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KANSAS CITY -- Huddled in the Royals’ dugout each game, Kansas City’s starting rotation can be found deep in conversation.

It’s a ritual at this point. Veterans Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo have helped instil an analytical process that has benefitted the best Opening Week for Royals starters in franchise history.

Topics include how they attack certain hitters, what pitch works best in certain situations, what went right, what didn’t, what to expect during at-bats later in the series and getting to know each other on a personal level.

It’s not a new or earth-shattering process, but it’s noticeably different from Royals teams in the past. And it’s working.

“We had some really good outings, competing like crazy and just leaning on each other,” said Brady Singer, who has allowed just one run over 13 1/3 innings this season. “Talking to each other, talking through outings, it’s been really enjoyable. Obviously, with Lugo and Wacha, with their veteran presence, it’s helped out a lot.”

Entering Sunday, Royals starters have an MLB-best 1.26 ERA and just 28 hits allowed. Kansas City leads the league with eight quality starts, setting a franchise record with only eight runs allowed by starters over the first nine games (57 1/3 innings) of the season.

The next closest Royals rotation in terms of ERA to start a season this strong over the first nine games? The 1985 Royals (1.82 ERA), who went on to win the World Series.

“They’re exceeding [expectations],” general manager J.J. Picollo said on Thursday. “I don’t think we can expect a [1.26] ERA throughout the season. If we are, we will be playing in October. But it’s hard not to get excited. It’s a good thing. It’s hard not to get the feeling of a healthy competition going on every night from one start to the next, and that’s exciting.”

The rotation has put Kansas City in position to win every game. The Royals have been leading, tied or within one run entering the eighth inning in all nine games this season, and they have trailed at the end of just 11 innings. Starters are pitching an average of 6 1/3 innings.

Part of that success has been attributed to those mid-game discussions in the dugout.

“Absolutely, in Spring Training getting to meet these guys, we are constantly talking between innings. When I come out of the game guys are asking me what I saw. As a starting staff, we seem pretty locked in and on the same page working together,” said Lugo, who has allowed one run over 12 2/3 innings this season.

“We each have our different strengths and we kind of pitch differently, but we all realize the deeper we pitch into a game, the better chance we are going to have to win.”

A lot of talk revolved around getting to know the new players, and for good reason. Only seven players from last year’s Opening Day roster are still on the team this season, creating a different dynamic in the clubhouse.

One way that has been addressed has been with the lockers. Instead of putting pitchers on one side and position players on the other, like the Royals had done in the past, the club mixed the groups, weaving veterans around all corners of the clubhouse regardless of position.

“I’ve played on some really good teams in the past, and one thing those teams had in common was that everyone was pulling for each other, pulling for your teammates, pulling for the guy next to you in the clubhouse more than yourself,” said Wacha, who struck out eight over seven scoreless innings on Saturday night. “Mixing the position players and pitchers, I think that is a great idea, because we can learn stuff from them just as much as they can learn from us as well.”

The veterans were brought in to stabilize a rocky rotation, but with Cole Ragans’ dominant end to 2023, Singer’s return to form and Alec Marsh’s determination to earn the No. 5 spot, Wacha was quick to point out the solid foundation already in place.

“These guys don’t need much, I’ll tell you that,” Wacha said. “They are absolute studs. Ragans, Brady, Marsh, those guys have incredible stuff. [I'm] just trying to get to know them as people and trying to figure out what they are thinking on the mound and how they’re attacking guys and stuff. I’ve been very impressed with them as people on the field, but off the field as well, they’re great guys.”