KANSAS CITY -- The good news about the start to the Royals’ 2023 season is that the pitching staff, a unit that entered this year needing to see vast improvements, owns a 1.50 ERA with 17 strikeouts through two games.
The bad news is that the Royals have lost those first two games, including Saturday’s 2-0 defeat to the Twins at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City has been shut out in each of its first two games of the season for the first time in the franchise’s 55-year history, becoming the sixth team since 2000 to be held scoreless in their first two games.
At 18 innings, the Royals set a new franchise record for the longest scoring drought to open the season, surpassing the 11 scoreless innings that began the 2013 and 1976 seasons.
And they are the only team in Major League Baseball that has yet to score in 2023.
“We’re going to break through,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’re going to score runs. These guys can hit. It’s definitely not a team meeting thing or a panic thing at all.”
To be fair, Kansas City has opened this season facing two of the best starters in the league in Pablo López, who struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings on Thursday, and Sonny Gray, who entered Saturday with a 1.66 career ERA against the Royals. Last season, he allowed just one run in 19 innings in three starts against Kansas City. Twins starters have now gone 10-4 with a 2.31 ERA against the Royals since the beginning of 2022.
“Gray … kept the ball down, working the corners,” Quatraro said. “I thought we swung the bats pretty well today. There were some pretty well-hit balls that they ran down or were right at guys. It wasn’t as bad as the line probably looks, and I think you got to tip your hat to the pitchers.”
The Royals have drawn 10 walks through two games, and they smoked the ball Saturday. Bobby Witt Jr. had exit velocities of 108.2 (lineout) and 103 mph (groundout). Salvador Perez’s flyout in the first inning was 107 mph off the bat; Kyle Isbel’s double-play ground ball in the sixth was 106 mph.
“They’re squaring some balls up,” Quatraro said. “Even hitting into some double plays, they were on the barrel. Sometimes those balls go through, sometimes they don’t. Those guys are going to be frustrated. I’m not frustrated with it.”
But it’s hard to ignore the goose egg on the scoreboard.
The Royals went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position on Saturday and are 0-for-14 this season. In big moments, opportunities were squandered. With two outs and the bases loaded in the third inning, Franmil Reyes was called for a pitch timer violation before the at-bat began because he wasn’t alert to the pitcher with eight seconds left on the clock. He started 0-1 and struck out three pitches later.
“We had some opportunities today,” Perez said. “It’s part of the game. … Today’s over. We’re going to try to come in tomorrow and try to win the game tomorrow.”
And without any offense, mistakes are compounded. In the top of the sixth inning, Byron Buxton led off with a single and went to second on a passed ball by Perez. When Jose Miranda hit a ground ball to Witt at shortstop, Witt tried to throw Buxton out at third instead of getting the second out at first base.
Buxton scored on a sacrifice fly a batter later, putting the Twins up by two runs.
“You get the out,” Quatraro said. “That’s what we talked about. Especially knowing the runner. Buxton is right in front of [Witt]. Looked like, ‘Oh, we got a shot at him,’ but Buxton’s one of, if not the fastest guy in the league. He makes things happen on the bases. Get the out, and you have two outs and a guy on third.”
The offensive struggles are heightened with how solid the pitching has been. Jordan Lyles allowed two runs (one earned) in 5 1/3 innings in his Royals debut on Saturday, and the bullpen has spun 7 1/3 scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts through the first two games.
On Saturday, Taylor Clarke and Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in the eighth and ninth, respectively. Chapman consistently hit triple digits, including freezing Kyle Farmer on a 102.5 mph sinker for strike three.
“If they stay that way,” Perez said, “we’re going to win a lot of games.”