Missed chances, bad luck put end to lopsided series

MINNEAPOLIS -- Fresh off a 7-4 homestand and a win against the first-place Dodgers, the Royals felt optimistic heading into Minnesota this week for a series against the Twins. Adding to the enthusiasm, rookie Vinnie Pasquantino was named the American League Player of the Week.

Pasquantino kept his streak going, but Kansas City repeatedly struggled to find the big hit in Minnesota and the Royals were swept in three games after Wednesday’s 4-0 loss at Target Field.

“We’ve been playing really well and didn’t show it here,” manager Mike Matheny said. “Just didn’t have all the pieces that we wanted, whether it was defense or whether it was the timely hitting. But still, I want the guys remembering and continuing some of that feel we left home with, realizing that’s the team we are and you’re going to have series like this where you just can’t quite put it together.”

Pasquantino picked up two more hits on Wednesday, extending his hitting streak to nine games. The rookie first baseman has hit .469 with five homers and eight RBIs during the streak. He followed up his award announcement on Monday with a two-run homer in the first inning, but the Royals didn’t score again in the series, ultimately being outscored 17-2.

“It would be nice to be able to get on base and try to use some speed,” Matheny said. “We just couldn’t get many guys on base, at least the guys that can run to where we can put pressure on. Just the whole series, it was just kind of station to station, which isn’t necessarily how we want to play.”

Kansas City had its chances but went 1-for-21 with runners in scoring position in the series. It left 19 men on base.

Wednesday was more of the same. Salvador Perez and Pasquantino each singled with one out in the fourth inning but were left stranded. The two also started the seventh with singles and didn’t advance any further.

“Yeah, we had some chances,” Perez said. “We didn’t produce.”

Perez later added: “I think it’s bad luck. We hit the ball hard sometimes.”

Adding to the tough series, Kansas City committed three errors leading to six unearned runs, making it hard to recover from an early deficit.

Starter Daniel Lynch allowed a two-run homer in the first, and Minnesota also scored runs in the second and fourth innings. But Lynch settled in and retired the final seven batters he faced, all during their third time through the order.

He allowed just five hits and one walk, giving up four runs -- three earned -- in six innings.

“I felt like I kept us in the game there, gave us a chance,” Lynch said. “I didn’t think it was my best stuff. I thought it was pretty lackluster stuff. But as I get older and continue to progress and improve, I kind of want that to be when my stuff’s not good, that’s the outing I want to look like; get deeper in the game, save the bullpen and still give us a chance.”

Lynch’s season started with some shaky outings, as he's surrendered 50 runs (47 earned) in his 19 starts this year with 16 of those coming in the first inning. But entering Wednesday, he had allowed just one first-inning run over his previous nine starts.

He said he’s not worried about the tough starts he'd had thanks to his recent run, but acknowledged that he “came out a little flat” on Wednesday.

“We’ve been playing really good baseball and we’ve been winning a lot of games, not losing three in a row and doing a good job,” Lynch said. “I think if I go out there and give us five or six scoreless there, that maybe gives us the boost we need. But I kind of gave them a little momentum early. So, I’ll take the blame for that one. But I think we’re going to go out there and flush it and be confident we’re going to win a game tomorrow.”