Bad results slam KC Royals Monday afternoon

The suddenly cold but still-contending KC Royals must await the outcomes of other American League games before they know just how much damage their 4-2 Labor Day loss to Cleveland caused the club.

The Royals began Monday's matinee tied with Minnesota for both second in the American League Central and the AL's second Wild Card spot. They also owned a nice, but not completely comfortable, 4.5 game lead over Boston for the third Wild Card.

But at day's end, and with 23 games left on its regular season schedule, the club found itself mired in a season-high six-game losing streak with its bats chilled and another play injured.

Consider the injury first.

Kansas City's latest addition suffers hamstring injury

In the frustrating aftermath of losing Vinnie Pasquantino to a thumb fracture, the Royals acquired established major league veteran Yuli Gurriel Saturday for much-needed depth at first base. Gurriel debuted Sunday in Houston and went 1-for-3 in his first big league action since last year.

Monday, the Gold Glover who won two World Series titles with Houston stood 0-for-2 with a walk before he doubled to lead off the eighth inning at Kauffman Stadium. Unfortunately, he appeared to pull up a bit as he left the batter's box, then departed moments after acting manager Paul Hoover (an undisclosed personal issue kept manager Matt Quatraro away) and a Royal trainer visited him at second base. Per MLB.com Royals beat writer Anne Rogers, Hoover said after the game that Gurriel suffered a "super mid hamstring strain."

How much action Gurriel may miss is unknown. Two Royals, outfielder Hunter Renfroe and pitcher Michael Lorenzen, are already on the Injured List with hamstring strains. The club may have to look to Triple-A Omaha first baseman Nick Pratto if Gurriel's hamstring problem forces him to the IL.

Tonight could be another long one as the Royals and their fans await more news about Gurriel.

Kansas City's bats have grown cold

Responsible in large part for Monday's loss were the Royals' hitters. They mustered only two hits — Gurriel's double and Maikel Garcia's second-inning RBI two-bagger that scored Gurriel — and drew two walks. Their second and final run scored on Kyle Isbel's sacrifice fly in the in the eighth.

The Royals' 2-for-28 afternoon followed their terrible weekend in Houston where they were outscored by 10 runs and went 20-for-127, a .157 average that had much to do with the Astros' four-game series sweep.

Add to that Bobby Witt Jr.'s recent slow-down at the plate. After his hitless Monday in the DH slot, he's 2-for-19 (.105) over his last five games. Both hits were homers, but the overall numbers speak loudly. Witt drives the Royals' offense; they don't need him to be red-hot, but they won't get where they want to — the playoffs — if he stays cold down the stretch.

The KC Royals need some help from other clubs tonight

Despite losing a half-dozen games in a row, Kansas City hasn't suffered much in the race for the postseason. Cleveland, Minnesota, and Boston, the teams most relevant to the Royals at this point, have gained little ground of their own.

Monday's loss dropped the Royals 4.5 games behind Cleveland. Just how far, if at all, the Royals have fallen behind the Twins and Red Sox heading into Tuesday night's rematch with the Guardians won't be known until those teams finish their Monday night games. At the time of this writing, Minnesota led Tampa Bay 4-3 in the fourth inning and Boston trailed the Mets 2-1 in the fourth.

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