Royals’ Shields, Tejada say it’s too early to focus on standings
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – To Royals fans, this series against Cleveland is crucial.
For the first time in 10 years, the Royals are actually playing meaningful games in July, and the hungry and loyal fan base is primed and ready as the Royals sit 5½ games behind the first-place Indians.
But two of the Royals who have been through pennant races before -- James Shields and Miguel Tejada -- caution that it's a bit premature to fixate on the standings.
"August," Shields told me when I asked him when he started looking at the standings.
"I start looking at games behind and our place in the standings in August. Anything before that ... wait until August."
Why?
"Because things change so quickly," Shields said. "I remember in Tampa in 2011 we were still 11 games out in September and we got back to make the playoffs (as a wild-card team). The way things are now can change and will change."
Tejada, who played on several Oakland playoff teams, agreed.
"Right after the All-Star break in the second half," Tejada said. "Then you start playing every game like it's do or die, no tomorrow. You are trying to win now, of course, but right now you focus more on winning each series, play good baseball.
"Then in the second half, you step it up. Everyone has to step it up -- the players, the coaches, the manager. Everyone goes to another gear. That's how you do it because there's not another second half after the second half of the season. That's it. You play with everything you got. That's how teams make it into the playoffs -- they get hot in the second half."
Tejada cited an example of a team he played on that spent its energy too quickly -- the 2005 Orioles. That team was in first place or tied for first from April 17 to June 24, and at one point was 14 games over .500.
"We sort of used everything up the first half and had nothing left in the second half," Tejada said. "We must have finished 20 games under."
Actually, the 2005 Orioles finished 74-88 and in fourth place in the American League East, 21 games out.
Tejada doesn't want the Royals to suffer the same swoon.
"I will be here to help them through this," Tejeda said. "We will give it our all when it matters in the second half."
But that doesn't mean, of course, that games now are meaningless. The Royals lost a painful 6-5 game to the Indians that certainly deflated the fan base.
"You still want to show those guys in the other clubhouse that you are for real," Tejada said. "They have to know we're going to play hard baseball. They have to know we're here."
Designated hitter Billy Butler, aching for a playoff race, doesn't want to concede anything to the Indians, either.
"We're not that far back," Butler said. "Four or five games is nothing. We've seen how quickly that can get erased. I think this is a big series for us. We want some momentum going into the All-Star break."
But both Shields and Tejada stress that it's more important to have that momentum over the last two months.
"That's when the shuffling in the standings really goes on," Shields said. "That's when you make your move."
And that's what Tejada wants to stress to his teammates.
"In the second half, you play every game like a playoff game," Tejada said. "And then you make the playoffs and keep playing that way."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com
