The bullpen made sure the Royals’ late rally attempts couldn’t succeed. Of course, the hitters could have gotten some hits before the eighth inning, too.
It was not a good day to be a Royals fan. There was some hope the Royals might be better at rubber games this year than they were last year, and there’s still time for that to happen, but today offered little in the way of hope. Let’s get to the winners and losers.
Winners
Vinnie Pasquantino legged out a triple in the first inning despite being in the twelfth percentile in speed. He also reached via HBP and walk. No one can question his effort. He may have started off last year slow and he may have given everyone a scare with the hamstring injury, but he’s doing everything a single hitter can do to carry this offense, right now.
Maikel Garcia added a double today to give himself a three-game hitting streak to start the year. He and Bobby Witt Jr. are the only ones to manage that so far in this young season, but Garcia hasn’t had as many at-bats – he was a pinch-hitter in the first game – and not nearly as many strikeouts, either. He grounded out to end the eighth inning with the bases loaded, but at least he put the ball in play. That’s more than the three hitters ahead of him in the lineup can say.
Jonathan India reached base three more times today, including a walk to lead off the game and a single in the eighth to get that rally going. The last time he reached base, he was hit in the head by an Emmanuel Clase fastball. That was the second straight pitch in the head area, but Clase was not warned or ejected. I’m not sure why he would be throwing at India, but it seems hard to believe the reigning Cy Young runner-runner-up would throw two straight pitches at his head by accident.
Here’s hoping India is OK. He went straight to the dugout with the trainer rather than taking first base, but didn’t go straight to the clubhouse. He still doesn’t have an extra-base hit, but he has a .600 OBP from the leadoff spot, and that’s worth celebrating all by itself.
Losers
Michael Wacha, like the starters in the first two games of the series, spent most of the game fighting his control. He walked four and only struck out two. The walks, plus a ton of Guardians foul balls, meant he was only able to pitch four innings. He only gave up one run, but they needed more from him on a day the offense struggled.
Sam Long pitched in his second game of the series and gave up an RBI-extra base hit to fellow left-hander Kyle Manzardo for the second time. This time it was a two-run home run in the fifth inning. Manzardo had a monster series in general, but if Long can’t even get lefties out, it’s not going to work out.
Chris Stratton might be the only Royals reliever closer to the chopping block than Sam Long. Stratton was bad almost all of last year, not good in spring training, and bad again today. There were plenty of people who thought he shouldn’t make the Opening Day roster – yours truly among them – and he didn’t do himself any favors by walking two, giving up three hits, and two earned runs today.
Salvador Perez went 0-for-4 today and struck out with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the eighth as the Royals attempted to mount a comeback.
Michael Massey also went 0-for-4 and also struck out with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth. He struck one other time, too.
Hunter Renfroe should be hitless in seven at-bats. The box score shows he had a double today, but it took a combination of a sun ball lost by Steven Kwan and Lane Thomas taking a play off to get what should have been a routine flyball to drop. Even then, Renfroe was dogging it so hard that he almost didn’t make it into second. He did manage to take a bases-loaded walk in the eighth after Perez and Massey struck out, so I guess there’s that.
But earlier in the game, he allowed Carlos Santana to score on a sacrifice fly after catching a high flyball in shallow right. Renfroe’s defense has never been good, but last year he was at least reliable when he could get to the ball and showed a strong arm. So far this year, he’s misplayed at least two balls in the outfield and completely flubbed three opportunities to throw runners out. If he can’t hit, he won’t run, he can’t field, and he can’t throw, it’s hard to see where there’s room for him on a major league roster.
You have to hope the starting pitching will get better, and the Royals have some relievers they can count on, but if the entire outfield continues being this bad, it’s going to be a long, long season. Maybe Mark Canha can get some revenge starts against the Brewers. Speaking of which, the Royals open their first road trip – a single series in Milwaukee – tomorrow afternoon at 1 PM CDT. Kris Bubic will make his first start of the season. Rookie Elvin Rodríguez will go for the Brewers, though it will not be his major league debut. Rodríguez pitched – poorly – for Detroit in 2022 and made one appearance for the Rays in 2023, but did not pitch in the big leagues last year.