Royals snap 6-game skid with win at Tigers, but let’s examine KC’s 2-8 road trip
The Kansas City Royals are coming home a lot different than how they departed.
They are reeling after going 2-8 on their just-concluded 10-game road trip. They’re struggling offensively and their pitching staff is working overtime to compensate.
At least there’s this: The Royals’ Sunday afternoon win against the Tigers in Detroit, 4-3 in 10 innings, snapped a six-game losing streak.
Manager Matt Quatraro has tried everything to generate a spark for the Royals (9-14) this year. On Sunday, he moved first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino (batting .195) down in the order.
Pasquantino hit seventh for the first time in his career. A day earlier, the Royals sent outfielder MJ Melendez down to Triple-A Omaha.
Those moves and others perhaps helped KC beat the Tigers in the series finale. And the win certainly offered some positive vibes.
“We know we are going to go through some tough stretches,” Quatraro said. “This was a tough road trip against good teams. We feel like we are a good team. We are going to play better than we played this week.”
The Royals return to Kauffman Stadium with a lot of questions. They haven’t scored more than four runs since an April 4 game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia are the sole offensive contributors right now. The rest of the lineup is scuffling.
“I think it’s a good win for us,” Garcia said. “We needed this win to go home with the day off. Enjoy family and enjoy the day off and get ready for Tuesday. Play the game the way we played today.”
The Royals’ bullpen has been beset with injuries. They are playing without relief options Sam Long and Hunter Harvey. Meanwhile, Lucas Erceg is limited due to a left foot contusion.
If there is a silver lining here, it might be that the Royals have a scheduled off-day Monday. Then, they begin a three-game homestand against the Colorado Rockies.
Here are some takeaways from the Royals’ road trip:
Sunday spotlight in Detroit
The Royals concluded a four-game series against the Tigers Sunday.
It was a tough matchup against reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal at Comerica Park. An early surge provided the Royals with a two-run lead, but then Skubal held firm.
The left-hander scattered seven hits and struck out four in five innings.
“I think we were just being aggressive and not really trying to chase too much,” Witt said. “Not trying to let him get to two strikes, as he is one of the best pitchers in the game. We’ve got to try to eliminate getting behind and if he makes any mistakes, we’ve got to hit those.”
Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha cruised through four innings but allowed two earned runs in the fifth. Both runs came with two outs, when Kerry Carpenter and Zach McKinstry hit RBI singles.
Wacha pitched 5 1/3 innings and earned a no-decision. Witt, Pasquantino, Drew Waters and Mark Canha produced KC’s runs. Waters started the day with two hits and finished 2-for-4.
“I felt good,” Wacha said. “Felt like we were getting ahead a lot and getting some weak contact and, you know, limited the damage overall. So, that was good.
“A couple little pitch selections that I’m kind of kicking myself in the fifth inning there. Just got to make some better pitches or go with something else.”
The Royals’ bullpen got the job done to preserve the extra-inning victory. Closer Carlos Estévez pitched two innings and earned the win.
KC also go strong contributions from relievers Daniel Lynch IV and John Schreiber. In the seventh inning, Schreiber induced an inning-ending double play.
“If I don’t give up a hit right here, he is not going to score,” Estévez said of his mentality in extra innings. “So I could execute my pitches and that’s what I was thinking all the way.
Numbers to know
4 or less: The Royals’ offense is stuck in neutral. They have scored four or fewer runs in 16 consecutive games. It’s the second-longest streak in franchise history. KC has scored just 32 runs in that span.
13: Witt extended his hitting streak to 13 games on Sunday. That’s tied for the longest active streak in the majors.
19: The Royals and Tigers combined for 19 singles in Sunday’s finale at Comerica Park.
30: Daniel Lynch IV is off to a fast start. The left-handed reliever’s scoreless-innings streak ended at 30 Sunday. That goes down as the sixth-longest such streak in Royals history.
Top highlights
There aren’t many positives to be gleaned during a six-game losing streak, but the Royals did get solid production from a few players.
On Saturday, starting pitcher Seth Lugo logged a quality start after allowing three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. He has a 3.90 ERA in five starts this season.
Catcher Freddy Fermin hit a solo home run against Detroit Saturday. It was the Royals 11th homer of the year. Fermin got the start Sunday against the Tigers.
Until Fermin’s shot, Melendez had hit the Royals’ most recent home run, on April 15 at Yankee Stadium.
“We knew it had to be a grindy win and we scraped one out there,” outfielder Mark Canha said. “And this should hopefully get us back on the right track.”
What’s ahead
The Royals will begin a six-game homestand against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.
KC-Colorado is a three-game series. The Houston Astros come to town later in the week.
The Royals are 6-4 in home games this season.
KC southpaw Kris Bubic (2-1, 1.88 ERA) will start Tuesday’s series opener against Rockies right-hander Ryan Feltner (0-1, 4.82 ERA).
This story was originally published April 20, 2025 at 3:54 PM.
