While the Royals were beating up on Max Scherzer, Jeff and Mike were talking about the Royals' (then) approach towards first place in the AL Central and the excitement it's bringing to fans. We talked about some of what's gone right during the streak and some of the key performers, and we also let ourselves get distracted by the game itself here and there (it happens).

Then we talked about how to keep this going, and looked at who's rebounded from slow starts, who's been hot, and who's likely to keep this up. Over the last two weeks, the Royals have been on fire at the plate, but is it something they're doing differently or the numbers evening out after a slow start?

We've been supported in part by Kelly's Westport Inn for years and we're glad to partner with Baseball-Reference.com and their Play Index service for the near future. Help support the show by hopping over to Baseball-Reference.com and signing up for the Play Index by using promo code "Royals" to save $6 off the regular price of $36 - it's a great tool for detailed baseball stat research, and something we play around with every day.

If you find any great Royals stat trivia or trends using the Play Index, email us at [email protected] - towards the end of July, we'll give away copies of Willie Mays Aikens' book "Safe At Home" to three listeners.