Anderson’s five RBIs too much for Royals in 5-3 loss to Angels

< Previous page

Adenhart lasted just 4 1/3 innings in his second career start. He gave up three early runs but carried a 4-3 lead into the fifth before exiting after successive two-out walks.

The Royals built their lead on RBI doubles by Olivo and Ross Gload in the second inning and another RBI double by Alex Gordon in the third.

“Our team gave us three runs,” Bannister said, “and I need to make that a win for us more often.”

Instead, questions are suddenly circling over Bannister, who gave up five runs and 13 hits in 6 2/3 innings. His ERA has jumped from 0.86 to 4.46 over his last four starts.

“It’s on my mind,” he admitted. “You don’t ever want to go out and not feel confident in what you’re doing. But it’s tougher when you haven’t won (in a) couple. We jumped out early, and I wanted to hold that lead.

“I haven’t executed as well as I’ve wanted to. The main difference between the first three games and the last four has been I’ve given up hits with runners in scoring position. That’s really the only difference.”

Big difference, though.

< Previous page

To reach Bob Dutton, Royals reporter for The Star, call (816) 234-4352 or send e-mail to bdutton@kcstar.com.