Finally an off day, so seems like a good time to take a look at the team and what they’ve accomplished thus far.

Truly a bummer that Alex Gordon is going under the knife. I sent an angry e-mail out Tuesday night suggesting he might need a stint in Omaha in the hopes it would kick start his career the way it did for Mark Teahen in ’06 and Billy Butler last year. To his credit, he hit two balls very hard on Wednesday, just at people. And now it looks like he’s going to be out awhile. I’m anxious to hear how serious the injury is and how soon he can be back on the field. Just another frustrating chapter in the story of his big league career.

I apologize for saying nice things about Kyle Farnsworth. He clearly isn’t one to take praise well, since he blew up again Wednesday. He’s eating up roughly 70% of the total money being paid to the bullpen. It’s not too much to expect mediocrity, is it?

He has a history of biting those that believe in him in the ass, but Fat Sid hasn’t been awful. I don’t think it’s realistic to expect a 4.50 ERA for the entire season, but if two of every three starts are in that neighborhood, you can’t complain about him filling a back-of-the-rotation spot, especially at his salary.

One of the great things about the age we live in is the abundance of resources for following the teams you like, regardless of where you live. There are dozens of blogs to follow even a traditionally crappy team like the Royals. The downside is every game is hyper-analyzed, and the second-guessing of the manager can be over-the-top. I’m not smart enough to know all the numbers that go into the arguments for who belongs behind the plate, at first base, and so on. But I am willing to give Trey Hillman some leeway for the first month of the season. I’m hopeful he’s using this month as extended spring training, in a way. Measuring the performances of his various parts in games that count in big league stadiums. I hope he’s smart enough to make changes, if warranted, as the season progresses.

That said, I know there have been some injuries, but it really bums me out that Tony Pena Jr. got two starts this week.

I know who Willie Bloomquist reminds me of: Jerod Haase. Both have that laudable quality of never, ever giving up on a play. And both also have the annoying habit of sometimes going too hard, and hurting their team in the process. Maximum effort is great, but sometimes 80% is the smarter, safer play.

So 5-4 through the first nine, tied for first. Not the ’84 Tigers, but exactly what they need to do to stay in the race through the summer. This weekend they head to Texas which will be a fine test for their big three starters. The Rangers hit the crap out of the ball. But they also don’t have much pitching and the ballpark is conducive to run scoring. Perhaps the Royals’ bats will heat up.