Shields & Santana Royal Success

Shields (pictured) and Santana are lifting the Royals to new heights

The red-hot Royals have roared back into contention over the past month. They've won 21 of their 29 games since the All-Star Break, including 17 of 20 from July 23rd through August 12th. They're pitching well, playing extraordinary defense, and scoring just enough runs to scrape by.

And, for the first time in who knows how long, they have a formidable 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation. Their two biggest offseason acquisitions--James Shields and Ervin Santana--have stepped up to lead the staff with the best ERA in the American League. They rank second and tenth, respectively, in innings pitched and are tied for tenth in ERA, combining for about five wins above replacement.

Before the season began, though, nobody was hailing the dynamic duo as saviors. Instead, every baseball fan with a working brain was ripping Royals GM Dayton Moore for giving up so much to acquire Shields, Wade Davis and a player to be named later (Elliot Johnson). Moore, in a desperate effort to win-now, dealt Wil Myers and three prospects to Tampa Bay for Shields and spare parts. Shields is a number two starter who's going to be a free agent after the season. Myers is a 22 year-old phenom who's already setting the world on fire and is going to be a star for years to come.

It's scary to imagine what would've happened if Shields had gone bust--either by getting hurt or regressing to the dismal form he displayed in 2009 and 2010. The baseball universe would have imploded. Moore would be out of a job and probably dead; hanged, drawn, and quartered through the streets of Kansas City by bloodthirsty Royals fans.

Thankfully, Shields has lived up to his end of the bargain by doing what he does best--staying healthy and pitching very well. The ever-durable Shields hasn't missed a start and has thrown more innings than any American League hurler not named Justin Masterson, while maintaining the second-best ERA of his career. He's completed six innings or more in 23 of his 26 starts and has never pitched fewer than five Even on days when he doesn't have his best stuff, he still manages to go deep into games and preserve the bullpen.

Santana, on the other hand, represented a much bigger question mark. Nobody knew what to expect from the 30 year-old pitcher with a spotty track record coming off the worst season of his career, one in which he led the majors in home runs allowed and had an ERA over five. That didn't discourage the Royals from taking him off the Angels' hands and hoping that he would pitch like he did the two years before last, when he delivered over 450 innings with a 3.65 ERA.

Sure enough, Santana's bounced back. He's been every bit as valuable as Shields, and probably a hair better. They have the same 3.19 ERA, but it's Santana who owns the superior W-L record, WHIP, and K/BB ratio. The gamble has paid off.

So now, with the Royals gunning for their first postseason appearance since 1985, they need both workhorses to continue pitching at their top of their games. Big Game James must live up to his reputation and Santana can't afford to relapse. They've spent all summer making Dayton Moore look good. It would be a real shame if they let him down now.