What's going on with the Royals' baserunning?

KANSAS CITY -- After a stretch of better offense when the calendar flipped to May a few weeks ago, the Royals are back in a rut, searching for answers and consistency.

Mistakes are magnified when an offense is struggling to score runs overall, and that was the case again in the Royals’ 7-1 loss to the Red Sox on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium. It was Kansas City’s (20-29) eighth loss in its last nine games, and third straight series loss.

On Tuesday, those mistakes came on the bases, which neutralize crucial scoring opportunities for an offense that needs to be both aggressive and smart when it comes to its identity on the basepaths.

After Carter Jensen led off the fifth inning with a double, Maikel Garcia singled to right field, drawing a throw to home plate from Wilyer Abreu to keep Jensen from scoring the tying run. When Abreu released the ball, Garcia took off for second base -- only for Red Sox catcher Carlos Narváez to throw him out.

Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a flyout to right field that was too shallow for Jensen to score. Salvador Perez smacked a line drive to left fielder Jarren Duran, but he made an excellent catch to strand Jensen at third and retain Boston’s lead.

Garcia seemed to shoulder the blame, mainly for not running hard out of the box, which could have made the play at second much closer.

“Honestly, it was a mistake,” Garcia said through interpreter Luis Perez. “I didn’t come out of the box hard. Once the throw was high, [first base coach Damon Hollins] said, ‘Go,’ but obviously, he didn’t see me coming out of the box. So it was my mistake.”

After a leadoff single in the sixth inning, Lane Thomas was picked off attempting to steal third following Starling Marte’s one-out single that put runners on first and second. But Vinnie Pasquantino flew out to end the inning, following a passed ball that allowed Marte to go to second base.

“Obviously, we’re not scoring a lot of runs right now,” Thomas said. “I felt like if I got to third, we had some good stuff on [Red Sox reliever Tyler Samaniego]. He just held a little longer the first couple [pitches].

“… It’s an aggressive -- I don’t even want to call it a mistake. But just trying to get the offense going a little bit.”

This is the balance the Royals are trying to strike with an offense that ranks 27th in baseball in runs scored (191), hindered by the struggles with runners in scoring position. Kansas City’s .655 OPS with RISP ranks 29th in the Majors, with its .230 average in those situations not faring much better at 25th in baseball.

The Royals have the ability to create opportunities when they do get on base, and Garcia is one of the Royals' best at doing that. But mistakes are that much more glaring when they do happen, particularly in a losing stretch.

Kansas City entered the game having made 18 outs on the bases this season, which trailed only Miami (21), Washington (21) and Detroit (20). But the Royals were also were tied for fifth (with three other teams) with three baserunning runs this season, per Savant. The top two teams, the Nationals and Marlins, have five baserunning runs despite the 21 outs on the bases.

“I’m not going to sit here and tell you it doesn’t hurt when it doesn’t work out your way, but at the same time, if you’re trying to be aggressive and make some things, create some opportunities for yourselves on the bases, you got to do that,” manager Matt Quatraro said.

The two big baserunning mistakes weren’t the only thing that cost the Royals on Tuesday. They failed to put up a crooked number in the first inning against Red Sox starter Ranger Suarez. That inning might have looked different had the out call on Jac Caglianone’s groundout been reversed after review, but it wasn’t, and the Royals were held scoreless the rest of the way.

A different looking lineup against the left-handed Suarez did not produce the results the Royals had hoped. Vinnie Pasquantino hit seventh, the lowest he’s hit in the order this year. Instead of Thomas hitting third and Salvador Perez hitting fourth, as has been the case against some lefty starters this year, the two were flipped. And both young left-handed hitters Caglianone and Jensen were in the lineup, which has not been the case against every southpaw the Royals have faced this year.

The lineup and order does matter. But nothing matters as much as results, and right now, the Royals aren’t getting them.

“I don’t know if there’s one answer,” Quatraro said. “I think the mentality is good. These guys are preparing. Their thoughts about the game plan and the approach are really solid. They’re competitive. These guys are, between every at-bat, trying to make adjustments. Unfortunately, it hasn’t stacked together. For 10 days, two weeks, we were trending pretty good there offensively, and then this last week’s been rougher. It’s been a grind. But these guys are good players, with the ability to bounce back, and that’s what we’re counting on.”