Game #73: Broomin' The Birds

Clearly annoyed that he had walked 11 batters in his last two outings, Zack Greinke decided to finish off the Royals sweep of the Cardinals in vintage Zack fashion. In seven innings of work, Greinke struck out seven, walked one, and allowed only two base hits. Using a fastball ranging from 88-97 mph and a sharp slider in the mid-80 mph range, Greinke struck out four of the first six hitters he faced, and didn't give up a hit until the fourth inning when Rick Ankiel hit a solo home run to right field.

After today's start, the 24-year-old right-hander is on pace to pitch 216 innings, strike out 160 batters, and post a 3.33 ERA, which would all be career-best totals. However, Greinke's 2008 success does not appear to have gone to his head. After the game, he yet again satisfied our thirst for a new Greinkeism:

“Maybe we don’t realize how good they are because we don’t get to face them that often,” Greinke said after combining with two relievers on a two-hitter in a 4-1 victory on Thursday. “We face American League teams all the time, so we know how good each team is.”

Can the Royals chalk up their 7-2 record against the National League to ignorance? Maybe, Zack. Maybe.

Other notes from the series finale ...

Greinke's outing was the latest in a fantastic run by the Royals starting rotation:

DATE   OPP   PITCHER    IP    ER   BB   SO
6/9    NYY   HOCHEVAR   6.2    2    0    4
6/10   TEX   MECHE      6      1    2    4
6/11   TEX   DAVIES     6      1    5    3
6/12   TEX   BANNISTER  7      4    0    4
6/13   ARZ   GREINKE    7      0    7    5
6/14   ARZ   HOCHEVAR   7      2    0    6
6/15   ARZ   MECHE      7.1    3    1   10
6/17   STL   DAVIES     7      1    3    4
6/18   STL   BANNISTER  7      2    0    1
6/19   STL   GREINKE    7      1    1    7
-------------------------------------------
TOTAL                  68     17   19   48

For those of you keeping score at home, those ten starts amount to a 2.25 ERA and, more importantly, seven Royals victories. Luke Hochevar has been the real star, as the former first-overall draft pick hasn't walked a single batter in his last two outings. With Hochevar, Greinke, Gil Meche, Brian Bannister, and Kyle Davies, it seems that the Royals have solidified their starting rotation for the short-term.

With his 2-4 day at the plate Thursday, shortstop Mike Aviles hiked his season average to .321, and his OPS to .987 in 53 at-bats. Although he didn't become the everyday shortstop until June 6, Aviles has already outperformed the man he replaced, Tony Pena, Jr., by a wide margin.

In spite of having roughly one-third of the number of at-bats Pena received, Aviles has already eclipsed him in doubles, home runs, and total bases, and will soon overtake him in runs, hits, triples, and runs batted in. Although the 27-year-old Aviles will probably see his numbers come back down to earth, it's still baffling that it took the Royals and manager Trey Hillman so long to remove Pena and his brutal .345 OPS from the starting lineup. However, it appears that Hillman finally understands that his ballclub badly needed more offense from the shortstop position:

"He's done a good job. Consistent contact. He's not an easy strikeout, not swinging out of the zone a whole lot," manager Trey Hillman said.

As long as the Royals don't use an Aviles slump at the plate as an excuse to put Pena back in the everyday lineup, they'll have improved their chances of winning by using Pena as a defensive sub late in ballgames.

Now that the Royals have significantly reduced Pena's playing time, first baseman Ross Gload has to be next. Signed to a regrettable two-year contract this past offseason, Gload has simply been terrible all season long, as the 32-year-old has managed only a .547 OPS at a position that demands power and run production. Fortunately, Billy Butler has destroyed Triple-A pitching, so Gload's time may be running out.

After completing their 5-1 roadtrip, the Royals head home for a nine-game homestand that begins with a weekend series against the Giants. Quite obviously, this is the time for the Royals to try to climb back to within striking distance of .500.