Gästebuch » A look at what’s happening around the majors today

BRONX TALES

Old-Timers’ Day is always a special occasion at Yankee Stadium John Ross Jersey , and this year’s festivities are set to feature Hall of Famers Whitey Ford and Reggie Jackson, along with first-timers Andy Pettitte, Jason Giambi and current Yankees manager Aaron Boone. The fun begins before New York takes on Tampa Bay. The Yankees are the only team in the majors that regularly holds these events, and this marks the 72nd annual Old-Timers’ Day in the Bronx – Babe Ruth and Ty Cobb were among those in attendance at the very first one on Sept. 28, 1947, two days before the Yankees hosted the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series opener.

ASCENDING ASTROS

Houston has won 10 in a row overall, and the World Series champions aim to finish off a 10-0 road trip when Lance McCullers Jr. starts against the Royals. Coincidentally, the Astros had an 11-game winning streak end in Kansas City last year.

OUCH!

The Indians expect to know more about Carlos Carrasco, a day after the right-hander was struck in his pitching arm by a line drive from Minnesota’s Joe Mauer. The team announced Carrasco was diagnosed with a forearm contusion; manager Terry Francona said the pitcher was struck on the elbow.

OH THOSE O’S

The Orioles try to avoid a team-record 12th straight home loss when they face Miami. Baltimore has the worst record in the majors at 19-50, including nine losses in a row overall. Dylan Bundy (4-7) starts for the O’s against rookie Trevor Richards, who earned his first big league win on Tuesday against San Francisco.

HARDLY HARPER

Bryce Harper’s batting average has dropped to .221 after he went 0 for 4 and struck out twice Saturday at Toronto. The former MVP still leads the National League with 19 home runs.

”What I think I’d like for him to do is maybe not swing so much,” Washington manager Dave Martinez said. ”He’s been swinging a lot Joe Mixon Jersey , and I really think now is the time to take less swings and just go play.”

REMEMBER ME?

Yovani Gallardo, who has pitched for three different major league teams since leaving his hometown Rangers after the 2015 season, is expected to start for Texas at home against Colorado. The 32-year-old righty has been at Triple-A since signing a minor league deal in April after being designated for assignment by Cincinnati.

LOOKING GOOD

Cardinals rookie Jack Flaherty (3-2, 2.96 ERA) gets the Sunday night start at Busch Stadium. The 22-year-old righty opposes Jose Quintana (6-4, 4.10) and the Cubs.

Drop into just about any bank or supermarket or sports bar in the Kansas City metro area these days and there’s a good chance you’ll see one of several photographs from just a few years ago hanging on a wall.

It might be Yordano Ventura unleashing a fastball. Or Eric Hosmer sliding into home at Citi Field in New York. Or Wade Davis with his arms thrust high into the air, his blazing fastball having just closed out Game 5 of the World Series and making the Kansas City Royals the world champions.

More than likely, you’ll find the now-iconic photograph of Union Station, where an estimated 400,000 people turned out to celebrate the club’s first title in three decades.

Those photos are reminders of better times. And how quickly things can change.

The Royals, who were indeed baseball royalty in 2015, are now neck and neck with the Orioles for the worst record in baseball. They’ve traded off their star closer, their best players are struggling and the prospects that might one day raise them from the abyss are years away from joining the club.

”The record is what it is. The hitting is what it is. The pitching is what it is Jordan Willis Jersey ,” said Royals manager Ned Yost, who presided over the rebuild that led to back-to-back World Series appearances. ”I have to continue to lead. We have to make sure this year has not been a waste.”

How did things fall apart so quickly?

To start, the Royals doled out big contracts to players that have not produced. Left fielder Alex Gordon consumes 14 percent of the payroll in the third year of a $72 million, four-year deal, but he’s hitting just .247 with five homers and 15 RBIs. Right-hander Ian Kennedy consumes 11 percent of the payroll in the third year of a $70 million, five-year deal, and he’s 1-8 with a 5.11 ERA.

The few stars that remain on the roster have likewise struggled to produce.

Salvador Perez likely will see his streak of five straight All-Star games end. The catcher, in the third year of a $52 million, six-year deal, is hitting .255 with 11 homers and 33 RBIs.

Good luck winning many games that way.

The Royals were 25-61 heading into their off day Thursday and had lost 24 of their last 28 games. They needed to go 38-38 the rest of the way just to avoid the ignominy of 100 losses.

Making things worse: The Royals are losing that many games with a payroll of about $144 million.

Another reason for the precipitous slide was year after year of poor drafts. Only one of their 13 first-round picks since 2010 is currently on the 25-man roster; Hunter Dozier is hitting .223 in 44 games as he struggles to lock down an everyday job.

”As a young guy you know you’re going to fail, and in some ways we want you to fail because that’s how you’re going to get better,” said Yost Carl Lawson Jersey , who is going through the same slow learning process with infielder and erstwhile top prospect Adalberto Mondesi.

The son of longtime big leaguer Raul Mondesi, he is hitting .214 in 42 at-bats this season.

”We also don’t want to heap too much on their shoulders,” Yost said, ”so it’s balancing act.”

Maybe that’s why the Royals have been slow to gut their roster in favor of a complete rebuild, even if that appears to be coming. They’ve already traded utility outfielder Jon Jay to the Diamondbacks and star closer Kelvin Herrera to the Nationals, getting five prospects in return that the Royals hope will help restock a farm system that remains one of the worst in baseball.

More moves could be coming, too. The Royals are hopeful of trading third baseman Mike Moustakas, who signed a one-year deal when no long-term offers materialized last offseason. Versatile infielder Whit Merrifield could land a few solid prospects, and left-hander Danny Duffy and even Perez could be made available, though both have torpedoed their value with poor seasons.

The combination of an old and bad team has been made even worse by the fact that the Royals are, well, pretty boring. They don’t hit an abundance of homers. Their starting rotation includes the first two pitchers to hit 10 losses in the majors. There are no young stars yet worth watching.

As a result Authentic Leon Draisaitl Jersey , the Royals are drawing an average of 20,283 fans to Kauffman Stadium. That’s a drop of more than 7,000 from last season and more than 13,000 from their championship season.

Still, for all the gloom, the typically irascible Yost has taken a decidedly optimistic approach to this season. He’s been through these long and painful rebuilds and come out the other side.

It takes patience. It takes smart moves. It takes more patience.

”There’s a lot of things to look at that you’re happy with, even though the record is what it is,” he said. ”There is progress that you’re going to see on the back end, in the light, just as we did in 2013 and 2014, when we turned the corner the last time.”

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