Life... Successfully
  • Life Successfully
  • Brand Shamans Forum
  • Intent-sive Nature
    • Give To Homeless Pets
    • Gift Cards
    • Intent to Read Publishing >
      • Books
    • Hire An Expert
    • Get Your Kit of Healing & Self-Care Surprises Every Month!
    • Natural Healing
    • Jewelry >
      • What is the Meaning Behind Intent-sive Nature Healing Jewelry?
    • Handcrafted Parenting & Kids Gifts
    • Hobbies & Collecting (Trading Crads, Games, Vintage, etc)
    • Handcrafted Home & Decor
    • Handcrafted Pet Toys & Gifts
    • Clearance SALE!!!
  • Writing, Web, Business, & Tech
    • Brand Shamans Brand Healing Journal
    • Write W.A.V.E. Media Thought Leadership & Tech Journal
    • Writing Tips Journal
    • The One-and-Only Internet Money Making Guide!
    • Writer's Resumes >
      • Lyn Lomasi >
        • Ask Lyn
      • Richard Rowell
      • Get Your FREE Writer's Profile & Online Resume
    • Be a Writer!
    • FREE Guest Post Submission >
      • Submission Guidelines
  • Services
    • Custom Jewelry-Making
    • Healing Readings & Talismans
    • Social Media & Branding
    • Content Writing & Editing
    • Premium Bulk SEO Articles or Blog Posts
    • Ready-Made Content
    • Advertising & Guest Posts
    • FREE Virtual Assistant (VA) Consultation
  • About Us & Contact
    • Become an Affiliate!
    • Promotional Banners
    • Disclosure, TOU, Dislaimer, & Privacy
  • Family & Home
    • Mekai's Branches ~ Family Adventure Journal
    • Kymani's Travels ~ Family Travel Journal
    • The Nova Skye Story ~ Family Journal
    • Upstream Parenting Journal >
      • Positive Parenting Books By Lyn Lomasi >
        • Upstream Parenting Book
        • The Pregnancy & Baby Care Guide EVERY Parent Needs!
        • The ONLY Potty Training Guide You'll Ever Need
    • Life & Home Journal
    • Momtrepreneur Moments ~ A Business Mom's Journal
    • Successful Relationships; A Heart-Focused Journal
    • Better Plumbing Blog >
      • Hire Better Plumbing - Your Denver Plumber
  • Travel
    • RV'ing Successfully ~ A Family Roadschooling & Travel Journal
    • Hometown Love ~ A Local Journal
  • Education & Literature
    • Heart 'N Mind Homeschool Journal
    • Free Learning Education Journal >
      • Two Affordable And Fun Toys For Teaching Kids To Read
      • Elementary Learning Supplies You Can Find At The Dollar Store
      • Free Counting Fun For Toddlers And Preschoolers
      • Why School Choice is Important in High School
      • Choosing Childen's Books That Create Smart Readers
    • Free Homeschool Worksheets
    • The Bibliophile's Library Journal - Book News, Reviews, & Info
    • Penning Your World ~ A Creative Writing Journal
    • Monsters Within Us ~ An Otherworldly Journal of Monstrous Incantations >
      • A Lighter Shade of Green
  • Health & Beauty
    • Whole Body Health, Healing, & Medicine Journal
    • Good Eats For The Soul ~ Vegan Diet, Recipes, & Food Journal >
      • Recipe Books By Lyn & Rich
    • Fash Diva ~ A Clothing, Shoes, & Fashion Journal
    • Naturally Simple ~ A Self-Care & Beauty Journal
    • Senior Living
    • Disabilities Articles
    • Green Living Articles
  • Society & Causes
    • Causes We Support
    • Speak Up!; A Homelessness & Social Justice Journal
    • Animal Advocacy >
      • Pet Resources >
        • Heart 'N Mind Paw Rescue >
          • Pawsitive Parenting Pet Rescue Journal
        • Sounds of Nature
      • Animal Advocacy & Healthy Pet Parenting Journal
      • Positive Pet Parenting Journal
      • Raising Pet Positive Kids
      • Supermom ...Kind Of
      • Pawsitively Adventurous Pets
      • Purrely Pawsitive And Barkably Amazing Pet Training Tips
      • Dog Praising
      • Spirit of the Wild Lands and Animals
    • Motivational Friends Inspirational Journal
    • Straight Up LGBTQ Blog
    • Colorful Expressions
    • Inner Healing & Spirituality Journal
  • Fun & Games
    • Gaming Successfully
    • Digital Collectibles Journal
    • Luna Starlight Comics
    • Crafting Successfully Arts & Crafts Journal
    • Culture Carnival; A Festival, Tradition, & Holiday Journal
    • Mouthy Momtrepreneur Journal
    • Clowning Around
    • Music Articles
    • Entertainment Articles
    • Humor Treasure Trove; A Funny Comedy Journal
  • News
    • News Articles
    • Sports Break Journal >
      • NFL 2019 Squares

