The Royals score......17?!?!?!?

Wow. What a day to be at the ballpark. One of the last games I attended (I think two games ago for me) was the afternoon contest against Oakland, in which we were routed by about the same score - so I guess it all balances out in the end.....

It was definitely a fun game to watch. Plenty of excitement, as we didn't pull away from the Phillies until around the 6th inning or so. It was a one run game to that point. The, all hell broke loose - but, in a good way (for once).

Items of note:

**Greinke really seems to be flourishing in his new role. He came in and pitched two innings, striking out five in the process. Sometimes that guy looks absolutely untouchable. I hope he figures it all out and goes back into the rotation, but given the problems he's dealt with over last couple of seasons, I'll be happy watching come out of the pen. If that's what makes Zack happy, then it works for me.

**Alex Gordon came in late in the game and had two at bats - his second was a double that he absolutely smashed into left-center. I'm still waiting for him to have a really looooooong hot streak. One thing I did find out courtesy of the post-game radio show, as lousy as his batting average is, Gordon is third among all rookies in extra base hits this year. So he's got that going for him, which is nice.

**The bullpen as a whole looked pretty solid once again. That's really become a strength with the team this year (along with the starting pitching). Soria went an inning and looked sharp, as did Dotel. Now if we could just start hitting on a consistent basis.....

**Tony Pena Jr. hit his first homer of the season, and his first as a Royal. He ripped it. Maybe the hardest I've seen him hit the ball this season. He's really coming around at the plate, and he's a hell of a lot more fun to watch than AwwwHell Berroa.

**Since we beat the tar out of the Phillies - I don't mind saying that I really enjoyed seeing Ryan Howard absolutely MASH a ball off the back wall of the KC bullpen. Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. Wow. Did I mention....wow?

And I got to do it all with my four year old daughter....sure, she made me drop about $40 on some hot dogs, ice cream and a pink Royals cap....but I had a great time doing it.

Hopefully, we can keep rolling through the St. Louis series, which starts tomorrow night. Be nice if we can take at least two from them and keep posting more in the wins column. Bring on the Cards!