The Kansas City Royals HiV LOB, Weeks Seven and Eight Far From Great

The HiV LOB was intended as a measure for how well the Kansas City Royals can get their baserunners home. This, was of course, assuming that they would have decent numbers in the base-running department, and some success in advancing them. So far, it's not looking as good as some of the very few flashes we've seen this spring from the boys in blue. In fact, things have been lousy enough lately, that we allowed ourselves to get two weeks behind on this feature since it's been as painful as three wins over 14 days, most of which was at home.

But after the jump, we'll still take a look at a few of the numbers and try to make some sense out of the whole mess. Although, sometimes the numbers do all of the talking anyone needs, and it's better to just move forward, to sift through the rubbish later. Much later.


Week Seven

5/19 vs CLE: 5-6 (W); 11 hits, eight left on
5/20 vs CLE: 6-5 (L); eight hits, 22 left on
5/21 vs CLE: 8-3 (L); seven hits, 17 left on
5/22 @ STL: 0-5 (L); five hits, 14 left on
5/23 @ STL: 0-5 (L); five hits, nine left on
5/24 @ STL: 3-2 (W); eight hits, nine left on

For week seven, the totals look like this: 44 hits, 17 runs scored, and for the third straight week, a season-high left-on-base total in 79.

Week Eight

5/25 vs DET: 13-1 (L); seven hits, 11 left on
5/26 vs DET: 1-6 (W); nine hits, 13 left on
5/27 vs DET: 8-3 (L); eight hits, 11 left on
5/29 vs CWS: 11-2 (L); six hits, 11 left on
5/30 vs CWS: 5-3 (L); eight hits, five left on
5/31 vs CWS: 7-4 (L); 10 hits, 22 left on

Week eight doesn't look much different: 48 hits, 73 left on, with 19 plated.

Tally 'em all up and your season totals are: 415 hits, 213 runs scored, and 450 base runners straded. That's an on-pace measure of 639 runs for the season and over 1300 left on, which isn't going to win any division title for anyone anywhere. In addition to putting men on base via hits, the Royals earned 77 walks for the second four-week period of the season, giving them 166 so far for the year. The long and the short is that the Royals offense is struggling. Mightily. I haven't compared their numbers against anyone else's, but I really don't need to. Producing small numbers of runners and getting very few of them home translates to not winning games, which they did plenty of in May, enough to fall to five and-a-half games back, and almost -- yep -- to last place in the Central.