Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19]

[artoodeetoo]

Quote: Originally Posted by speels

I really enjoy this dynasty. Keep up the great work!!

Thank you!

[artoodeetoo]

ROYALS HEADLINES
Trade deadline ends with whimper, not bang, for Royals
By artoodeetoo
08/05/2019

TRADE DEADLINE WRAPS WITH NO FURTHER MOVEMENT

Another year, and another trade deadline has passed with Whit Merrifield still on the squad. General Manager Dayton Moore was still fielding interest for Merrifield up until the 30th, but could not swing a deal "in all good conscience", eventually making him unavailable after Saturday.

"We never really entered into any serious negotiations with any club," he said. "We have a pretty clear set of requirements for us to deal him, and none of those situations materialized, so in all good conscience, we couldn't trade him."

Moore also received interest in pitchers Ian Kennedy and Danny Duffy, but the prevailing thought is that one or both could be moved in the offseason, provided they keep or improve the level of production they're giving now. There's simply too much salary to be absorbed.

The Royals were one of the busier teams in the month of July, making six trades in all. Surprisingly (or maybe not), the Royals were unable to deal outfielder Billy Hamilton to a contender, leaving him as a potential DFA candidate in the coming days.

MONDESI TO COME OFF IL IN MERE DAYS

Shortstop Adalberto Mondesi is due to come off the disabled list later this week; but is not expected to take a detour to Omaha for a rehab stint, according to Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. He's been out the last several weeks with a shoulder impingement, and his recovery from that injury has been better than expected.

Despite all the time missed this season, he still leads the AL in triples with nine, and sports a .266/.294/.433 slash. Manager Ned Yost and GM Dayton Moore both agreed that it would be better to get him back into the lineup as soon as possible.

"He's still growing, developing as a player," said Yost. "There's really no reason to send him down, when he could be getting back up to speed at the highest level. If he had been out a month or so, then I could see that, but it's been a few weeks only."

[artoodeetoo]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (43-70) @ BOSTON RED SOX (62-52)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/05: RHP Jake Junis (7-9, 4.87) vs RHP Nathan Eovaldi (0-1, 6.68)
08/06: RHP Jorge Lopez (1-7, 6.13) vs LHP Chris Sale (5-10, 4.16)
08/07: LHP Danny Duffy (5-6, 4.34) vs LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (14-4, 3.95)

GAME RECAPS

Monday, August 5th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (44-70) 9, Boston (62-53) 3
Winner: Jake Junis (8-9) Loser: Josh Taylor (0-1) Save: None
HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (18) HR-BOS: J.D. Martinez (23)

DOZIER SLAM PROPELS ROYALS OVER THE SOX

Up 5-3 following an RBI single with two outs in the eighth from Alex Gordon, Hunter Dozier stepped in with the bases full; and put a fastball from Carson Smith over the Green Monster to put the exclamation point on a 9-3 victory at Boston. Jake Junis picked up the victory, although he wasn't as dominant as his last time out, where he fanned thirteen with no walks in six innings. Dozier and three other Royals all collected a pair of hits, while Cheslor Cuthbert was 3-for-4 with an RBI.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (55-56) @ Cleveland (65-46) -- PPD (Rain)
Atlanta (65-48) 6, Minnesota (68-44) 2
Toronto (43-72) 3, Tampa Bay (65-49) 4
Kansas City (44-70) 9, Boston (62-53) 3
Chi. Sox (48-62) 4, Detroit (34-74) 0
NY Yankees (68-44) 2, Baltimore (38-74) 10

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Miami (42-68) 4, NY Mets (55-57) 5 (G1, Final/11)
Miami (42-69) 1, NY Mets (56-57) 17 (G2)
Milwaukee (61-53) 16, Pittsburgh (48-64) 4
Oakland (63-50) 9, Chi. Cubs (59-53) 4
LA Angels (59-55) 7, Cincinnati (52-59) 5
Philadelphia (61-51) 8, Arizona (58-55) 7 (Final/10)
Washington (60-51) 3, San Francisco (56-57) 2 (Final/10)
St. Louis (58-53) 0, LA Dodgers (76-39) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Dodgers LHP Julio Urias has torn flexor tendon (elbow); will miss rest of season and placed on 60-day IL
Moncada, Rendon earn weekly honors

Tuesday, August 6th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (45-70) 3, Boston (62-54) 2
Winner: Jorge Lopez (2-7) Loser: Marcus Walden (7-2) Save: Ian Kennedy (22)
HR-KC: Jorge Soler (30) HR-BOS: Xander Bogaerts (24)

