KANSAS CITY -- The pitcher on the mound looked familiar with his quick delivery and fiery competitiveness coming through with every pitch.
But this time, Brady Singer was in a red and gray uniform, shoving for the Reds against his former team in his former home ballpark.
Singer was stellar in his return to Kauffman Stadium, holding the Royals to two runs in seven innings in their 7-2 loss to the Reds on Tuesday night. Kansas City has lost four of its last five games and nine of its last 13 games and is now 1-5 in its last six series.
There were all kinds of full-circle moments on Tuesday at The K. Singer’s first pitch was to his former Florida teammate Jonathan India and the leadoff hitter the Royals acquired when they traded Singer to the Reds this past offseason. And on the mound opposite of Singer was Daniel Lynch IV, who started the Royals’ bullpen game Tuesday and was drafted the same year as Singer -- part of the college pitching-heavy 2018 Draft class.
The Royals drafted Singer at No. 18 that year, Lynch at No. 34. Jonathan Bowlan, who pitched after Lynch on Tuesday, was the Royals’ second-round pick that year.
“It was interesting,” Lynch said. “You’re not really thinking about it too much in the moment, just trying to compete. Seeing the lineup card and stuff -- got some texts today that we’re pitching against each other. He’s just the ultimate competitor. I have the utmost respect for him. It was fun to get to compete against him.”
But none of it mattered once the game got going, and the Royals lost in an all-too-familiar fashion. They managed just two runs on eight hits, marking their 47th of 56 games (83.9%) this season in which they’ve scored four runs or fewer.
There was some hard contact against Singer -- Vinnie Pasquantino hit a 114.4 mph line drive right to first baseman Spencer Steer’s glove in the fifth inning -- but “not enough to do damage,” manager Matt Quatraro said.
Frustration is mounting for this team to score more runs and break through as an offense. But India has emphasized that they have to keep focusing on their process and approach.
“Once your mind turns to, ‘I need to get these hits, I need to get two hits,’ I think it gets worse,” India said. “I think it snowballs more. So personally, I try to do my best to be the same guy every day, be a good teammate and let the chips fall where they may. I know this team’s really good, so it’s going to turn.”
While the offense struggled against Singer, the Royals’ bullpen game backfired by way of two monster home runs from Elly De La Cruz, the go-ahead blast splashing into the fountains in right-center field in the sixth inning off reliever Taylor Clarke.
A three-run eighth inning against John Schreiber, who made an errant throw to first base that actually hit Santiago Espinal’s knee, put the game away.
“Bigger misses,” Quatraro said of Schreiber. “Unusual for him -- he’s usually all around the zone. The misses seemed bigger. The tempo seemed a little bit out of whack.”
Kansas City used its entire bullpen except for its back-end relievers in Lucas Erceg and Carlos Estévez. The club is going to need some length from rookie Noah Cameron on Wednesday in the series finale, but he’s who the Royals want on the mound with his 0.93 ERA in three starts.
The Royals’ pitching staff is having an excellent year, despite some recent struggles. But it’s no secret that they’re missing their frontline starters on the injured list in Seth Lugo (third right finger sprain) and Cole Ragans (left groin strain). The Royals need those two to be healthy and back to their normal selves -- the pitchers who finished top five in American League Cy Young voting last year.
Kris Bubic has emerged as a Cy Young candidate in his own right, and Cameron has been great to begin his career. But the Royals need their rotation back at full health.
The good news is that both Lugo and Ragans are close to a return. Lugo is tracking toward a start this weekend against the Tigers, likely Friday. Ragans won’t be too far behind, with Quatraro saying on Tuesday that Ragans could return for the end of the St. Louis series next week or against the White Sox in Chicago. Ragans might need one rehab start before he returns, but his recovery is trending in the right direction.