The Royals

[bones129]

Seattle down @ Houston

 

[wetwillie]

Dayton Moore put together a monster and ned couldn't take it to the finish line.

[scottwildcat]

Seattle down @ Houston

Seattle 1 Houston 5

[PIPE]

Maybe the team played tight, cause.......you know......they can't play in front of large crowds.......

[Cartierfor3]

http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2014/09/yosted-part-iii.html

I'd love to hear a defense of this manager from those who deem my rants against him as over the top whining.

So naturally, in a situation in which batting average is essentially the only skill you’re looking for, Yost called upon Ibanez, who was hitting .168 this season. In a situation that called for a high batting average, Yost called upon the player with the lowest batting average in the major leagues among players with 275 plate appearances. So far this year, 273 players have batted 275 or more times. Ibanez ranked dead last in batting average. So naturally, in a situation in which a single would turn defeat into victory, Yost DELIBERATELY put Raul Ibanez in the game.

Afterwards, Yost’s explanation was that he wanted a “professional at-bat there.”

If only the Royals had someone else on their bench with a history of a high batting average against Nathan, along with being someone commonly referred to as “a professional hitter”. Someone like Billy Butler, who is 6-for-14 in his career off Nathan.

Yeah. Ned Yost, the master of matchups, who puts more stock into a batter’s prior performance vs. a pitcher than anyone should, passed on the guy who had gone 6-for-14 against Nathan for the guy who had gone 1-for-11. He passed on the 28-year-old for the 42-year-old. He passed on the guy who – in the worst season of his career – is hitting .264, for the guy hitting .168.

You can blame the players for not playing better, and I do. But even with the players playing exactly the way they played, the Royals could have won this game. It’s the manager’s job to get the most out of his players. Today, Ned Yost failed spectacularly at it. It wasn’t the first time.

[ksupamplemousse]

The end of this season is playing out just like most rational human beings expected it would. Yost has wild swings between rigidity that seems to be an attempt to spite those who would second guess his managerial decisions, and completely mind boggling deviations from standard protocol that appear to be an attempt to refute the previous notion. He's pushing all the wrong buttons at both ends of the spectrum, which is the mark of a professional that is completely overmatched and overwhelmed.

[kim carnes]

to me, the two most egregious decisions today were sacrificing aoki twice when you have two automatic outs following him.  alex gordon is playing horrendous baseball right now, just absolutely god awful horrendous god awful baseball.  and willingham has sucked his entire life at baseball.

[ksupamplemousse]

to me, the two most egregious decisions today were sacrificing aoki twice when you have two automatic outs following him.  alex gordon is playing horrendous baseball right now, just absolutely god awful horrendous god awful baseball.  and willingham has sucked his entire life at baseball.

Especially when Aoki is by far the hottest hitter on the team right now. It was just completely unconscionable.

[Cartierfor3]

to me, the two most egregious decisions today were sacrificing aoki twice when you have two automatic outs following him.  alex gordon is playing horrendous baseball right now, just absolutely god awful horrendous god awful baseball.  and willingham has sucked his entire life at baseball.

Yes agreed. Aoki was the most likely each time through to get a hit, and a slap down the LF line for a double wasn't all that unlikely. And they took the bat out of his hand. Yost said the 1st one Aoki did on his own, which is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!). When he gets to the plate have a sign for "don't bunt under any circumstances."

[Cartierfor3]

“If I was a cleanup hitter, then it would be a different situation,” Aoki said through his interpreter, Kosuke Inaji. “But the type of hitter I am, and what’s expected out of me, I’ve got to get the guy over. In the past, too, people have told me, in that situation I need to get the guy over no matter what.”

So he bunted on his own accord. He insisted later he was trying to fit his game within his team’s style. He also revealed a window into an offensive philosophy that vexes observers.

“You can probably tell, too, just watching us play,” Aoki said. “We’re always playing for one run. We’re playing for that run, as opposed to trying to get two or three.”

I am losing it. Aoki was just attempting to do what's expected of him by this brain dead organization. See, what's been beaten into these guys is to move runners, and pretend its 1967 and 1 run will beat the Tigers. Here's the thing: The players behind Aoki in the lineup strikeout all the time and the pitcher on the mound is a strikeout machine.

[bones129]

to me, the two most egregious decisions today were sacrificing aoki twice when you have two automatic outs following him.  alex gordon is playing horrendous baseball right now, just absolutely god awful horrendous god awful baseball.  and willingham has sucked his entire life at baseball.

Yes agreed. Aoki was the most likely each time through to get a hit, and a slap down the LF line for a double wasn't all that unlikely. And they took the bat out of his hand. Yost said the 1st one Aoki did on his own, which is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!). When he gets to the plate have a sign for "don't bunt under any circumstances."

Yost's failure to tell Nori not to bunt the first time was just further evidence of his shortcomings as a manager. As I've said before, many of the Royals' wins are achieved in spite of him.

[Cartierfor3]

Just move the team to San Antonio and quit torturing us. Its like we all open our collective mouths so they can fling their fecal matter down our throats like apes at the zoo. And guess what? We go back for more.

Dear Royals: It is 2014.

[Cartierfor3]

to me, the two most egregious decisions today were sacrificing aoki twice when you have two automatic outs following him.  alex gordon is playing horrendous baseball right now, just absolutely god awful horrendous god awful baseball.  and willingham has sucked his entire life at baseball.

Yes agreed. Aoki was the most likely each time through to get a hit, and a slap down the LF line for a double wasn't all that unlikely. And they took the bat out of his hand. Yost said the 1st one Aoki did on his own, which is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!). When he gets to the plate have a sign for "don't bunt under any circumstances."

