Hillman says continued improvement on mound holds key to Royals’ success in 2009
By BOB DUTTON
The Kansas City Star
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A strong September fueled by superb starting pitching, manager Trey Hillman believes, provides the Royals with a valid reason to enter the offseason with an optimistic outlook for 2009.
“For me and hopefully for all of us,” he said, “it was a positive ending and provides more hope for going into next year. With six more wins than we had last year and finishing in a different place, that’s a big deal for me and for our organization.”
Hillman held a wrap-up news conference Tuesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium before leaving for Surprise, Ariz., where the club’s baseball operations staff is conducting its annual postseason meetings.
The Royals concluded their season Sunday at 75-87 by finishing off an 18-8 run through September. It marked their most victories in a month since going 18-10 in July 1994. The club also avoided a fifth straight last-place finish in the American League Central Division, clinching fourth place after Detroit lost to the White Sox on Monday.
Hillman points to the rotation’s performance — 13 “quality starts” in the last 14 games — as the primary reason for the club’s season-ending surge.
“It’s that simple,” he said. “Better starting pitching carries over into better defense. For me, over the course of this last month, the difference was the consistency of our starters feeding off each other and pitching us deeper into games. That dominoed into keeping the bullpen better rested.
“I felt that we swung the bats pretty well in September, but we also had our share of breaks. But when you’re pitching better, you have a chance to make your own breaks because of the ebb and flow of the game.”
Zack Greinke, Gil Meche and Kyle Davies each went 4-1 in September. As a unit, the rotation was 16-8 with a 3.48 ERA.
“I think we answered some big questions (this season) with personnel,” Hillman said. “Zack Greinke was a great addition and held up in the starting rotation. Kyle Davies finished very strong. That provides more hope to go along with Gil Meche.
“Hopefully, we can recover what Brian Bannister had last year. He’s gone through some growing pains this year. I think we still need to look for ways to improve on the mound.”
The strong finish enabled the Royals to lower their staff ERA to 4.48, which was their best mark since 1994. Even so, the Royals were outscored this season by 90 runs.
While Hillman acknowledged the need for greater offensive punch, he stressed the importance of continued improvement by the pitching staff.
“I don’t think we’re going to be able to make up those runs solely from an offensive standpoint,” he said. “We’re going to have to look at that more (as a whole) to see what we can do from the mound.
“Hopefully, we can bridge the gap.”
September awards
First baseman Ryan Shealy and Greinke were picked as the Royals’ player and pitcher of the month for September in a media vote.
Shealy, 29, batted .301 with seven homers and 20 RBIs in 20 games after being recalled Sept. 2 from Class AAA Omaha. Greinke, 24, was 4-1 with a 2.18 ERA in five starts.
Staffing issues
It appears the Royals will make at least one change to their coaching staff before next season.
First-base coach Rusty Kuntz has indicated a desire to shift to an upper-level roving position to allow him to spend more time with his family. Kuntz had a similar position in 2006-07 with Pittsburgh prior to joining the Royals.
All indications suggest the club will grant Kuntz’s request.
Draft status
The Royals are in line to get the 12th overall pick in the 2009 first-year player draft as a result of their closing kick. Clubs draft in reverse order of their final record.
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