Live Blog: Happy Greinke Day!

Alright, everybody I'm back on this Friday afternoon and am going to live blog today's Royals game. I'm doing this for several reasons. First, it helps me take in the game at a higher level and enjoy it more. Second, I know from experience that if you live outside of 610 sports listening area, then all you can basically do is refresh a box score, so I am going to attempt to provide more than the basic information that a box score provides. Finally, I can post some thoughts here as the game progresses and I would love for you to do the same in the comments area. Happy Greinke Day! Let's get going.

Top 1st: 0-0

• Ryan Lefebvre says that the wind isn't blowing out like it was yesterday.
• Greinke on the mound and up comes Julio Borbon. Flyball to short left and Getz makes the play. One out.
• Young hits chopper to third and Wilson Betemit throws across the diamond to Ka'aihue for out number two.
• David Murphy to the plate. Strike one. Breaking ball low, 1-1. Lined to left for a single. Man on first with two outs.
• Guerrero steps in. High and outside, ball one. Foul ball, 1-1. Strike two. Flyball into short right, caught by DeJesus. Three outs.

Sounds like Greinke is throwing more than just change-ups and fastballs this Spring.

Bot 1st: 0-0

• Scott Feldman on the mound for the Rangers, great young pitcher won seventeen games last year. Won Rangers pitcher of the year last season.
• Podsednik to leadoff. Strike one. Popped to short left, caught by Andrus. One out.
• Jason Kendall steps in. Strike one. Ground to third. Two outs.
• David DeJesus up. Ball one. Ball two inside, 2-0. Takes a strike, 2-1. Jam shot blooper to centerfield for a base hit. DeJesus on first.
• Butler comes to the plate. I'm interested to see how Butler does in the cleanup spot this season after flourishing in the three hole a season ago. Taken strike one. Ball hit sharply down left field line. DeJesus scores. Double for Butler.
• Ankiel comes to the plate with Butler on second. Ankiel grounds out to first. Three outs.

Denny Matthews says that Butler looks as though he is in better shape than a season ago.

Top 2nd: 1-0 KC

• Ian Kinsler is going to lead off for the Rangers. Kinsler is a graduate of Mizzou, hopefully with this administration's increased commitment to scouting the backyard players like him won't sneak through as often as they have in the past. Strike one. Ball one, low and insde. Inside again, 2-1. Groundball foul, 2-2. Kinsler fooled by a slider and couldn't check swing in time, strikeout. One away.
• Nelson Cruz grounds out to Betemit at third. Two outs.
• Chris Davis up to bat. Ball one. Changeup strike on outside corner. Changeup swung on and missed, 1-2. Upstairs, 2-2. Fastball called for a strike and it is a one, two, three inning with two Ks for Zack.

Greinke sounded really sharp that inning. Can't wait to see him live.

Bot 2nd: 1-0 KC

• Alberto Callaspo is going to start the inning. Callaspo is going to need an impressive spring to win back a job that has been taken away from him. Strike one. Swing and a miss, strike two. Callaspo bloop single.
• Kila Ka'aihue steps in. Ka'aihue takes a strike. Foul ball, 0-2. Breaking ball in the dirt, 1-2. Breaking ball locks up Kila, strikeout. One out.
• Wilson Betemit up to bat. Ball one. Foul ball, 1-1. Grounder to short, double play. End of the inning.

If Betemit gets any time in Kansas City this season it definitely isn't a good thing.

Top 3rd: 1-0 KC

• Greinke jumps ahead of Teagarden 0-2. Misses low, 1-2. Teagarden Ks. One out.
• Elvis Andrus steps in there. Grounder to short, and Getz throws him out. Two outs.
• Borbon bunts on first pitch and like a cat Zack pounces on it and throws Borbon out at first three away. Nice try Julio.

Zack continues to roll. Don't forget last season he posted an era over 9 during spring.

