ST. LOUIS – Every team goes through tough stretches over the course of a long season which feel like they could be turned around by the right hit at the right time, a dramatic break of the dam which turns on the tap of runs and flips feeling flat into being in the zone.
The Royals are searching for that hit, and it’s starting to feel terribly overdue.
The losing streak grew to six games on Saturday, as Kansas City dropped the series to the rival Cardinals with a 4-2 loss under thick gray skies that felt more than a little symbolic. A rain delay of 46 minutes to start the game didn’t do much to quiet down a raucous Busch Stadium crowd, and the Royals’ offense provided more opportunities to egg them on than to turn the tide.
“Maybe a big hit, or keep the line moving, too,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I thought we had opportunities to do that today. Some of them weren’t rewarded for good swings, and others we didn’t square them up, but they pitched well.”
“Need some balls to fall. Need to get some balls over the fence,” assessed first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, whose RBI single in the fifth inning scored the first Royals run and drew the game into a temporary tie. “Not getting the results we want right now, but we’ve just got to keep working. Get back up, get ready to go tomorrow, and just be ready to go.”
Jac Caglianone drove in the other Royals run with a solo homer leading off the ninth inning that brought the margin back within two runs. Isaac Collins followed Caglianone with a single which put Cardinals reliever George Soriano on the ropes and brought the tying run to the plate, but a fly out to center by Michael Massey preceded a double play grounder from Kyle Isbel which extinguished the threat before the lineup could turn back over to the top.
That there was a threat at all was in large part a credit to a smart defensive play by Bobby Witt Jr., who held his glove on Cardinals designated hitter Iván Herrera in the bottom of the eighth after a throw from Elias Díaz sailed into left field. Herrera held at third rather than jogging home, keeping the Royals within striking distance.
“That could have been huge,” Quatraro said. “It was unfortunate that it got by him, but heads up by Bobby to keep the tag on.”
Noah Cameron pitched six strong innings in his third career start against St. Louis. He’s allowed just four earned runs in 18 1/3 innings across those starts, coming away with a hard-luck 0-2 record that reflects much more on frustration at the plate than struggles on the mound.
“Today we had a good game plan, and obviously you can’t be mad about quality starts,” Cameron said. “Just attacked and tried to get out of there, give us a good chance.”
There was nothing but chance after chance available to the Royals, who nonetheless struggled to solve Cardinals starter Kyle Leahy when it counted the most. Witt was stranded on second base in the first inning, the bases were left loaded in the second, and a one-out double by Isbel in the seventh went casually by the wayside. In all, the Royals offense compiled eight hits and three walks, but only two of the 11 men who reached base were able to safely cross home plate.
A total of 18 men have been left on base by the Royals in the first two games of this series, which they’ve lost by a combined three runs.
“I feel like a broken record,” Pasquantino said, “but you’ve just got to look in the mirror, keep your head up and keep working. We’ve got a lot of faith in this team, and we’ve just got to go out there and do it.”