Royals Rumblings - News for August 29, 2024

There’s a game today? Imagine that.

Despite yesterday’s loss, the Royals are pleased with how their series in Cleveland went:

The Royals would have liked a sweep, but they’re leaving Cleveland just one game behind the Guardians for the American League Central lead with 29 games left. By briefly tying them atop the division with Tuesday’s win, the Royals clinched the season series against the Guardians, as they are now ahead 7-3 with three more games to play against them next week in Kansas City.

“Every time we play a series, we want to win the series,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “That was a good step forward for us to win it. When you get the first three, you want to win the fourth. It’s disappointing today, but by no means should that put a damper on what these guys accomplished. And it’s a race. We’re going to [go] back and forth.”

Trade deadline acquisitions have come up big for the Royals this month:

Former Mets GM Steve Phillips noted the other trade the Royals made last month in acquiring Hunter Harvey, who has been dealing with injuries, from Washington.

“To give them credit, they did not have swing-and-miss in the bullpen, but to make the deal with the Nationals to bring in the reliever, then they go and get Erceg from Oakland, they got some power stuff out there right now, so they’re a little better at the end of the game,” Phillips said.

Preston Farr reviews how Noah Cameron has performed in the minors this season:

Cameron spins the cutter well. He averages 2300 rpm with the pitch, sitting 91-93 mph. He’s thrown it about as much as he’s thrown his outstanding changeup and does a great job mixing all four offerings to opposing hitters. The result has been far better results against right-handed hitters. In 2024, they’ve slashed .245/.304/.368 against Cameron. That’s a .146 improvement in slugging percentage allowed, and it’s massively impacted Cameron’s success on the mound.

Why do some pitchers grunt when they throw?

Reds prospect Rhett Lowder will make his major league debut on Friday.

With Amazon nixing their $115 million investment, what’s next for Bally Sports? ($)

How Paul Skenes’ time at Air Force shaped him as a player.

Dodgers fans lined up for hours outside Dodger Stadium to get a bobblehead of Shohei Ohtani and his dog.

Speaking of dogs, the Clearwater Threshers had a bat dog that wasn’t very good at it.

Alabama football enters a new era this weekend following Nick Saban’s departure.

Let’s overanalyze a viral clip from the U.S. Open yesterday.

Yelp is suing Google for antitrust violations.

Quentin Tarantino refuses to watch Toy Story 4 because the third already ended the story perfectly. I feel the same way about the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy.

Oasis is reuniting for their first tour in 16 years.

Your song of the day is Everybody Loves The Sunshine by Roy Ayers Ubiquity.