GO ROYALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shinatoo]

I think Ned has actually done the exact right thing with Finnegan. The guy only has 13 minor league appearances and Ned has been ramping up to higher leverage starts over his 6 appearances. To your point, I think Finnegan is that guy now - even taking the Herrera role last night in the 7th.

The real question will be: Do you move Finnegan to a starting role next year? He looks really good and has been a starter, but you could trade either Wade Davis or Greg Holland moving Herrera into the 8th inning position and Finnegan takes over the 7th from Herrera.

Finnegan should be a starter. Plenty of relievers out there, and Dayton's One True Outcome is the ability to find relievers.

[beautyfromashes]

Finnegan should be a starter. Plenty of relievers out there, and Dayton's One True Outcome is the ability to find relievers.

So, if you already have Duffy, Ventura, Vargas and Guthrie locked up for next year does he take the last spot and you don't try to get another SP? What about Zimmer?

[WSPanic]

Finnegan should be a starter. Plenty of relievers out there, and Dayton's One True Outcome is the ability to find relievers.

So, if you already have Duffy, Ventura, Vargas and Guthrie locked up for next year does he take the last spot and you don't try to get another SP? What about Zimmer?

Definitely transition Finnegan to a starter - and start him and Zimmer out in Omaha. Go with Duffy, Ventura, Vargas, Guthrie - plus another FA starter to begin the season. We've been pretty fortunate the past two years with regards to the health of our starters. We need to be prepared for that to end at some point soon.

[shinatoo]

Finnegan should be a starter. Plenty of relievers out there, and Dayton's One True Outcome is the ability to find relievers.

So, if you already have Duffy, Ventura, Vargas and Guthrie locked up for next year does he take the last spot and you don't try to get another SP? What about Zimmer?

Guthrie is a very average pitcher that is in decline. Vargas is heading that way. Starting both of them in 2015 is probably fine but the plan should be to replace them by May pending performance. Finnegan should have a shot at the rotation and Zimmer needs to prove himself, he only has 18.2 innings this year, all in Idaho Falls.

We are going to have to replace some of our world class defense with some offence (looking at you Moose) and that is going to hurt guys like Guthrie and Vargas that pitch to contact.

[phuqueue]

Except that three days ago we weren't playing for the first or second wild card, we were playing for the division title. After 29 years our playoff drought might "end" with a single game that is nominally playoffs but actually isn't really. Is anybody going to actually be satisfied if we lose the wild card play-in? That's not the playoffs, but Dayton Moore is certainly going to tell you that it is.

Guess you might consider me as "the cup is half-full person" as opposed to your "the cup is half-empty person". Satisfied? Yes I would be. Completely satisfied? No. But satisfied enough to say it was a good year. So you might say satisfied but disappointed.
But it ain't over until it is over. Let's see what happens in these final games.

I consider you a "talking about the wrong cup person."

[KCMax]

I think Ned has actually done the exact right thing with Finnegan. The guy only has 13 minor league appearances and Ned has been ramping up to higher leverage starts over his 6 appearances. To your point, I think Finnegan is that guy now - even taking the Herrera role last night in the 7th.

The real question will be: Do you move Finnegan to a starting role next year? He looks really good and has been a starter, but you could trade either Wade Davis or Greg Holland moving Herrera into the 8th inning position and Finnegan takes over the 7th from Herrera.

We also lose Shields next year, and that's a far bigger concern than losing a middle reliever.

[aknowledgeableperson]

And the odds are now?

[chaglang]

A win and a Seattle loss tonight would allow the Royals to clinch a playoff spot on Thursday night.

TEAM W-L PCT GB POFF WC
OAK (3) 86-71 .548 -- 99.6% 99.6%
KC (3) 86-71 .548 -- 99.6% 51.7%
SEA (9) 83-74 .529 3 0.1% 0.1%
CLE (10) 82-76 .519 4.5 0.1% 0.1%
NYY (11) 81-76 .516 5 0.1% 0.1%

[AllThingsKC]

A win with a Seattle loss tonight means the Royals could do no worse than a special tie-breaking game in Seattle on Monday.

