Week in Review: Disaster Strikes on the Road for Royals

Week in a Nutshell 

After going 3-4 last week, the Royals needed at least a respectable showing in this road trip to Detroit and the Bronx this week. Thinking they were going to win the week was going to be a tough challenge, especially considering their offensive woes. However, it was entirely plausible that the Royals could've gone 3-3, or at least 2-4, and kept their head above water before returning home to Kauffman Stadium.

Unfortunately, the optimism proved to be for naught. The Royals went 0-6 this week and were outscored by the Tigers and Yankees by a combined 21 runs. As a result, the Chicago White Sox are ahead in the standings. For those who can't read between the lines, that means the Royals are in last place in the American League Central. 

It's one thing to have a slow start to the season. But even with 140 games remaining, it seems like the Royals are in the midst of not just a disappointing campaign, but perhaps a nightmarish one, especially considering all the negative vibes from the Salvador Perez drama surrounding his benching on Saturday.

'The Royals have a bad offense, bad bullpen, bad record, and honestly, bad vibes right now in the clubhouse, with the Salvy and Carter Jensen "sleeping in" incidents being the prime examples.

One has to wonder when and how the Royals will turn around the momentum after such an awful week of play in Detroit and New York. 

Record this Week: 0-6

Run Differential for the Week: -21

Record for the Year: 7-15

Run Differential for the Year: -32

Standing: 5th in the AL Central

Game 17: DET 2, KC 1

• It wasn't the prettiest Cole Ragans start, as he walked four and only struck out one in six innings of work. However, he allowed only one hit and zero runs, and Matt Strahm held the lead in the seventh. Unfortunately, Nick Mears allowed two runs in the eighth. 

Game 18: DET 2, KC 1

• Seth Lugo and Jack Flaherty both battled in this one, with Lugo going 6.2 innings and striking out seven, while Flaherty also struck out seven in six innings. The Royals tied it up in the fifth after relinquishing an early lead. However, Eli Morgan was unable to keep the game tied in the eighth. 

Game 19: DET 10, KC 9

• Kris Bubic had a tough start, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks in 4.2 innings of work. Even though the Royals were down 6-1, they scored six runs in the top of the seventh before the rain hit and caused a delay. Despite getting some insurance in the top of the ninth on a Vinnie Pasquantino home run, Lucas Erceg was unable to hold a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth.

Game 20: NYY 4, KC 2

• Michael Wacha gave the Royals six strong innings and only allowed two runs on three hits and three hits while striking out six. Pasquantino hit his second home run of the year and had two hits. However, like the Detroit series, the Royals were unable to keep the game tied, as Alex Lange allowed a two-run home run to pinch-hitter Ryan McMahon. 

Game 21: NYY 13, KC 4

• Noah Cameron struggled in the Bronx, allowing five earned runs on seven hits and two walks in four innings of work. Mitch Spence wasn't much better, as he allowed six runs on four hits and five walks in four innings of work. Carter Jensen hit his fifth home run of the year. 

Game 22: NYY 7, KC 0

• The Royals' bullpen didn't allow a run in 3.2 innings of work. Also, Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits. However, it was a brutal game otherwise. Ragans did his best "Nuke Laloosh" impression, walking eight, striking out six, and allowing seven runs in 4.2 innings of work. 

News and Notes

Early in the week, Stephen Kolek started a rehab assignment with Omaha. He's had a couple of outings and has a 2.16 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 8.1 IP. 

On April 15th, Bailey Falter began his own rehab assignment. He had a 6.00 ERA and 1.67 WHIP in 3.0 IP with the Storm Chasers. He looked much stronger in his most recent outing on Sunday against Indianapolis. 

The biggest move the Royals made was on Sunday. They called up catcher Elias Diaz and pitcher Mason Black from Omaha and sent down Spence and utility player Tyler Tolbert to Triple-A. Furthermore, they added James McArthur to the 60-Day IL to make room for Diaz on the 40-man roster. 

Highlights

Some of the Royals' struggling hitters showed some life at the plate this past week, which should help fans feel encouraged about their outlook for the remainder of the season.

In 15 at-bats, Jac Caglianone hit .400 with a .971 OPS. That included six hits, a triple, and an RBI. Pasquantino only hit .167, but he launched his first two home runs of the season and posted a .700 OPS in 24 plate appearances.

Jensen continued to show strong discipline at the plate this week, with his power on display in the Bronx. In 17 at-bats, he hit .235, walked three times, and posted an OBP of .350 and an OPS of .762. He also launched his fifth home run of the year on Saturday, which leads the team.

