KANSAS CITY -- For the third time this series and sixth day in a row, the Royals’ clubhouse was quiet on Wednesday as players processed how another game slipped away.

A 12-3 loss to the Rangers at Kauffman Stadium concluded another tough homestand in which the Royals lost all six games and were outscored, 52-15.

Kansas City is 4-15 overall this season and 1-12 at home, which ties the 2018 club record for worst home mark after 13 games.

“That’s definitely not what you want,” shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. said. “Like I’ve been saying, like we’ve all been saying, just going to keep pushing forward. There’s really no other way about it. You look at where we’re at, last place in the big leagues, you never want to be there. Motivation to try to change up some things, get at it and get after it.”

Manager Matt Quatraro and his players have trusted that things will change, citing the early part of the season and schedule. Entering Wednesday, the Royals' five opponents thus far (Twins, Blue Jays, Giants, Braves and Rangers) were a combined 51-35, and three of those teams sat in first place in their divisions, including American League West-leading Texas.

But the 4-15 start is all we know the 2023 Royals to be. It might only be 19 games of the 162-game slate -- the season is far from over -- but it’s still 19 games that have mattered and not gone any way the Royals would have hoped.

“There’s nothing you can do to rewind what just happened or the first three weeks of the season,” Quatraro said. “The focus will be on staying with the process. These guys are putting in the work to come out and compete and perform better going forward.

“Nobody’s happy. It’s frustrating. You don’t want to get beat. You don’t want to be embarrassed, especially at home in front of your fans.”

The 2023 season did not have lofty expectations; the Royals are in an evaluation year to determine what pieces of the core they need to build around for the future. So far, they continue to search for answers. 

While walks are down, the Royals’ ERA (5.46) ranked 27th in baseball following the slate of Wednesday afternoon games. Kansas City’s best starter this season, Kris Bubic, is on the injured list and he is seeking a second opinion on Thursday for a left flexor strain.

The Royals’ best starter last year, Brady Singer, gave up five runs in five innings against the Rangers and he owns an 8.14 ERA in four starts this season.

“Just made some bad pitches again,” Singer said. “The sinker location was OK, I thought I had the right movement on it. My slider wasn’t very good, I think I gave up quite a few hits on the slider.”

In four of the six games on this homestand, the Royals turned to the bullpen in a close game only for it to turn into a blowout. The latest was Wednesday’s series finale, when Kansas City scored two in the sixth to make it a two-run game, and Taylor Clarke allowed four runs (three earned) in the top of the seventh to put the game out of hand.

In the ninth, the Royals turned to their struggling closer, Scott Barlow, for a low-leverage situation. He allowed a three-run homer to Jonah Heim.

“It’s not like we ever feel like, ‘Oh, here we go,’” Quatraro said. “The guys are in the game. It got away from us late. But the emotions at the end, it’s raw, you’re frustrated, you don’t want it to happen like that.”

The offense has had some bright spots, like Witt’s solo home run on Wednesday as part of a 14-for-38 stretch over his last eight games. Vinnie Pasquantino has a 14-game on-base streak.

Kansas City hitters rank third in baseball in hard-hit percentage (45.3%), but are second-to-last in runs (59) and last in OPS (.595). Matt Duffy’s two-out RBI in the sixth inning was the Royals’ first hit with runners in scoring position since Sunday -- snapping an 0-for-16 skid.

“You feel it coming,” Witt said. “It’s like the night before Christmas, where you’re waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Hopefully it clicks at one point. That’s why we’re going to keep going.”

Baseball offers ample opportunities to snap slumps. The Royals have played just over 10% of their season. After Thursday’s scheduled off-day, they will hit the road for a 10-game trip, a chance to get away and reset.

“It’s more so mentally than anything, just finding some confidence in there,” Witt said. “It’s not fun to lose. It’s not fun to go 0-6 on a homestand. It’s not fun to be last place in the big leagues.

“Once we start getting things going, I think it’s a big thing for us to just go out there and be loose, relax.”