Change of Plans...

I was going to kick off today's entry making fun of the Royals by describing all the things that have happened to me and the world since they last won a game (because really, who wouldn't want to know exactly what I've been up to?).  But the problem is, I can't rememeber what I was doing on Wednesday, July 27, when a 6-5 victory over the White Sox capped off a hot streak of 4 wins in 6 games, and pulled the Royals tantilizingly close in the AL Central (those 18 game losing streaks will knock you back a ways...)

Unfortunately, the cold slap of reality is... I have no idea what I was doing on the 27th, or most of the days after that.   Of course, I doubt the Royals do, either.  What's interesting to me is the psychology of the whole thing.  The Royals have been terrible all year, with fits and starts of competence thrown in here and there just to keep things interesting.  I doubt from a baseball standpoint they've been substantially worse during this stretch than they have over any 18 game stretch earlier in the year.  They've lost some heartbreakers (including 7 games by 1 or 2 runs) and some laughers (a 16-1 blowout followed by an 11-0 pasting at home against Oakland). 

The rest have been typical Royals games.  They just lose, and nobody really notices because that's what they're supposed to do.  How many people do you think paid attention to this streak until it reached double digits?  "The Royals have lost six in a row" sounds eerily similar to "the sun rose in the east this morning" in the pantheon of attention grabbing statements.  Now, "Kansas City has won five in a row!" is likely to cause panic along the lines of yelling "Fire!" in a crowded theater.  Five in a row?  That's when you start checking the skies for rolling clouds and shrouded guys on horseback. 

I'd love to have been in the clubhouse, too, on the day the Royals realized they had something special going.  Was it at 10 games?  14?  Is there even a little bit of pride in what they're doing?  Assuming everyone is trying their best and not tanking- though with KC's roster, it might be hard to tell the difference- it's almost impossible for a major league team, or even a AAA team playing against major leaguers, to lose 18 games in a row.  You win one on accident.  The other team kicks the ball around.  Five flares fall in for base hits, which combined with 2 wild pitches give your team 3 cheap runs.  On Sportscenter, people talk about how bad the other team was, and how they lost the game.  Your squad had nothing to do with it.  To me, it's amazing the Royals haven't had one of those yet.  18 games in a row.  That's pretty impressive. 

Just as a capper, Rob Neyer wrote in his column for ESPN.com that he doesn't think the Royals could lose the rest of their games and finish with 124 losses.  But wouldn't it be cool if they did?  If you're gonna ****, ********. 

You can make an arguement that the Royals are finally taking pride in what they do.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the state... 

Mark Mulder's shutout of the D-Backs last night has me smiling.  Every time he pitches well, it makes me think the Cards have that much more of a shot to take the series.  Walker is on his way back, as is Reggie Sanders.  There's no need to rush.  As long as both get a couple weeks worth of AB's before the playoffs, all will be well with them.

Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Scott Rolen.  It's never a good sign when after about three months of rehab and inactivity (with 87 AB's tossed in between) a body part actually seems to be getting worse, not better.  That's the deal with Rolen.  According to the Post Dispatch online, there's now a good chance Rolen could miss the rest of the season and the postseason.  If I had to make a prediction, I'd say he's done.  I just don't think they'd speak in these terms unless they knew.  Every quote sounds like the speaker is holding out hope, but you can almost sense the tone, quiet and with head hung as if talking about a terminally sick relative. 

That means the Cards are in the Abraham Nunez business.  Dude's been amazing, but having to use him in the every day lineup makes the Cards significantly weaker.  Even if Rolen can't hit, he saves games with his glove.  Nunez isn't a hack, but he won't do much of that.  Plus, when he's on the bench, the whole team is stronger.  And we all remember what seemed to happen to the Cards the last time Rolen missed the playoffs.  Ugliness.

Maybe there's something out there, where Walt Jocketty can make a waiver deal for some help.  Even if it just bolsters the bench, hefting up the spot vacated by Nunez when he moved into the lineup.  Something.  Anything.  Just so I can sleep a little easier, you know?