Standing out

Last night's loss dropped the Royals four games below .500, making them the only American League team to be further than two games from .500 in either direction. Kinda feels like standing alone in the rain, if you ask me. The good news here is that they don't have far to go to catch Wild Card leader Minnesota/Detroit, at 6-4 (any wonder that the Wild Card team hails from the Central?). Granted, it's really early to be talking about standings, but this much is clear: if the Royals' bats remain dormant much longer, the team might find itself in a disconcertingly deep hole. Seven everyday players with at least 18 at-bats are hitting .200 or below, and as a team, KC's .226 BA is third-worst in the Majors.

On the other hand, David DeJesus has more multi-hit games (6) than anyone in the league, and Reggie Sanders is now batting .500, after his 3 for 4 performance. They'll need to keep it up today against Daniel Cabrera, a "stuff" pitcher who's 3-0 in four starts against the Royals with a 2.35 ERA. The good news for our boys is he's got spotty control, and so far the Royals have been good about staying patient at the plate (six walks last night).

And of course, since it's baseball, anything can happen.