{"id":28780,"date":"2025-05-15T12:16:09","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T12:16:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/28780\/"},"modified":"2025-05-15T12:16:09","modified_gmt":"2025-05-15T12:16:09","slug":"royals-rumblings-news-for-may-15-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/28780\/","title":{"rendered":"Royals Rumblings &#8211; News for May 15, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"F1O9jZ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Froyals%2Fnews%2Fmichael-lorenzen-unable-to-get-through-8th-inning-vs-astros&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalsreview.com%2Froyals-news-notes-links%2F2025%2F5%2F15%2F24430326%2Froyals-rumblings-news-for-may-15-2025\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">Matt Quatraro doesn\u2019t regret leaving Michael Lorenzen in<\/a> for the eighth inning last night:<\/p>\n<p id=\"I1DRxb\">Much is made of being cautious when a pitcher is going through the order a third time, but Quatraro didn\u2019t hesitate in letting Lorenzen pitch to Dub\u00f3n, who had doubled in his previous at-bat. Dub\u00f3n\u2019s second double was just fair near the left-field corner. In the sixth, he had scored when Pe\u00f1a doubled to an almost identical spot.<\/p>\n<p id=\"nrNkcp\">\u201cI mean, none of these decisions are easy, right?\u201d said Quatraro, whose top five bullpen options \u2013 Lucas Erceg, Daniel Lynch IV, Steven Cruz, John Schreiber and Est\u00e9vez \u2013 entered Thursday with a combined ERA of 1.46. \u201cIt\u2019s the eighth inning, but [Lorenzen] had plenty of stuff. He was strong. That\u2019s a really just unfortunate way for that ball [by Dub\u00f3n] to bounce right there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"uBNky3\">Davy Andrews at FanGraphs investigates <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.fangraphs.com\/rich-hill-starts-yet-another-climb-this-time-with-the-royals\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">if recent signing Rich Hill has anything left in the tank<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p id=\"AKJsJj\">Whether that\u2019s possible remains to be seen. Hill\u2019s success in November is encouraging, and the Royals wouldn\u2019t have signed him if they hadn\u2019t seen something in his Trackman data. But the last time Hill put up an xFIP below 4.00 or a DRA- below 100 was 2019 (except for his brief 2024 campaign, when Hill had a 92 DRA- over his 3 2\/3 innings). After hovering around 88 mph for years, his fastball averaged closer to 86 last season. Although it was an extremely small sample, Hill was a different pitcher for the Red Sox, throwing his curveball just 11% of the time and relying on a sweeper that the stuff models loved. It will be interesting to see whether these changes were flukes. Will he stick with the sweeper going forward? Will his four-seamer remain below the all-important DeLorean time travel threshold?<\/p>\n<p id=\"XWRdow\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/mlb\/news\/american-league-quarter-mark-grades-mariners-tigers-lead-class-yankees-good-but-not-yet-great-orioles-fail\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CBS Sports graded Kansas City with a B<\/a> for their performance through a quarter of the season:<\/p>\n<p id=\"ZNxCC7\">The streakiest team in baseball so far this season. The Royals went 2-9 from April 9-19 and then immediately followed it up with a 16-2 stretch. The rotation is four deep in very good-to-elite starters (Michael Lorenzen is a rock solid No. 5 too), the bullpen has been one of the best in baseball, and Bobby Witt Jr. is a star of the first order. He just needs more help. More help in addition to Maikel Garcia, I should say. Garcia\u2019s been awesome. He and Witt have combined for a .873 OPS. The rest of the Royals have a .598 OPS. The outfield as a unit has a .620 OPS. That won\u2019t cut it. The offense needs more juice. To date though, Kansas City has been very good. Streaky, but very good.<\/p>\n<p id=\"UGzqJd\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.kansascity.com\/news\/politics-government\/article306434351.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">A plan from the state of Missouri to provide funding for new stadiums<\/a> for the Royals and Chiefs is dead for now:<\/p>\n<p id=\"qtDOOl\">Gov. Mike Kehoe had attempted to push the plan through the General Assembly on a lightning-fast timeline this week. But the Republican chief executive, a former car salesman who entered office in January, came away without a passed plan. The proposal is almost certain to come before lawmakers again. Kehoe previously signaled he was open to calling a special session if the legislature didn\u2019t approve the measure this week.<\/p>\n<p id=\"lNr1u9\">The Twins got a late go-ahead home run <a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.mlb.com%2Fnews%2Fkody-clemens-hits-three-run-homer-twins-win-10th-straight-game&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.royalsreview.com%2Froyals-news-notes-links%2F2025%2F5%2F15%2F24430326%2Froyals-rumblings-news-for-may-15-2025\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">to push their winning streak to 10 games<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"JBszKl\">Kiley McDaniel has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45110962\/2025-mlb-draft-rankings-150-mock-draft-top-prospects\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">his latest draft prospect ranking<\/a>, headlined by Florida State lefty Jamie Arnold.