6 KC Royals who helped make first month bearable

A pair of veteran starters are pitching quite well for the KC Royals in 2022.

They have yet to win even one game between them, but Zack Greinke and Brad Keller haven’t let anyone down on the mound this season.

They’ve been joys to watch, especially for Kansas City fans starved for better starting pitching.

The show began Opening Day when Greinke allowed Cleveland only one run over 5.2 innings in his return to Kauffman Stadium. Because he left trailing 1-0, he didn’t get the win when the Royals scored twice in the eighth for a 3-1 victory.

He’s started three times since then and pitched well enough to win, but the Royals can’t seem to score for him—they average two runs per game when he starts, the same average offensive effort Keller receives. Scheduled to pitch next against the Cardinals in St. Louis Monday, Greinke is 0-1 with a 2.86 ERA.

Equally impressive has been Keller, the fifth-year Kansas City starter who is so far adhering to his pattern of pitching well in even-numbered seasons. His lack of a victory this year isn’t due to lack of solid performance—his only rough game came nine days ago when Seattle tagged him for six runs (four earned) in 4.2 innings. Otherwise, he’s given up an average of just one run per start and has an ERA of 2.19.