Joe Schulman is the author of a new column in the Kansas City Star about becoming a fan of a new baseball team. He has written for ChopTalk, the Atlanta Braves' magazine. Joe is a freelance writer in Atlanta, and he and his wife, Cady, are avid Braves fans.
Friday, May 25, 2007
Good or Bad, or otherwiseYou can't complain too much about 7-3 over the last 10 games. I especially enjoyed Wednesday's game, even though seven runs is a lot to give up. Still, it showed the offensive weapons on the team.
Thursday's game was one that you just look at the box score and move on. When you give up five in the first, it's probably going to be a rough game. It's funny that two games back to back can show two completely different teams. There is a lineup packed with good hitters who have power, but also a team still trying to make it's starting rotation come together.
One game shows a team that can fight and put runs on the board, even if the starter or the bullpen has an off night. The next game played into every stereotype I heard and read about before becoming a fan. The Royals are terrible. They have no pitching. They lose. A lot.
Here in Atlanta, the last two seasons of the Falcons drove me crazy with their big win one week, horrible performance the next. I just wanted them to choose:Be spectacularly good or incredibly horrible. Don't make me wonder which team is going to show up.
After last night's game, I thought that was where the Royals were headed, even after playing so well the last week and a half. This morning though I changed my mind.
This is a team on the rise, one that is learning who it is and what it needs to do to win. There won't be many 2-1 wins, but there will be plenty of 4-3 and 11-7 victories. The Royals are 10th in ERA and are last in hits allowed. Offensively, they are middle of the pack or better, especially in extra base hits(sixth in doubles, first in triples). Their OBP of .330 puts them at seventh in the American League.
Gil Meche is third in the AL in ERA, and Jorge De La Rosa's four wins show he is a good young starter with room to grow. Of course the bullpen is so much better than last year, there's not even a reason to draw a comparison. Even with Octavio Dotel out for a large chunk of the season so far, the bullpen is tied for ninth in the league with saves. Joakim Soria's 10 saves puts him ninth in saves.
This is a team on the way up. They are only three back of the Twins in the division. Sure, the chances of a wild card are slim right now, but this team will be one to build on for next year. For now, they know who they are and so do the fans. It's time they show the rest of baseball.