\"A dim view of humanity\" -Lee Judge
Despite being on the Injured List, Matt Strahm is still mentoring Daniel Lynch IV. He stood up from the bench to go get his warmup bands and start his routine in case the bullpen phone rang. That is, until a hand clamped down on his shoulder. “Sit down,” Matt Strahm remembers telling Lynch. “This isn’t […]
The Royals were swept by the Yankees in the season series for the second year in a row, losing Wednesday evening 7-0. Tonight’s game was a pitchers’ duel through the first six innings. The 17th batter of the evening, Michael Massey, was the first hitter who managed to reach base when he hit a liner […]
After blowing a lead in the ninth on Monday and a drubbing last night, the Royals once again find themselves on the verge of a sweep at the hands of the Yankees. Kansas City has not been able to rebound from a slow start and now has too many pitching injuries. At least today they […]
After a blowout on Tuesday, the Royals announced that starting pitcher Bailey Falter has been designated for assignment. Falter gave up seven runs to the Yankees, recording just seven outs. Mason Black was recalled from Triple-A Omaha. Falter appeared in five games this year, giving up 15 runs in 9.2 innings for a 13.97 ERA. […]
It seems like a long time ago now, but the Royals were in the playoffs as recently as 2024. They vanquished the Baltimore Orioles, setting up a matchup against the Yankees in the ALDS. The series was quickly developing a villain for Royals fans – Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. He had a cocky attitude […]
With the current Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) set to expire in December, MLB and the player’s union have begun initial labor talks. The last labor talks were five years ago, when players were locked out through mid-March, pushing the start of the season back a week, but avoiding the loss of any games. This negotiation […]
ESPN names Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. as the frontrunner for AL MVP. Witt has had a pedestrian start at the plate, posting a batting average and on-base percentage in line with past seasons but with an isolated power number that’s down — or at least it will be until he goes on […]
One of my pet theorems about the Kansas City Royals franchise and their fans is that nobody really knows what winning looks like, what good players look like. It’s a point of view naturally warped by decades of mediocrity punctuated by brief seasons of excitement. Tonight, the New York Yankees crushed the Royals 15-1 and […]
Things are really bleak right now. The Kansas City Royals have five wins since May 6. The New York Yankees, and their many fans, are in town looking for their fifth consecutive win against the Royals this year. That’s underselling it, actually; the Yankees have defeated the Royals in the last 11 consecutive regular season […]
In baseball, there is only one finite resource. We can argue endlessly about which is more exciting, a perfectly executed bunt single or a smash through the hole, a triple or a home run. But none of that matters for winning games as much as managing that one resource as effectively as humanly possible. Outs. […]
Six hundred and fifty-plus episodes in, and the Royals Rundown Podcast is still finding new angles on Kansas City Royals baseball. Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco mark the milestone with one of the more wide-ranging conversations, from a series victory over the Seattle Mariners to a daunting date with the New York Yankees on the […]
This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?” Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (25-25, 5.5 games back) The Storm Chasers took 4 of 6 from the St. […]
Cole Ragans had a slight setback in his rehab. On Monday, Royals manager Matt Quatraro said the 28-year-old left-handed pitcher is still dealing with left-elbow discomfort stemming from Valgus Extension Overload (VEO) or “pitcher’s elbow.” Ragans, who made a strong rehab start for Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, will be sidelined 2-3 days before being re-evaluated […]
Another ninth-inning meltdown wasted a great start from Michael Wacha in a 4-3 loss to the Yankees. This is just brutal to watch. It’s infuriating. The Royals held a 3-2 lead going into the 9th inning, which currently belongs to Lucas Erceg. I’m not sure it will for much longer. In that inning, Salvador Perez […]
The AL Central 4th place 22-31 Royals play at home on Memorial Day against the 31-22 Yankees, who are in 2nd place in the AL East behind the Rays. I was at the game yesterday and got to see all the good parts. I skipped the bad parts at the end to go home. In […]
The Royals will shut down starting pitcher Cole Ragans for a few days after he experienced discomfort with his elbow in his rehab start for Omaha. Manager Matt Quatraro addressed the setback with the media today, telling them, “He did not recover well from his start, so he’s gonna be shut down for a couple […]
The last time the Royals beat the Yankees was on October 7, 2024 – Game 2 of the American League Divisional Series. The Royals dropped the last two games of that series, and have not won a regular season game against the Bronx Bombers since in nine tries. They were swept in New York against […]
Memorial Day is the unofficial start to summer, but it is also a day to remember and honor the men and women who died while serving in the United States military. Originally called “Decoration Day” to honor the fallen during the Civil War, President Lyndon Johnson made it an official holiday beginning in 1971 to […]
Through 4 and half innings, the Royals looked like they were bound for a disappointing, low scoring loss, which many fans have been accustomed to this season. But Michael Massey battled back from a 1-2 count to earn a walk to start the bottom half of the 5th. Kyle Isbel bunted on a 2-2 pitch, […]
The Kansas City Royals, who have been scuffling since the first week and a half of May, got a much-needed win yesterday against the Mariners, behind a complete game shutout from Stephen Kolek. The Royals evened the series, and clinched a season series win against Seattle. Today, right-hander Seth Lugo takes the bump for the […]
In today’s game thread, I wrote that Stephen Kolek’s second-best career start probably came against the Mariners last September, and we might need him to do even better if they were going to win today. As it turned out, they probably didn’t need him to be quite that good, but he absolutely was anyway. Things […]
Well, the Royals won’t be getting a series sweep against the Mariners this time. But perhaps they could still win the series and begin to right the ship that is their rapidly sinking season. If they can do it, a lot will depend on the offense finally getting going again. But it will also depend […]
The Kansas City Royals sit at 20-30 with nine losses in their last ten games, and Jacob Milham and Jeremy Greco are not here to sugarcoat it. This episode of the Royals Rundown Podcast takes an unflinching look at a team that has the talent to compete but has struggled to put it together consistently […]
Cole Ragans will begin a rehab assignment at Omaha, writes Jaylon Thompson. He is set to start Saturday’s game for the Storm Chasers against the St. Paul Saints — the Triple-A minor-league affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. “We have him scheduled for four to five innings,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “(It’s) 65 pitches, something […]
The Royals had four hits tonight, all singles. Vinnie Pasquantino’s single in the first inning was the only hit they would have until the sixth. Bobby Witt Jr. struck out swinging in each of his first two at-bats. The Royals’ best chance to score came in the bottom of the eighth when Michael Massey led […]