card: Atlanta (15-10)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Tigers OF Nook Logan and Dodgers OF Kenny Lofton (.406)
Home Runs: Indians DH Travis Hafner (10)
Hits: Tigers Of Nook Logan (41)
ERA: Blue Jays P A.J. Burnett (1.15)
Wins: 5 Tied (4)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez and Pirates P Oliver Perez (43)
Saves: 4 Tied (7)

Injuries:
- Braves P John Smoltz will miss 2 weeks with a sprained ankle
- Red Sox C Jason Varitek will miss 3 weeks with a shoulder seperation
- Astros 2B Craig Biggio will miss 3 weeks with a spiked achilles tendon

[PLA]

Everyone seems to get Liriano in their dynasties, haha.

[Royals #1]

Finals for the month of April:

http://img369.imageshack.us/img369/4465/moguldm8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

http://img425.imageshack.us/img425/4317/mogulri5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Batting Stats:

2006 Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Ambres, Chip KCR 3 .273 11 3 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 2 .364 .385
Bako, Paul KCR 7 .107 28 3 0 0 0 0 9 0 0 2 0 .107 .138
Berroa, Angel KCR 23 .293 92 27 5 0 2 4 18 2 0 15 10 .413 .323
Brown, Dee KCR 1 .600 5 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 .600 .600
Brown, Emil KCR 9 .200 25 5 0 0 2 4 11 0 0 4 5 .440 .310
Buck, John KCR 18 .213 61 13 3 0 2 7 19 0 0 8 11 .361 .290
DeJesus, David KCR 24 .273 99 27 6 0 1 9 18 1 3 9 14 .364 .339
Gathright, Joey KCR 22 .318 88 28 4 3 0 8 18 8 1 17 9 .432 .375
German, Esteban KCR 4 .200 5 1 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 .200 .333
Graffanino, Tony KCR 7 .391 23 9 1 0 1 5 4 1 0 4 4 .565 .500
Grudzielanek, Mark KCR 25 .294 102 30 6 0 0 4 16 2 1 8 7 .353 .327
Huber, Justin KCR 6 .333 21 7 1 0 0 2 3 0 0 5 2 .381 .417
Sweeney, Mike KCR 23 .279 86 24 5 0 3 11 8 0 0 8 16 .442 .366
Teahen, Mark KCR 25 .253 87 22 4 0 1 8 23 1 0 11 7 .333 .309


Pitching Stats:

2006 Pitching Team IP ERA G GS W L SV K BB R/9
Affeldt, Jeremy KCR 7.2 1.17 4 0 0 0 1 10 3 12.91
Burgos, Ambiorix KCR 14.0 2.57 10 0 1 0 1 9 6 13.50
Dessens, Elmer KCR 11.1 3.97 9 0 0 2 0 7 5 15.88
Duckworth, Brandon KCR 1.2 16.20 1 0 0 0 0 3 1 32.40
Elarton, Scott KCR 31.2 3.41 5 5 1 3 0 15 10 13.07
Gobble, Jimmy KCR 7.2 8.22 4 0 0 0 0 6 5 14.09
Greinke, Zack KCR 36.2 3.44 5 5 1 2 0 28 4 10.31
Hernandez, Runelvys KCR 35.2 3.53 5 5 4 1 0 25 14 11.86
Keppel, Bobby KCR 35.1 3.31 5 5 3 1 0 24 12 13.75
Lima, Jose KCR 12.1 4.38 2 2 1 0 0 11 3 15.32
MacDougal, Mike KCR 6.1 9.95 8 0 0 1 4 4 6 22.74
Peralta, Joel KCR 4.0 0.00 3 0 1 0 0 3 1 4.50
Sisco, Andrew KCR 3.2 14.73 4 0 0 0 1 2 5 34.36

[Royals #1]

Monthly Minor League Report:

A look at the Royals top 5 prospects:

1. Alex Gordon AA Wichita -
Gordon is hitting .288 with 1 homer and 14 RBI in 21 games for the Wranglers this season. Alex still has a long way to go until he is major league ready.

2. Billy Butler AA Wichita -
Gordon's teammate at Whichita is batting .278 with 0 homers through 19 games with Whichita. Like Gordon, Butler still has quite a bit more to work on before he is ready for the bigs.

3. Justin Huber Kansas City Royals -
Huber was called up to Kansas City on April 25, the day Doug Mientkiewicz was dealt to the New York Mets. Huber was batting .316 with 0 homers and 12 RBI for AAA Omaha. Since his callup, Huber is batting .333 in 6 games (7 for 21). Huber will most likely be up in the majors for the rest of the season.

4. Andres Blanco AAA Omaha -
Andres has struggled somewhat in AAA, hitting .268, but with an on base % of .328. He has 10 strikeouts compared to 15 hits. Blanco will be sent down to AA Wichita to work on his mechanics.

5. Luke Hochevar A High Desert -
Luke is pitching well for high desert, going 0-1 with an ERA of 2.79. Opponents were hitting .256 against him. Luke might yet be in KC by the year's end, but for now, it's High Desert.