On the pitching end, Lugo had the strongest performance of the rotation this past week, striking out seven and allowing only one run, five hits, and no walks. In four starts this year, Lugo is posting a 1.48 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 21 strikeouts in 24.1 IP. Despite the Royals' struggles, the 36-year-old is looking more like his 2024 self.

A reliever who had a nice week and didn't melt down was Daniel Lynch IV. In two appearances, he struck out two and didn't allow a hit, walk, or run in 1.1 IP. The TJ Stuff+ is still a bit below-average (99 overall TJ Stuff+), but he's been producing excellent chase, whiff, and xwOBACON metrics so far this season, as illustrated below.

Lowlights

To be frank, there are a lot more lowlights than highlights for the Royals this week, which isn't surprising for a team that went 0-6 this week. Here are some of the team stats from this week for Kansas City.

• Their .581 was the second-worst mark in baseball. Only the New York Mets, who have lost 11 times in a row, had a worse OPS at .534. 
• Their .208 average was the fifth-worst mark in baseball this week, and their .256 OBP was the second-worst mark as well. 
• The Royals' pitching staff's 6.66 ERA was the worst mark in baseball over the past week (somewhere, Dayton Moore is cringing).
• Their 1.66 WHIP was the second-worst mark in baseball this past week. They also issued 33 walks, the third-most walks over the same time period. 
• Lastly, the pitching staff allowed 11 home runs, tied for fifth-most in baseball over the past seven days.

Yep. That's rough. In terms of individual performances, Maikel Garcia had a brutal week at the plate.

In 24 at-bats, he hit .125 with a .327 OPS. He also struck out seven times and walked only once. On April 11th, Maikel was hitting .328 with a .911 OPS. After his lackluster week, he is now hitting .256 with a .718 OPS. 

On the pitching end, Ragans struggled immensely, with some wondering if he'll ever match that 2024 form again.

In two starts and 10.1 IP, Ragans posted a 6.10 ERA and 1.65 WHIP. He also walked an astonishing 12 batters while allowing just five hits and striking out seven. Frankly, Ragans' control has been a problem this year, and his inability to find the zone has led to a drop in chase and lackluster xwOBACON metrics. This is despite strong overall TJ Stuff+ numbers and whiff rates, as seen below.

In 21 IP this year, Ragans has a 6.00 ERA, 7.34 FIP, and 1.67 WHIP. He's generating a 23.9% K%, which isn't as good as years past, but is still solid. However, his K-BB% is 4.3%, thanks to his 19.6% BB%. Those poor numbers explain his high FIP metrics. Furthermore, a decline in extension (down 0.2 feet from a year ago) could also be a reason why he's struggling to find the strike zone (45.5% zone rate) this season. 

Looking Ahead

On a positive note, the Royals return to Kauffman Stadium for a weeklong homestand against the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels. The Royals are 5-5 this year at home, much better than their 2-10 record on the road.

Baltimore should be an easier matchup on paper.

The Orioles are 10-12 and have had issues with starting pitching this season. They rank 18th in starter ERA and 25th in WHIP. Shane Baz and Chris Bassitt, whom the Royals are supposed to face this week, have ERA marks of 4.91 and 6.19. Thus, if the Royals want to win this series against the Orioles, they will have to chase Baltimore's pitching early. Gunnar Henderson (119 wRC+) and Taylor Ward (136 wRC+) are two hitters who will lead the Orioles on the offensive end.

"Los Angeles" (come on, they're in Anaheim, which is in Orange County) will be a tougher challenge, though it has its flaws.

The Angels are 11-12 and have lost two in a row after taking three of four in the Bronx earlier last week. They have a lot of guys who can mash, as Mike Trout (171 wRC+), Zach Neto (138 wRC+), Jo Adell (115 wRC+), and former Royals Jorge Soler (136 wRC+) and Adam Frazier (171 wRC+) are off to great starts. In fact, the Angels have the second-most home runs in Major League Baseball.

However, the pitching is a bit shakier.

The Angels rank 17th in ERA at 4.17, but their 5.14 BB/9 is the third-worst mark in baseball. The Royals also miss ace Jose Soriano in the weekend series at Kauffman, and Yusei Kikuchi, who likely will face Kansas City on Friday, has struggled this year with a 5.63 ERA. If they can set the tone against Kikuchi, the Royals could have a good shot against rookie Walber Urena on Saturday and Reid Detmers on Sunday night (they play a national game on NBC).