The Kansas City Royals lost another heartbreaker Monday night. Down to a single strike to end their seven-game losing streak, they fell to the Baltimore Orioles in extra innings. The small-market team has big dreams, but another April swoon jeopardizes their 2026 season.
I’ve always tried to be an optimist when it comes to the Kansas City Royals. I’ve tried to see the light at the end of the rainbow for this team, but they aren’t making it easy.
The Royals have numerous issues. Their bats have been silent since September 2024, and their pitching staff is solid, but it can’t carry the weight of the inferior offense. Further, the bullpen has been a disaster because Lucas Erceg continues to decline.
We can blame how poorly this team has been constructed or managed by Matt Quatraro, but he may take the fall. The Royals’ struggles run much deeper. That dissection is for another article if this losing streak reaches double digits.
After last night’s loss, All-Star shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr., reacted to the Royals fans booing the players. He admitted they deserve to boo the team as the team’s record slides toward the bottom of the baseball standings.
So, what’s the fix?
Yes, Owner John Sherman could fire the manager, put general manager J.J. Picollo on notice, or exercise patience as he navigates his downtown ballpark dreams. On Wednesday morning, the Royals will announce their plans to build their new stadium at Washington Park in Downtown Kansas City.
However, if this team doesn’t make some changes somewhere within the organization, fan apathy will reach a fever pitch, and that will only make the turnaround that much more difficult.
After all, the Kansas City Chiefs will take center stage again this weekend with the NFL Draft, Rookie Camp a week later, and OTA sessions, during which football will likely surpass baseball in local media coverage.
If that narrative is going to change, the players have to change it. The Royals have more talent on their roster than most MLB teams. The problem is they don’t know it or believe it. Part of that falls on Quatraro, who comes from the Kevin Cash school of baseball, which believes in optimism and leans heavily on stats – instead of treating each game as Game Seven.
With that failing, the players need to climb out of the mess they made with the hand they’ve been dealt. The Royals can win the AL Central, but that path won’t be easy. To simplify, what’s missing in Kansas City is the fire in the belly that turns losses into wins, and that only comes from coming together, shutting out all the noise, and taking accountability.
The Royals are 5.5 games out of first place because the division is at best slightly above average. So now would be a good time to play winning baseball again.
Playing the Baltimore Orioles should have been the elixir, but Monday’s game showed that a lack of fundamentals on the base paths and a lack of urgency from the hitters with runners in scoring position are fueling the losing streak. In other words, that plate approach is to snap the streak, not to execute a productive at bat that keeps the line moving. In particular, batters aren’t reacting to the situation with their teammates on base by changing their hitting approach, and understanding the purpose of their at-bat.
The good news is that the Royals can turn this season around, despite the hole they’ve dug for themselves. All it will take is an old-fashioned approach before analytics ruined baseball. Instead, players need to make plays.
It’s really that simple.
