OK, wow, the national anthem thing sure got some response and is probably something we'll get back to in the future. But let's get to baseball today.
Mike Aviles sure had a bad night, and I'm not trying to pick on him, because he's been the most pleasant surprise of the season.
As Dutton wrote, he's earned a mulligan. That said, he misplayed two balls at shortstop and went 0-for-5 while stranding eight runners.
Better defense, and maybe Luke Hochevar doesn't give up six runs in six innings. A timely hit here or there and maybe the Royals score another run or two.
But again, this is not about criticizing Aviles. No Aviles, and the Royals are a lot worse off and little less hopeful than they are right now.
Aviles is due a bad night. But last night is one reason why he's probably not the long-term answer as the Royals' starting shortstop.
He's shown enough that you have to think he could be part of the Royals' future, but is still a better fit at 2B than SS.
The trade deadline is coming up, almost exactly four weeks, and the Royals do have some pieces that contenders would be interested in.
One of the byproducts of the wild card is that more teams are in contention, which means more teams are looking for help around the trade deadline.
The two most obvious (and likely?) candidates to be moved are Mark Grudzielanek and Ron Mahay. Grud is a proven veteran who any contender that's not solid at 2B could use.
Unfortunately, I'm not sure who that contender is right now. Not all the contenders have All-Stars like Chase Utley or Dan Uggla at 2B, but none of them have gaping holes there, either. An injury could change things.
Any contender would love to have Ron Mahay, a veteran lefty for the bullpen, reliable against both sides of the plate (and, actually, tougher against righties than lefties this year) and durable.
This would seem like the more likely place to make a move, especially since Mahay's contract (two years, $8 million) isn't enough to make even small-market teams flinch.
The wild card in this might be David DeJesus, having a terrific year, and sure to have some value on the trade market in part because he can play all three outfield positions.
They'd also be willing to trade Esteban German and Alberto Callaspo, though both players' value is diminished past the point where the Royals would like the offers.
I've been searching around online for some good targets and good fits and have a couple ideas I might share maybe next week.
But trading for a shortstop who might be big league ready in a year or two if not sooner makes a lot of sense for the Royals because Grud, in all probability, will be playing somewhere else next year.
The Royals could either trade Grud or see what kind of draft picks they might get for losing him, then make Aviles (or Callaspo, if he closes the gap) the second baseman and try to find a shortstop.
This just on today:
"Holliday gone after the All-Star break?
Matt Holliday | Rockies | Interested: Athletics? Royals? Dodgers? Angels? Rays? Cardinals?
According to the Rocky Mountain News, the Colorado Rockies are close to giving up on the rest of the season and making Matt Holliday available on the trade market.
Several clubs who've been scouting the Rockies say that the team will make the decision to deal players after the All-Star break, but with the team not likely to make up enough ground by then, it is the assumption that the Rockies will be sellers at the deadline. Players like Matt Holliday, Brian Fuentes and Willy Taveras are expected to be dangled as trade bait.
Holliday has garnered interest from the A's, Cardinals, Rays, Angels, Dodgers and Royals".