Seitz called it

Before Wednesday night's game against the Blue Jays, Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer said he had a "feeling" Billy Butler was going to break out of the funk that has plagued him thus far in 2009. Seitzer couldn't have been more precise with his timing as "Big Bill" crushed two homers and a double in going 4-for-5 with four RBI.

All four hits came against Frank Viola look-alike Brian Tallett as he crushed a laser to right center and another booming blast to left center. Big Bill is seeing the ball really, really well right now. He's laying off of bad pitches and hitting all the fat ones. It's about time. He entered the game with a .193 average. With the return of Jose Guillen to the lineup, Butler's stick could help do a ton of damage.

GMDM...it's time

OK, so all you guys have heard me do lately is gripe and moan that Luke Hochevar needs to be called up from Triple-A Omaha. I'm sure you're probably tired of hearing me speak on the subject, but I can't help myself. He is off to a scorching start for the O'Royals, and the big league club is missing out.

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that the Royals are one transaction away from having the best rotation in baseball. They may not have all the "names" that teams like the Yankees and Red Sox have, but they are quickly going to become household names if they continue to tear through lineups at this pace.

I never thought I'd hear myself say it this soon, but Dayton Moore has put this team on a fast track to a championship. They can easily win the division this year if the starting rotation can stay intact. Yes, I say that despite the fact that the offense hasn't been particularly stunning thus far. Add a couple more bats* next season and this team could contend for a crown.

*Jose Guillen stepped up with two monster homers last night - his first two of the season - and history has shown that when he gets on a tear the rest of the lineup follows. It was no surprise they won 7-1. Miguel Olivo homered as well. Maybe nights like that can jump-start the offense.

Hochevar tossed six innings, struck out seven, allowed four hits and walked two as Omaha drilled Oklahoma City 8-1 yesterday. He improved his record to 4-0 with a 1.44 ERA in 25 innings on the hill. Clearly, he's figured something out working with Bob McClure this offseason, and appears to have worked out the kinks in his delivery.

We all know he has outstanding ability on the hill. We have already witnessed flashes of dominance from the kid in the big leagues. There were times he would stifle hitters, then get his brains bashed in the next inning. That's what many young pitchers do. Greinke did it his first three years in the bigs. Hochevar figured some things out during his time in the big leagues last year, and he was very good this spring. He seems to have proved beyond a reasonable doubt that he is ready for the call.

Scouts project Hoch to be a darn good No. 2 or 3 starter in the bigs. This year he won't have the pressure of living up to those expectations because of the outstanding performances of the top three in the rotation (Meche, Greinke and Davies). That is fantastic for Luke. Two years ago he would have been expected to be one of the top three. Kyle Davies has taken that pressure off of him. This is the perfect situation for his growth in the big leagues.

Another factor is the emergence of Brian Bannister. Since being recalled from Omaha he has turned in two solid performances. He is showing signs of returning to his 2007 form, when he nearly won AL Rookie of the Year. Banny knows he won't always get away with allowing one run when he walks six batters like he did in his last start, but when your pitch to your spots and miss bats (to the tune of allowing one hit through six innings) you are going to have success.

Also, Sidney Ponson has been a serviceable guy thus far in the rotation. I understand he probably hasn't done anything to rile Royals fans yet - he's turned in two "quality" starts so far - which is a pleasant surprise for the club. But realistic baseball people know what Ponson is. He's been mediocre throughout his career, and that's exactly what his stats have shown thus far.

To be fair, Ponson hasn't received much run support at all in his starts, and he should have a couple more wins already. Regardless, his ERA is over 5.00 and is going to hover in that range all year. A lot of teams would be happy with that. Any other year and the Royals would have been ecstatic if their No. 1 guy could give them that, but not in 2009. These Royals pitchers are a new breed.