Bot 3rd: 1-0 KC

• Lefty C.J. Wilson comes in to pitch for the Rangers.
• Chris Getz will leadoff the inning. I'd like to see him get some work in the two hole during Spring and would rather have Kendall at the bottom of the order. Strike one. Lined to left center, but right at Borbon. One out.
• Podsednik up to bat. Strike one. Podsednik wiffs, 0-2. Ball one. Called strike three. Two Outs.
• Kendall digs in. Kendall hits ground through the middle for basehit.
• DeJesus comes up with a man on first. Takes strike one. Takes low, 1-1. DeJesus grounds into fielder's choice. Three outs.

Top 4th: 1-0 KC

• Zack Greinke throws 27 pitches in three scoreless innings gives up one hit, no walks, with three strikeouts. Brad Thompson takes over. Thompson is a bullpen candidate that at times showed promise with the Cardinals.
• Michael Young up to bat for the Rangers. Ball one. Strike one. Curveball low, 2-1. Groundout to Callaspo. One out.
• Murphy up to bat. Takes strike one. Lines out to first. Two outs.
• Guerrero takes inside, 1-0. Popped up to Callaspo. Three outs.

Good quick inning by Brad Thompson. Thompson could be a darkhorse for a middle reliever spot out of camp.

Bot 4th: 1-0 KC

• Butler up to bat. Foul ball. Butler grounds it to Kinsler. One out.
• Ankiel digs in. Ball one. Deep drive into left center, ball rolls to wall. Standup triple for Ankiel.
• Here is where Royals have to improve in 2010, getting runners home from third with less than two outs. Callaspo up to bat. Foul ball. Ball in dirt, evens the count. Callaspo hits flyball to right, gets Ankiel home. Nice job by Callaspo. Royals go up 2-0.
• Ka'aihue up to bat. Ball one. Strike one. Strike two, 1-2. Ball away, evens count. Ka'aihue hits one towards second that is backhanded by Kinsler who then makes good throw to first for the third out.

Top 5th: 2-0 KC

• Thompson hits Kinsler to start the inning.
• Nelson Cruz up to bat. Ball one. Rbi double for Cruz. Podsednik misplayed it off the fence, but I'm not sure if it affected the play too much.
• Davis hit soft fly ball to centerfield for a single, but Cruz misjudges it and Ankiel throws him out attempting to go to third. One out.
• Teagarden up to bat. Teagarden strikes out. Two outs.
• Andrus steps in with man on first. 2-1 count on Andrus. Check swing foul, 2-2. Chopped to short and Getz misplays it. Error on Getz. Runners on first and second with two outs.
• Julio Borbon up. Ball one. Ball hit to right, caught by DeJesus for three outs.

Bot 5th: 2-1 KC

• Betemit leads off. I was hoping we pinch hit, but I was disappointed. Full count on Betemit. Strike taken, and Betemit picks up the backwards K. But at least it was an improvement on his last at bat.
• Getz bunts down third base line and is thrown out at first.
• Podsednik flies out to left field. Three outs.

Top 6th: 2-1 KC

• Brian Anderson in for Podsednik. Mitch Maier in for Ankiel. Manuel Pina in for Kendall.
• Lefty Andrew Bostick into the game. Leadoff single for Matt Brown.
• David Murphy up now. 0-2 count. Murhpy gets on, first and second now.
• Guerrero up. Strike one. Guerrero taps one foul. Guerrero whifs. Bostick with the K. Two outs.
• Marcus Lemon up to bat. Ball one. Strike one. Ball two, up and in. Low, ball three. Strike, full count. Called strike three. Backwards K. Two outs.
• Nelson Cruz up. Starts off by throwing two balls. Foul ball, 2-1. Ball three. Called strike, count is full. Ball four. Bases juiced.
• Chris Davis comes to the plate. Two outs, bases loaded. Ball hit to shallow left. Caught by Anderson, three away.

Bot 6th: 2-1 KC

• Nippert in to pitch for Texas.
• Manny Pina will lead off with the Royals. Love his defensive reputation but worried about his bat. Wide open stance. Ground out to second. One out.
• DeJesus steps in. 1-2 count. Bouncer back to mound. Two outs.
• Butler comes to the plate. Strike one. Ball inside. Grounder to left side. Three outs.

