Michael Lorenzen continues to be a veteran rock for the KC Royals

When the Kansas City Royals acquired Michael Lorenzen at last summer's trade deadline, the veteran right-hander was to be stable piece for this pitching staff down the stretch, bringing extensive experience as both a starting pitcher and as a reliever.

Come this season though, after Brady Singer was sent to Cincinnati, Lorenzen all but solidified a full-time role in the starting staff after re-signing with the club in free agency this winter.

And amidst some adversity throughout their .500 start to the 2025 campaign, Lorenzen has come up in big spots on numerous occasions this season - including another great outing in Tuesday night's road victory over the Tampa Bay Rays - showing the true veteran rock he is in the bottom half of this KC Royals rotation.

Michael Lorenzen continues to be a veteran rock for the KC Royals

Tuesday's 3-1 win was the prime example of what Lorenzen's veteran presence brings to the table. His final stat line speaks for it self, throwing six innings of four hit and one run ball.

However, looking beyond just his final line, it was the way he carried himself that really spoke volumes to the calming influence he can have on a game, as there were countless times that this contest could've gotten away from him.

In the bottom of the first, Yandy Díaz singled, then two batters later Junior Caminero doubled to put two runners in scoring position with two outs. But Lorenzen weathered the storm and induced a key ground out to end the opening frame.

Then, after Caminero homered in the fourth, Lorenzen didn't let it phase him, inducing a ground out and a strikeout the following two batters, then after a walk, got José Caballero to pop up to first to get out of the inning with only minimal damage.

Come the fifth, he didn't let yet another Díaz hit, this time a double, rattle him at all, even with his pitch count starting to climb, as he promptly sat down Brandon Lowe to end the frame yet again.

Three times at various stages of this start could things have gotten out of hand for the Royals, especially against a team as hot as the Rays were entering this one. But three times, Lorenzen was calm, cool and collected and went out and did what he's done for over a decade now.

He brought his ERA down to an impressive 3.48 tonight and posted his third game of the season where he's given up just a single earned run in six innings of work and his fourth game with five or less hits surrendered. This includes now back-to-back six inning, one run outings - the first of which he also struck out seven.

Tonight's outing will certainly add to the Royals rotation's already shimmering standing amongst MLB staffs, as they entered tonight's matchup sitting top five in ERA (5th at 3.34), and top 10 in FIP (6th at 3.45), WHIP (8th at 1.20) and BAA (7th at .228).

What more could anyone ask for from a their four or five starter in the rotation?

If he continues at this early pace, it'll truly be a win-win scenario for Kansas City, as a .500 record still brings up questions on both side of the competitive line.

If the Royals continue to build on their recent momentum, Lorenzen can very well continue play a huge role in this postseason-geared starting staff down the stretch. However, if the Royals tilt to the wrong side of .500 and play their way out of postseason contention, a well-performing veteran arm on a short term contract would be a coveted asset for contenders around the league.

Time will tell how this season will go for the Royals, but one thing's for sure either way, they have an arm who's showing no signs of slowing down that will continue to lift up this staff and give this scuffling offense a chance to win games on a regular basis.