The Royals have once again hit their low water mark on the season as they are 26 games below 500. They are now on pace to finish the season 47-115
Jordan Lyles is still winless and the Royals have not won a game he has started this season. Lyles’ record is 0-10 and the Royals when he takes the mound is 0-13.
Lyles is the worst pitcher in baseball. He has started thirteen games and the team has not won any of them. Part of Lyles’ problem is the long ball. Lyles leads all of the MLB in home runs given up and that was a problem again in this start.
In the third inning, Lyles walked Garrett Hampson and allowed a single right back up the middle. Then with two outs in the inning, he threw an 85-mile-an-hour change up down the heart of the plate. Sanchez slammed the ball 445 feet into center field.
Lyles simply does not do anything well. He has a well below-average fastball velocity and a below-average spin rate. He does not trick opposing batters with location leading to a horrendous percentage of whiff rate, strikeout and barrel rate. Lyles’ only value to Kansas City is his ability to eat innings.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro said eating innings has been his most valuable trait.
“He has had several starts like that this year where he has gone deep into games and that is something that he has always done,” Quataro said. “He throws a lot of innings and he’s durable.”
Lyles was able to make it into the eighth inning before being pulled. After back-to-back singles to start the inning Kansas City brought in Jose Cuas. Cuas gave up a double to Bryan De La Cruz and a single to Sanchez to make the score 6-1. Five of those uns would be charged to Lyles.
With the number of injuries at the starting pitching position and the lack of significant depth at the position
The Royals’ offense did not help him much with the only run by the Royals being scored in the top of the third inning. Mikael Garcia singled to center field and was moved to second base on a Jackie Bradley Jr. ground out. Nick Pratto lined into left field and with good base running Garcia scored.
The Royals have Thursday off before heading to Baltimore for a three-game series against the Orioles.
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