MLB - Kansas City Royals Acquire Ace Starting Pitcher Johnny Cueto from Reds

7/26/2015

0 Comments

 
by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V..E. Media Staff
Picture
Photo credit: "Johnny Cueto 2" by Wknight94 - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The Kansas City Royals have opened a healthy lead in the American League Central, but to assure a division win, they have gone out and acquired one of the best pitchers on the trading market. The Cincinnati Reds surrendered their free-agent-to-be ace Johnny Cueto in exchange for three left-handed pitchers: Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb, and Cody Reed. All look to be decent pick-ups for the rebuilding Reds. The Reds are also kicking in some money in the deal.

This would appear to purely be a rental for the Royals, as Cueto is going to be a free agent after the season. Also, because he was traded, the Royals will not be able to offer Cueto a qualifying offer at the end of the season. FanGraphs projects Cueto to be worth about 1.5 - 1.6 WAR through the rest of the season, which could mean as much as two games difference in the standings. With Jason Vargas out for the year, Cueto will take his place. The Royals haven't had a true ace this year, so this move is definitely slated more towards having a strong Game One starter in the playoffs.

In return, the Reds get some very interesting talent. Finnegan has already seen the majors, but has been struggling with his control this year. Lamb is a 25-year old starter who's had a very strong year. Both Lamb and Finnegan are going to AAA for now, but will probably see the Major League roster in September.. Reed looks to be a talented arm, too, drafted by the Royals in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft. He'll report to AA, hoping to build off of this year's success. Finnegan may top out as a high-leverage reliever, but Lamb could very likely be a part of the Reds' rotation next year. Reed may be a year away or so from helping, but when he does he could be at least a valuable swing-man between the rotation and bullpen.

Did the Royals overpay somewhat? Perhaps not, especially as all three arms they sent away could end up being little more than bullpen arms or back-end starters. But the Reds can use all the talent that they can get right now. This is probably the best return they could have hoped for in exchange for two - three months of a starter that won't help them anymore this season. Cueto is easily going to be the Game One starter in the Division Series, and hopefully for the Royals, beyond. Therefore, he's really worth a lot more than two wins to them. If the Royals happen to win the World Series, this will be a pretty awesome move. Either way, the Reds have some solid arms for next season and beyond.
0 Comments

Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals to Meet for ALCS

10/6/2014

0 Comments

 
by Richard Rowell, Staff Writer
Picture
Comerica Park, Detroit, MI - Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons user ViperSnake151
The Baltimore Orioles and Kansas City Royals got out the brooms Sunday. They each finished a 3 game sweep of their respective opponents.

The Detroit Tigers couldn't overcome giving up only 2 runs on a Nelson Cruz home run which may have been one of the cheapest home runs in the history of the playoffs. It barely cleared the 330 foot sign in right field by the foul pole, and the fan who tried to catch it failed and let it drop to the ground. He was a Tigers’ fan who didn't want it anyway. While the Tigers cut the Orioles’ lead to 2 to 1 with back-to-back doubles by the hitters Martinez (Victor and J.D), Baltimore closer Zach Britton shut the door by inducing a game and series ending double play hit into by pinch hitter Hernan Perez. It was a crushing loss for the Tigers who expect to lose at least pitcher Max Scherzer and designated hitter Victor Martinez to free agency this off season.

Picture
Kaufman Stadium, Kansas City, MO - Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
The Royals finished off the Angels at Kaufman Stadium in Kansas City. Angels starter C.J. Wilson simply didn't have it and was out of the game before even getting out of the first inning. The Royals clobbered a few more home runs against several Angels pitchers. Even when the Angels threatened to rally against starting pitcher James Shields, Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain made a couple of “Web Gem” defensive plays to bail out Shields. Finally "Big Game" James lived up to his name gutting his way through 6 innings. Kelvin Herrera came in throwing 99 to 101 mph for an easy seventh. Wade Davis struggled in the eighth. But he only gave up one run before settling in. In the ninth, it was 8 to 3 in favor of the Royals. Closer Greg Holland finished the three game sweep of the "best team in baseball" by striking out arguably the best player in the game, Mike Trout.

