After stumbling to a 2-6 record out of the gate, the Kansas City Royals rattled off four consecutive wins to right the ship and get things back on track, or so it appeared. Since those four straight wins, the Royals have dropped eight of their last nine, beginning with a series split with the San Francisco Giants. It only got worse from there, as the Royals have not recorded a win in over a week and enter the weekend on a seven-game losing streak after being swept by the Texas Rangers and the Chicago White Sox.
During this stretch, the offense has gone ice-cold. In their last nine games, the Royals have scored a mere 16 runs. Contrary to what some may have predicted prior to the season, it’s been the team’s offense that has held them back thus far this season. Outside of centerfielder Lorenzo Cain (.278 AVG) and third baseman Mike Moustakas (.276 AVG), not a single Royals starter is hitting over .240. In fact, six players who have played in at least 10 or more games are currently hitting below .200 on the season. Former All-Stars Salvador Perez (.233 AVG), Eric Hosmer (.220 AVG) and Alex Gordon (.188 AVG) had relatively strong starts to the year but have cooled off considerably in late April.
Although this stretch has been rough for the Royals, there have been a few positives to take away from it. Despite dropping eight games, the pitching staff has been phenomenal. The top three starters, Danny Duffy (2-1, 2.81 ERA), Ian Kennedy (0-2, 2.08 ERA) and Jason Vargas (3-1, 1.40 ERA), have been dominant. On April 19, Vargas outdueled San Francisco ace Madison Bumgarner, tossing 7.0 innings of no-run baseball en route to a 2-0 victory. While Jason Hammel and Nathan Karns haven’t been spectacular, their fellow starters have picked up the slack.
Not only have the starters been great, but the bullpen, a major question mark headed into the season, has been solid as well. Closer Kelvin Herrera (2.25 ERA, .115 BAA) has filled Wade Davis’ role as successfully, and reliever Joakim Soria has returned to old form, boasting a 0.00 ERA and 12 strikeouts in nine appearances. The 1-2 punch of Soria and Herrera from the bullpen to close out games could prove lethal if the bats can get going and the team can put itself into winning positions late in games.
This weekend, Kansas City begins a three-game series against the first-place Minnesota Twins in its second homestand of the season. The Royals then welcome the Chicago White Sox for a four-game series beginning Monday, May 1 and conclude the homestand with a three-game series against the reigning American League champion Cleveland Indians. Look forward to a busy month of Royals baseball, as the team only gets one day off in the month of May.
_Edited by Eli Lederman | elederman@themaneater.com_
