The Kansas City Royals are hitting the road for a week.
And that might be a good thing. The Royals (39-45) underwhelmed at home again, finishing 1-5 during a six-game stay against the Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Royals were outscored 27-15 during this homestand, their first since going 0-6 against the New York Yankees and Athletics from June 10-15.
The Royals’ last home victory was May 31 against the Detroit Tigers.
“We didn’t win,” Royals second baseman Jonathan India said after Sunday’s setback. “That’s the bottom line.”
Nine of those aforementioned 15 runs came in Saturday’s win against the Dodgers.
“It’s frustrating just because, you know, we felt so good yesterday,” India continued. “We were positive and ready to go. They had a good pitcher on the mound and he did his job.”
It’s clear by now that the Royals’ woeful offense has become a trend, and the time to get it fixed is dwindling. The Royals now face the Seattle Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks on the road.
Both of those teams have better overall records than Kansas City — and better records in their respective wild-card standings, too. The Royals open a series at the Mariners on Monday night.
“We’re in a rut,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Every team goes through something like this.
“This is prolonged for us, and we are not hiding from that. We need ... to stack wins together. And that’s why it’s disappointing today that we didn’t.”
A strong road trip would help the Royals avoid falling further out of the playoff picture. With the All-Star break and trade deadline on the horizon, a choice must be made: Are the Royals going to cement themselves as postseason contenders or fall completely out of the race?
After Sunday’s 5-1 loss to the Dodgers, they can’t continue waiting for their bats to come around.
The Royals need definitive and immediate action … whether through internal improvement or external reinforcements.
Sunday spotlight
The Royals continue to be plagued by inefficient offense. And they struggled against a convoy of Dodgers pitchers on Sunday.
The Dodgers threw a bullpen game in the series finale. Lou Trivino was the opener before giving way to left-hander Justin Wrobleski. They combined to allow one earned run in six innings.
The Royals took a first-inning lead as Bobby Witt Jr. hit his league-best 29th double. India, who began the game with a leadoff single, scored on the play.
That happened with no outs. But the Royals could not bring Witt home, with No. 4 hitter Vinnie Pasquantino and No. 5 hitter Salvador Perez going a combined 0-for-8 Sunday.
“We got a run off Trivino,” Quatraro said, “and when Wrobleski came in, he pitched great. He moved the ball around: up, down, in and out. He’s got some deception to him and he’s got a good mid- to upper-90 mph fastball and good cutter. So he pitched really well.”
L.A.’s Kike Hernandez hit a two-run home run in the second inning and Will Smith blasted a solo homer in the sixth.
Royals left-handed starting pitcher Kris Bubic (6-6) departed after five innings, allowing three hits and two earned runs, striking out five and walking two.
“That’s what good lineups do, they work counts,” Bubic said. “I think starters against that lineup have the highest number of pitches thrown ... So there is a reason. They are tough and they foul stuff off early. You’ve just got to keep attacking and keep getting in good counts.”
The game spiraled out of control for KC in the seventh, when the Dodgers tacked on two more runs.
And the Royals’ offense? Just another miserable homestand overall. The Royals scored two runs or fewer in four of these six games at The K.
“There the best team in baseball,” India said of the Dodgers. “They’ve won multiple World Series and we played them well and played them hard. That’s what we are going to take away from that. Shows the fight we have.”
Royals pay homage to Negro Leagues Win or lose, it was a special weekend in Kansas City.
With the Dodgers in town, the Royals held their annual Salute to the Negro Leagues celebration at The K.
The Royals paid homage to the Kansas City Monarchs on Sunday. They wore throwback Monarchs caps — dark blue with a bright yellow KC logo — but not full Monarchs uniforms.
Until a couple of years ago, the Royals wore full Monarchs throwback unis on Salute to the Negro Leagues day. But not anymore.
The Royals matched the commemorative Monarchs caps with their powder-blue jerseys on Sunday. The apparel choice generated some healthy discourse, with some lamenting the lack of full Monarchs tribute attire.
Bob Kendrick, Negro League Baseball Museum president, had hoped to see both teams wear full throwback uniforms this year. But as was the case in 2024, an apparent Major League Baseball rule prohibited it.
