Baseball is a funny game. You win some. You lose some. Sometimes it rains. Or something like that. As the only major sport that features series during the regular season, it also offers something unique to the game: a team can win a series, but if they blow the finale in spectacular fashion, it can seem like they actually lost the series.

Sunday I was only able to casually follow the Royals game. I got stuck on the couch with a sleeping baby and my iPhone in the other room, so I watched most of the Indians-Yankees game* on TBS and followed the score there. We ate dinner and S. took the girls upstairs to get baths and I fired up MLB At Bat to listen to the end of the game. The first words I heard from Bob Davis were: “Kyle Farnsworth in to start the ninth for the Royals.”

I should have turned it off then.

(Best thing about the economic meltdown? All those empty seats in prime locations at Yankee Stadium. I bet the Boss ain’t loving that, assuming he’s lucid enough to notice, of course.)

I said last week I wasn’t going to jump all over Hillman for decisions yet, figuring the players and manager all deserve some time to settle in at the beginning of the season. But if you have the best closer on the planet, and he hasn’t pitched since Wednesday, why in the hell doesn’t he come in during the eighth, when his bullpen compadres are pissing away Kyle Davies’ solid starting effort? So much for the outside the box thinking he promised.

And shoving Horacio Ramirez in when pretty much everyone in the baseball world assumed the Royals wouldn’t need a fifth starter until May is curious as well. Especially since he’ll be pitching against Cleveland ace Cliff Lee.

You don’t want to overreact to early season moves, but Trey’s not exactly building himself a reservoir of good will.

The rest of the weekend was fine. Two more great starts from Meche and Greinke. The offense busted loose on Friday. If the Royals lost by one on Sunday in any manner other than a walk-off offered up by Farnsworth, there was a lot this weekend to be happy about. The team has won 2-of-3 in three of their four series so far this year. That’s how you win divisions.

But now they get an off-day, then go to Cleveland, who may be finding themselves, and are running Ponson and Ramirez out for the first two games. Suddenly we’re looking at Meche taking the bump on Thursday hoping to keep the Royals from falling below .500.

Baseball is funny like that.

Sam Mellinger has <a href=”http://royalsblog.kansascity.com/?q=node/292″>already said</a> what I said far better and with more numbers and stuff.

Ed: Popular subject.
<a href=”http://joeposnanski.com/JoeBlog/2009/04/19/sunday-night-thought-of-the-week/”>Joe weighs in</a>.
<a href=”http://www.ranyontheroyals.com/2009/04/another-injury-to-overcome.html”>And Rany as well</a>.