Royals' June swoon ruins good early season vibes

For most of April and May, the Kansas City Royals were MLB's feel good story of the year. They were 36-19 on May 25 and just behind the Guardians for the AL Central lead. Terrific starting pitching and timely hitting were pushing the Royals to a level of play not seen since their World Series years nearly a decade ago. 

This weekend, the Royals were swept by the Texas Rangers, the first time they were swept in a series this season. They were shout out the last two games and scored just two runs over the course of the series. Their offensive issues have extended back farther than just the series in Texas. Over their last seven games, they've been shut out three times, and scored just 11 runs total, and that includes five in one game. 

Still, the Royals have struggled longer even than the last week. Since May 25, they are 6-18 and are nine games behind the Guardians and a game and a half behind the Twins. 

After play on May 25, all-star catcher Salvador Perez was hitting .326 with an on-base percentage of .391. He had nine home runs and 39 RBI, and was enjoying a resurgence at 34 years old. Since then, he's hitting .182 with an OBP of .273 with just two home runs and six RBI. 

From the leadoff spot, third baseman Maikel Garcia was hitting .269 with a .739 OPS on the 25th, with five homers and 33 runs batted in. Since, he's hitting .179 with a paltry .442 OPS, no homers and just six RBI, and has been moved way down the batting order.

Even young superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. has been ice cold of late. Over his last nine games, he is slumping to the tune of a .167 batting average and .467 OPS, with just one round-tripper and three RBI. 

It is extremely hard to win games when your best hitters are all struggling at the same time. The problem is a lack of depth in the batting order. After the first four batters, which has been Garcia, Witt, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and Perez, the Royals have few hitters who consistently produce positive results. If those guys aren't hitting, the Royals aren't going to score much. 

The bullpen hasn't helped either. They have a squalid ERA of 4.42 and a WHIP of 1.43. They strikeout less than seven batters per nine innings. Throw in 11 blown saves and the group hasn't successfully backed up a rotation that has been solid all year. 

The Royals once had a firm grip on at least a wild-card spot. Now they are in a pack of seven teams vying for those three spots. Their organizational depth probably isn't going to help them either, as they have no one on the farm to help the major league team or help the Royals land a significant piece in a trade. 

The Royals will probably make a couple of smaller deals, but in reality, they need to become sellers rather than buyers as the trade deadline approaches, unless they can get back on track very quickly and make up some ground they've last over the last month.