Tying with Detroit for the division would allow for a special tie-breaking game in Detroit on Monday.

Tying with Oakland for the 1st wildcard would allow for the normal wildcard game to be played here on Tuesday.

Tying with Oakland for the 2nd wildcard would allow for a special tie-breaking game here on Monday.

And the Chiefs host Monday Night Football this Monday.

[KCMax]

A win with a Seattle loss tonight means the Royals could do no worse than a special tie-breaking game in Seattle on Monday.

Tying with Detroit for the division would allow for a special tie-breaking game in Detroit on Monday.

Tying with Oakland for the 1st wildcard would allow for the normal wildcard game to be played here on Tuesday.

Tying with Oakland for the 2nd wildcard would allow for a special tie-breaking game here on Monday.

And the Chiefs host Monday Night Football this Monday.

HOW WILL THE TURD BIRDS BLOW IT?

[bobbyhawks]

A win with a Seattle loss tonight means the Royals could do no worse than a special tie-breaking game in Seattle on Monday.

Tying with Detroit for the division would allow for a special tie-breaking game in Detroit on Monday.

Tying with Oakland for the 1st wildcard would allow for the normal wildcard game to be played here on Tuesday.

Tying with Oakland for the 2nd wildcard would allow for a special tie-breaking game here on Monday.

And the Chiefs host Monday Night Football this Monday.

HOW WILL THE TURD BIRDS BLOW IT?

It's not even funny to joke about it anymore. I think I said the same thing when the Chiefs were up so much vs. the Colts.

[phuqueue]

Well I maintain that the wild card play-in is not really the playoffs, which makes blowing it considerably more conceivable. Really wish Perez had tagged the god damn base on Saturday.

[beautyfromashes]

A win with a Seattle loss tonight means the Royals could do no worse than a special tie-breaking game in Seattle on Monday.

Tying with Detroit for the division would allow for a special tie-breaking game in Detroit on Monday.

Tying with Oakland for the 1st wildcard would allow for the normal wildcard game to be played here on Tuesday.

Tying with Oakland for the 2nd wildcard would allow for a special tie-breaking game here on Monday.

And the Chiefs host Monday Night Football this Monday.

What is the determination on where the game is played if we tie Detroit?

[smh]

Season series.

[KCMax]

Well I maintain that the wild card play-in is not really the playoffs, which makes blowing it considerably more conceivable. Really wish Perez had tagged the god damn base on Saturday.

I don't even consider the Royals World Champions in 1985, since under pre-1969 formats, they wouldn't have even made the post-season.

[AllThingsKC]

[phuqueue]

Well I maintain that the wild card play-in is not really the playoffs, which makes blowing it considerably more conceivable. Really wish Perez had tagged the god damn base on Saturday.

I don't even consider the Royals World Champions in 1985, since under pre-1969 formats, they wouldn't have even made the post-season.

That's some akp-level missing the point. My problem isn't with the second wild card per se, it's with staking the entire season on a single game. I get why they decided to do it that way, but it's essentially a glorified tiebreaker. If under the old format we lost a 163rd game against Oakland (or whomever) to advance to the ALDS as the wild card, we wouldn't have called that the playoffs. The only difference now is that you don't have to be in an actual tie to reach the 163rd game. In both cases, losing the 163rd game means that there will not be a 164th game. Can't wait to go to Oakland, a team we've had a lot of success against overall this year, and get shut down in a single game by Jon Lester for the fourth time to end our season. And then Dayton Moore can tout his momentous accomplishment, finally bringing the Royals back to the postseason after three decades of wandering in the desert. That's certainly what we've been waiting for all these years.

[KCMax]

Why is seven games significant, but one game not significant?

[grovester]

Jon Lester can't pitch all 7 games.

[phuqueue]

Yeah I mean this isn't rocket science. Why don't we just play a 29 game season with each team facing each other team once?