Baseball and Shit

By seeing that title, I'm sure you got your hopes up and thought I'd interject some shit-related talk. Sorry. Just baseball.

• So the Royals came back from four down in the sixth, scoring seven runs off Garrett Olson, Adam Loewen, and Chad Bradford in the top of the inning, thanks in very small part to Kevin Millar smacking a bobbled grounder with his bare hand into foul territory, allowing Guillen (who started the inning off with a walk, the latest in a rash of surprising bases on balls from Mr. Guillen) to score from third. The Royals batted around, and even TPJ had a good at-bat. Things came together, and they earned a split in the series against the Orioles, who have seemed to have their number for years. The bullpen then came in and completely shut down the Orioles, with Mahay and Soria doing their thing--not allowing a base-runner in their combined three innings of perfect work. These Royals do seem to be better than that horrendous losing stretch would indicate.
• Which Royal makes the All-Star team? One would assume it would be either Jose Guillen or Joakim Soria. Both have been great. Is there any way two Royals make the team? Both are certainly deserving.
• Jeff Francoeur got sent down to Double-A Mississippi to re-figure things out. Apparently, Frenchy is pissed. It's easy to forget that Francoeur is still only 24 years old, so it's probably a bit early to be hitting the panic button if you're a Braves fan. He's supposed to return after the break. It certainly could be worse. They could still have Andruw Jones...
• Buster Olney is reporting that the Brewers are throwing Matt LaPorta at the Indians for C.C. Sabathia. According to him, J.J. Hardy may also be in the mix. I've also heard that it may be Alicides Escobar that the Brewers may include in the deal. If the Brewers can sign Sabathia to an extension, then I think the deal is worth it. If they're merely getting a three-month rental out of the deal, I don't think LaPorta and Hardy/Escobar were worth it.
  

Happy Birthday, America! Eat it, England!