KC Royals Offense Continues to Slumber in 2-1 Loss

For much of this season, the KC Royals offense has carried the team to a solid record to start the season. Over the past several games, however, that offense has been dormant. Such was the case again tonight, as the Royals wasted a solid outing by Jeremy Guthrie to fall to the Cleveland Indians 2-1.

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Kansas City had the first real opportunity to score, as Kendrys Morales doubled and Alex Gordon walked to put runners on first and second to begin the bottom of the second. Carlos Carrasco was able to get out of trouble, getting a pop foul and two strikeouts to strand both runners and leave the game scoreless.

The Royals got a run in the following inning. With one out, Mike Moustakas singled and went to second on a wild pitch. A groundout sent Moustakas to third before scoring on Eric Hosmer‘s base hit. That would prove to be the last time the Royals got a runner to third in the game.

Cleveland tied the game in the top of the fourth. Guthrie had been pitching well before Brandon Moss took his 3-2 pitch to right for a solo home run with two outs in the fourth to tie the game. Overall, fresh on the heels of his historically bad outing last week, Guthrie had a solid performance, allowing two hits and a walk in 5.2 innings while striking out one. The home run by Moss was the only mistake that he made all night.

That score held up until the eighth, when the Indians did what the rest of baseball has not been able to do this season – get to Wade Davis. Davis walked the leadoff batter, but two consecutive groundouts left a runner on first and Davis with a chance to get out of the inning unscathed yet again. However, Jason Kipnis stole second, and after Carlos Santana walked, Michael Brantley singled to center to plate Kipnis with the winning run.

The KC Royals offense mustered only five hits and two walks, with Morales’ double as the only extra base hit. While it was great to see Guthrie pitch well, this offensive malaise is certainly troublesome. Hopefully, the Royals can snap out of this soon, and get back on the winning side of the ledger.

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