Blue Jays add to Royals’ woes
KANSAS CITY, MO
With the Kansas City Royals mired in a 10-game losing streak, personnel changes could be on the horizon.
Ricky Romero won his third straight start, Brett Lawrie stole home and drove in two runs and the Toronto Blue Jays beat Kansas City 5-3 Sunday, sending the Royals to their 10th straight loss.
The Royals have only six skids longer than 10 in franchise history. It is their longest losing streak since dropping 12 consecutive May 19-30, 2008. As the losses mount — nine of them at Kauffman Stadium on this opening 10-game homestand, manager Ned Yost said changes may be necessary.
“We’re close to getting to the point of needing to make some changes,” Yost acknowledged. “If we need to make some moves, we will, but we can’t continue with this.”
The Royals have scored three or less runs in five of their past six games and rank next-to-last in the American League with 56 runs. The starting pitchers have thrown a total of 18 innings in the past four games, none lasting more than five innings.
The Blue Jays scored four runs in the fifth to chase Royals left-hander Danny Duffy. Lawrie’s two-out single to right scored Yunel Escobar and Jose Bautista. Rajai Davis led off the inning with a double and scored on Escobar’s single. Bautista, who walked three times, singled home J.P. Arencibia with the other run.
Duffy laboured through 4 2/3 innings, throwing 113 pitches and walking five.
The Blue Jays added a run in the eighth, when Lawrie, who had walked and went to third on Arencibia’s single, pulled off a double steal. Arencibia broke for second and catcher Humberto Quintero fired to second baseman Yuniesky Betancourt. Lawrie broke for home and beat Betancourt’s throw to the plate.
The Royals, who have had one winning season since 1994, again find themselves in a deep hole to start this season.
“This is not even a hole,” Royals designated hitter Billy Butler said. “We finished 32 games under .500 (in 2009) That’s a hole.”