The Royals have been flashing D lately.
Jaylon Thompson dives into how impressive Kyle Isbel’s catch Thursday was.
“Just taking your eye off the ball and running,” Isbel said of his thought process. “Taking your eye off the ball helps you run faster because you are not running with your head sideways. So that was a big key there. I knew it was going to be iffy off the bat, especially the way the wind was and with the rain.”
He also wrote about Adam Frazier’s home run robbery on Friday.
Frazier timed his jump and robbed Meadows of a two-run homer. Then he took it a step further by throwing back to first base to double up Tigers shortstop Javier Baez.
“I saw it go up and I had to get back there,” Frazier said. “Just trying to get back there and leave a little space in case it was close enough to rob and it was. It was the first one I was able to do that.”
Anne Rogers writes about Seth Lugo’s impressive start against Detroit.
“When he locates, he’s unique, because he can make the ball move in every direction,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “And clearly today, he was hitting the corners pretty well. It gave them fits.”
Ben Clemens at Fangraphs highlights the hot start by Salvador Perez.
Salvador Perez is a surprisingly controversial player. I think that’s the case because he’s good at one part of catching defense – controlling the running game – and poor at framing, which is harder to see on any given play. We think he’s been worth only 16.6 WAR in his career, while Baseball Reference’s calculation, which omits framing, has him at 34.3. That makes him a stats-versus-eye-test lightning rod.
That kind of sucks, to be honest, because it takes away from what we should be focusing on: I love watching him work at the plate.
Kevin O’Brien at Royals Reporter writes about the slow start from Will Smith.
Royals Weekly evaluates the options for the rotation with Alec Marsh out.
Carlos Hernandez began a rehab assignment at Omaha.
The Orioles demote Jackson Holliday to the minors.
The White Sox activate outfielder Tommy Pham.
The A’s may have something in closer Mason Miller.
Why Aaron Judge believes he can turn things around.
Brewers pitcher Wade Miley needs Tommy John surgery, which may end his career.
Justin Slaten is becoming a Rule 5 draft success story in Boston.
Max Scherzer wants an umpire relegation system.
Can Cubs starting pitchers keep this up?
Did Ted Williams really hit a home run to the “red seat” at Fenway Park?
How Japanese-Americans interned during World War II used baseball to maintain dignity.
Carolina Panthers owner David Tepper stopped by a bar with a sign criticizing the team.
Will the NBA crown a sixth different champion in six years?
Airlines must now offer cash refunds for cancellations.
Climate change is slowing Earth’s rotation.
The Simpsons producer apologizes for killing off a long-time background character.
Your song of the day is The Allman Brothers Band with Ramblin’ Man.