Might be done doing this here soon. Hope you have enjoyed so far today.

Top 7th: 2-1 KC

• Roman Colon in to pitch. Jordan Parraz in for DeJesus. Ernesto Meija in for Ka'aihue. Mike Moustakas in for Betemit. Irving Falue in for Getz. Parraz goes to left and Anderson shifts to right.
• Richardson pops out to Falu for out number one.
• Strike one to Andrus. Ball one, up and in. Called strike, 2-1. Called strike three on offspeed pitch from Colon. Two outs.
• Craig Gentry up to bat for the Rangers. Line drive to center caught by Maier. Three down.

Nice inning from Colon. The bullpen was awful last year, so any stability that the Royals can find would be an improvement.

Bot 7th: 2-1 KC

• Neftali Feliz in for Texas. Dude has ace potential. I curious to see how well he pitches.
• Maier up to bat sporting number 12 this season. Strike one. Maier pops out for out number one.
• Callaspo up to bat. Ducks away from the first pitch, ball one. Ball two. Foul ball, 2-1. Pop up down third base line, caught. Two outs.
• Ernesto Mejia up to bat. Love this minor league signing. Great power potentil with 23 dingers in the Carolina League in 2008. Strike one. Foul ball, 0-2. Grounder to second. Three outs.

Top 8th: 2-1 KC

• Colon out for a second inning of relief. Matt Brown to leadoff. Strike one. Moustakas catches the pop up. One out.
• Morlan watches a strike go by. Ball one. Bouncer to second, and Callaspo throws Morlan out at first. Two outs.
• Justin Smoak comes to the plate. Strike one. Ball one. Called strike, 1-2. Breaking ball for a called strike three.

Colon has a great outing 6 up, 6 down.

Bot 8th: 2-1 KC

• Twenty-one year old batter here as Mous steps in against Feliz. 2-2 count on Mous now. Pitch away full count. Nice to see Mous take some pitches and work the count against a good young pitcher. Takes for ball four. Good at bat there by Moustakas. Hopefully he can continue to develop his approach and be more selective at the plate in 2010.
• Falu grounds to right side and Moustakas advances to second. One out.
• Brian Anderson comes to the plate with a man on second and one out. Bouncer off pitchers leg, first and third now. Hopefully Feliz is okay.
• Manny Pina will now try to get a guy home from third with less than two outs. Ball hits Pina, and he is laying face down in the dirt. Nick Kenny the new trainer heads out to check on him. Maybe that pitch could have been caused by Feliz favoring his shin. Derrick Robinson in to pinch run for Pina. Bases juiced.
• Jordan Parraz up to bat and he quickly gets down 0-2. Fastball high, 1-2. Offspeed high 2-2. Called strike three. Two outs.
• Scott Thorman is going to pinch hit for Billy Butler. Line drive into centerfield. Moustakas and Anderson score. 4-1 Royals.
• Maier steps in with runnerson first and second. Strike one. Ball one. Maier is out of options and fighting for a back up spot in the outfield. Popped up. Three outs.

Thorman comes through here, but I would have liked to have seen more from Parraz, who may not have taken the bat off his shoulders. Announced attendance was 3,532.

Top 9th: 4-1 KC

• Bryan Bullington in to pitch. Bullington pitched well between triple A Syracuse and Toronto last season. Cody Clark in for Manny Pina.
• Lemon grounds out to Falu to start the inning. One out.
• 2-2 count on Boggs. Grounded into center. Runner on first.
• Max Ramirez steps in for the Rangers. Strike one. Hanging breaking ball hit into left. Rolls to fence and it is an RBI double for Ramirez. 4-2 KC.
• Kevin Richardson comes to the plate. Paisnao in to pinch run. Strike one. Big whiff, 0-2. Strike called. Backwards K for Richardson. Two outs, man on second.
• Almedo (sp?) comes up for Texas. Fastball grounded to second. Three outs.

Royals win 4-2. Quick game today as pitchers for both teams kept the ball in the zone for the most part and got outs. Greinke pitched well, and Butler doubled. What else is new?