Yost's failure to tell Nori not to bunt the first time was just further evidence of his shortcomings as a manager. As I've said before, many of the Royals' wins are achieved in spite of him.

According to some, Ned gets a free pass because in comparison to the Scott Elerton era this is great fun!

[ksupamplemousse]

to me, the two most egregious decisions today were sacrificing aoki twice when you have two automatic outs following him.  alex gordon is playing horrendous baseball right now, just absolutely god awful horrendous god awful baseball.  and willingham has sucked his entire life at baseball.

Yes agreed. Aoki was the most likely each time through to get a hit, and a slap down the LF line for a double wasn't all that unlikely. And they took the bat out of his hand. Yost said the 1st one Aoki did on his own, which is Fake Sugar Dick (WARNING, NOT THE REAL SUGAR DICK!). When he gets to the plate have a sign for "don't bunt under any circumstances."

Yost's failure to tell Nori not to bunt the first time was just further evidence of his shortcomings as a manager. As I've said before, many of the Royals' wins are achieved in spite of him.

According to some, Ned gets a free pass because in comparison to the Scott Elerton era this is great fun!

The Process just needs to unload some dead weight first. Once we get rid of Nori, Billy, Willingham, Shields, and Holland then I'm sure the Royals will take off like a rocketship.

[Cartierfor3]

So no is the answer. Other than mocking Ned haters, no, Steve Dave has no reason of substance why Ned Yost should return in 2015.

he will have posted two winning seasons in a row for the KC royals. which nobody has done for as long as I've followed baseball. he has the same KC royals in a legitimate playoff race which nobody has done either. I mean, the arguments are much more powerful than your repetitive butthurt after every loss because he either made or didn't make some move. the fact that mocking you is fun is just a bonus.

Can you imagine if someone posted this about KSU football? I doubt any of us would accept "because 2 winning seasons in a row!" as a reason to accept poor coaching. I refuse to have my standards for success be previous crap ass historically awful in history Royals teams. Do we use the 1980s Football or early 2000s KSU hoops as our standard, where better than that is automatically acceptable? No. So I refuse to listen to how fun it is to almost be good when many fans know that we are choking away games because of the glaring weaknesses in in game strategy from the manager.

[Cartierfor3]

But I'm just full of repetitive butthurt aren't I? So I guess my points are made invalid by the repetitiveness of my butthurt.

[j-dub]

easy big fella..

[j-dub]

guys, it's over. the streak will reach 30 years. james, nori and billy are leaving town, probably holland too.

dayton and ned will stay. the k will empty out again. the dog days will return.

you all know it's true. in your heart of hearts you know it's true.

[scottwildcat]

guys, it's over. the streak will reach 30 years. james, nori and billy are leaving town, probably holland too.

dayton and ned will stay. the k will empty out again. the dog days will return.

you all know it's true. in your heart of hearts you know it's true.

We will make it to the WC but you're right for a lot of the other stuff.

[kim carnes]

if we do get to the WC game, i can't even imagine how mad i'm going to get while watching it.

[Phil Titola]

This team has no mental toughness. This team farts away opportunities. And the Royals strategy of playing baseball like its 1967 just baffles me everyday.

Bunting twice (TWICE) to move a runner who is fast enough to score on a single, is an inexcusable strategy when the batter has been slapping singles like crazy.

Playing Josh Willingham over Cain or Butler, is inexcusable.

Pinch hitting Ibanez when he's 1-11 (now 1-12) against Nathan in his career, and has not had a hit since August 27th, in the last AB of the game, is inexcusable.

When your All-Star catcher and team leader does not tag up, and costs us a run, that is a mental failure that ultimately reflects on the coaches. It is inexcusable.

The Tigers are better. Better rotation, better lineup, better front office, better manager. They deserve the division and the win today. Even so, their awful bullpen and below average D gave us the game, and we refused to take it. To those that defend Ned because its the first playoff chase in a generation, please reconsider. 3 scoring opportunities thwarted with bunts and Ibanez. I doubt many of you accept the "Yeah well we were 0-10 in the 80s, so just be thankful for what we have" argument when you are displeased with KSU football, and Royals fans should not have to accept an in game strategy that lessons the chance of winning because we sucked from 1995-2012. The slumps of Gordon/Salvy/Billy/everyone not from Japan of course would fix this poor play, and we should hold them most accountable. However, in a game that is tight like this one, one wrong move costs you, and today was another with several that anyone could see (not just in hindsight) would've increased our chances at a W. I'm sick of this crap.

excellent points.  I've been searching for the phrase I've been trying to pin on this team and "no mental toughness" says it best.

According to Aoki, he bunted on his own that first time...don't know if I believe that.

[kso_FAN]

The wildcard right now is a collection of teams that are trying their best to lose it, so pretty much everyone is saying the same things we are, maybe even worse in Oakland.

With results from today (and assuming a loss in the remaining half inning vs Cle):
Oak 84-70
KC 83-71
Sea 83-71
Cle 81-74
NYY 79-75
Tor 78-76

Each team in Sept:
Oak 6-12
KC 9-9
Sea 10-9
Cle 10-10
NYY 9-10
Tor 9-9

Last 10:
Oak 3-7
KC 4-6
Sea 4-6
Cle 5-5
NYY 4-6
Tor 3-7

[Phil Titola]

It's going to be Oakland and KC in the WC.  In KC.

[kso_FAN]

The biggest threat at this point might be Cleveland. Those 3 games are going to be big.

[j-dub]

guys. we are not making the wild card game. if by some miracle we made it, and played oakland, jon lester would no-hit us again.

it's over. this team cannot handle pressure. they're done.