05/13/2008 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Kansas City Royals have officially fizzled out.
After getting off to a decent start to the season, the losses are occurring more frequently and just like that they are five games below .500. They've lost five of their last seven games over the past week.
Still, Kansas City is just four games off the pace in the division. But if the Royals are to pick up the pieces, they've got some work to do.
For one, they haven't been able to get the job done at home. They're 7-12 record at Kauffman Stadium is the worst home mark in the majors. The Royals have three games remaining in their season-long 10-game homestand. But they'd have to sweep the Tigers this week just to finish off the homestand at 5-5.
"I can't give you any specific explanation other than the fact we know we need more offensive production," manager Trey Hillman said of his team's home struggles. "It's a bottom line business; you've got to produce."
As a team, Kansas City is hitting a respectable .285 over the homestand. However, they are stranding runners on base fairly regularly. And that, according to Hillman, is an indication guys are pressing too much at the plate.
It would certainly also help matters if the team had some heavy hitters in the lineup. Kansas City's 19 home runs on the season rank dead last in the majors, as only second-year third baseman Alex Gordon (five homers, 19 RBI) has provided any pop.
On Sunday, the Royals managed to avoid a four-game sweep at the hands of the Orioles, thanks to Brian Bannister's eight-inning gem. He did not allow a run, and gave up only two hits to improve to 4-4 on the season.
But Bannister cannot pitch every day. A big part of the problem, according to the coaching staff, has been the team's lack of discipline at the plate. Guys are not being patient enough, and that shows in the team's walk total, which ranks at the bottom of the majors.
"We're in a really, obviously, a disappointing and frustrating stretch," said Hillman on the team's Web site, stating the obvious.
ONE AREA THAT HASN'T BEEN A PROBLEM
The starting rotation, while it hasn't been dominant, is keeping the team in a position to win games.
In all but three of the last 10 games, the starters have held the opposition to four runs or fewer. Hillman, for one, really likes his rotation.
"I'm really comfortable with the five guys and their accountability and their ability to go out and win ballgames," Hillman told the Kansas City Star.
Gil Meche, who has been around the block a few times, said he hasn't been on a staff that has communicated with each other as often as this group. Luke Hochevar credits Meche for helping him develop his curveball.
Zack Greinke has no doubt been the horse, as he has gone seven innings four times this season. He is 4-1 with a 1.80 ERA.
WHO'S HOT
Jose Guillen has eight hits in his last 14 at-bats, including three doubles.
WHO'S NOT
Mark Teahen is just 3-for-his-last-18.
A LOOK AHEAD
Greinke gets the nod tonight when the Tigers come to kick off the last leg of Kansas City's homestand. He will face off against Nate Robertson (1-4, 6.64). On Wednesday, it will be Luke Hochevar (2-2, 4.94) against Justin Verlander (1-6, 6.43). And on Thursday, veterans Meche (2-5, 6.31) and Kenny Rogers (3-3, 5.82) will square off.
The Royals then head to Florida to play a weekend series against the Marlins.
<< Struggling Dodgers begin trek in Milwaukee
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Brad Penny will try to rebound from a horrible outing when
he takes the hill tonight for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will open a six-
game road trip with the first of three straight matchups against the Milwaukee
Brewers
<< Cubs resume successful homestand with another test from Padres
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs will shoot for their
fifth straight win this evening, when they resume a four-game series with the
San Diego Padres at Wrigley Field.
The Cubs, who are one game ahead of St. Lou
<< Rays aim to maintain winning ways in rematch with Yanks
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Tampa Bay Rays try to extend their franchise-record
home-winning streak to 11 games this evening, when they continue their four-
game series with the New York Yankees at Tropicana Field.
Tampa moved six games abo
<< Davydenko, Ferrer ease into third round in Hamburg
Hamburg, Germany (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Fourth-seeded Russian star Nikolay
Davydenko and fifth-seeded Spaniard David Ferrer were easy second-round
winners Tuesday at the $2.955 million Masters Series Hamburg, a clay-court
French Open tuneup.
