KC Royals: Quiet bats, inconsistency plague Brad Keller

Brad Keller has started 15 times for the 2022 KC Royals, and the club’s offense has scored a total of 50 runs for him.

Toss out the remarkable four times the team has scored seven runs for Keller, and he has 22 runs of support in his other 11 starts. Such a weak offense when he pitches helps explain why he’s 3-9 following his Friday win at Detroit when he threw six shutout innings in a 3-1 Kansas City victory.

His efforts have him in line for the growth we previously predicted for him in this space.

If Keller doesn’t reach double-digit victories this season, it’s likely the Kansas City offense will bear much of the blame. He’s slated to get his next shot at a victory against Houston tonight.

Analyzing KC Royals starter Brad Keller’s three victories this season.

No one can blame Keller if he thinks he has to be perfect to win in 2022. In his three victories, he’s pitched 19.1 innings, struck out 13, and given up only 10 hits and eight walks. And he hasn’t surrendered a single run in any of those starts.

Keller’s first win of the season was a 7-1 victory May 3 against St. Louis in which he gave up four hits in 6.1 innings. The second came June 18 at Oakland when he tied a season high with seven innings and logged a campaign-best six strikeouts in a 2-0 KC victory.

His third was a product of Friday’s stellar effort.

And although he didn’t win the game, Keller made manager Mike Matheny happy when he opened his season with six scoreless innings against Cleveland but had a no-decision in a 1-0 KC victory.

Brad Keller’s inconsistent pitching has also hampered his KC Royals season.

In addition to his four scoreless outings, Keller has allowed one run once, two runs once, and three earned runs three times. His other five outings have been rough, including June 12 against Baltimore when he surrendered five runs in 1.2 innings and the Royals lost 10-7.

They also lost 10-7 May 27 at Minnesota when Keller gave up six runs in four innings, and fell 9-7 June 25 against Oakland as he allowed five runs (four earned) in 3.2 innings. That latter game was sandwiched between his two most recent victories.

Brad Keller’s KC Royals starts have included highlights and struggles.

Over seven starts from May 10-June 12, Keller hit his worst stretch of the season, going 0-6 with a 7.23 ERA and giving up 53 hits and eight home runs in 37.1 innings.

In five starts before that, he was 1-2 with a 1.74 ERA in 31 innings.

In Keller’s three wins, he has that 0.00 ERA. In three no decisions, his ERA is 1.80, but in his nine losses, it’s 7.09.

Where Keller has been consistent is in his home vs. away numbers. He’s 1-5 with a 4.23 ERA in eight starts at home and 2-4 and 4.24 away from Kauffman Stadium. He’s given up five home runs at home and five on the road, and 14 walks at home and 14 on the road.

As the Royals continue to look for ways to right their ship, giving Brad Keller more run support and getting more consistent outings from him will help.