Top Prospects around the League:
(According to Baseball America)
1. Delmon Young Tampa Bay Devil Rays AA -

Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Young, Delmon TBD 26 .358 109 39 8 0 3 17 20 3 1 24 17 .514 .445


2. Justin Upton Arizona Diamondbacks R -

Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Upton, Justin ARI 11 .302 43 13 3 0 1 2 11 0 0 9 8 .442 .348


3. Brandon Wood LA Angels of Anaheim A -

Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Wood, Brandon LAA 22 .314 86 27 0 0 1 9 14 2 0 16 11 .349 .371


4. Jeremy Hermida Florida Marlins AA -

Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Hermida, Jeremy FLA 18 .267 75 20 4 0 1 11 13 1 0 11 14 .360 .360



5. Stephen Drew Arizona Diamondbacks MLB -

Batting Team G AVG AB H 2B 3B HR BB K SB CS R RBI SLG OBP
Drew, Stephen ARI 20 .316 79 25 3 1 0 7 17 4 1 11 6 .380 .372

[HoustonGM]

Everyone seems to get Liriano in their dynasties, haha.
Thats because he's so dang easy to get. I don't get him just because I like to keep my games realistic. I know the Twins won't trade Liriano.

[Royals #1]

I just want everyone to know that I won't be quitting this dynasty, but I won't be able to update it for a week. Thanks for all you reading this.

[Tigers 94]

ok...bye

[Royals #1]

I figured I'd do a couple more posts before I leave.

May 3-5 Kansas City Royals (13-12) @ Minnesota Twins (8-17)

Probable Pitchers:
May 3: Jose Lima (1-0, 4.38) vs. Johan Santana (1-1, 3.08)
May 4: Scott Elarton (1-3, 3.41) vs. Kyle Lohse (1-3, 9.28)
May 5: Zack Greinke (1-2, 3.44) vs. Carlos Silva (2-2, 3.21)

Recaps:
May 3: Jose Lima was great... but the Royals offense wasn't. Lima went 8 2/3 innings, allowing just 1 run on 7 hits. However, for the second time this year, Johan Santana baffled Royals hitters as they could muster just 5 hits against him. Royals 0, Twins 1

May 4: Scott Elarton was once again effective, very effective. Elarton lasted 8 innings and giving up just 1 run. The Royals offense showed up as well as Mark Teahen and Angel Berroa both homered for KC. Royals 6, Twins 2

May 5: A heartbreaking loss for the Royals as Zack Greinke went 7 innings and gave up 4 runs, but kept the game in reach for the Royals. However, in the bottom of the ninth, Shawn Wooten homered off Joel Peralta to win it for the Twins. Royals 4, Twins 5

Royals News:
- Cather John Buck has struggled thus far (batting .194 with 2 homers) and is a prime canidate to be demoted to Omaha.

League News:
- Rockies signed LF Adam Piatt
- Red Sox released LF Billy McMillon, 3B Earl Snyder, and signed C Gregg Myers

Division Leaders:
AL East: Boston (17-12)
AL Central: Chicago (17-11)
AL West: Oakland, Texas (16-12)
AL Wild Card: Texas (16-12)

NL East: New York (17-11)
NL Central: Houston (18-9)
NL West: San Francisco (18-9)
NL Wild Card: Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles (17-12)

League Leaders:
Batting Average: Tigers DH Dmitri Young (.385)
Home Runs: Indians DH Travis Hafner (12)
Hits: Indians CF Grady Sizemore (45)
ERA: Blue Jays P A.J. Burnett (1.15)
Wins: Astros P Brad Lidge and Mets P Pedro Martinez (5)
Strikeouts: Mets P Pedro Martinez (49)
Saves: Dodgers P Eric Gagne and Brewers P Derrick Turnbow (9)

Injuries:
- Angels C Jose Molina will miss 3 weeks with a dislocated shoulder
- Brewers RF Gabe Gross will miss 2 weeks with a strained knee

[Royals #1]

May 6, 2006
The Kansas City Star -

Royals send minor-leaguer Huisman to A's for catcher Doumit

http://img148.imageshack.us/img148/4822/doumitxw7.png (http://imageshack.us)

The Kansas City Royals traded minor-league reliever Justin Huisman to the Pittsburgh Pirates for 25 year-old catcher Ryan Doumit. Doumit had only played in 6 games for the Pirates this year. Justin Huisman was 1-2 witha 4.63 ERA at AA Wichita. Huisman had only played in 14 games in the majors since being aquired prior to the 2005 season. Doumit will platoon with starting catcher John Buck after Buck's recent struggles. However, the starting catching spot remains Buck's and it is his to lose.

[Royals #1]

May 6, 2006
The Kansas City Star -

Royals sign... Reggie Sanders, bring him back to KC?

http://img157.imageshack.us/img157/896/sanderslh3.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

In a surprising move, the Royals have signed OF Reggie Sanders to a free agent contract just 10 days after he was dealt to the Twins for pitcher Francisco Liriano. Sanders was released by the Twins on April 29, just 3 days after being aquired from the Royals, due to a stretched knee ligament that would have him out for a month. Sanders was the main figure on the Royals end of the Liriano deal and having him back is just another added plus. Sanders can now move to right field after that spot was shared by Emil Brown and Chip Ambres, neither of them being effective.