How the Royals have proved they can halt losing skids

MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s been quite a ride the past two months for the Royals, who have been one of the best stories of the 2024 MLB season. But it hasn’t been without a few bumps in the road.

Kansas City lost its third straight game on Tuesday, falling 4-2 to the Twins at Target Field. It marked the Royals’ third three-game losing streak of the season, but the club was able to stop each of the previous two after just three games. Here’s a quick look at how they got it done:

April 23: After dropping two straight to Baltimore and another to Toronto, the Royals rebounded to beat the Blue Jays, 3-2. Michael Wacha gave up eight hits and walked three in just 4 1/3 innings, but he held Toronto to just two runs. The bullpen then closed the door, allowing only one hit the rest of the way as James McArthur picked up a two-inning save. Meanwhile, the offense scraped together a three-run fifth inning, keyed by Bobby Witt Jr.’s two-run double.

April 30: A week later, on the heels of two losses at Detroit and another at Toronto, the Royals got 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball from Cole Ragans in a 4-1 victory. John Schreiber and McArthur shut down the Blue Jays, and Michael Massey’s two-run homer set up late offense by Witt and Vinnie Pasquantino in the eighth.

So, the Royals have experience this season preventing small hiccups from becoming major disasters. The odds of nipping this latest streak, and their first skid in May, in the bud are in their favor if for no other reason than Wednesday’s starting pitcher: Seth Lugo. The veteran righty leads the American League in wins (8), WAR for pitchers (2.9) and innings pitched (72 1/3), while topping baseball in ERA (1.74).

“Pitching is the name of the game,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “If we get a good start from [Lugo on Wednesday] we’ll be ready to go.”

One big key to stopping losing streaks is consistency. The Royals’ starting staff has been the backbone of the team thus far, and nobody is more appreciative of their ability to show up every day and give the team a chance to win than their teammates playing behind them in the field.

“We’ve got all the confidence in the world in those guys,” right fielder Hunter Renfroe said. “They’re giving us a chance to win every single game. That’s all we can ask for. Those guys go out there and compete their butts off for six, seven innings and then give it to our bullpen. They’ve done a phenomenal job of that for us. Most of the time … we play great defense behind them, and that’s kind of a winning baseball recipe right there.”

It also helps when your offense has a no-quit mentality that rewards pitchers for limiting damage. And for the third straight game on Tuesday, the Royals entered the ninth inning trailing by two or more and put the tying run on base. It was Salvador Perez and Adam Frazier that got the rally started Tuesday, but it was cut short after pinch-runner Dairon Blanco was caught stealing second base. From there, Twins closer Jhoan Duran handled the rest, fanning MJ Melendez and retiring Nick Loftin on a grounder.

Still, it was the third straight game the Royals rallied to bring the go-ahead run to the plate in the ninth, proving they are never out of it. That type of production helps keep losing streaks at bay, even if they fell short these few times.

“These guys are relentless,” said Ragans, who struck out seven over five innings of three-run ball. “It’s incredible. Day in and day out, we’re not done until it’s done. It’s fun to be a part of, and fun to watch.”

Finally, a winning team’s no-fuss-no-fear mentality often starts at the top, and these Royals clearly respond to a calm hand on the wheel.

“[Make] each day its own day,” Quatraro said when asked how to avoid long skids. “These guys don’t care about whether we’ve lost two or three. They’re going to come back ready to play [Wednesday].”