- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Royals’ mighty ‘pen putting them back in postseason race
- Updated: August 26, 2016
When the Kansas City Royals announced last month that they were placing Wade Davis, baseball’s best reliever, on the disabled list, virtually everyone in thought the same thing.
The Royals were toast. Nice run, fellas. Take a bow. To resurrect a sport in one of the country’s best baseball cities is a remarkable accomplishment.
Those back-to-back World Series appearances, including winning it all in 2015, will stand forever as a tribute to your talent, resilience and professionalism. All the Royals did this season was remind us how difficult winning is.
Things have to click in a dozen different ways. It’s a thin line. So with Mike Moustakas gone for the season, with Alex Gordon having missed a month, and with the rotation lacking consistency, well, forget about it.
And all of that is why Kansas City is the most amazing thing happening in baseball right now. It’s not just that the club is winning. We long ago learned not to underestimate the heart of a champion.
It’s how the Royals are winning. It’s the bullpen. Yes, the bullpen. Without Davis. During this 15-3 sprint back into contention, their bullpen hasn’t just been good, it has been scary good.
Kansas City’s rotation has been superb as well, with Danny Duffy emerging as an ace and Yordano Ventura and Ian Kennedy pitching the best baseball of their careers. Since Aug. 6, Royals starters have gone 12-2 with a 2.41 ERA. Only the Cubs have been better in that time.
But it’s the bullpen where the results have been breathtaking. In this stretch, the Royals’ relievers have posted a 0.69 ERA.
To repeat: 0.69.
Wait, it gets better. As the Royals open a weekend series at Fenway Park, their bullpen is carrying a 38 2/3-inning scoreless streak. That’s the longest in franchise history, and the longest since the Giants strung together 39 1/3 innings in 2002-03.
This is how the Royals have done it the past two seasons. They made every baseball man think about the way he constructed his roster. Kansas City scored runs with contact hitters, speed and by slapping the ball in the gap. It …
continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com