ROYALS WIN IN SOLER-POWERED VICTORY

With a 2-for-4 performance, Jorge Soler single-handedly won the game for the Royals, hitting a sixth-inning three-run homerun to propel Kansas City to a 3-2 victory; his career-high 30th of the season. Whit Merrifield collected four hits, including a double. Bubba Starling and Cam Gallagher collected two and one hit, respectively, with both players hitting one double. Jorge Lopez made one of his best starts in recent memory, striking out six and allowing just two earned runs over six innings. Four relievers combined to close out the contest, with Ian Kennedy picking up his 22nd save in twenty-five tries. Chris Sale left after just five innings and sixty-eight pitches, complaining of back tightness. He fanned six while scattering just three hits, and didn't figure into the decision as Marcus Walden was charged with the go-ahead run after giving up the Soler homerun in the sixth.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (56-56) 13, Cleveland (65-47) 2 (G1)
Texas (56-57) 5, Cleveland 11 (66-47) 11 (G2)
Atlanta (66-48) 12, Minnesota (68-45) 3
Toronto (43-73) 1, Tampa Bay (66-49) 2
Kansas City (45-70) 3, Boston (62-54) 2
Chi. Sox (49-62) 10, Detroit (34-75) 3
NY Yankees (69-44) 4, Baltimore (38-75) 3
Colorado (52-61) 5, Houston (73-41) 6
San Diego (52-60) 7, Seattle (47-68) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Miami (42-70) 3, NY Mets (57-57) 6
Milwaukee (62-53) 9, Pittsburgh (48-65) 3
Oakland (64-50) 13, Chi. Cubs (59-54) 3
LA Angels (59-56) 3, Cincinnati (53-59) 4
Philadelphia (61-52) 5, Arizona (59-55) 12
Washington (61-51) 10, San Francisco (56-58) 3
St. Louis (58-54) 2, LA Dodgers (77-39) 4

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cardinals sign RHP Simon Castro to one-year MLB contract
RHP Zack Godley designated for assignment by the Arizona Diamondbacks

Wednesday, August 7th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (45-70) 3, Boston (62-54) 2
Winner: Eduardo Rodriguez (15-4) Loser: Kevin McCarthy (2-2) Save: Matt Barnes (6)
HR-KC: None HR-BOS: Rafael Devers (22)

SOX SALVAGE FINAL GAME

Danny Duffy left the contest early, pitching just one-plus innings as the Royals fell 5-2 in the third and final game of their road tilt with Boston. Kansas City led 1-0 after two innings thanks to a Nicky Lopez RBI single, but Boston bounced back with one in the fourth, and four in the fifth. Eduardo Rodriguez fanned eight in seven innings, scattering four hits and four walks. Only Whit Merrifield collected more than one hit, going 2-for-5 with a pair of singles.

[b]AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD[/b
Texas (56-58) 4, Cleveland (67-47) 5
Atlanta (67-48) 4, Minnesota (68-45) 3
Toronto (44-73) 4, Tampa Bay (66-50) 3
Kansas City (45-71) 2, Boston (63-54) 5
Chi. Sox (49-63) 2, Detroit (35-75) 3
NY Yankees (70-44) 5, Baltimore (38-76) 1
Colorado (53-61) 7, Houston (73-42) 5
San Diego (52-61) 3, Seattle (48-68) 4

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Milwaukee (62-53) @ Pittsburgh (48-65) -- PPD (Rain)
Oakland (64-51) 3, Chi. Cubs (60-54) 4
Philadelphia (61-53) 5, Arizona (60-55) 7
Washington (61-52) 3, San Francisco (57-58) 5
St. Louis (58-55) 3, LA Dodgers (78-39) 5
Miami (42-71) 0, NY Mets (58-57) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Rangers RHP Ariel Jurado (shoulder) out for season; placed on 60-day injured list

[artoodeetoo]

ROYALS HEADLINES
Arteaga to miss rest of the season
By artoodeetoo
08/08/2019

ARTEAGA TO MISS REMAINDER OF SEASON

Reserve shortstop Humberto Arteaga will miss the rest of the season with an ankle fracture, suffered in a base collision during the first game of the most recent series with the Red Sox. The 25-year-old has struggled in his first taste of the big leagues, slashing .203/.250/.215 with just one extra-base hit in eighty-six plate appearances.

