Royals Fall Just Short of Perfection On Last Week's Homestand
Last week set up perfectly for the Kansas City Royals. They had two series against weak opponents (the Pittsburgh Pirates and Minnesota Twins), and the schedule gifted them with some struggling pitchers to face. They managed four wins, but two, one-run losses to end the week ensured a slightly bitter feeling of missed opportunity.
With a little more good fortune or a little tighter play, the Royals could have pulled off a perfect week.
There were certainly some players who appeared perfect this week. After an uncharacteristically average season so far, Whit Merrifield started to turn things around this week, going 10-for-25 with one home run, two doubles, one triple, and seven RBIs. Three of those RBIs came in a nine-run first inning against Minnesota on Friday, part of a 14-5 blowout that had a 20,000-plus crowd rocking at Kauffman Stadium.
Salvador Perez and Andrew Benintendi continued their strong offensive seasons with Perez belting four homers this week and Benintendi collecting nine hits, two home runs, and 11 RBIs. In the week his trade was finally completed (the Royals sent minor leaguers Luis De La Rosa and Grant Gambrell to the. Boston Red Sox as the players to be named later), Benintendi is making the case that the Royals got the better of that one.
On the Farm
The big news on the farm this week is the person leaving it. Jackson Kowar was promoted Sunday night. He'll make his major league debut tonight against the Angels. Kowar has been phenomenal for Omaha this season, going 5-0 with a .85 ERA in 31.2 innings with 41 strikeouts and 10 walks.
More important than Kowar's number overall, though, has been the development of his fastball and curveball. I've written previously about the issues with Kowar's fastball, and those same issues plagued him in spring training earlier this year. But he's clearly adjusted his approach with the fastball, and it's making it more effective as a swing-and-miss pitch and less susceptible to fastball hunters. Instead of trying to be fastball dominant and throwing it low, he's using his fastball more up in the zone, commanding it better, and using it in unexpected counts (like 0-2) to keep hitters off balance.
His curveball, which I've always liked more than most, has ticked up a bit. He has been able to throw it for strikes since college, but this season it's take on more depth and looks like an out pitch at times. So, now, he'll throw it, his changeup, and his fastball for strikes in any count, which makes him truly dangerous.
Read More: Royals Call Up Jackson Kowar
Marcus Meade is a contributor to Inside the Royals and a writer of many genres and forms from fiction to scholarship to baseball blogs. He previously wrote for Baseball Prospectus and Kings of Kauffman and also currently writes (occasionally) for Royals Farm Report. He is the host of the Royals Weekly podcast with his brother, Mike. Follow them on Twitter and Facebook @RoyalsWeekly.