KC Royals: Oops Ned Did It Again In Cleveland Loss

Oops I did it again. Words made famous by Britney Spears some 16 years ago. Thursday night, KC Royals manager Ned Yost could have made them the theme of his press conference after Kansas City’s 5-4 walk-off loss to Cleveland.

Instead, we heard, “We basically gave a game away today.” No, Ned. That was all you.

The Kansas City Royals have obviously been the hottest team in baseball. Thursday night, the boys in blue banged out 12 hits, making it 10-straight games with 10 or more hits – the first time in club history to accomplish that feat. The KC Royals were headed for a seventh-straight win until a series of unfortunate events – sorry, Lemony Snicket – resulted in a 5-4 walk-off win for Cleveland.

It was easy to criticize Yost before the game even began. Whit Merrifield has hit a blistering .360 in his 12 games since joining the KC Royals. After a slow 2-for-8 start, Merrifield has proven himself as a reliable infielder with multi-hit games in seven of his last nine contests.

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He had two hits against Tampa Bay on May 31, and two hits against the Rays again on June 1. Both nights he had a double, and one of those nights he missed his first home run by about a foot. But Yost decided he needed a rest just 12 games into his major league career.

Merrifield’s replacement Thursday night? Omar Infante. By now we all know of Infante’s struggles on both sides of the ball, and frankly, I do not want to bag on him. After all, Infante does not have the ability to put himself in the lineup on any given night.

Next: Omar Infante's Struggles