Mike Matheny Says Royals ‘Let It Slip Away’ Against Mariners

The Kansas City Royals experienced a little bit of everything on Saturday night against the Seattle Mariners. Some lackluster starting pitching, a mini offensive explosion and even a blown lead by a normally trustworthy bullpen all made up what was one of the more eventful games the team had played in all year long, but it ended in a loss.

To kick things off, starter Kris Bubic only made it through two innings. In those innings, the lefty threw a staggering 64 pitches and allowed seven hits. The Mariners scored five runs off Bubic, whose ERA now sits at an astronomical 14.14 on the year. The Royals had to go to their bullpen early and often in the contest and afterward, manager Mike Matheny talked about the team being put in such a predicament.

"We had to use everybody," Matheny said. "It wasn't ideal. Every time we throw our starters out there, we're expecting them to take us deep into the game. Fastball location wasn't there, the breaking ball — didn't have a good feel for it. It's going to be a long day."

Despite being one of the worst offensive teams in all of baseball this season, the Royals were able to battle back and even take a late lead against the Mariners. Following a few runs being traded by both sides, Kansas City struck for three tacked on the board in the top of the seventh inning. Their 7-6 advantage wouldn't last long, however, as six eighth-inning runs by the home team ultimately led to a blowout Seattle win.

To add injury to the insult, catcher Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch in that otherwise positive top of the seventh for the Royals. The good news is that Perez avoided major injury, but nothing else came about for his club once he left the game. Relief pitcher Jake Brentz surrendered four walks and five runs in a third of an inning of relief, and Dylan Coleman was charged with another as he cleaned up. Once the score got to 13-7, the damage was more than done. Matheny spoke about how difficult the loss was to swallow.

"Tough loss after you watched the guys fight," Matheny said. "We've been talking about that. If we get down, try to figure out a way to get us back into it. So they fought really well to get us back and give us a lead. To give that up usually takes a little more out of you, knowing that we just kind of need one of those games to where if we are down, we come back, we take it and we keep it. Unfortunately, we let it slip away."

The poor pitching performance isn't surprising from a starter standpoint, but the Royals' bullpen had been one of the best in all of baseball before Saturday's debacle. That, combined with the seventh-inning offensive surge, made for a pair of uncharacteristic developments by this version of the Royals. The hope for the club is that the good one — bats waking up — can possibly prove to be more than just a fluke.

Heading into the final game of the Mariners series, the Royals are 20th or worse in multiple major statistical hitting categories. This includes bottom-five marks in home runs (26th), OBP, OPS and runs scored (all 28th). A combination of unexpected slumps and shortcomings has contributed to an underwhelming lineup, but there were plenty of positives on Saturday. Matheny hopes that this can serve as a turning point moving forward.

"We had some guys put together some really good at-bats today," Matheny said. "Benny (Andrew Benintendi), Bobby (Witt Jr.). They fought, and that's the first step. We've just got to be able to finish it and put it away."