Week in Review: Royals Have Losing Week Against Divisional Foes

[Kevin O'Brien]

Image courtesy of William Purnell-Imagn Images

Week in a Nutshell 

The Royals were looking to take advantage in the AL Central this week, with a three-game series in Cleveland and a four-game homestand against the White Sox over the weekend. Unfortunately, the Royals took a slight step back this week with a losing record and split a series at home against a team that hadn't beaten the Royals at Kauffman Stadium since 2023.

It's still early in the year, but it seems like the Royals are not getting off to the start that they hoped for back in Spring Training, when some experts were thinking that Kansas City could make a push for an AL Central division title.

They have only won one series this year (Opening Week against the Twins), and they have the second-worst run differential in the AL Central, as of Sunday. While there are still 146 games remaining, the Royals need a jolt, especially on offense and in the bullpen, to help ensure they do not fall too far behind in the divsional race. 

On a non-record note, the Royals debuted their new City Connect uniforms this past weekend, which have received mixed reception from Royals and baseball fans alike. 

 

In honor of the unveil, they wore their City Connect uniforms all weekend (and went 2-1 in the new threads). Going forward, Kansas City will wear these new City Connect uniforms for every Friday home game this season.

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Record this Week: 3-4

Run Differential for the Week: -5

Record for the Year: 7-9

Run Differential for the Year: -11

Standing: Tied for 3rd in the AL Central

Game 10: KC 4, CLE 2

• Kansas City started off the road trip well with Michael Wacha setting the tone. He allowed only one run in seven innings of work, and he also allowed just three hits. Carter Jensen and Jonathan India both hit home runs in the Royals' two-run victory.  

Game 11: CLE 2, KC 1

• In one of the coldest games of the year (they actually had to move up the first pitch to accommodate), Cleveland beat the Royals in walkoff fashion with Brayan Rocchio hitting the game-winning single. Jensen had the lone hit for the Royals, a solo home run.

Game 12: CLE 10, KC 2

• The game was close initially, as Cleveland was up 5-2 entering the 8th. However, a five-run 8th inning off Steven Cruz ended up putting the game out of reach (resulting in Tyler Tolbert closing out the game for the Royals' pitching staff). Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits and collected his first extra-base hit of the year (a double). 

Game 13: CWS 2, KC 0

• Kansas City looked flat on Thursday, as the White Sox won their first game at Kauffman after going winless there for two straight seasons (they had a 14-game losing streak). Seth Lugo threw 6.1 innings of quality ball (1 ER allowed), but he wasn't able to outduel White Sox starter Anthony Kay, who earned his first MLB victory since 2021. 

Game 14: KC 2, CWS 0

• The Royals ended a three-game losing streak on the night they revealed their new City Connect uniforms. Kris Bubic had a career-high 11 strikeouts in seven innings of work, and Witt and Michael Massey both had doubles. Jensen also hit his fourth home run of the year, which helped seal the game for the Royals. 

Game 15: KC 2, CWS 0

• Wacha was masterful again, going eight innings and allowing no runs, four hits, and one walk while striking out seven. Maikel Garcia got the offense going early with a leadoff home run, but the Royals wouldn't score again until the 8th inning on a Vinnie Pasquantino sacrifice fly. Lucas Erceg notched his 5th save of the year.  

Game 15: CWS 6, KC 5

• After spotting the White Sox a 2-0 lead, the Royals ended up leading the White Sox 5-4 after four. However, Chicago scored two runs in the 6th and 7th combined, and Kansas City was unable to score (or hit) for the remainder of the game. Sunday's game was played after a three-hour rain delay. 

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News and Notes

After rough outings against the Guardians on Wednesday, the Royals optioned pitchers Luinder Avila and Steven Cruz to Omaha and called up Eli Morgan and Mitch Spence. Morgan pitched against the Brewers as the 27th man for their doubleheader on Saturday, April 4th.

 

The Royals were on a 0-for-32 stretch with runners in scoring position, entering Sunday's series finale against Chicago. They snapped that brutal streak with a Jensen infield single that scored a run in the bottom of the third.

 

According to Fangraphs, the Royals are the worst-hitting team in RISP situations with a 37 wRC+. The next-worst is Pittsburgh with a 57 wRC+. 

 

In the minors, Ryan Bergert was shut down during his April 9th outing for Omaha due to elbow discomfort. Bergert was put on the IL, and righty Ben Sears was called up from Northwest Arkansas to replace him. No timetable has been shared regarding Bergert's injury.

 

On a positive note, Stephen Kolek has returned from the IL and will be making a rehab stint in Omaha. He was supposed to appear in Sunday's series finale against the Iowa Cubs, but the game was canceled due to rain.

 

Kolek will likely pitch back in Omaha this week as they play the Indianapolis Indians at Werner Park. The former Padres pitcher, who came over with Bergert in the Freddy Fermin trade last season, posted a 1.91 ERA and 2.71 FIP in 33 IP with the Royals last season. 

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Highlights

Jensen had the best week of any Royals hitter. In 22 at-bats, he hit .273 with a .986 OPS. That included six hits, with three of them home runs. He also had four RBI and has been on fire since his "oversleeping" controversy last Thursday. 

 

 

After a brutal week against the Twins and Brewers, Witt looked more like his old self this week against the Guardians and White Sox. He hit .308 with a .842 OPS with eight hits, including three doubles. Witt also stole four bases on five attempts, the lone caught stealing being on a controversial no-call that should've been a balk on White Sox reliever Jordan Hicks. He is currently at the top of the league in stolen bases. 