With Adalberto Mondesi coming off the disabled list today, it was a fortuitous injury, as it allows the Royals to not have to bring up Kelvin Gutierrez or add someone to the 40-man roster for depth.

HAHN MAKES IMPRESSIVE REHAB APPEARANCE

Despite being acquired before last season, Jesse Hahn has yet to make an appearance in a Royals uniform due to shoulder issues suffered during the 2017 season with the Athletics.

In his first rehab assignment start with Wilmington on Saturday, Hahn struck out six over five-and-two-third innings of work, scattering just four hits in a 5-2 victory for the Blue Rocks. Hahn is scheduled to make his next appearance with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals later this week out of the bullpen.

[artoodeetoo]

KANSAS CITY ROYALS (45-71) @ DETROIT TIGERS (35-75)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/08: RHP Brad Keller (9-9, 3.84) vs RHP Jordan Zimmermann (1-9, 7.30)
08/09: LHP Mike Montgomery (1-5, 8.05) vs RHP Spencer Turnbull (3-9, 3.65)
08/10: RHP Jake Junis (8-9, 4.86) vs LHP Matt Hall (0-0, 9.00)
08/11: RHP Jorge Lopez (2-7, 5.92) vs LHP Daniel Norris (3-9, 4.50)

GAME RECAPS

Thursday, August 8th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (46-71) 9, Detroit (35-76) 1
Winner: Brad Keller (10-9) Loser: Jordan Zimmermann (1-10) Save: None
HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (19), Jorge Soler (31) HR-DET: None

KELLER K.O.'S DETROIT

Behind a complete-game effort from Brad Keller; who fanned five and didn't walk a batter while scattering six hits, the Royals took the first game of their four-game set with the Tigers by a 9-1 count. Keller became the first Royals' hurler to reach the ten-win mark in 2019, eclipsing his nine wins from his rookie campaign of a season ago. Hunter Dozier and Jorge Soler each hit homeruns, while Alex Gordon and Meibrys Viloria each collected a trio of hits. Nicky Lopez also had two hits, including an RBI single and a double, with two runs scored.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
LA Angels (59-57) 2, Boston (64-54) 7
Kansas City (46-71) 9, Detroit (35-76) 1
NY Yankees (70-45) 7, Toronto (45-73) 8
Cleveland (67-48) 1, Minnesota (69-46) 8

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Atlanta (68-48) 6, Miami (42-72) 2
Philadelphia (61-54) 2, San Francisco (58-58) 3 (Final/10)
Chi. Cubs (61-54) 3, Cincinnati (53-60) 2
Colorado (53-62) 2, San Diego (53-61) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Cubs sign RHP Ryan Madson to one-year MLB contract
Padres designate RHP Kazuhisa Mahita for assignment

Friday, August 9th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (47-71) 9, Detroit (35-77) 1
Winner: Mike Montgomery (2-5) Loser: Spencer Turnbull (3-10) Save: Ian Kennedy (23)
HR-KC: Adalberto Mondesi (8) HR-DET: Brandon Dixon (14)

ROYALS SURVIVE FURIOUS COMEBACK ATTEMPT

The Royals withstood a furious ninth-inning comeback, capped off by a one-out Ian Kennedy save, in a 5-4 victory at Detroit to claim at least a split of the four-game set. In his first start back from the disabled list, Adalberto Mondesi homered in the second inning, and drove in a run in the Royals' three-run eighth inning. Whit Merrifield and Meibrys Viloria each collected a pair of hits in the contest. In easily his best start since being acquired from the Cubs, Mike Montgomery allowed just one run over seven innings, fanning six with two walks and just four hits allowed.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (67-50) 11, Seattle (48-69) 2
Houston (74-42) 7, Baltimore (38-77) 6
Oakland (64-52) 4, Chi. Sox (50-63) 5
LA Angels (60-57) 12, Boston (64-55) 5
Kansas City (47-71) 9, Detroit (35-77) 1
NY Yankees (71-45) 10, Toronto (45-74) 1
Cleveland (67-49) 0, Minnesota (70-46) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (60-56) 0, LA Dodgers (79-39) 5
Washington (61-53) 0, NY Mets (59-57) 2
Texas (57-58) 8, Milwaukee (62-54) 2
Pittsburgh (48-66) 3, St. Louis (59-55) 4 (Final/13)
Atlanta (69-48) 14, Miami (42-73) 2
Philadelphia (62-54) 9, San Francisco (58-59) 4
Chi. Cubs (62-54) 7, Cincinnati (53-61) 1
Colorado (53-63) 4, San Diego (54-61) 9

