Royals Report: Bullpen Chokes Again In Walk-Off Loss

The Royals once again fell victim to the home run on the road, giving up a walk-off two-run dinger in the bottom of the ninth to lose 4-2 against the Tigers in Detroit.

The Kansas City Royals fell to 46-45, and sit 7.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians in the AL Central pending the results of Sunday’s games. Meanwhile, the Tigers improved to 48-44 and 6 games behind Cleveland.

The KC Royals wasted a fine outing by Yordano Ventura, but little mistakes that they used to exploit against other teams bit Kansas City today. The Tigers scored two runs on a balk and a wild pitch, which prevented the Royals from using Wade Davis to close out the game in the ninth.

Instead, Kansas City Royals manager Ned Yost brought out the unreliable Joakim Soria. And disaster struck when he gave up a leadoff single, followed by a walk-off home run.

The only good thing I have to say about this garbage is that at least Ned Yost isn’t likely to repeat this lineup. As I predicted, Yost played the same starting nine that scored eight runs on Saturday. That included yet another iteration of Alcides Escobar at lead-off stupidity.

Frankly, I’m getting sick of the KC Royals blowing games in the late innings. On to my observations about this piece of crap game:

Next: Yordano Ventura

5) Yordano Ventura Should Have Shut Out Tigers

Yordano Ventura was very good on Sunday afternoon, lasting 7.0 innings while allowing 8 hits, 1 walk, and 2 earned runs with six strikeouts.

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The heartbreaking part of those two earned runs is that neither of them should have scored. The first came on a balk with the bases loaded in the third inning. Home plate umpire D.J. Rayburn apparently made the call due to Ventura failing to come to the set position before he threw, but the call was VERY questionable.

The second run scored on a wild pitch with two outs and a runner on third base.

Aside from those two blunders, Ventura pitched very well in tight situations. With the bases loaded and one out in the third inning, Ventura struck out Miguel Cabrera looking on a change-up. With the bases loaded and one out in the seventh, Yordano Ventura induced a double play grounder from Cameron Maybin that allowed the KC Royals to preserve a 2-2 tie. Ventura also left Cabrera in the on deck circle.

However, I was more impressed by Ventura’s composure. He didn’t blow up when Rayburn called that iffy balk. Instead, he focused on the hitter and struck out Victor Martinez with runners on first and second. If Ventura had failed to get back to business, that inning could have turned ugly.

Overall, Ventura showed a lot of maturity on Sunday. He lasted through seven innings. He didn’t blow up under adversity. And he pitched out of some tough jams to preserve a 2-2 tie. Ventura left with a no decision, but gave the Kansas City Royals a fine performance on Sunday.

Now, if only Ventura can clean up his follow through, and he might be on his way to realizing his potential.

Next: Strong Start Petered Out

1) Joakim Soria Blows The Game

The blunt fact is that Joakim Soria has not provided the reliable back-end option that the KC Royals had hoped when they signed him to a three-year, $27 million contract last winter.

The overall ERA is a mediocre 3.60 after giving up a walk-off two-run home run to Detroit’s no. 8 hitter in catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia. Soria is 3-4 on the season, and simply isn’t getting the job done.

At this point, you have to think the Kansas City Royals will be very interested in doing a deal with the recovering Greg Holland. Holland, at best, could provide some help during the playoffs this season due to the late date of his Tommy John surgery last season (September).

Even so, the KC Royals really need their three-headed bullpen monster back. And, right now, they simply don’t have it. The bullpen blew two games in this series in Detroit, when the Kansas City Royals had the perfect opportunity to win a series on the road. With the team headed back to Kansas City to face the Indians, a winning road trip would have been a nice boost.

Instead, Kansas City’s road record falls to 17-32, and the Royals lost an opportunity to pass the Tigers for second place in the AL Central.

Next: Next Two Weeks Most Crucial Of Royals Season

As this season plays out, I just keep getting the feeling it’s just not going to happen this year. The AL pennant winners of the last two seasons probably would have swept this series. Instead, the 2016 team lost two of three.