Kansas City Royals’ latest road trip ends with frustration — on & off the field
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Royals lost 7-0 to the Yankees, marking their seventh consecutive loss.
- Starter Cole Ragans issued a career-high eight walks and allowed seven runs.
- Kansas City has scored two runs or fewer in 13 games, the most in the majors.
April hasn’t been kind to the Kansas City Royals. A tough slate — filled with 2025 playoff teams — has proved insurmountable.
And now, the Royals find themselves in a tailspin. Nothing has clicked and frustration has spilled outside the clubhouse.
Royals captain Salvador Perez voiced his displeasure with missing Saturday’s game against the New York Yankees on social media. He ultimately smoothed things over with Royals manager Matt Quatraro, but the damage was done.
That situation was a microcosm of the team’s struggles right now. And things didn’t get better Sunday as the Royals fell 7-0 to the Yankees at Yankee Stadium.
“Yeah, it’s disappointing, but you move on,” Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said of the loss. “You either get better and improve or you just keep doing the same thing, showing up and kind of doing what we’ve been doing. So we’ve just got to get better and flip the page.”
It was the club’s seventh consecutive loss. KC has now lost 10 of its first 12 road games.
New York earned a series sweep behind its big bats. Aaron Judge crushed a 425-foot two-run homer off Royals starter Cole Ragans. And Ben Rice followed suit with a solo homer.
Ragans was inefficient Sunday. He registered four walks in the first inning and, at one point, had tossed 18 of 27 pitches for balls.
He finished with a career-high eight walks.
“It’s unacceptable,” Ragans said. “It’s the easiest way to put it. Just unacceptable in all aspects.”
The Royals, who took the field after a lengthy weather delay, also rolled out a new battery. Elias Diaz, who was just recalled from Triple-A Omaha, caught Ragans for the first time. Diaz was in the lineup as Perez deals with a sore hip; he was relegated to DH duties.
“He’s a really good catcher,” Ragans said of Diaz. “So ... we talk a little bit between innings, and we just go from there. Like I said, it comes down to me commanding the baseball.”
Ragans couldn’t escape the fifth inning. He allowed seven runs on just four hits, but the walks derailed his momentum from the start.
The same couldn’t be said for Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. He tossed 7 1/3 scoreless innings. He allowed a hit to Witt in the first inning. From there, he sat down 19 of his next 24 batters.
Weathers mixed in five different pitches. He got ahead with his four-seam fastball and worked in his sweeper, changeup, sinker and slider. The Royals made soft contact as Weathers fielded his position three times on the mound.
The Royals’ best scoring chance came in the sixth. Diaz got aboard with a single and Witt hit a double into the left-center gap. However, Diaz was thrown out trying to score from first with two outs.
“You’ve just got to try to make something happen,” Witt said. “Can’t try to force things.”
Defensively, the Royals contributed to the Yankees’ fifth-inning rally. Cody Bellinger hit a pop fly to shallow left field that fell between Maikel Garcia and Isaac Collins.
“It was very similar to yesterday,” Quatraro said. “Both called it. They both called it multiple times, and they both kind of scared each other off of it. And, you know, obviously, that’s not acceptable. We know we have to be better than that. And they know that as well. It’s something that we have to tighten up.”
Bellinger was credited with a double. Next, Paul Goldschmidt recorded a walk and Trent Grisham provided a significant blow with a three-run homer that knocked Ragans from the game.
The Royals hadn’t been swept in consecutive series since last June. Additionally, they have now scored two runs or fewer in 13 games this season — the most in the majors.
“Obviously, it’s disappointing,” Quatraro said. “Everybody’s frustrated. Nobody wants to have a start like this. But it is early April. And, you know, we play better baseball and that’s in our control.”
What’s next: The Royals return home to begin a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles at Kauffman Stadium. Right-hander Seth Lugo (1-1, 1.48 ERA) will start opposite righty Kyle Bradish (1-2, 5.49 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:40 p.m. Central on Monday.
This story was originally published April 19, 2026 at 6:05 PM.