Grant expects Terry, Drogba to play in final >>
London, England (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Chelsea coach Avram Grant expects both John
Terry and Didier Drogba to be fit for the Champions League final on May 21.
Both captain Terry and main striker Drogba suffered injury scares in the final
game of
AC Milan's Maldini may play one more season >>
Milan, Italy (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - AC Milan legend Paolo Maldini is set to delay
his retirement to continue for yet another season with the Rossoneri.
The 39-year-old defender had earlier stated that this campaign would be his
last, but Ma
Report: Sorenstam set to retire >>
Clifton, NJ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Hall of Fame golfer Annika Sorenstam has
scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon at the Upper Montclair
Country Club in New Jersey, at which time she will reportedly announce her
retirem
This Week in Auto Racing May 16 - May 18 >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - It is just 11 weeks into the 36-race
2008 Sprint Cup season, but NASCAR will hold its "mid-season" classic which
highlights this week's racing action.
NASCAR
Sprint Cup
Sprint Cup All-Star R
Trash talk has a place in every competitive endeavor (except baseball; those stirrup-wearers are too busy chewing on their sunflower seeds and their “supplements” to worry about what their opponents are doing).
Fantasy sports is no exception. Any intelligent discussion of the subject would probably start with a thesis statement or a definition of terms. Thankfully, this won’t be an intelligent discussion.
Let me just say that I am happy to take a place in this space alongside my talented colleagues, even our commissioner. (You should see how she bleats like a demented paper boy about league fees on our fantasy site).
Trash talking, I would argue, is primarily about amusing your friends, their sheeplike demeanors and sloping foreheads notwithstanding. The best place I have found for football trash talking is at www.SportsAlarm.com.
Beyond the entertainment factor, though, I would recognize that the sophomoric ritual has one advantage, when properly applied. It magnifies your fantasy triumphs and mitigates your fantasy failures by transforming the eventual point total into an afterthought. Winning makes it seem like your opponent really is a “truss-owning, lapel-pin-wearing nitwit.” And in defeat, trash talk can be the air bag to break the fall from your hyperbolic heights. “The plug-necked yahoos on your team,” you can say, “will be sacking groceries by the end of the season.”
The best trash talk, in my view, is layered and nuanced. And it doesn’t focus only on your opponent’s team. It picks apart your opponent. The idea is to create a shock-and-awe-scale blizzard of nonsense, and the goal is to make your opponent drop his hands from his keyboard in exasperation.
What team does your opponent root for? Accuse a Giants fan of having a Joe Namath pillowcase. Where’s your opponent from? Give a look of concern no matter his reply, then say, “I’ll try to type slower for you next time.” Is your opponent into politics? Label everyone a tax-and-spend corporate shill.
Cap all that with a liberal application of irrelevance. For instance, don’t just conclude by saying your opponent is a “twerp who drafts like my grandmother.” Say that your opponent is a “sweater-wearing, eyebrow-plucking twerp who drafts his team about as well as Zsa Zsa Gabor gave acceptance speeches at the Oscars.” By the time your foe makes sense of that, his starting running back will have had puppies.
But what about you? Hmm? Recall a memorable slam? Have a tried-and-true technique? Know someone who seems impervious to insult? Take a moment and tells us about it. Put together some (fit-for-publication) thoughts. You won’t be too busy returning phone messages from your friends, I’m sure, to reply.
In addition to the trash talking, the Sports Alarm has a huge gallery of high resolution pictures of beautiful women and models in bikinis. The most popular models are: Lindsay Lohan, Carrie Underwood, Alessandra Ambrosio, and Paris Hilton.
Sports Betting News: NFL Team History | Football Betting | Baseball Betting | Basketball Betting | Hockey Betting | Golf Betting | Tennis Betting | Auto Racing Betting | Horse Racing Betting | Soccer Betting