Yordano Ventura, Fire and Flame

          Yordano Ventura, he of firebreathing properties, burnt the aquatic Tampa Bay Rays to a crisp yesterday evening. Unfortunately, Chris Archer shot down the flailing Royals offense, too, so nobody did anything on offense until the starters exited the stage. Pitcher’s duels aren’t without their merit, though. Given that Yordano Ventura is the most-hyped Royals pitching prospect since probably Zack Greinke, it seems fitting to overanalyze and overreact to Yordano’s* performance last night.

*Ventura’s nickname appears to be “Ace Ventura”, but in keeping with Royals tradition, I’m sure Ned Yost will refer to him as “Yordy” at some point, if he hasn’t already.

Luke Hochevar: Starter? (Again)

With the departure of Ervin Santana and Bruce Chen, and the ineffectiveness of Wade Davis, the Royals are looking for some starting pitching depth. To replace Santana, the Royals signed Jason Vargas. The rotation is Shields, Guthrie, and Vargas at the top; while that isn’t that bad, it doesn’t scream playoffs. The Royals have a multitude of players for the other two rotation spots, including Danny Duffy, Yordano Ventura, Wade Davis, and Luke Hochevar. Wait, Hochevar? Again? Yes, again. The Royals are aiming to give him another shot. What can we expect?