Look, I am not naive enough to think that Hochevar will post a sub-2.00 ERA in the big leagues. But you would be naive to think that he wouldn't be an upgrade over Ponson. Ponson could move to the pen and give this team a shot in the arm, in that respect. As far as I'm concerned Banny could move to the 'pen. That might be the better move. It would limit his exposure every fifth day, and keep Ponson in the rotation at No. 5. That would also work. Anything to keep Horacio Ramirez in the 'pen would be great.

But to leave Hochevar in the minors when he's pitching this good is a waste. If they wanted to let him dominate and boost his confidence, fine. It's been accomplished. I'll admit it has been a luxury for the big league rotation to be solid, because has kept the organization from rushing Hochevar. They don't REALLY need him right now, but any team would be foolish not to find a way to fit a guy like him in somewhere.

So, GMDM ... it's time. He's ready. Reward the kid. Let's get to the playoffs.

Royals fans be warned ... all hell could break loose

Well, here we go. With a team that is hovering close to the .500 mark, and playing pretty good baseball to this point, there has been plenty to cheer about for Royals fans so far in 2009. But while the year is still young, it's not too early to panic that all-world closer Joakim Soria could miss several weeks with what is being called a "sore" right shoulder.

This could spell disaster for the Royals if the offense doesn't start scoring runs in bunches pretty soon. Of course, it remains to be seen just how long Soria will be out. For right now they're not putting him on the DL, but he certainly has caused some concern in the organization that has the club taking every precaution to keep his condition under wraps. That should tell us something.

Soria had an MRI a couple days ago and the results came back negative. That doesn't mean a lot since he's experiencing what teams like to call a "dead arm". That means we won't be seeing him on the hill for a little while.

There is just no way to tell when a pitchers arm will rebound from an issue like Soria's. Being a former pitcher who experienced arm troubles myself, I can tell you that Soria will miss longer than five days. There's simply no way they will allow him to pitch before that time. Guaranteed, and that's a good thing.

I'll explain it this way. There's a difference between pitching with a sore arm and pitching with an injury. Basically, you can pitch with a sore arm. You can work soreness out with some long toss, stretching, ice and a day of rest. Sore arms, while they do result in pain, and regardless of popular thinking, do not mean you're injured. Pitchers throw with sore arms every day. Therefore, Soria has more than a "sore" arm. This has been going on for at least a week now.

That means Ron Mahay, Juan Cruz and Kyle "Gas Can" Farnsworth are the likely closers for at least a couple of weeks. Cruz and Mahay I can live with, but God forbid Farnsworth steps on the mound in a close game in the ninth. I'm getting an ulcer thinking about it right now.

I pray to DeJesus that the offense carries us through.

Jose Guillen returns, Pena cut

Jose Guillen returned to the lineup today against the Tigers after a 15 day sting on the DL for a right hip labrum injury.

Meanwhile, the Royals designated catcher Brayan Pena (yes, I'm thinking what you're thinking: why not Tony Pena Jr.?) for assignment, which could very likely end his playing days in Kansas City.

The Royals are interested in re-signing Pena, but will only be able to do so if he clears waivers, and it would be somewhat of a surprise if he does. Pena was shocked by the news, telling reporters; "It hurts man."

As a Royals fan it does hurt. I wish it would have been the other Pena.

Banny goes ... cha ching!!!!

Brian Bannister was money in his first big league start of the season. In fact, it was reminiscent of 2007. *Sigh*

Banny tossed six innings, gave up four hits and didn't allow a run as the Royals shut out the Indians 2-0. He matched 2008 CY Young Award winner Cliff Lee pitch-for-pitch throughout the contest as Lee was dazzling himself. Lee was the tough luck loser, falling to 1-3 on the season, after going eight innings and allowing nine hits with two runs. Bannister walked two and struck out one.

He was also backed by several defensive gems throughout the game as well. Willie Bloomquist and David DeJesus each added nice running grabs to save potential runs in the game.

