Cristian and I were able to tape another episode of “KC Chase to the Pennant” on Monday during the Royals’ win over the Brewers. We also included a new intro with a pretty awesome 80s retro vibe.
Here’s a look at the episode, in which we discuss the Royals’ hitting struggles, the success of the Royals’ pitching development so far this year, and when JJ Picollo looks to get involved in the trade market.
Here are a few follow-up bullet points on the podcast, which went live two days ago.
Surprisingly, the Royals’ offense has been pretty solid the past two games, as they scored five runs on Tuesday and six runs in the series finale against the Brewers. Unfortunately, due to the bullpen blowing up on Tuesday, they only went 1-1 during that stretch.
Nonetheless, the Royals’ top batting order has been pretty solid during the past two games, with Vinnie having strong performances on Tuesday and Wednesday and Salvy bouncing back after a bit of a cold two games against the Rangers after his Friday night home run. Furthermore, Bobby Witt, Jr. hit his fifth home run of the year, his first home run in a few weeks.
The Royals’ pitching continued to hum on Tuesday and Wednesday, especially from a starting pitching end.
In Tuesday’s loss, Seth Lugo had another stellar performance: he went 6.2 IP and only allowed two runs on 77 pitches. Brady Singer struggled a little early in Wednesday’s afternoon finale, but he went five innings and allowed only one run on five hits and two walks while striking out four.
Alec Marsh is also set up to return on Friday after spending some time on the IL due to being hit by a hard-line drive comebacker. Cristian and I discussed Marsh being one of Brian Sweeney and the Royals’ most prominent success stories this year. He could be due for a big performance on Friday, especially against a struggling Angels team.
The bottom of the Royals’ lineup has been rough, even amidst this two-game offensive breakout.
Hunter Renfroe has been a massive disappointment (though Cristian and I are still optimistic about his power). Nelson Velazquez has really cooled off after a strong start in early April. Based on their starts, Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson don’t seem to have long outlooks in Kansas City. We are also optimistic about Drew Waters and Nick Loftin in Omaha, but we still feel like the Royals may benefit from moving to improve the outfield and lineup sooner rather than later.
We think it may be too early to make a deal (and think the Marlins and White Sox could be asking for steep returns right now, too). That said, the longer the Royals stay in this thing, the more Cristian and I believe Picollo will make a move, even if it may cost some prospect capital.
Check out our latest episode on YouTube and Spotify, and subscribe and like if you haven’t already! We look forward to having more regular episodes soon, especially with both of us at the end of our academic semesters.
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