Could Kansas City Royals’ 6th-inning outburst vs. Chicago signal an offensive revival?
The Kansas City Royals seem to have found their offensive stride. On Monday, they put it all together against the Chicago White Sox in a 12-5 victory at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals collected 14 hits in the rout, and in the sixth inning, several players contributed to a massive eight-run frame.
The Royals sent 11 batters to the plate in what became the decisive sequence of the night.
“The balls are starting to fall,” said Royals outfielder MJ Melendez, who drove in two in the sixth. “I think earlier this season, we had some games where we hit the ball really hard. It was just right at people.
“Finally, things are starting to fall and go our way. You can kind of see the transition and how it affects the whole game and pitching, too.”
How the sixth inning unfolded
Royals outfielder Edward Olivares led off the inning with a single. Nick Pratto was hit by a pitch to put runners in scoring position. Maikel Garcia drew a walk after initially looking to bunt over both runners with the game tied at 4.
This chased White Sox pitcher Dylan Cease from the game and effectively began the offensive avalanche.
The Royals tagged White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer with several hard-hit balls. Michael Massey produced an RBI single. Jackie Bradley Jr., who went 3-for-4 on the night, added a two-run double.
The Royals loaded the bases multiple times. Later, Melendez drilled a two-run single and Pratto added the exclamation point with a three-run double into the centerfield gap.
“One quality at-bat after the other ...” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “When they went to Bummer, Massey got the big hit to start it. Jackie extended the inning and then MJ (with the 2-run single) ... He is a tough lefty on left-handed hitters. Very impressive inning.”
Why the sixth inning mattered
The Royals entered Monday’s series opener against Chicago ranked 26th in runs scored this season.
In 35 games, Kansas City posted a .234 team batting average and .297 on-base percentage. Those numbers ranked 22nd and 29th in baseball, respectively.
A deeper look shows the Royals have an 84 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus). This statistic calculates the runs created when adjusted for external factors.
The league average is 100 wRC+. The Tampa Bay Rays lead the majors with 143 wRC+. The Texas Rangers own a 122 wRC+. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves have a 116 wRC+. All three teams lead their respective divisions.
Then, there are the Royals.
KC has struggled mightily to generate offense this season. But the slow starts have abated somewhat in recent games, partly due to the Royals hitters’ streamlined approach at the plate.
“I think a lot of it is staying with our process. Especially, early on, it is a small sample size,” Massey said. “It’s easy to think too much and try to get results. … It sounds simple, but if you can get pitches to drive and put your best swing on it over the course of the season, it’s going to play out the way you want.”
April showers, May flowers
This month, the Royals rank among league leaders in slugging percentage, OPS, home runs and extra-base hits. They entered Monday’s game averaging 6.7 runs in May.
Those numbers increased with Monday’s 12-run barrage. Several players are starting to turn it around and that’s building confidence in the clubhouse.
Melendez in particular is heating up. Catcher Salvador Perez is seeing the ball well. And additions of Pratto and Maikiel Garcia are fueling the bottom of the lineup.
As a result, the Royals have won two consecutive games at home. Quatraro hopes the hot streak will continue.
“I’m really happy for them because we struggled to win games,” Quatraro said. “It takes another belief that you can do it. Cease is a really good pitcher. We were down 3-1 and (hit) the big homer to tie it. Take the lead and they tie it.
“It’s a back-and-forth game against a really talented team. These guys believing they can keep going and make that happen, that speaks volumes of what they can do.”