"I know my role this year," Bannister said. "I know I can be up and down (between the majors and minors) this year, but I'm fine with it. Whatever I can to to help the team win. I'm fine with my role.
"We played great defense. It was just a good all around game for everybody."

Trey Hillman was ecstatic with the performance.

"(Bannister) was outstanding," Trey Hillman said. "Doesn't matter what combination you're throwing ... to hold these guys down like he did was pretty impressive. He pitched a great game."

Coco Crisp opened up the scoring when he doubled and scored on a DeJesus sac fly in the first. Mike Jacobs singled and scored in the seventh on a Bloomquist single. Jamey Wright came on in the seventh and pitched two dazzling scoreless innings. They escaped a jam in the ninth when Joakim Soria struck out Trevor Crowe with a curveball on a 2-2 pitch with runners at second and third to end the game.

The Royals are now 8-3 and three Farnsworth's.

So I was in Springdale, Ark. yesterday...

...and got a good look at new Royals pitcher Anthony Lerew - the former Braves top prospect. Lerew, who I begged the Royals to sign several weeks ago, is still attempting to bounce back from major elbow surgery after getting cut by the Braves. Lerew spent a brief time in the bigs with the Braves before being cut, and the Royals picked him up quickly. After all, Dayton Moore and J.J. Piccollo were responsible for his draft and sign with Atlanta in the first place.

Anyways, he looked brilliant against the Corpus Christi Hooks (Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros) on Tuesday. In front of the fourth largest crowd in Arvest Ballpark's brief history, Lerew tossed 6 2/3 innings against the Hooks and struck out six while allowing eight hits, three runs and a walk.

Lerew served up a controversial two-run homer to Mitch Einertson in the seventh, shortly before his exit in the game. The ball hit the top of the wall in left center, and after a long chat by the umpires it was ruled a homer. The only other run he allowed in the game came on a solo shot to Chris DeLome in the sixth. He started leaving the ball up in the sixth, clearly as a result of fatigue.

Still, Lerew looked really good. The Royals should be excited about what this kid can bring to the organization. His ERA currently stands at 3.07 and he's showing signs of re-gaining his old form. Center fielder Jose Duarte banged two doubles in the game, and looks like a much improved player over the guy I saw last season. He appears to have added some much needed bulk, and was swinging the bat very well.

Mario Lisson has moved from third base to shortstop, and looks like he is still adjusting to the move. He's played there before, but lacks a great deal of range at the position. He played pretty well though. Plus, the Royals feel he will hit. He has the body type to resemble Alex Rodriguez. With six years of steroids he may hit like him too. Bad joke.

Shame on me.

NW Arkansas won the game, 9-7, after Gilbert De La Vara (who was taken by the Astros in the Rule 5 Draft, but returned to Kansas City before the start of the year) nearly Kyle Farnsworthed the game with a horrible day on the mound. He allowed four runs and couldn't get out of the 9th. Chris Nicoll came on and slammed the door, stranding the tying run at first. The Naturals allowed four runs in the ninth.

I got some good pictures at the game that I will add when I do posts about these guys in the future. Got this shot of Lerew. Think I'm going to print it and have it signed. What do you guys think?

I'll be attending several more Naturals games all over the midwest this season and I'll keep you updated on how the young guys are looking.

By the way, Dan Cortes got hammered on Monday night. He's struggling to start the year.

Bannister recalled, gets Wednesday start

It didn't take long for Brian Bannister to make his way back to K.C. as he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to make his first big league start of the season against 2008 A.L. Cy Young winner Cliff Lee on Wednesday.
Bannister is off to a decent start at Triple-A (for stats on him see the previous Hochevar post) and the Royals only allowed him to throw two innings in his past outing in anticipation of this move. They didn't call up Hochevar because he threw eight innings on Monday. Relief pitcher Doug Waechter is headed to the DL with a lateral strain in his right elbow.
By the way, the Royals fell 8-7 tonight.