Chris Young shelled again as Royals lose to Blue Jays 8-3

Last November, in the weeks after winning the World Series, Royals general manager Dayton Moore returned to his office and charted a course for the upcoming offseason. There were holes to fill and free agents to sign, and if Kansas City had designs on a third straight American League pennant, Moore’s organization would need to do both — deftly.

For 10 years in Kansas City, Moore had preached a culture of the right guys for the Royals — players with a certain combination of competitiveness, talent and clubhouse acumen. As Moore began the offseason, one of those guys was standing right in from of him: right-hander Chris Young.

In 2015, Young had signed a one-year deal with the Royals near the middle of spring training. He had made the team, joined the rotation and started Game 4 of the World Series, becoming, in Moore’s view, arguably the MVP of the Royals’ pitching staff.

When the World Series was over, Young became a free agent, and a reunion was appealing to both sides. A month later, he signed a two-year, $11.5 million deal and immediately donated a portion of it back to a new MLB Urban Youth Academy in Kansas City. Young felt invested in the city, he said, and as spring training beckoned, he was eager to chase another title.

Seventh months later, the hope has subsided. His second season in Kansas City has turned into an agonizing wreck. The latest disappointment came on Tuesday night at Rogers Centre. Young allowed six runs and seven hits while being shelled for four home runs. He lasted just 2 1/3 innings as the Royals absorbed an 8-3 loss to the Blue Jays.

“It’s a frustrating feeling,” Young said. “I feel like I’m letting the team down. It’s horrible.”

Last October, Young started Game 4 of the American League Championship Series here in Toronto, allowing just two runs while gutting through 4 2/3 innings in a blowout victory. These days, Young is not the same pitcher, and the latest evidence could threaten his spot in the Royals’ starting rotation. In the moments after the game, Royals manager Ned Yost said the team would re-evaluate whether Young would start Sunday against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium.

“We always do that,” Yost said.

For now, the Royals may have no choice but to look somewhere else. As he stood in front of his locker, Young conceded that the last three months have been the most trying of his professional career. At the age of 37, Young has appeared in an All-Star Game. He has anchored a pitching staff in San Diego. He has come back from arm injuries that nearly ended his career. Around baseball, he is known to teammates and opponents as a meticulous worker and relentless competitor, a Princeton graduate who combines a thoughtful mind with the determination of a prize fighter. For once, Young said on Tuesday, his mind has not solved his struggles.

“Mentally, it’s tough,” Young said. “I’ve never struggled like this. Physically, I feel good; I feel strong. I feel like my breaking ball has been good. I can’t pinpoint it. If I knew what the answer was, I’d change it by now.

“It’s been as frustrating as anything I’ve experienced in my career from a performance standpoint. And physically, mentally, I’ve done everything I can to prepare. I go out there, but the results aren’t there. It’s beyond frustrating.”

In 60 innings this season, Young has posted a 6.90 ERA, allowing 46 earned runs and a league-high 26 home runs. On Tuesday, his record dropped to 2-8, becoming only the second pitcher in history to have allowed 26 or more homers in a season in 100 innings or fewer. The other: Left-hander Bruce Chen, who accomplished the feat during his pre-Royals days in 2006.

Let's start at the beginning. Young allowed a solo homer to reigning AL MVP Josh Donaldson in the bottom of the first. He maneuvered through the second inning with no damage. He fell apart in the third, allowing solo homers to Ezequiel Carrera and Donaldson before serving up a three-run shot to Troy Tulowitzki. After four homers, Yost emerged from the dugout.

“We just keep working to get it better,” Yost said. “He made an adjustment to slide over to the third-base side of the mound a little bit, give him a little more deception. And the first two innings, I’m thinking: ‘OK, looking pretty good.’ It just didn’t happen for him in the third.

The Royals, of course, lack great alternatives in the starting rotation. Reliever Dillon Gee could step in for Young after doing the same in mid May, when Young went on the disabled list with a forearm strain.

As Young struggled in Toronto, right-hander Kris Medlen, another possible option, left a rehab start at Class AAA Omaha in the middle of an inning, reportedly walking off the mound at 49 pitches. He had allowed two earned runs in 2 2/3 innings.

For now, the Royals must search for an answer, whether it resides in the right arm of Young or elsewhere. On Tuesday, they lost their third straight game, limping toward the All-Star break. The offense was bottled up by Toronto knuckleballer R.A. Dickey. On Wednesday, they will try to avoid a three-game sweep here in Toronto.

In the meantime, Young will seek his own answers. For the moment, they have proved elusive. His body feels healthy, he says, and that is the most frustrating part. He has studied his arm angle. He has watched video, wondering if he’s tipping pitches. He has exhausted almost every possibility.

“I’m gonna keep working,” Young said. “I’ll figure it out. This game challenges you in a lot of different ways, and it’s how you respond to it that defines who you are. I’m going to keep working.”

Blue Jays 8, Royals 3

1-ran for Saunders in the 7th.

E: Moylan (2), Saunders (3). LOB: Kansas City 5, Toronto 5. 2B: Cuthbert (7), Dyson (9), Carrera (7), Saunders (24). HR: Cuthbert (8), off Dickey; Donaldson (21), off Young; Carrera (4), off Young; Donaldson (22), off Young; Tulowitzki (15), off Young. RBIs: Cuthbert 3 (24), Carrera (10), Donaldson 2 (60), Encarnacion (77), Tulowitzki 3 (40), Pillar (34). CS: Pillar (4), Travis (1). SF: Pillar.

Runners left in scoring position: Kansas City 2 (Morales, Escobar); Toronto 2 (Smoak 2). RISP: Kansas City 1 for 6; Toronto 2 for 4. LIDP: Thole. GIDP: Colon, Cuthbert. DP: Kansas City 2 (Perez, Escobar), (Hosmer); Toronto 2 (Tulowitzki, Travis, Smoak), (Donaldson, Travis, Smoak).

Umpires: Home, Dave Rackley; First, Chris Guccione; Second, Alfonso Marquez; Third, Larry Vanover. Time: 2:32. Att: 35,917.

This story was originally published July 5, 2016 at 8:49 PM with the headline "Chris Young shelled again as Royals lose to Blue Jays 8-3."