The Royals are playing better. They've won five in a row and six of their last seven. Both the offense and pitching are contributing to the wins, and in general Trey Hillman's stock rose with the club. Sam Mellinger, however, points out something strange about last night's lineup that's tough to explain. Hillman dropped Jose Guillen from the lineup at the last minute without explanation. Here's Guillen's explanation:

So then Guillen is reached at home Tuesday night on his cell phone.

"Nothing," he says. "I was just not feeling good. I was sick."

Mellinger is at a loss. Why would Hillman be mysterious about an innocent explanation?

Either way, Guillen was convincing and sounded genuinely surprised that there'd be any question about why he didn't play.

Lying to cover something up like that is not his M.O. He's never done that.

When it comes to his words, his PR problems have come when he's TOO honest. There's an old line I heard about another ballplayer, his manager said, "He doesn't lie, even when he should." That's Guillen, too.

So Mellinger remains confused about Hillman's statements. No one is lying, it just seems there's too much mystery for a simple explanation.