The Royals took their first series of the year, taking two out of three games against the Baltimore Orioles this weekend at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City clinched the series on Sunday afternoon with a 4-1 victory.
While they collected 13 hits in the win, they only scored four runs, all coming in the first two innings. That was enough for Kris Bubic, who dominated the Orioles in 6.2 innings of work on Sunday.
The Royals’ win over the Orioles today brings their record to 4-5 on the season, putting them in second place in the AL Central behind the Detroit Tigers (who are 5-4 after their walk-off win today against the White Sox). However, they won’t have much time to savor the series win, as they start a four-game series at home against the Minnesota Twins starting tomorrow.
With another game tomorrow, let’s quickly look at the Royals’ Three-Star award winners from this past series against Baltimore.
First Star: Bobby Witt Jr. (5 H, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 K)
It was a much-needed series for Bobby at the plate as he raised his batting average from .240 before the Orioles series to .297, as of Sunday. He also raised his slugging from .320 to .514.
On Saturday, though the Royals lost 8-1, Witt hit his first home run of the season, an absolute bomb over the left field wall.
On Sunday afternoon, he was a homer away from the cycle, as he collected a triple, double, and single in his first three at-bats. Unfortunately, he was rung up in his final at-bat, and he couldn’t get another chance, thanks to the Orioles’ bullpen locking things down in the later innings. Even though he struck out in his last at-bat of the series, it was only his second strikeout of the weekend. That was a massive improvement from his first series at home against Cleveland when he struck out five times.
Additionally, Bobby provided his Gold Glove defense throughout the Orioles series. That included an incredible double play on Saturday, where he dove for a line drive and picked off Tyler O’Neill at second base to end the inning.
Even though Bobby wasn’t able to make history on Sunday, he seems to be back in the groove at the plate, and that is good news for a Royals lineup looking for more consistent run production.
Second Star: Mark Canha (3 H, 2B, 2 R, 0 BB, 0 K)
Canha didn’t get many opportunities during the Royals’ Opening Weekend series against Cleveland. He only got one at-bat, a strikeout on Opening Day against Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth. However, since the Guardians series, Canha has been on a tear.
The 36-year-old is hitting .417 for the season with a 1.116 OPS in 12 at-bats. He collected three hits in two games against the Orioles, scored two runs, and didn’t strike out. Against starter Cade Povich on Sunday, he mustered two hits and put up professional at-bats all afternoon.
Thus, it’s unsurprising that many Royals fans and analysts call for more consistent playing time for the outfielder/first baseman, especially against left-handed starting pitchers.
Considering the Royals’ struggles down in the batting order (beyond Maikel Garcia), it may make sense for Matt Quatraro to give Canha more at-bats against lefties and righties. His disciplined approach is a breath of fresh air, even if the power isn’t quite what it used to be.
Third Star: Lucas Erceg (2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 H)
Erceg is no longer the closer in Kansas City, as Carlos Estevez and his “hadoken” celebration are commanding the ninth this season.
Even though he isn’t getting the saves, Erceg has been the most important reliever for the Royals this season. Quatraro has frequently put the right-hander in high-leverage spots, regardless of the inning. Thankfully for the Royals, Erceg has come through time and time again in those situations.
Erceg has a 0.00 ERA and 0.46 WHIP in 4.2 IP for the season. He has three strikeouts and has only allowed two hits and no walks. Against the Orioles, he struck out two, both coming on Sunday against two of the Orioles’ better hitters (Heston Kjerstad and Gunnar Henderson).
Furthermore, his pitch quality, as measured by TJ Stats, looked stellar in the Orioles series finale, which is a good sign for Erceg and the Royals’ bullpen’s performance throughout the season.
Erceg may not be the best for fantasy teams, especially in leagues that only count saves as a scoring category (I have him in two, but we count holds as a category as well). In actual baseball, Erceg is the bullpen anchor this Royals team needs to return to the postseason.
Graphic Credit: Kevin O’Brien and Jared Perkins/Crown Talk Podcast