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver activated from 60-day injured list
Angels designate C Max Stassi for assignment

Saturday, August 10th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
Kansas City (48-71) 11, Detroit (35-78) 2
Winner: Jake Junis (9-9) Loser: Matt Hall (0-1) Save: None
HR-KC: Whit Merrifield (15), Bubba Starling (5), Jorge Soler (32) HR-DET: Denard Span (1), John Hicks (8)

KANSAS CITY CLINCHES SERIES VICTORY

A six-run second inning against Detroit southpaw Matt Hall eventually led to an 11-2 victory for the Royals to clinch a series victory in the four-game set. Whit Merrifield and Jorge Soler each hit a two-run homerun in that frame, and Cam Gallagher added a two-run single in that inning, as well. Jake Junis continued riding a wave of strong performances since the All-Star Break, going six innings while scattering six hits, while fanning six with four walks. Bubba Starling also added a homerun, his fifth of the season, while going 2-for-5 with three RBI. He stroked a two-run single in the sixth inning to add to his solo homerun.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (67-51) 1, Seattle (49-69) 5
Houston (75-42) 6, Baltimore (38-78) 1
Oakland (65-52) 6, Chi. Sox (50-64) 5
LA Angels (60-58) 4, Boston (65-55) 11
Kansas City (48-71) 11, Detroit (35-78) 2
NY Yankees (71-46) 1, Toronto (46-74) 2
Cleveland (68-49) 4, Minnesota (70-47) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (61-56) 3, LA Dodgers (79-40) 5
Washington (62-53) 5, NY Mets (59-58) 1 (Final/10)
Texas (57-59) 5, Milwaukee (63-54) 10
Pittsburgh (48-67) 4, St. Louis (60-55) 6
Atlanta (70-48) 4, Miami (42-74) 1
Philadelphia (62-55) 3, San Francisco (59-59) 4
Chi. Cubs (62-55) 2, Cincinnati (54-61) 8
Colorado (53-64) 1, San Diego (55-61) 6

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
A's lefty Sean Manaea (shoulder) suffers setback in recovery; could miss additional start

Sunday, August 11th, 2019 - First pitch, 12:10 CST
Kansas City (49-71) 5, Detroit (35-79) 2 (Final/13)
Winner: Jake Junis (9-9) Loser: Matt Hall (0-1) Save: None
HR: None

GET OUT THE BROOMS!

In spite of blowing one-run leads in the ninth and eleventh innings, the Royals put up a 3-spot in the top of the 13th to post a 5-2 victory over the Tigers, completing the four-game road sweep. Jorge Lopez turned in his best effort of the season, tossing seven shutout innings, scattering four hits and two walks while striking out six. Whit Merrifield was 2-for-6 with a pair of doubles and two RBI, driving in both runs as part of the three-run 13th. Scott Barlow picked up the win in relief, striking out four with just two hits scattered and one run.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Tampa Bay (68-51) 6, Seattle (49-70) 3
Houston (76-42) 7, Baltimore (38-79) 3
Oakland (66-52) 13, Chi. Sox (50-65) 2
LA Angels (61-58) 8, Boston (65-56) 3
Kansas City (49-71) 5, Detroit (35-79) 2 (Final/13)
NY Yankees (72-46) 6, Toronto (46-75) 2
Cleveland (69-49) 9, Minnesota (70-48) 3

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Arizona (61-57) 2, LA Dodgers (80-40) 3 (Final/10)
Washington (63-53) 4, NY Mets (59-59) 3
Texas (58-59) 10, Milwaukee (63-55) 4
Pittsburgh (49-67) 5, St. Louis (60-56) 2
Atlanta (71-48) 8, Miami (42-75) 6
Philadelphia (62-56) 2, San Francisco (60-59) 7
Chi. Cubs (63-55) 3, Cincinnati (54-62) 2
Colorado (53-65) 3, San Diego (56-61) 7

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Mariners IF Tim Beckham suspended 80 games for PED use

[artoodeetoo]

ROSTER, STANDINGS, STATS UPDATE (08/12/2019)

[artoodeetoo]

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (60-56) @ KANSAS CITY ROYALS (49-71)



PITCHING MATCHUPS

08/13: RHP Jack Flaherty (4-7, 4.28) vs LHP Danny Duffy (5-6, 4.30)
08/14: RHP Miles Mikolas (7-12, 4.20) vs RHP Brad Keller (10-9, 3.67)

