Royals Rumblings - News for September 18, 2023
Jordan Lyles ties a club record.
Jordan Lyles tied the club record for most home runs allowed in a single season by giving up two more on Sunday to give him 38 for the year.
“He got hurt by the long ball,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “His stuff was good and he was attacking the zone. ... You look up, six innings, and we just didn’t give him any run support.”
Bobby Witt Jr. inched closer to the 30/30 club with home run #29.
“It’s very special but I’m not trying to set it at 30,” Witt said of his historic pursuit. “Just got to keep going and don’t really want to set numbers for goals. Because once you achieve them, you don’t know where to go after that. So, you got to take it day-by-day.”
Logan Porter hit his first MLB home run against a childhood friend.
Porter faced Astros reliever Joel Kuhnel in the eighth inning. The duo played together on the same club baseball team in Arizona. In high school, they played against each other. Porter went to Valley Vista High School and Kuhnel attended Sunrise Mountain High School, both in Arizona. The familiarity came into play at Kauffman Stadium.
“I faced him earlier this year when he was with the (Cincinnati) Reds,” Porter said of a minor-league meeting between the two. “I kind of knew what to expect. He threw me a good pitch and I put a good swing on it.”
Puerto Rican native Nelson Velázquez homered on Friday, Roberto Clemente Day.
“Honestly, it means the world to me,” Velázquez said. “It’s my first time I’ve hit a home run on Roberto Clemente Day.”...
“It’s so amazing to be able to wear his number and play in right field where he played his whole career,” Velázquez said. In Puerto Rico, it’s very important this day. I know he is not here with us no more, but we support him and everyone in Puerto Rico.”
Angel Zerpa had a terrific long relief outing on Saturday.
“I think he can do any number of things,” Quatraro said. “We’ve seen him hold his velocity pretty well when he has been stretched out – he was [94-95 mph] most of the night — and the more innings he gets to pitch, the more he’s going to be able to develop his pitches. Ideally, he’s building himself up to get enough innings so we can consider him a starter.”
Salvador Perez left Saturday’s game after getting hit in the face mask with a foul ball.
“The decisive thing was when he went out to the mound, he started to get a little lightheaded,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.
Porter caught the remainder of the game. Later, the Royals announced that Perez was evaluated for a concussion. He was diagnosed with a non-concussive head impact.
“It got him kind of up high,” Quatraro said. “He’s been checked and it’s non-concussive.”
Craig Brown at Into the Fountains marvels the improvement of Bobby Witt Jr.
I love that Witt’s BABIP is virtually the same as last year because it helps the comparison between seasons. But I’m burying the lede: With a four percent cut in his strikeout rate, he’s putting more balls in play. As he’s becoming a bit more selective at the plate, he’s stinging the ball more.
The results in the rate stats have been incredibly impressive.
Padres pitcher Matt Waldron becomes the first knuckleballer to win a game since 2018.
The Dodgers win their tenth division title in eleven years.
The Orioles and Rays clinch playoff berths.
Shohei Ohtani is out for the season with right oblique inflammation.
Catchers are putting their knee down and it has changed the position.
Chaim Bloom may have been set up to fail in Boston.
The general manager hot seat rankings.
Jim Callis lists the prospects who had breakout seasons.
Former Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is hospitalized with a stroke.
Mike Babcock resigns as coach of the Columbus Blue Jackets amid an investigation he violated player privacy.
The Denver Broncos lose in hilarious fashion if you’re a Chiefs fan.
AI is helping lawyers predict how judges will rule.
Scientists discover an exoplanet that may have water and a hint of life.
Comic book creator Bill Willingham gets frustrated in selling the rights to Fables to DC Comics, so he put it in the public domain.
Your song of the day Creedence Clearwater Revival with Proud Mary.