Kansas City Royals wrap up winless road trip with blowout loss at Baltimore Orioles
The Kansas City Royals are in a tailspin.
It’s a lonely place to be for a Major League Baseball franchise. They’re dealing with injuries and trying to cobble together a coherent starting rotation. They’re missing starters Brad Keller, Kris Bubic and veteran Ryan Yarbrough. And star first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino has landed on the injured list.
At one point, this team could count on its offense to at least be competitive. But after a winless six-game road trip that concluded with Sunday’s 11-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards, the Royals (18-47) can’t be so sure about that anymore.
“This game is humbling,” said Royals reliever Mike Mayers (1-2), who allowed four runs on seven hits in five innings. “We are working and trying to figure things out. The reality is we went 0-6. It’s not a good road trip.”
Perhaps the Royals’ current record doesn’t reflect the strides they’ve made in their development. And while losses are never welcomed, they might at least be tolerated if it seems the club is building toward a brighter future.
The problem is the Royals are stuck in the proverbial mud. They were outscored by 27 runs on this road trip. They scored three or fewer in five of six games.
Sunday’s was no different.
“It a bad loss for us. Just try to forget about it,” Perez said. “Tomorrow is a new series and we’ve got to try to do our best.”
The Royals jumped out to an early 1-0 lead. Salvador Perez and Bobby Witt Jr. collected doubles to plate the first run. Perez also hit a two-run homer in the third inning.
But that was it. The Royals collected seven hits but just three after the third inning. The Orioles, meanwhile, who were in KC’s shoes two seasons ago, showed why they have a bright future.
Kyle Gibson provided a quality start for Baltimore. He didn’t have his best stuff, but the Orioles’ offense picked him up. The Royals? They floundered behind opener Carlos Hernandez and Mayers, who combined for seven earned runs, four walks and just one strikeout.
“There seemed like it was one or two plays all six games,” Mayers said, “that if those go our way, maybe feel a little bit different about the road trip.”
Instead, the Royals return to Kauffman Stadium for a series against the Cincinnati Reds that begins Monday night.
“It’s obviously disappointing to lose six games,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “How do we reset? We do the same thing we try to do every day. ... You come in with a new attitude, you start over and prepare for tomorrow.”
Missed previous games of the series?
Game 1: Royals squander Daniel Lynch’ quality start, fall 3-2 to Orioles
Game 2: Royals reach historic milestone, but drop series in Baltimore
Here are more notables from today’s game:
Salvy Splash: Royals captain drills 13th home run
The Royals needed offense in the worst way possible. Prior to Sunday’s game, KC was outscored 30-11 on this road trip.
In a small way, KC broke through Sunday afternoon.
A lot of credit goes to Salvador Perez. The Royals captain left his imprint at Camden Yards with a two-run homer off Gibson in the third inning.
Perez unloaded on a 90.6 mph cutter in the middle of the strike zone. The home run traveled 417 feet and landed in the bullpen.
It was Perez’s 13th homer this season. Perez added a first-inning RBI double in the series finale. He owns a .265 average (56-for-211) in 55 career games against the Orioles.
Perez is doing his part to help the Royals. He provided all of their run production Sunday.
What’s next: The Royals begin a home series against the Cincinnati Reds. Zack Greinke will oppose Luke Weaver Monday night.
This story was originally published June 11, 2023 at 3:26 PM.