GAME RECAPS

Tuesday, August 13th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
St. Louis (60-57) 5, Kansas City (50-71) 6
Winner: Kyle Zimmer (1-1) Loser: Brad Boxberger (1-4) Save: Ian Kennedy (24)
HR-STL: Paul DeJong (19) HR-KC: Jorge Soler (33), Whit Merrifield (16), Alex Gordon (14)

SOLER POWERS ROYALS WIN

Utilizing a timely three-run homerun from Jorge Soler against former Royal Brad Boxberger in the sixth inning; the Royals turned a 4-3 deficit into a 6-4 lead, eventually hanging on for a 6-5 victory. Ian Kennedy atoned for a blown save a few nights before, working around a one-out hit to pick up save number twenty-four. In addition to Soler's 3-for-5 performance, Whit Merrifield fell just a double short of the cycle in going 3-for-4, including a leadoff homerun in the bottom of the first. Alex Gordon also added a solo homerun as part of a two-hit game. Danny Duffy struck out six in five innings, but allowed four earned runs with six hits as he didn't factor into the decision. With the victory, the Royals are now 8-3 in the month of August.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (59-60) 3, Toronto (47-76) 2
St. Louis (60-57) 5, Kansas City (50-71) 6
Baltimore (39-81) 6, NY Yankees (74-47) 5
Boston (66-57) 4, Cleveland (70-50) 5 (Final/11)
Seattle (49-71) 4, Detroit (36-79) 11
Pittsburgh (51-67) 10, LA Angels (61-60) 7 (Final/10)
Houston (78-42) 8, Chi. Sox (50-67) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (55-63) 4, Washington (64-54) 6 (Final/11)
LA Dodgers (80-41) 0, Miami (43-75) 2
Chi. Cubs (63-56) 2, Philadelphia (63-56) 4
NY Mets (59-60) 1, Atlanta (72-48) 6
Minnesota (71-48) 7, Milwaukee (63-56) 5
Oakland (66-53) 4, San Francisco (61-59) 5 (Final/12)
Arizona (62-58) 6, Colorado (54-66) 5
Tampa Bay (69-52) 2, San Diego (57-62) 0

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Three Marlins combine to throw no-hitter in 2-0 victory over the Dodgers
Cubs sign RHP Ryan Madson to one-year MLB contract
Padres designate RHP Kazuhisa Mahita for assignment

Wednesday, August 14th, 2019 - First pitch, 7:10 CST
St. Louis (60-58) 1, Kansas City (51-71) 13
Winner: Brad Keller (11-9) Loser: Miles Mikolas (7-13) Save: None
HR-STL: None HR-KC: Hunter Dozier (20), Whit Merrifield (17), Bubba Starling (6)

KELLER IN KOMMAND AT KAUFFMAN

With nine strikeouts over eight innings to pick up his 11th victory of the season, Brad Keller continued to show why he's one of the best young right-handers in baseball in a dominating 13-1 triumph over the Cardinals to sweep the two-game home series with their cross-state rival. Keller allowed just the one run, a fourth-inning sacrifice fly from Paul DeJong that cut the Royals' lead to just two, 3-1, at the time. But a nine-run fourth inning erased any hopes of a Cardinals' comeback, as Whit Merrifield and Bubba Starling bookended the frame with three-run homeruns, while Adalberto Mondesi, Jorge Soler, and Ryan O'Hearn all collected RBI hits in the inning. Whit Merrifield recorded his second career five-hit game, going 5-for-5 with four base hits, three RBI, three runs scored, a stolen base, and his fourth-inning homerun.

AMERICAN LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Texas (59-61) 3, Toronto (48-76) 4
St. Louis (60-58) 1, Kansas City (51-71) 13
Baltimore (39-82) 2, NY Yankees (75-47) 12
Boston (66-58) 0, Cleveland (71-50) 4
Seattle (50-71) 4, Detroit (36-80) 3 (Final/10)
Pittsburgh (52-67) 6, LA Angels (61-61) 3
Houston (79-42) 11, Chi. Sox (50-68) 5

