2011 Kansas City Royals mid season review
Sometimes I do not know what to say bout this team. Since they have been pretty bad, for a sustained period, I tend to ignore them. That is a sad fact since my team, the Detroit Tigers, play them quite often, and they have been a thorn in their sides at times. Right now, the Royals have a 37-53 record, and find themselves in last place in a pretty weak American League Central division. They have just a 5-13 record in interleague play and a 12-19 record versus the other four teams in their division. They have a winning record against the Chicago White Sox that stands at 3-2 currently.
The Royals offense has scored 401 runs, and their team batting average is .266 third highest in the AL. They have the third most hits, and are leading the AL in Triples. However, with just 66 home runs and 555 strikeouts there seems to be a power outage in this lineup. Royals hitters have drawn 288 walks so they are fairly disciplined, but lack overall power. Four of their regular nine position players are batting near .300 so this is a team that knows how to get on base. They are also leading the AL in stolen bases, so they are playing a version of small ball as they try to manufacture runs.
The Pitching staff has given up 447 runs, and the staff ERA is 4.58. That is the second worst staff ERA in their league. Royals pitchers have struck out 554 batters, and issued 313 free passes. Both of those numbers are on the wrong end of AL team stats. Beyond Bruce Chen, the starting pitchers have really struggled. Some of the bullpen has done well, but closer Joakim Soria has a 4.14 ERA and has converted 15 saves.
Related Links:
- Kansas City Royals news and notes
- Joshua Lobdell.com