 

The Royals franchise shortstop also showed excellent plate discipline this week with five walks drawn and only four strikeouts. While he hasn't hit his first home run yet, he may be on the verge of doing so in this upcoming week of games.

On the pitching end, Wacha and Bubic carried the Royals staff over the past week.

Bubic's 11 strikeouts led all Royals pitchers over the past seven days, and he only had one outing. After an uneven performance against the Brewers in his late start, the former Stanford pitcher looked like his All-Star self on Friday against the White Sox, as he ended a two-game Royals slide.

It wasn't just the strikeouts that were impressive for Bubic. When looking at his TJ Stats pitching summary, he excelled in nearly every category, as illustrated below.

Bubic had four pitches with a TJ Stuff+ of 100 or higher, and he also had a 35.6% chase%, a 37% whiff%, and .209 xwOBACON. While the White Sox aren't a great offense, he neutralized a team that has the potential to get hot, especially with the long ball. 

As for Wacha, he was excellent this week, as he made outings against both the Guardians and White Sox. In 15 IP, he allowed only seven hits, had a 0.60 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and had 10 strikeouts to only four walks. For the year, Wacha is not just posting a 0.43 ERA and 0.71 WHIP, but also a 16.2% K-BB% and a 3.01 FIP in 21 IP. 

Furthermore, the veteran arm is also putting up impressive chase and whiff rates this year despite not sporting elite TJ Stuff+ marks on his pitches. That shows how strong Wacha's command has been at the start of 2026.

Lastly, Erceg had a solid week with three saves in three opportunities. He didn't allow a run, and no hits or walks either. He struck out two batters this week, which is nice, but it would be encouraging to see him generate more whiffs, especially if he is to hold onto the closer's role, even after Carlos Estevez returns from the IL. 

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Lowlights

Pasquantino and Perez's slow starts to 2026 got even worse over the past week.

The Royals' No. 3 and 4 hitters, respectively, hit .080 this week with .080 slugging percentages. Pasquantino had a higher OBP than Salvy, with a .172 mark to the Captain's .148 OBP. However, both had paltry OPS numbers this week, with Vinnie having a .252 mark and Salvy sporting a .228 one. They also struck out eight and seven times in the past seven days, respectively.

As a result, I questioned the current Royals' lineup and suggested moving Salvy out of the cleanup spot (based on recent and historical data) in my latest post on Royals Keep.

 

 

Another Royals hitter who had a rough week was Kyle Isbel, who was scorching a week ago.

Over the past seven days, Isbel hit only .067 with a .367 OPS in 15 plate appearances. He also had just one hit, a single. He has shown a solid plate approach, with four walks to five strikeouts this week. However, Royals fans who said he needed to be an everyday player ate some crow this week, especially after his 0-for-4, three-strikeout performance on Thursday against Kay and the White Sox.

 

Cruz had the most brutal pitching performance this week, as he allowed five runs on four hits and two walks in 1.1 IP. For the year, the Dominican-born pitcher has been brutal, posting a 14.40 ERA and 13.12 FIP in five innings of work. However, it sounds like he may have been tipping his pitches this year, especially against Cleveland, as a Guardians content creator noticed in Wednesday's game.

 

Hopefully, Cruz can figure this out in Omaha and come back to Kansas City more polished. He may have the best stuff on the Royals' 40-man roster, but his command has been poor so far in 2026.

Schreiber had another rough week and is showing that he may not be built for high-leverage opportunities anymore. In three outings and two IP, he posted a 9.00 ERA and 2.50 WHIP. He had two walks to only one strikeout, and he also allowed three hits. In addition to his struggles with throwing strikes, the 32-year-old hasn't been effective this year when it comes to generating chase or whiff either, as illustrated in his TJ Stats summary below.

With a 6.00 ERA, 7.82 FIP, and -9.7 K-BB%, manager Matt Quatraro may be better off utilizing someone else in medium to high leverage situations, whether it's Nick Mears, Eli Morgan, or Daniel Lynch IV, who have all looked better than Schreiber this season.

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Looking Ahead

It won't be easy for the Royals this week, as they play three games against the Tigers in Detroit and a weekend series at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. 

The Tigers have the same record as the Royals, but they have won three games in a row and have a +10 run differential, which is 21 runs better than the Royals. Detroit has also scored 70 runs this year, which is second-best in the AL Central and 16 runs better than Kansas City. The Tigers looked like their old selves this past weekend as they took care of the Miami Marlins at Comerica Park with the sweep.

 

 

A positive aspect of this series is that the Royals will miss seeing Tarik Skubal, who pitched in the series finale against Miami. Cole Ragans will start the series against the Tigers. Hopefully, he can get back on track after being pulled in the first inning after getting hit on a comebacker from Jose Ramirez in his last start. 

 

The Yankees are reeling a bit as they are 8-7 and tied for first in the AL East with the Tampa Bay Rays and Baltimore Orioles. New York has lost five in a row after an 8-2 start, and their losing streak was amplified this weekend by getting swept by division rival Tampa Bay in the newly remodeled Tropicana Field.

 

Despite the disappointing record, the Yankees have a +21 run differential, which is best in the AL East. The Yankees have a strong rotation, as they rank 1st in ERA and WHIP as of Sunday. The Royals will have a stiff challenge in the Bronx, as they will face Cam Schlittler, Will Warren, and Ryan Weathers, who have ERA marks of 1.62, 3.07, and 2.81, respectively. 

The Royals need a winning record on this road trip. However, that won't be easy against two teams that not only made the postseason last year, but are looking to win an AL Pennant in 2026. 

 

 

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