A lot of analysts were shocked by these sweeps. The Tigers and Orioles series was a good one, but the Orioles’ starting pitching was a bit better than the Tigers’. Also, an ineffective Justin Verlander did not help the Tigers’ less-than-stellar bullpen out. Bud Norris was masterful for the Orioles until a walk in the seventh brought manager Buck Showalter to the mound. He then brought in the lefty Andrew Miller who got 5 big outs, setting up the ninth for closer Zach Britton and his nerve wracking save.

This means that the team with the best record in the major leagues was just defeated by an upstart wild card team, and the powerhouse Tigers fell victim to the flaws that almost cost them the division this season. Meanwhile, an Angels offense that carried the team for quite a while fell victim to a better than advertised royals pitching staff.

Now we go to the American League Championship Series next week, starting at Eutaw Street and Camden Yards in Baltimore. The best of seven series hopefully will be a good one. I pick the Orioles in six games, but with the great baseball that the Royals have been playing, it could go either way.


0 Comments

The Kansas City Royals Won?

10/1/2014

0 Comments

 
by Richard Rowell, Write W.A.V.E. Media Staff
PictureImage: Wikimedia Commons; Public Domain
For many years I have enjoyed the game of baseball. 2014 was not a great season for me. The local Red Sox were horrendous, but I kept following how the league was unfolding. While I expected the Seattle Mariners would make a little playoff run this year, the other team that surprised me was the Kansas City Royals. The Royals haven’t made the playoffs in 28 years, since before I was born. That all changed when they met the Oakland Athletics at Kauffman Stadium for last night’s American League Wild Card game. The winner would face the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim on Thursday night.

Unfortunately, I didn’t get to watch the game on TV and by the time the TV was available for me to watch it, the A’s were up 7-3. Former Red Sox player Brandon Moss hit two home runs and drove in five runs early on, and it looked like the Royals had played a long, hard-fought season for naught. But I had a strange feeling that the Royals had a rally in them, but it was eleven o’clock Eastern time and I decided to just go to bed.

I somehow knew when I woke up this morning that it was going to be the A’s going home. That’s precisely what happened. I went to bed during the top of the 8th inning. The Royals tied the game in the bottom of that 8th inning. There were a couple of fluky things that happened, but really, it was just a team that wanted to win more than the A’s did.

Imported ace Jon Lester was pitching into the eighth and was lifted for ace reliever Luke Gregerson. But Gregerson apparently forgot where the catcher’s glove was and a wild pitch allowed the Royals’ Eric Hosmer to score and make it a one-run ballgame.

With the score 7-6 going into the bottom of the ninth, the A’s brought in closer Sean Doolittle who would blow the save and the Royals would tie it.

It then went into extra innings, with the Royals’ Wade Davis, Greg Holland and rookie Brandon Finnegan holding the A’s scoreless into the 12th. Finnegan ran into some trouble and Jason Frasor unsuccessfully tried to bail him out. The Royals went to the home half of the 12th down 8-7.

But the Royals had one last rally in them, not only tying the game again, but winning it on a walk-off hit by the Royals star catcher, Salvador Perez. It was a fitting end to what was one of the best playoff games in a long time.

The A’s had held onto the American League West division lead for a long time before mediocre play after the All-Star break in July and an epic collapse in September almost took them out of the playoffs entirely. The Seattle Mariners almost overtook them and up until the last couple days of the season, it looked as if the Mariners would be meeting the Royals for the Wild Card Game. But the Angels defeated the Mariners on the last day of the season, so the Mariners were eliminated. And now the Royals, with their gritty play, strong bullpen and timely hitting have sent the once AL West darlings home to reflect on their woeful end.

Meanwhile, the Royals enjoyed the Detroit Tigers not being as strong as they were expected to be and actually enjoyed a short while in first place in the American League Central. The Tigers rebounded late in the season to regain their division lead but the Royals kept playing well enough to hold onto one of the coveted Wild Card spots, and actually finished with a better record than the A’s (89 wins to 88 wins) which netted them the all-important home field advantage.

While I will be rooting for the Baltimore Orioles, who have easily become my second favorite team in baseball over the past few seasons, the Royals intrigue me. Of course, the Orioles will be taking on Detroit, so it’s easy for me to root for the Royals against the Angels. It would be pretty awesome to watch the unlikely division winner Orioles take on the major underdog royals in the American League Championship Series. It gives me a reason to watch; that’s for sure.

Part of me really wants me to see the Royals go all the way, though. Did Lorde’s Ella O’Connor give the Royals an unexpected blessing after admitting that her song was in fact inspired by the Kansas City ball club? Probably not. The Royals just got leads and never gave them up and piled up 89 wins, a much higher number than anyone could have anticipated. They finished only one game back of the powerhouse Detroit Tigers. Yeah, the regular season doesn’t matter anymore, but if the way the Royals played last night is any indication, the Royals are ready to win, and win it all now.


