Royals undefeated, in first place

A very interesting Opening Day. A very fun Opening Day. A 7-1 victory for the good guys.

--The Royals paid $366,667 to Gil Meche for today’s game. And, after he recovered from a rough first inning, it was worth it. 7.1 innings, 1 run, 6 hits, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts. 1.23 ERA. And he got seven-plus innings out of 103 pitches (62 strikes), especially efficient when considering his less-than-sterling first inning.

--Joel Peralta looked wild at first, but his line is pretty impressive: 1.2 innings pitched, 2 hits, 4 strikeouts.

--Having two pitchers combine to hold the Red Sox to one run seemed like a best-case scenario for the Royals, but that’s what happened. Combined line of Meche and Peralta: 9 IP, 8 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 10 strikeouts, 137 pitches (84 for strikes). Good, good, good stuff.

--The Royals’ offensive work today was marked by the consistant ability to make Curt Schilling pitch too many times. From top to bottom, every hitter took pitches and made Schilling work for his outs. It paid off, big time.

--Mark Grudzielanek led the Royals offense today. Not only was he the first Royal with a hit for the season, but he also led the team with hits, going 3-for-5, complete with 2 runs and 3 RBI.

--Mark Teahen and Mike Sweeney combined to go 4-for-8, but were otherwise unproductive. Only 1 RBI and no runs scored between the two.

--It’s always a rare treat when John Buck gets production like this—a dinger and a double.

--Is it sad that I’m more encouraged by Tony Pena’s walk than his pair of triples? Having plate discipline at shortstop is a new and exciting feeling.

--As Pena’s and Buck’s production returns back to earth, Ryan Shealy, Alex Gordon and David DeJesus should be able to pick up the slack and then some.

Fun game today. Are we sure there has to be a day off tomorrow? Oh, just as well. Another day to revel in being undefeated.