'No one likes losing': Lyles, Royals come up just short vs. Reds

KANSAS CITY -- When Jordan Lyles’ fastball landed outside the zone for ball four against Reds rookie phenom Elly De La Cruz leading off the second inning Tuesday night, it set off a ripple effect for the Royals' veteran starter.

The end result was a five-run inning, proving to be the difference in the Royals’ 5-4 loss to the Reds at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday. It was the eighth loss in the row for the Royals -- whose .269 winning percentage (18-49) is now tied with the A’s (19-50) for the worst record in baseball.

After his leadoff walk, De La Cruz stole second and went to third on second baseman Matt Duffy’s error. Trying to protect the Royals’ 1-0 lead, Lyles tried to be too fine around the strike zone, but Spencer Steer laced a sweeper for a game-tying single. The Reds used it as a launching point, sending 10 batters to the plate against Lyles in the second.

Lyles retired his final 14 batters to get through six innings. But the damage was done.

The 32-year-old is now 0-11 in 2023 with the highest ERA in the Majors (6.89) among qualified starters. The Royals have not won any of Lyles’ 14 starts this year, matching Matt Beech (1997 Phillies) for the longest team winless streak in the Live Ball Era (since 1920).

The last pitcher to lose his first 11 decisions was Anthony Young of the 1993 Mets, who began the season 0-12 in a mixture of bullpen and starting appearances. But the last pitcher to lose his first 11 decisions and have all of those decisions come as the starting pitcher was Kyle Abbott in 1992 with the Phillies, finishing that season 1-14.

“No one likes losing,” Lyles said. “I will say from my perspective, individual loss means a loss as a team. We’ve been losing a lot when I’ve been out there. Majority of that is on my shoulders. A lot of it is. But when it’s game time, there’s not one thought of that. I couldn’t tell you what my numbers are. I’m trying to go as deep as I can and come out of the game with the lead.”

Nine of Lyles’ 14 starts have included at least one half-inning in which he allowed three-plus runs. Take out the second inning Tuesday, and Lyles threw five scoreless innings with one hit, no walks and three strikeouts -- all on 58 pitches.

In the second inning alone, he needed 36 pitches, allowing five runs on four hits with three walks and one strikeout.

“Jordan gets a loss. It’s a team loss,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I don’t look at it like, ‘Oh, we don’t have a chance to win when he’s out there.’ Because we have plenty of chances to win.”

The Royals did have their chances, and part of it was thanks to Lyles. He held the Reds scoreless after the second inning, attacking the zone more and relying on his fastball instead of breaking balls he couldn’t land for strikes.

“We weren’t landing too many of both of my breaking balls tonight,” Lyles said. “So I went back to, ‘Here it is, four-seam, over the plate,’ and got some quick swings, quick outs.”

Bobby Witt Jr.’s two-run homer – his 11th of the season – in the third inning cut the deficit to one, but the Royals didn’t take advantage of their biggest opportunity in the seventh. Facing an erratic reliever in Ian Gibaut, the Royals loaded the bases with two walks and a hit-by-pitch. The Reds turned to Lucas Sims to face the top of the lineup with one out.

Nick Pratto and Salvador Perez, the team’s two hottest hitters, both struck out.

“It’s definitely not what we want to be doing out there right now,” Witt said. “We’ve got to keep pulling for each other, keep grinding and keep working. … You’ve really got to flush what happened. Talk about it, go over it, learn from your mistakes and then move forward.”

Getting through the sixth after a 36-pitch second inning is a testament to Lyles, whom the Royals signed to a two-year deal this offseason to do precisely this: Pitch innings, as many as he can, even as the losses mount. He’s thrown at least five innings in 12 of his 14 starts this season.

“I’m sure [Quatraro] was coming after me quickly, probably [the] next batter, in the second,” Lyles said. “So four more scoreless, I would sign up for it after that second inning.”