Royals Find Two Reasons for Optimism

The American League’s rookie-of-the-year spotlight is focused on Kansas City and the duo known as “Dos Carlos.”

Rookie center fielder Carlos Beltran, batting .316 through Friday, and rookie second baseman Carlos Febles, .333, have helped turn the feeble Royals into a modest juggernaut.

A three-game sweep of the previously hot Oakland A’s, the Royals’ first sweep at home in four years, pushed Kansas City three games over .500 and into early wild-card contention--their only realistic goal given that no one is going to beat the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central.

Among league rookies, Beltran and Febles dominate every category. Beltran is first in homers, runs batted in, runs, hits, doubles and stolen bases. Febles is first in batting, on-base and slugging percentages, and second in average, homers, RBIs, runs, hits and stolen bases.

Seattle shortstop Alex Rodriguez, a former rookie sensation himself, watched Dos Carlos combine for 15 hits in a three-game series at the Kingdome last weekend and said they had the potential to be stars, adding, “What’s the manager’s name--[Tony] Muser?--has these guys playing good baseball.”

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The Mariners stayed around long enough to have become a rejuvenated factor in the West Division, with the return of Rodriguez from knee surgery and improved performances from veteran Jeff Fassero as the ace, so to speak, of the young pitching staff.

Edgar Martinez, who hit five homers in successive games Monday and Tuesday against the Twins, tying a major league record set by Cap Anson in 1884, gave some of the credit to Rodriguez.

“With Alex in the lineup there is no rest for the pitchers, no place for them to hide,” Martinez said. “They have to deal with him, then Junior [Griffey]. By the time they get to the rest of us, they’re gray.”

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Exasperated by his combustible starting staff last week, Texas Ranger Manager Johnny Oates said, “We can’t keep going the way we are. We can’t keep digging holes, playing catch-up, just trying to finish games. The status quo isn’t getting it done.”

So, Oates moved John Burkett (0-3, 13.24 earned-run average) to the bullpen and recalled rookie Ryan Glynn from Oklahoma of the Pacific Coast League, which he led with a 1.85 ERA. Glynn will start against Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

The Rangers are second in the league in team batting but 11th in ERA and runs allowed.

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Manager Tom Kelly of the Minnesota Twins, a good man in a hopeless situation, experienced his 1,000th loss last Saturday and began the weekend at 1,005 and counting.

Kelly, of course, has no chance with the American League’s version of the Marlins and said of the mounting losses on his personal ledger: “I heard a guy talking on television from the [Preakness]. He said, ‘If you’re not in the race, you can’t lose.’ ”

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In their latest offensive outburst, the Indians scored 13 runs in each game of a three-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox last week.

Said Chicago Manager Jerry Manuel, “I wouldn’t say shell-shocked, but I will use the word ‘humbled.’ ”

Manuel may use it again, since the White Sox open a three-game series in Cleveland on Monday.

“They could possibly do the same thing because they have such a good club,” he said of the Indians.