Ten years ago today, Dayton Moore took over as the Royals’ General Manager. To commemorate such an occasion, the Royals did their best impersonation of the team Moore inherited.
Tonight’s loss was the team’s seventh in a row, pushing them three games behind the Indians for the division lead. The bats were lifeless, and what began as a promising night for Edinson Volquez turned into yet another nightmare. At least no one got punched.
When Eddie Became Unsteady
On the bright side, Volquez was outstanding for 4.1 innings, allowing just a single baserunner, with five strikeouts. On the less-bright side, baseball games tend to require nine innings of play. After retiring Matt Weiters, Volquez got ahead 0-2 against Jonathan Schoop. Schoop has plate discipline that would make Salvador Perez blush, and yet, Volquez could not put him away, issuing a walk.
Following a single, Volquez put Nolan Reimold in an 0-2 hole. Reimold also was able to draw a walk, which loaded the bases for the apparently-dangerous Ryan Flaherty, who rocked a double over Paulo Orlando’s head. Perhaps the right fielder could’ve gotten a better jump, but it was solid contact nonetheless. A sac fly and a single later, Volquez headed to the dugout.
A silver lining from Volquez’s final line: it wasn’t the ugliest part of the game for Kansas City. The offense continued to flounder, mustering eight harmless hits in 7.1 innings against Chris Tillman.
The Offense Is Bad
This subheading doesn’t deserve a clever title.
By this point, I feel like Fox Sports Kansas City should issue some kind of parental advisory warning prior to Royals games. Their offensive performance was yet again not suitable for children. Or adults. Or any person wanting to maintain some semblance of sanity.
The Royals’ best scoring chance with Tillman on the mound came in the third inning, when Cheslor Cuthbert hit a double down the left field line leading off the frame. Jarrod Dyson then attempted to bunt, for some extremely bizarre reason. He popped the first pitch foul, before squaring around again, only to pop it up to Flaherty, who caught the ball and whipped a throw to second to double off Cuthbert.
If that doesn’t sum up the current road trip, I don’t know what does. Actually, come to think of it, I do: the team’s recent 4-576 line with runners in scoring position. That number may or may not be an approximation.
They created one last opportunity in the eighth, chasing Tillman from the game, and loading the bases against Brad Brach, but a well-struck liner off the bat of Perez found the glove of Hyun Soo Kim. A quick ninth inning was nothing but a formality.
Whit Merrifield did set a Royals record, reaching base in his 17th consecutive start to begin his career. Not everything is bad. Just most things.
What’s Next, Other Than Pain
Luckily, the Royals will not lose tomorrow. They have a day off before heading to Chicago for a weekend series against James Shields’ new teammates, who probably wouldn’t mind being his former teammates, based on his White Sox debut. Eventually this Royals’ skid will stop, and facing a scuffling Sox squad could be just what the doctor ordered. Hopefully.