KC Royals: 3 things that must happen against Seattle

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(Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports) /

After playing 10 of their first 11 games at home, the KC Royals open the first extended road trip of the season tonight when they visit Seattle for the first of three games with the Mariners.

And the Royals have things to do in Seattle. First and foremost, they need to win. A sweep would be best, a second straight series win the next best thing (Kansas City took two of three from the Twins before losing the series finale Thursday). Any other result will be disappointing.

The Royals also have business within their trio of games with the M’s, business they need to take care of before heading to Chicago Tuesday to start three games with the White Sox.

What might that business be?

The KC Royals need to find pitcher Brady Singer some work in Seattle.

Brady Singer has all but disappeared. He’s somewhere in the bullpen, doing something that escapes the eye—on the heels of his frustratingly prolonged inconsistency, the Royals banished Singer, one of the mainstays of Matheny’s rotation for the past two seasons, to the bullpen coming out of spring training. He’s pitched only once and gave up four runs on six hits in three innings.

Kings of Kauffman’s Preston Farr covered the Singer ground so well in his Thursday story that not much need be said here, other than to press the point that Singer needs work. Perhaps he’s working on a third pitch—or, as Farr recommended, maybe a fourth—every day before the gates open, but the fact remains he’s getting game-rusty without game action.

Whit Merrifield is struggling this season. The KC Royals need to sit him.

For the first time since the summer of 2019, Whit Merrifield didn’t bat first for Kansas City Thursday. Perhaps Mike Matheny wanted to relieve a bit of the pressure hitting leadoff entails; maybe he felt Nicky Lopez, who entered the game against Minnesota hitting .367 and replaced Merrifield atop the lineup, was the better choice.

Whatever the reason, the move reflects the fight raging between Merrifield and his bat—after going 0-for-4 Thursday, Merrifield is hitting only .136, a miserable clip to which he and the Royals are entirely unaccustomed. He has one extra-base hit, a Wednesday double, and two RBIs. His .136/.174/.159 slash is as disturbing as his .333 OPS.

Merrifield went through a slump last season, but not of these proportions. Hitting .274 at April’s end, he slumped to .247 in late May before rebounding and finishing the season at .277.

Something ails Merrifield again. It may be that at 33 he’s losing a bit of his edge at the plate, but it’s far too early to make that kind of diagnosis firm. Maybe he needs a break—it may be early in the season, but Thursday’s game was his 480th straight.

Or he could be going through a slump, and nothing more.

The answer will come soon enough if Merrifield’s bat doesn’t improve. But for now, Matheny should sit Merrifield for a game or two. Maybe a bit of a rest in the midst of his slump will help.

The KC Royals have a miserable offense that must get better in Seattle.

For now, the failure of rookie Bobby Witt Jr. to hit like he did in the minor leagues last season, and in spring training this year, can be written off to inexperience and the adjustments he has yet to make against big league pitching. Witt is too good to remain anywhere near his current .146 average, a rate attributable to having only six hits in 41 at-bats. He’ll break out eventually and his offense will prove to be as good as his glove.

Unfortunately, inexperience doesn’t account for the Royals’ collective .206 average, the third worst in the American League behind Houston (.199) and Minnesota (.202). Nor does it explain why first baseman Carlos Santana is hitting .069, the lowest in the majors among qualified batters, and has an awful .206 OBP; why Adalberto Mondesi is, despite maintaining his health, slashing .135/.179/.135; or why Salvador Perez’s average is .220, although he has clubbed four homers. Michael A. Taylor is at a not surprising .226, a number his Gold Glove defense outweighs.

The good news is that Andrew Benintendi has a .359 average, .419 OBP and .906 OPS, that at .324 Lopez shows no signs of regressing from last season’s .300, and Hunter Dozier is hitting a solid .270.

But three batters hitting well out of the nine it takes to make a lineup won’t cut it. Not if the Royals want to improve on the 74-88 2021 record they managed last season despite their maddening lack of timely hitting, an ill that haven’t cured yet—they’re scoring less than three runs a game (2.818 to be precise) and hitting .234 with runners in scoring position.

Seattle would be the perfect place for this club to break out at the plate.

dark. Next. A blind baseball writer's 1st MLB game

Kansas City opens their three-game series in Seattle tonight at 8:40 p.m. CDT with Brad Keller (0-1) facing Chris Flexen (0-2).

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The KC Royals need to find pitcher Brady Singer some work in Seattle.

Whit Merrifield is struggling this season. The KC Royals need to sit him.

The KC Royals have a miserable offense that must get better in Seattle.

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