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artoodeetoo · 01-14-2019, 05:20 PM

THE WEEK THAT WAS: AUGUST 19TH-25TH
Royals sign pitching coach to two-year extension
By artoodeetoo
08/26/2019

08/20/2019: YOST HINTS AT LIMITING STARTERS' INNINGS DOWN THE STRETCH

With the September 1st roster expansion in the windshield view, Ned Yost is looking forward to the option of limiting his starters' innings as they push towards the playoffs. With reliever Jorge Lopez out; and a bullpen-taxing series against Cleveland, the long-time Royals skipper is relishing the chance to use some fresh faces out of the bullpen to keep the starters and main bullpen stalwarts fresh.

Most notably, Trevor Oaks and Luis Cessa have been feeling the pinch of late-season baseball -- they have struggled in their last handful of starts. Oaks has surrendered six homeruns in his last five starts after just four homeruns allowed through the first four months of the season.

Cessa has a 6.10 ERA in four August starts, although he has fanned twenty-two in 20 1/3 innings of work in the same time frame.

08/23/2019: ROYALS EXTEND PITCHING COACH CAL ELDRED

After a solid initial season in 2018, the Royals brought pitching coach Cal Eldred back for 2019 on a one-year extension. This time, the Royals have extended him again, but for the next two seasons. Eldred has the Royals' pitching staff ranked in the top five in most major pitching categories in the American League, including the third-best team ERA (4.00) and second-best starters' ERA (4.08).

The only major category where the Royals aren't in the top five as a team is strikeouts; but even then, they have jumped from 14th in 2018 up to 11th in 2019 to this point. A lot of the jump is due to the bullpen, where nearly every relief pitcher is averaging better than a strikeout per inning. In 2018, the Royals had the fifth-best bullpen ERA, but struggled to miss bats in the late innings.

The exact terms of the extension weren't immediately available; but Eldred has been mentioned as a possible managerial candidate at the end of the season, and it appears the Royals might be getting out ahead of that with this move. Eldred, at 51 and a former MLB pitcher himself, has a son, C.J., that pitches for the Royals' rookie affiliate in Burlington.

08/25/2019: STAUMONT SHARP IN RETURN; INJURES OBLIQUE IN SECOND OUTING

It was a short stay for reliever Josh Staumont, as the hard-throwing righty went back on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He'll miss the next five to six weeks, but he'll be eligible for the playoffs if the Royals are still in the hunt upon his return.

Staumont made just two appearances, allowing one walk in one and one-third innings, fanning three. He left the game after just one hitter in the Royals' 8-7 14-inning victory over Cleveland on Friday night, the 23rd.

01-14-2019, 05:20 PM	#245
artoodeetoo MVP OVR: 0 Join Date: Dec 2015	Re: Royal Rebuild [OOTP 19] THE WEEK THAT WAS: AUGUST 19TH-25TH Royals sign pitching coach to two-year extension By artoodeetoo 08/26/2019 08/20/2019: YOST HINTS AT LIMITING STARTERS' INNINGS DOWN THE STRETCH With the September 1st roster expansion in the windshield view, Ned Yost is looking forward to the option of limiting his starters' innings as they push towards the playoffs. With reliever Jorge Lopez out; and a bullpen-taxing series against Cleveland, the long-time Royals skipper is relishing the chance to use some fresh faces out of the bullpen to keep the starters and main bullpen stalwarts fresh. Most notably, Trevor Oaks and Luis Cessa have been feeling the pinch of late-season baseball -- they have struggled in their last handful of starts. Oaks has surrendered six homeruns in his last five starts after just four homeruns allowed through the first four months of the season. Cessa has a 6.10 ERA in four August starts, although he has fanned twenty-two in 20 1/3 innings of work in the same time frame. 08/23/2019: ROYALS EXTEND PITCHING COACH CAL ELDRED After a solid initial season in 2018, the Royals brought pitching coach Cal Eldred back for 2019 on a one-year extension. This time, the Royals have extended him again, but for the next two seasons. Eldred has the Royals' pitching staff ranked in the top five in most major pitching categories in the American League, including the third-best team ERA (4.00) and second-best starters' ERA (4.08). The only major category where the Royals aren't in the top five as a team is strikeouts; but even then, they have jumped from 14th in 2018 up to 11th in 2019 to this point. A lot of the jump is due to the bullpen, where nearly every relief pitcher is averaging better than a strikeout per inning. In 2018, the Royals had the fifth-best bullpen ERA, but struggled to miss bats in the late innings. The exact terms of the extension weren't immediately available; but Eldred has been mentioned as a possible managerial candidate at the end of the season, and it appears the Royals might be getting out ahead of that with this move. Eldred, at 51 and a former MLB pitcher himself, has a son, C.J., that pitches for the Royals' rookie affiliate in Burlington. 08/25/2019: STAUMONT SHARP IN RETURN; INJURES OBLIQUE IN SECOND OUTING It was a short stay for reliever Josh Staumont, as the hard-throwing righty went back on the disabled list with a strained oblique. He'll miss the next five to six weeks, but he'll be eligible for the playoffs if the Royals are still in the hunt upon his return. Staumont made just two appearances, allowing one walk in one and one-third innings, fanning three. He left the game after just one hitter in the Royals' 8-7 14-inning victory over Cleveland on Friday night, the 23rd. Last edited by artoodeetoo; 01-15-2019 at 09:18 AM.