MINNEAPOLIS -- Royals rookie Matt Strahm is experiencing something he has never gone through as a Major Leaguer: failure.
Through two games, Strahm has retired two of the eight hitters he has faced and has allowed six runs in two-thirds of an inning, for an 81.00 ERA.
This no doubt is a strange feeling for Strahm, who was so dominant last season during his Major League debut -- a 1.23 ERA in 21 games -- that the Royals believed without any doubt that he would serve as a setup man, along with Joakim Soria, to closer Kelvin Herrera this season.

Strahm's demeanor hasn't changed. He sees the issue as purely mechanical.
"I just need to stay on top of the ball," Strahm said. "I see the problem, but I need to correct it."
Certainly there is no panic among Royals manager Ned Yost or his staff. The season is only two games old.
"He's just flying open a bit," Yost said. "You stay on top and your command will come back."
Pitching coach Dave Eiland agreed, and indicated that quite often when pitchers lose their command, they can lose a touch of confidence.
"Then you try and push one over and it gets hit," Eiland said.
Veteran reliever Peter Moylan said there's nothing to worry about with Strahm.
"Everyone in here knows he'll be fine," Moylan said. "It happens to all of us at one point. As a reliever, you just have to have a short memory."