Lame references to the honored-at-today’s-game 1983 “Winning Ugly” team aside, you just can’t help but wonder what happened this weekend. Losing 9-1? Scoring seven yet walking away defeated? A 9-5 nailbiter? Are you serious?

Yes, these things happen. Yes, there are going to be series like this. Yes, it’s a long season/you never know what’ll happen/grind/grinder/grit/2005/etc., and in a vacuum it’s probably not a big deal that the Good Guys dropped a series to the dregs of the American League. Unfortunately, in the midst of all those supposedly meaningless stranded runners and “it’s only July” miserable outings from the starters, the Twins and Tigers each gained a game on the Good Guys; it’s been printed in these pages before, but we may just be on the verge of another winner-by-default AL Central race to the bottom.

On the bright side, the Tigers play three against those surging Royals before what is, sadly, a crucial weekend series against the Sox. The Twins head to New York to face the Sidney Ponson-led Yankees while the Sox square off against the same Rangers who just last weekend beat the Southsiders at their own game.

Perhaps in some way, hope is not lost. Alternately, perhaps hope was never truly found in the first place, nor was it found even while in first place. Either way, go Royals. And Yankees. God I hate this team.

German’s double lifts Royals over White Sox [Chicago Sun-Times]