I-70

-This is the series that always does it for me. Oh, how I love it when the Royals play St. Louis! Shame on me for not writing about last night's game sooner. Last night...man, what a game. That is how a Royals fan should get to feel about a game. I love Brian Bannister; I'm glad his last three big-league starts have been as good as some of his AAA starts that made me so high on him.

-Tonight so far is a different story. Odalis Perez (a pitcher who I have yet to fully like; in the words of American Idol judge Randy Jackson, "He's just aight to me.") was pulled after yielding at least 6 runs in 4 innings (plus 2 batters). Brandon Duckworth was going to come along and save the day, but left with some pain after throwing only two pitches.

-What an unfortunate time for Mark Grudzielanek to be hurt. He's been hitting really well lately, with a glut of extra base hits and even homers, and has said he was really looking forward to playing a series against his old STL teammates. Now he doesn't get to continue either. Grud's injury has produced an interesting, back-and-forth string of moves between KC and Omaha. Reliable infielder Fernando Cortez, a guy who plays hard and doesn't take crap from anyone, has been called up to KC, while Shane Costa has been recalled to Omaha (much to the delight of female fans here). I thought this might happen, with Reggie Sanders getting closer to coming back to the game.

And as I wrap this up, the KC lineup is still seeking its first hit. This makes me wonder: Have no-hitters ever been thrown on back-to-back days?

- After two high-scoring (at least on Iowa's part) games to start the current series in Des Moines, Omaha has held the Cubs scoreless through 6 full innings and leads 2-0 thanks to homers from Billy Butler and Richard Lewis.

UPDATE: Oh crap, Mike Sweeney looks hurt. He fell down while running to first on a groundout, and came up hobbling. Injuries come in threes? Sixes? Dozens? Grand.