Show Stuff for 05-28-09

The Royals are becoming a very frustrating team to watch… and frustrating is a not so distant cousin of infuriating… and infuriating teams tend to be alienating teams, and that’s a road that us Royals fans don’t want to go down again, as we have been down it far too many times…

But this is a downright frustrating team right now… Even in the wins there are moments—like Billy Butler on the basepaths on Tuesday night—that worry you… and in seemingly all of the losses, one of the three issues that really devastate this team—terrible defense, or the inability to put together any type of consistent offensive production, or a bullpen that can’t hold onto a lead or more accurately keep a game close…

Yes, Kyle Davies allowing the leadoff runner on every single inning and his lack of control beginning in the 5th inning were the major reasons the Royals lost yesterday… but Mark Teahen’s brutal error in the 6th cost this team any chance of making it interesting late… and that was just another example of defense crippling this team… and it feels like when the Royals lose, if it’s not the defense, it’s the absolute anemic offense or it’s the bullpen faltering late… occasionally the starting pitching stinks, but more often than not the starting pitching has been good enough to win, and one of those three things has crippled the team…

And we know that I believe this team is headed in the right direction—2010, et cetera et cetera—but I’m starting to worry about this team for this year (Gordon, Crisp, Soria…)… and now I’m wondering this precise question---

Aside from Zack Greinke, is this team any better, any one bit better—as PRESENTLY CONSTITUTED—than last year’s team? Real Question. Because record wise, the answer would be no.

2009 Royals through 47 games- 23-24
2008 Royals through 47 games- 21-26 (midst of 12 game losing streak, 8games left)

Royals- 23-14 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-9 when scoring fewer than 2 .621

Red Sox- 27-18 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-1 when scoring fewer than 2 .600

Rangers- 27-15 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-3 when scoring fewer than 2 .642

Tigers- 24-14 when scoring 2+ runs… 1-5 when scoring fewer than 2 .631

Yankees- 26-18 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-2 when scoring fewer than 2 .590

Blue Jays-27-15 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-7 when scoring fewer than 2 .642

Angels- 22-19 when scoring 2+runs… 1-3 when scoring fewer than 2 .536

Rays- 23-21 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-4 when scoring fewer than 2 .523

Orioles- 20-22 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-4 when scoring fewer than2 .476

Mariners- 19-15 when scoring 2+ runs…2-11 when scoring fewer than 2 .558

A’s- 18-18 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-7 when scoring fewer than 2 .500

Twins- 23-16 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-8 when scoring fewer than 2 .589

White Sox-21-12 when scoring 2+ runs…0-12 when scoring fewer than 2 .637

Indians- 19-19 when scoring 2+ runs… 0-9 when scoring fewer than 2 .500