<\/p>\n<p id=\"lU3zkC\">Aaron Judge is hitting like peak Barry Bonds, <a href=\"https:\/\/sports.yahoo.com\/mlb\/article\/aaron-judge-is-hitting-like-barry-bonds-so-where-are-all-the-intentional-walks-191104029.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">so why isn\u2019t he being intentionally walked like Bonds<\/a>?<\/p>\n<p id=\"VEtORq\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6354465\/2025\/05\/14\/can-pope-leo-xiv-help-flagging-white-sox-economy-judging-from-buzz-and-jersey-sales-yes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The result of the recent conclave has been a financial boon for the White Sox<\/a> ($).<\/p>\n<p id=\"b7UbVl\">Speaking of, the White Sox are more relevant than ever now as <a href=\"https:\/\/defector.com\/baseball-frees-its-gambling-ghosts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">all their players that maybe could have but didn\u2019t win a title in 1919 are no longer banned<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"MxRbCX\">Also, speaking of, old timey ballplayers, meet <a href=\"https:\/\/baseballreplayjournal.substack.com\/p\/stealing-every-base\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jackie Tavener, a role player that once stole his way around the bases<\/a> in a single inning.<\/p>\n<p id=\"90GrpZ\">Seattle right-handed pitcher<a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2025\/05\/mariners-place-bryce-miller-on-il-with-elbow-inflammation.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> Bryce Miller is headed to the IL<\/a> with an elbow injury.<\/p>\n<p id=\"t4kqtq\">Milwaukee left-handed pitcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2025\/05\/brewers-place-jose-quintana-on-il-with-shoulder-impingement.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jose Quintana is headed to the IL<\/a> with a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n<p id=\"k0DmDG\">Boston right-handed pitcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2025\/05\/red-sox-place-tanner-houck-on-injured-list-with-flexor-strain.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tanner Houck is headed to the IL<\/a> with an arm injury.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ptMyoX\">Angels right-handed pitcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mlbtraderumors.com\/2025\/05\/ben-joyce-undergoes-season-ending-shoulder-surgery.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Joyce will miss the rest of the season<\/a> after undergoing shoulder surgery.<\/p>\n<p id=\"OTod54\">LSU takes over the top spot in <a href=\"https:\/\/d1baseball.com\/stories\/d1baseball-top-25-lsu-takes-over-top-spot-four-teams-enter-ranks\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">this week\u2019s college baseball top 25<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"DAeKz2\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45111129\/palisades-charter-high-school-dolphins-baseball-palisades-fires-california-wildfires\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Baseball provided a source of solace for high schoolers in the Pacific Palisades<\/a> that lost their homes to wildfire.<\/p>\n<p id=\"JXG8kR\">The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45153852\/celtics-first-game-jayson-tatum-throttle-knicks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Boston Celtics stayed alive with a win<\/a> over the New York Knicks. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45155667\/wolves-close-warriors-2nd-straight-conference-finals\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Golden State Warriors were unable to do the same<\/a>, falling to the Minnesota Timberwolves.<\/p>\n<p id=\"Gu9Wy6\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/nfl\/2025\/5\/14\/24430011\/nicolas-cage-john-madden-movie-christian-bale-raiders-nfl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nicolas Cage is starring as John Madden<\/a> in an upcoming biopic.<\/p>\n<p id=\"ItiziE\"><a href=\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/2025\/05\/14\/max-to-be-renamed-hbo-max-fixing-the-name-change-nobody-wanted\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Max is being rebranded again<\/a>, returning to their old moniker.<\/p>\n<p id=\"QeZg76\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/ng-interactive\/2025\/may\/14\/kroger-supermarket-sales-tactics\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kroger is duping shoppers with fake discount listings<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"rXG5q0\">Your song of the day is Let\u2019s Go by The Beaches and Lights.<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Matt Quatraro doesn\u2019t regret leaving Michael Lorenzen in for the eighth inning last night: Much is made of&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":28781,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2387],"tags":[5,250,181,936,2123,55,2596,2595,1287,4,169,254,252,3560,3559],"class_list":{"0":"post-28780","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-royals","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-for","10":"tag-front-page","11":"tag-kansas","12":"tag-kansas-city","13":"tag-kansas-city-royals","14":"tag-kansascity","15":"tag-kansascityroyals","16":"tag-may","17":"tag-mlb","18":"tag-news","19":"tag-review","20":"tag-royals","21":"tag-royals-news-notes-links","22":"tag-rumblings"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/114511805383121059","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}