0 Comments

    RSS Feed

    Picture

    Enter your email address:

    Delivered by FeedBurner

    ALL STAFF

    Lyn Lomasi Rowell
    Richard Rowell
    Laurie Childree
    Stephanie Laursen-Nolan

    OWNERS

    Picture
    Lyn Lomasi & Richard Rowell  are life & business partners. Owners of the Brand Shamans network, we are your brand healing, soul healing, marketing & content superheroes to the rescue!

    Running our network of websites, tackling deadlines single-handedly, and coaching fellow writers, brands, & entrepreneurs to be thought leaders is our top priority.

    While rescuing civilians from boring content and brands, we conquer the world, living the RV life and managing our Intent-sive Nature with our awesomely crazy family while taking our kids on Upstream Parenting adventures & lessons.

    We also strive to one day cuddle with lions and giraffes. Until then, we’ll settle for furry rescue kitties and doggies.

    We support many causes via our business ventures, such as homelessness, support for trans youth, equality, helping starving artists, and more! A portion of all proceeds from Intent-sive Nature goes toward helping homeless pets in local shelters.

    Categories

    All
    2014 MLB Playoffs
    2018 MLB Playoffs
    2019 MLB Sleepers
    Abdullah
    Arizona Diamondbacks
    Athlete Profiles
    Atlanta Braves
    Baltimore Orioles
    Baseball
    Baseball America
    Baseball Cards
    Baseball Hall Of Fame
    Baseball Mogul 2016
    Baseball News
    Baseball Player Biographies
    Baseball Player Bios
    Basketball
    Basketball Cards
    Blue Jays
    Boston
    Boston Red Sox
    Boxing
    Card Collecting
    Chicago Cubs
    Chicago White Sox
    Cincinnati Reds
    Clay Buchholz
    Cleveland Indians
    Colorado Rockies
    Console Baseball Games
    Craig Kimbrel
    Daniel Murphy
    Detroit Tigers
    Fantasy Baseball
    Florida Marlins
    Football
    Football Card Investment
    Football Cards
    Football Pool
    Football Squares
    Free Printables
    Golf
    Hobby Graphs
    Hockey
    Houston Astros
    Houston Colts
    Husain Abdullah
    J.D. Martinez
    John Lackey
    Junk Wax Dynasty
    Kansas City
    Kansas City Royals
    KC
    KC Royals
    Listia
    Los Angeles Angels
    Los Angeles Dodgers
    Lyn Lomasi
    Major League Baseball
    Miami Marlins
    Mike Soroka
    Milwaukee Brewers
    Minnesota Twins
    MLB
    MLB 2019 Preview
    MLB Baseball
    MLB Hot Stove
    MLB Player Bios
    MLB Players
    MLB The Show
    NASCAR
    NBA
    NCAA
    New Orleans Pelicans
    New York Mets
    New York Yankees
    NFL
    NHL
    Oakland Athletics
    Office Pool
    Office Squares
    PC Baseball Games
    Pedro Martinez
    Penalties
    Philadelphia Phillies
    Pittsburgh Pirates
    Playoffs
    Playstation Baseball Games
    Portland Sea Dogs
    Prayer
    Prayer In Sports
    Racing
    Red Sox
    Red Sox Cards
    Rookie Card Review
    Rookie Cards
    San Diego Padres
    San Francisco Giants
    Seattle Mariners
    Sports
    Sports Card Market
    Sports Cards
    Sports Collectibles
    Sports Films
    Sports Games
    Sports Simulation
    St Louis Cardinals
    St. Louis Cardinals
    Superbowl
    Super Bowl
    Super Bowl Squares
    Superbowl Squares
    Tampa Bay Rays
    Texas Rangers
    Topps Heritage
    Topps Update
    Toronto Blue Jays
    Vintage Baseball Cards
    Washington Nationals
    Xander Bogaerts
    Yahoo Fantasy Sports

    Archives

    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    November 2013
    October 2013

COMPANY & SUPPORT

About Us & Contact
Brand Healing Journal
Become an Affiliate!
Disclosure, TOU, Disclaimer, & Privacy Policy
Write For Our Sites!

ALL SITES

Brand Shamans                                                        Life Successfully                                                                                                                                                          
Write W.A.V.E. Media                                                                     Pawsitive Parenting

Article Writer For Hire                                             Heart 'N Mind Homeschool    
Digital Collectibles Journal
Better Plumbing (Partner Site)

© 2005-2019 Life... Successfully by  Brand Shamans
Photos used under Creative Commons from slgckgc, Keith Allison, Keith Allison, slgckgc, Gerry Dincher