NATIONAL LEAGUE SCOREBOARD
Cincinnati (56-63) 10, Washington (64-55) 6
LA Dodgers (81-41) 6, Miami (43-76) 1
Chi. Cubs (64-56) 13, Philadelphia (63-57) 3
NY Mets (59-61) 5, Atlanta (73-48) 6 (Final/14)
Minnesota (71-49) 6, Milwaukee (64-56) 7 (Final/11)
Oakland (66-54) 9, San Francisco (62-59) 10
Arizona (63-58) 9, Colorado (54-67) 4
Tampa Bay (70-52) 7, San Diego (57-63) 3

MAJOR NEWS/TRANSACTIONS
Diamondbacks RHP Luke Weaver activated from 60-day injured list
Angels designate C Max Stassi for assignment

[artoodeetoo]

ROYALS MAILBAG
Royals' hot streak, Duffy's issues
By artoodeetoo
08/15/2019

Upset that the Royals are playing themselves out of a top-5 pick in 2020?

I'm not so much as miffed about that, as I am that they weren't this good earlier in the season. The offense had always had the capability to be good-to-great like it is now, but the pitching is finally coming around, especially the starters. Brad Keller and Jake Junis have looked like front-of-the-rotation guys in recent weeks. Mike Montgomery had a great outing his last time out. Even Jorge Lopez has looked solid in his last few starts. Danny Duffy has been his usual, steady self (more on him later).

The bullpen, while still not great, has some exciting young arms in front of Ian Kennedy -- Josh Staumont and Kyle Zimmer have flashed plus-plus stuff, but have struggled to command their arsenal so far. Jacob Barnes, a waiver acquisition, has been decent. Richard Lovelady has had some flashy moments, and looks like a solid seventh or eighth-inning arm.

With nine wins in their last twelve games in the month of August; including six straight, the Royals are now 50-71, just a half-game out of third place in the division behind the reeling White Sox. It's not unfathomable now that the Royals finish with 70+ wins, which seemed like a pipe dream at the All-Star break. It's still unlikely that they will, but it's now in the realm of possibility as they need to go just 20-21 the rest of the way out.

After the horrid first half, reaching the 70-win plateau would be a heck of a job by Ned Yost, and I think might signal that the team could compete in 2020 (and an extension for Ned), given the right additions. It also won't hurt that Salvador Perez will be back next year, and on fresh legs after not having to catch 120+ games. In fact, I think missing this season might extend his career by another year or two, at least behind the plate.

Will the real Jorge Soler please stand up?

I know it seems as if he's a bit of a one-year wonder right now; but take into account last year's numbers, which were pretty good even in an injury-shortened 2018. He put up a very respectable .265/.354/.466 line over 257 PA, which comes out to a 121 OPS+ and a wRC+ of 123. This season, he's right along those lines with OPS+ and wRC+ figures at 120 and 122 (through August 14th). Meanwhile, Wader hasn't been fully healthy since he left Kansas City, and has lost the closer's role in Colorado after his ERA has ballooned to over 6.00 in recent weeks.

The trade seemed dumb at the time since the Royals still had a cheap-ish year of control on Davis for 2017 (and fleeting playoff aspirations); but the postseason was pretty much a pipe dream by this point. Soler was just twenty-four at the time of the deal, so it seemed to be a buy-low acquisition that now appears to be paying off in a pretty big way a few years later.

He's the first legitimate slugger the Royals have had in a very long time, possibly ever, at just twenty-seven. He'll only be twenty-eight on Opening Day next year. Maybe Mike Moustakas, but he was a more complete hitter later in his Royals tenure even though he was racking up solid homerun numbers. Sure, he strikes out a lot. But as long as you don't have a lineup full of strikeout artists, it stands to reason that as a team, you should put more runs on the board.

Lastly, he's controlled at least monetarily through the end of this season before he hits arbitration. I don't think the Royals will seek to sign him long-term because he's a defensive liability, but he's going to get a pretty big payday one way or another.

How do the Royals fix Danny Duffy?

I think he is what he is at this point -- a guy that's going to give you five to six innings with three or four runs on average. I'm not sure that Cal Eldred can do anything differently with him, unless they want to move him to the pen a la Ian Kennedy. He's having to rely on secondary pitches and location, rather than playing his other stuff off his fastball that was amongst the best in the league a handful of years ago.

While his ERA is decent (4.30), and he's averaging about 8 K/9, his peripheral numbers aren't great either, with a 4.72 FIP and right-handed batters mashing him to the tune of a .353/.405/.500 slash.

The Royals should be able to move him in the offseason if they want, but ownership has already blunted any notion of eating additional salary; so the Royals are likely stuck with Duffy, who is now a back-end starter making $31M over the next two seasons.