KC Royals still can't shake biggest headache

The KC Royals didn't get what they needed from starter Cole Ragans Tuesday night but in the end, after they'd fallen to the team tied for last place in the American League West, it really didn't matter. Kansas City's bullpen, the club's season-long headache but one showing recent improvement, regressed and gave the Los Angeles Angels six of the nine runs they scored in handing the Royals a 9-5 loss.

Ragans wasn't overwhelmingly effective, but he struck out nine, surrendered only two runs, and had the game tied 2-2 through five innings. But after Zach Neto homered to lead off the sixth, Nolan Schanuel walked, and Ragans hit Kevin Pillard, manager Matt Quatraro turned the then-3-2 contest over to his unpredictable bullpen.

The real damage came after Ragans left. The move had to be made, and didn't seem particularly dangerous considering Royals relievers had been better than usual during the five-game winning streak the club brought into Tuesday's game and James McArthur, Quatraro's choice to douse the small fire Ragans ignited, had a 1.42 August ERA before he threw his first pitch of the evening.

But McArthur proved once again how frustratingly puzzling he is. Logan O'Hoppe greeted him with an RBI single and Anthony Rendon followed with one of his own, and the one-run deficit Quatraro picked McArthur to protect was suddenly three. The two runs McArthur yielded were, of course, charged by rule to Ragans, but the man responsible for allowing them was McArthur, who gave up a harmless hit before the inning ended.

James McArthur wasn't the only disappointing KC reliever

Things actually worsened for the Royals when Chris Stratton replaced McArthur to begin the seventh. Stratton gave up three singles —one of which scored a run — a walk, and a run-scoring sacrifice fly before Ángel Zerpa quieted the Angels without further damage. He struggled a bit in the eighth but didn't surrender any runs.

Will Smith wasn't as fortunate. Called upon to pitch the ninth with the Royals trailing by only two after they scored three times in the seventh, he handed the Angels two more runs; considered by many to be stepping into the club's closer when general manager J.J. Picollo signed him in December, he saw his ERA rise to 5.26.

Kansas City's bullpen problems probably aren't going away

Hoping against hope that the Royals' relief corps will stabilize and get out of the way of wins isn't a strategy likely to lead to October baseball; indeed, it may well spoil this club's chances to play on when the regular season ends.

Unfortunately, the options are few. John Schreiber is back from the Injured List and pitched well in his one-inning Monday return — he closed out the Royals' 5-3 victory over the Angels with a scoreless ninth — but had an ugly 9.82 ERA in the 10 games preceding the late July knee injury that forced him to the IL. McArthur can't seem to consistently conjure up the magic that made him so effective down the stretch last season, Zerpa's August ERA is 11.81, Stratton's is 5.87, and Smith isn't the answer for tight late-game situations like the one he found himself in Tuesday night.

Trade deadline acquisition Lucas Erceg is the best the Royals have, but he can't pitch every game.

Picollo could, of course, dip into Triple-A Omaha's roster for help, but may not be inclined to rely on a minor leaguer to solve his bullpen's problems this late in an important season.

So, unless Picollo decides to take that risk and it pays off, the Royals may be stuck with what they have — a pitching headache that simply won't go away, and some hope it doesn't get severe enough to ruin their run for the playoffs.

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