Royals: 5 Reasons The Walking Dead Offense Rose From The Grave

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May 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Whit Merrifield (15) celebrates with catcher Salvador Perez (13) after scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

The Royals offense came into the Minnesota series scoring 3.53 runs per game. They bombed the Twins with 41 hits and 22 runs while taking two out of three games. How did they do it?

For the first time this season, the Kansas City Royals notched 10 hits in three straight games. The whole lineup was hitting, with the exception of Eric Hosmer—who was pretty much the only guy succeeding at the plate for much of this season.

This sudden turn-around came shortly after the KC Royals lost two 2015 All-Stars when left fielder Alex Gordon and third baseman Mike Moustakas slammed into one another chasing a pop foul against the White Sox on Sunday. Both players injured themselves on the play, with Gordon breaking a bone in his hand and Moustakas suffering a contusion on his knee.

Alex Gordon will miss three to four weeks, while Moustakas is listed as day-to-day; but he will see the Kansas City Royals team doctor when the team returns home Thursday.

Generally, teams don’t go on offensive tears after losing two of their best players.

Just. saying.

So, how did the KC Royals pull it off? Here five reasons:

Next: Reason No. 5

May 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco (47) looks down after giving up a run in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

5) The Twins Pitchers Are Really Bad

Ok, let’s admit it. A big part of the KC Royals recent success was due to the Twins batting-practice pitching staff.

The Minnesota Twins pitchers have been getting bombed all year, ranking dead last in the AL with a 5.07 ERA and no. 29 in MLB ahead of the horrid Cinncinati Reds—who at least have the excuse of playing in the launching pad known as The Great American Ballpark.

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On the other hand, the Twins play in spacious Target Field which should be a pitcher’s best friend.

Even considering the poor quality of the opponent, the Kansas City Royals scored a full two runs per game more than average while playing at Target Field. They also beat up on the Twins best starter in former-Royal Ervin Santana, who came into the series with a good 3.13 ERA.

LIke I said before, banging out 41 hits and 22 runs in three games in really good against ANY major-league team.

The offense’s new potency will face a stiff test when THe KC Royals face off against the Chicago White Sox for four games at Kauffman Stadium starting Thursday. The White Sox boast the second best team ERA in the American league at 3.33 (trailing only the Mariners at 3.20). Chicago’s staff ranks no. 1 in the AL with 6.5 fWAR (Wins Above Replacement, Fangraphs) since they play in a crackerbox at U.S. Cellular Field.

Next: Reason No. 4

May 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Lorenzo Cain (6) hits a RBI double in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

4) Lorenzo Cain Figured Out What Pitchers Were Doing To Him

Lorenzo Cain has really been on a tear for most of May. He simply continued his performance over the last three games.

Though Cain went 0-3 on Wednesday, he still managed to get on base and score a run by drawing a walk. In the other two games, Cain belted six hits in 10 at bats, with 2 doubles, 3 RBIs, and 1 stolen base.

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The three game Minnesota series boosted Cain’s season batting average from .277 on May 22, to .291 on May 25. Though the Twins snapped his six-game hitting streak (and his four game streak of more than one hit), he’s still seeing the ball well.

Earlier this month, Cain figured out that pitchers were pounding him down and away with fastballs just outside the strike zone. He adjusted by taking the ball the opposite way rather than attempting to pull. The result has been a steady climb throughout the month: Cain was hitting a horrible .220/.297/.293 on May 1, and is now posting a healthy .291/.346/.424 slash line on May 25 with 6 home runs and 25 RBIs.

Cain has shown his power breakthrough last season was no fluke and that he’ll remain a legit no. 3 hitter for some time to come.

Next: Reason No. 3

May 23, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Royals third baseman Whit Merrifield (15) celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

3) Whit Merrifield Arrived From AAA To Provide A Boost

The Kansas City Royals called up Whit Merrifield in the middle of their double-header last Wednesday against Boston. However, the versatile Merrifield really showed what he brings to the KC Royals in this series against Minnesota.

Merrifield started at third base, second base, and left field on consecutive days, while stroking two hits each day. Merrifield wasn’t just flaring weak singles either. Three of those six hits were doubles that showed off his solid gap power.

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Whit Merrified can play seven positions (he can’t play catcher), shows decent pop, and can run the bases. No wonder Ned Yost considered him the perfect bench player back in spring training .

Merrifield’s 6 for 10 series boosted his triple slash from a blah .250/.250/.250 on May 22, to a pretty impressive .333/.333/.500 on May 25. Of course, both of those numbers reflect a small sample size. Even so, Merrifield shows he possesses major-league skills that will help the KC Royals for years to come.

He really does look like a younger, faster Ben Zobrist. Merrifield probably doesn’t swing Zobrist’s stick, but he appears to have quite a long future ahead of him in major-league baseball simply because of his ability to play plus defense all over the field.

Next: Reason No. 2

May 24, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) dumps a bucket of water on second baseman Whit Merrifield (15) after they defeat the Minnesota Twins 7-4 at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports /

2) Salvador Perez Loves Target Field

Salvador Perez entered Wednesday’s game hitting a ridiculous .370/.385/.636 at Target Field over 40 games in his career. That .636 slugging percentage is the highest of ANY player at Target Field.

Frankly, Salvador Perez owns the place. If the Twins somehow manage to acquire him, they’ll end up changing their home park’s name to Salvador Perez Field.

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Meanwhile, Mike Moustakas came out of the gate strong the first month of the season. But, he’s suffered through an 0-7 slump after returning from the 15-day disabled list last Saturday. Yes, the KC Royals need to get both Gordon and Moustakas going. However, in the short-term the Kansas City Royals offense appeared better off without them.

Gordon’s injury has opened the door for manager Ned Yost to insert the crazy hot Paulo Orlando into the lineup on a full-time basis. Orlando responded to the opportunity by going 6-12 in the three games in Minnesota, boosting his season batting average to .397. Yesterday, he was hitting .406 before going 1 for 4 on Wednesday.

No matter. Orlando still kept his nine-game hitting streak alive (Perez has a team-leading 11 game hitting streak). Meanwhile, Whit Merrifield and Cheslor Cuthbert have replaced Moose at third base. While Cuth hasn’t been anything special over the last three games (1 for 8), we all know about what Merrifield has done (see slide 3).

Next: KC Drops The Broom In Minnesota

Let’s just hope the KC Royals offensive uprising isn’t just a temporary rally before facing the White Sox the next four days at Kauffman Stadium.

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The Royals offense came into the Minnesota series scoring 3.53 runs per game. They bombed the Twins with 41 hits and 22 runs while taking two out of three games. How did they do it?

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