Royals’ woes in Texas continue in 2-1 walk-off loss to Rangers

They reside near the top of the lineup for a reason. They have track records of success and moments etched in franchise lore. They have stories so familiar, interwoven into this era of Royals baseball.

Alex Gordon is the quiet warrior, the player whose own story mirrors that of his team, a busted-up prospect who learned a new position, found his swing and became a star. Eric Hosmer is the face of the franchise, a genial, charismatic talent whose biggest moments have always come on the grandest stage.

They are two reasons why there is a 2015 World Series championship flag hanging inside Kauffman Stadium. And yet now, in the opening month of this season, a year that could shape the future of this organization, they are two reasons why a baseball team cannot hit.

The Royals lost again on Saturday night, falling 2-1 to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. The end came when Elvis Andrus drilled a walk-off RBI single into left field off reliever Peter Moylan in the bottom of the ninth. A second walk-off loss in three days was set up by a Rougned Odor single off Travis Wood and a steal of second base. The final moments did little to convey a baseball team’s biggest weakness.

Here was Hosmer, finishing 0 for 4, another night spent pounding baseballs into the ground. Here was Gordon, hitless in four at-bats, his batting average falling to .176. Together, they represent two of five players that manager Ned Yost identifies as the club’s top run producers. For now, they are the most alarming trouble spots in an offense that has produced just seven runs in its last 60 innings.

“Everyone is frustrated,” Hosmer said. “Myself individually, and as a team, you want to get something done, and it’s not happening right now.”

Hosmer is 27 years old now, just 18 months removed from a World Series, poised to enter free agency for the first time this winter. As the 2017 season approached, he appeared ready for his finest season to date. Hardened by the lessons of the past, steeled by the experience, maturing into his prime, he seemed ready to help lift an offense that was plagued by injuries last season.

For now, the Royals are still waiting on Hosmer. His average dipped to .185 on Saturday night. He left two men on base. The struggles manifested into a third loss in three days and a ninth straight loss against Texas.

A similar story could be written about Gordon, who batted just .220 last season while battling through a broken bone in his hand. For now, the Royals are waiting on Gordon, too.

This time, the Royals were flummoxed for seven innings by Rangers starter Nick Martinez, who had been relegated to Class AAA Round Rock for much of the month. For another night, the offensive story remained the same.

“Yeah,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

The meek production rendered moot another strong start from Ian Kennedy, who allowed one run across seven innings. The onus for a resurgence could fall on the shoulders of Hosmer and Gordon, who are now a combined 2 for 23 over the last three games.

“The only thing we can do is continue to play and you hope to get out of it,” Hosmer said.

On Saturday, Martinez was only on the mound because Rangers starter A.J. Griffin was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday after complications from gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis that had weakened his ankle. The Rangers needed a starter on short notice, so they turned to Martinez, a 26-year-old with a 4.77 ERA in 50 career major-league starts.

Five days earlier, Martinez had allowed five earned in four innings while starting against the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines, Iowa. On Saturday, he opened the evening by retiring 16 of the first 17 men he faced.

The first crack came in the top of the second, when designated hitter Brandon Moss watched a 3-2 fastball move out of the strike zone. The walk represented the only base runner until Drew Butera blew up the no-hit bid with a sharp single to left field in the sixth.

Butera advanced to second on a slow chopper from Gordon. Moments later, Mike Moustakas pounced on a 1-0 changeup and tied the score at 1-1 with an RBI single to center field.

The Royals had an opportunity to strike for more when Lorenzo Cain served a single into center field, but the inning ended when Hosmer rolled over a pitch and grounded out to second base.

Another night of paltry production forced Kennedy into a bind. He performed admirably, allowing just one run on four hits. It made little difference. In Kennedy’s four starts, the offense has tallied just three runs.

“They’ve been struggling,” Kennedy said. “We know that. We’re just trying to carry them … while this kind of drought kind of passes.”

Kennedy nearly did. He surrendered the first run of the game in the second, when Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli took a hack at a 93 mph fastball that stayed in the zone. The baseball jumped off the bat and soared toward the corner in right field. It cleared the fence by a matter of inches, an opposite-field shot that traveled just 353 feet.

“I was trying to get a first-pitch out, trying to go down and away,” Kennedy said. “And maybe it ran back a little bit. But it’s going to happen.”

Kennedy responded by retiring seven straight in the middle innings. He maneuvered around a single, a throwing error on a pick-off attempt, and a walk in the bottom of the sixth. The pivotal out came when Kennedy struck out Napoli on three pitches to record the second out of the inning. He ended the threat by inducing a foul pop to first base from Odor.

When his night was over, Kennedy had tossed at least seven innings for a second straight game and and lowered his ERA to 2.08. Armed with a potent four-seam fastball and a changeup generating whiffs at a high clip, he has yielded just three earned runs in 21 innings across three starts.

This is the Royals’ plight. The starters keep piling up sterling performances. The offense keeps scuffling. For three days in Texas, the story played out.

“As an offense, we obviously haven’t been doing our part,” Hosmer said. “So we just got to do what we can to break out of it.”

This story was originally published April 22, 2017 at 9:55 PM with the headline "Royals’ woes in Texas continue in 2-1 walk-off loss to Rangers."