Royals Report: 5 Things About 4-3 Loss In Philadelphia

The Royals dropped the opening game of their three game series against the Phillies, losing 4-3 at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelpia.

The Kansas City Royals dropped to 42-37, and 7.0 games behind the surging Cleveland Indians who won their 14th straight on Friday night. The Phillies improved to 36-45, and 13 games behind the Nationals in the NL East.

The KC Royals were unable to extend their two-game road winning streak, despite the Phillies riding a seven-game home losing skid coming into the game. However, Philadelphia had won three in a row on the road. The Kansas City Royals need to at least split the remaining two games to earn a much-need winning road trip.

Phillies starter Jeremy Hellickson made the Royals hitters look silly most of the night, lasting 6.0 innings while allowing only 5 hits, 1 walk, and 1 earned run with 6 strikeouts. The KC Royals did pull within two runs in the eighth inning on Kendrys Morales two-run home run, but they weren’t able to mount a credible threat against Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomer in the ninth.

On to my observations about the game:

Next: Ian Kennedy

5) Ian Kennedy Again Struggles On Road

Kennedy went 5.0 innings, allowing  6 hits, 3 walks, and 3 earned runs with 8 strikeouts. He certainly missed bats, but again gave up runs on the road. He surrendered single runs in the first, third, and fifth innings, and left the game trailing 3-1.

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Since the KC Royals never drew even, Kennedy ended up taking the loss to go 6-7 on the season.

Kennedy is now 3-6, with a 5.36 ERA on the road. He gave up another road home run (a solo shot to Odubel Herrera leading off the game for the Phillies), to make it 16 dingers in 55.1 innings pitched away from Kauffman Stadium. He’s only allowed 4 home runs in 38.1 innings at home.

On the road, Kennedy gives up almost as many home runs as Chris Young.

Overall, Kennedy’s 4.04 ERA isn’t horrible, but he needs to somehow figure out how to keep the ball in the park on the road or he will remain inconsistent. He’d be OK as a bottom of the rotation pitcher, but the Kansas City Royals really need him to be more than that given the struggles of Yordano Ventura and Edinson Volquez this season.

Next: Whit Merrifield

4) Whit Merrifield Whiff Problem Has Disappeared

A few days ago, I expressed concern that 8 strikeouts in 14 at bats might be a sign that pitchers had identified a hole in Whit Merrifield’s swing. That problem has disappeared in the last three games.

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Scheduled for a day off on Wednesday, Merrifield instead entered the lineup as the game extended into extra innings. He ended up with with 2 hits in 3 at bats with no strikeouts. In fact, Merrifield is 4 for 11 over his last three games, with 1 strikeout.

Either Merrifield simply ran into a couple of pitchers whose ball he just doesn’t see well, or he’s already adjusted to the pitch pattern that had been giving him trouble. That the problem hasn’t persisted is a good sign for Merrifield’s continued effectiveness.

Whit Merrifield’s development into what looks like a good everyday player has been the best surprise of the 2016 season. Most pundits doubted the KC Royals would get significant help from prospects in the 2016 season, which has helped make up for the loss of third baseman Mike Moustakas and second baseman Omar Infante‘s ineffectiveness.

Merrifield’s hit tool will determine his major league future. His base-running and his ability to play plus defense at seven positions will make him useful even if his bat is below par. An average bat will make Merrifield a very good player. A plus bat will make Merrifield a Kansas City Royals version of Ben Zobrist, but likely with a better batting average and less power.

Next: Alex Gordon

3) Alex Gordon Moves To Lead-off

When Whit Merrifield hit his little strikeout skid, KC Royals manager Ned Yost moved Alex Gordon into the lead-off position. He’s remained there ever since. When Merrifield returned to the lineup, Yost batted him second.

When asked about the switch, Yost told Kansas City Star reporter Rustin Dodd:

“Gordy can take a walk,” Yost said. “Whit can do more things in the two hole. We’re just trying something.”

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Gordon has hit lead-off at various times in his career, but usually ends up moving down the batting order to put him in a run producing position. Over Alex Gordon’s career, he’s hit an excellent .280/.354/.453 in the no. 1 position in the batting order. What makes him an attractive lead-off guy is his .354 OBP and his tendency to take walks. However, Gordon doesn’t boast disruptive speed on the basepaths, though he does possess good base-running instincts.

I expect this move to be temporary, especially if Merrifield’s strikeout problem proves to be nothing more than a temporary blip. If Merrfield can keep getting on base, his superior speed and base stealing ability make him a much more attractive lead-off option than Gordon.

Hey, but what do I know? Ned Yost has repeatedly shown over the years that he makes lineup decisions more with his gut than with his head. So, trying to reason out what he’ll do in this area is a fool’s game.

Next: Salvador Perez

2) Salvador Perez Cools Off

After a long hot streak, catcher Salvador Perez has cooled off the last week. Over the previous seven days, Perez has slashed a rather anemic  .150/.217/.150 with 0 extra base hits.

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Perez also hit a base runner attempting to steal second. The ball skidded into the outfield, allowing the runner to advance to third. The error helped the Phillies take a 2-1 lead in the third.

Well, it had to happen. Salvador Perez has still raked when you extend the time frame to 28 days. Over that longer span, Perez has hit .311/.337/.522 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI’s. He’s the most valuable catcher in the American League, and one of the best in the game. Now that he’s discovered his power stroke, he belongs in the same category as San Francisco Giants star Buster Posey.

The biggest flaw in Perez’s game remains his tendency to hack. Even in his fifth full season, and sixth year overall, Perez rarely takes the free pass. At this point in his career, with him learning how to sit on pitches to drive, I don’t ever expect him to take many bases on balls.

Honestly, it’s nitpicking. Very few catchers in the game help out their teams on both offense and defense. Perez is one of the very few who do, and he’s 26-years-old. He’s got a number of prime seasons ahead of him.

So, don’t get greedy KC Royals fans. He’s already pretty great.

Next: Kendrys Morales