I'm going to get a ton of hate for this 5 innings into the season, but the Royals just seem to outclass us in every facet. We look totally goofy. Cespedes is going to drive me crazy all year, I just know it. We don't do the little things and it looks like a total repeat of the World Series. How heavily are we going to lean on our pitching this year? We look like a team that just shows up and hopes to win because we have the pitching. I know this reactionary but these two teams look like polar opposites, its uncanny. KC just seems to make all the plays and do things the right way, we find ways to give up runs and our offense is tentative at the plate.
ESPN pointed out that Volquez had the wrong cap on in the first. Already sold: https://twitter.com/jeremyscheuch
Nice that they made a game of it, but Wright just killed them in the 8th and 9th innings - up twice with two men on, strikeout on 4 pitches, strikeout on 3 pitches.
It really is. If conforto takes 3rd on that double we are tied. These are the little things that separat us from the royals
Wright was terrible Horrible job out of Granderson on the basepaths. Runners on the corners against a closer? You have to get a lead. Make him throw over (which he's not accustomed to doing, since he hasn't started in years), so just steal the damn base. If you don't want Cespedes to get intentionally walked (I would), then dance around, at the very least.
Sad to say, but David Wright can't do it anymore. Can't catch up to a ML fastball. Get him out of the 2 spot before it's too late.
Correct and correct. Maybe when the weather gets warmer he'll come around, but right now he can't be put behind Granderson and in front of people like Cespedes and Duda - he is a gigantic rally killer. Until he demonstrates that he can catch up to a 95+ fastball he can't be at the top of the order. Of course, Collins doing something dumb is hardly big news. Couldn't care less about the team getting into the World Series, which was purely because Cespedes thought he was Ted Williams for 7 weeks and Murphy thought he was Babe Ruth for 2 weeks - Collins is still a bad manager, pure and simple.
Normally you wouldn't react this strongly to a player performance after the very first game of the start of the season, but he hasn't looked good for a while. It isn't just his offense you worry about, it's his defense. His arm looks shot.
Let's be fair to Wright. Tying run at third with less than two outs...he's always sucked in those moments.
Came here to bitch about Wright but I see everyone else beat me to that lol. I had zero confidence in that situation that he was gonna get the tying run in. Conforto , Walker and d'Arnaud would all be better choices for that 2nd spot. Wright needs to be 6th in the lineup. He will still hit mediocre pitchers. But guys with above average stuff will eat him alive. He just cant catch up with those 97+ MPH pitches anymore. Last night was a bummer. Even when it was 4-3 I didnt see us winning. Looked kinda like where we left off last season with poor defense and not coming through with RISP.