ANAHEIM -- The Royals' six-game winning streak came to an end Saturday in a 9-0 loss to the Angels.
And the streak ended with the way many winning steaks end -- an opposing pitcher simply is too good to beat. That was the case this time, too, as Angels right-hander Alex Meyer dominated the Royals, holding them to two hits over six innings while striking out nine.
But the Royals remain confident with one game remaining on a 6-2 road trip so far.
"For sure we're confident," second baseman Whit Merrifield said. "It was just one of those days today. Go back at it tomorrow and try to finish off a good road trip."
Royals catcher Andrew Butera agreed, adding, "It was a tough day all around. Games like this happen. It's not going to break our confidence. Just come back tomorrow and get them."
Several Royals mentioned the difficulty of seeing Meyer's stuff through the shadows.
"Five o'clock games here don't help," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Shadows make it tough to see. But even if you could see it, that's a pretty good curveball [Meyer] has. The degree of difficulty was in the shadows, but we knew it would be an issue for both sides."
Said Merrifield: "First couple of innings we weren't really seeing anything. But [the Angels] had to cope with the same stuff. But when a guy is throwing mid- to upper-90s with a good curveball and you can't see, it's tough."
But the Royals still see the loss as nothing but a speed bump.
Regardless of Sunday's outcome in the series finale, this Royals' road trip has been a potentially season-turning one. The Royals, once seemingly buried, have crept within three games of the .500 mark and still sit tied for third in the American League Central.
"And we're not done yet," Yost said. "We got another game tomorrow. We're just going to focus on that."