Royals Rumblings - News for April 1, 2025

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Don’t be a fool!

Jaylon Thompson writes Royals players were impressed that Jonathan India was back in the lineup Monday.

“It’s something that I have never seen in my career,” Royals captain Salvador Perez said. “I said that on TV earlier: He is one of the toughest guys I have ever met in my life.

“Get hit in the head with a 99 to 100 mph fastball and play. Not just play, but to help your team to win the way he played, you know, that’s just amazing. He got a lot of respect from me.”

He also writes that Kris Bubic was nails in his first start of the year.

“You go in there for an inning, you don’t really have time to waste pitches,” he said. “You are coming in there and attacking guys right away.

“So as a starter now, it’s kind of similar in the fact that instead of looking at the game as a whole, like I’m throwing 100 pitches today — or 6 to 7 innings — now, in my head, I’m a reliever for one inning. And then I’m a reliever for the next inning, and so forth.”

Anne Rogers has more.

Bubic didn’t need the help. He retired the middle of the Brewers lineup in order and ended his day at 95 pitches.

“Even throwing 90-plus pitches again — it’s been a minute,” Bubic said. “It’s cool. But I think where I’ve matured a little bit is not making it bigger than it is. There’s no more [being] starstruck. I think now it’s just, ‘This is it, here it is, go get outs.’”

David Lesky looks at the struggles from Royals starting pitchers in the first series.

The other is that the Guardians simply didn’t chase. Their chase rate this weekend was 19.5 percent, which is kind of absurd. They had the fifth-highest chase rate last year, higher than the Royals, and didn’t make any moves of note other than getting rid of a few of their good players, so that’s interesting.

This brings up two questions for them. One, is this an aberration? Any offense, even the Royals, can have a good weekend of taking pitches. And two, is this more because of Royals pitching or because of their approach? I tend to believe it was both, but I’d lean to give more credit to the Guardians than blame to the Royals.

Craig Brown breaks down Michael Wacha’s mixed results on Sunday.

Brady Singer becomes the first Reds pitcher since Tom Seaver to toss seven shutout innings in his Cincinnati debut.

Boston agrees to a six-year, $170 million extension with Garrett Crochet.

Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar is suspended 80 games for PEDs.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman gets hurt in the shower.

Detroit loses second baseman Gleyber Torres to injury.

The Athletics open up their home season in Sacramento.

The Mets trade outfielder Alex Canario to the Pirates for cash.

How 2025 Opening Day rosters were built.

Who is the inventor of the new “torpedo” bats?

What other non-Yankees are using the torpedo bats?

Comcast reaches agreement with the YES Network to broadcast Yankees games.