A Split of a Week Is Progress for the Royals
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It wasn’t a losing week for the Kansas City Royals. With that said, it wasn’t a winning one either. The Royals lost two of three against the San Francisco Giants before winning two of three against the Oakland Athletics.
The Royals lost the first two games in their set against San Francisco before taking the last outing. That was parlayed into a three-game winning streak before the club dropped the final game of its series in Oakland on Sunday. As usual with the 2022 Royals, it was an up and down week of baseball. Let’s dive into some of the top stories from the past week.
At the beginning of every week, 'Mondays with Mark' will dive into the latest developments with the Royals. Have something you want to be discussed? Let Mark know on Twitter @MarkTheOverseer or find Inside the Royals @InsideRoyals.
Royals' starting pitchers bounce back
Jun 6, 2022; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch (52) delivers a pitch against the Toronto Blue Jays in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals' starting pitchers looked good overall this past week, as there wasn’t a single game in which one gave up more than three runs. Brady Singer struggled with command in his first outing, but he still pushed his way through to a no-decision. He didn’t walk anyone in his second start, yet he took the loss since the offense couldn’t get going. The standout performance of the week belonged to Daniel Lynch (more on him below).
Daniel Lynch strikes out 10
Lynch once again showed why the Royals think he can be an elite pitcher at the highest level. He struck out a career-high 10 batters in five innings on Friday while only allowing just one run. Lynch, like many of the Royals pitchers, has had a bit of a roller-coaster of a 2022 campaign. It’s hard to say what his next start will look like, so it's important to recognize the special ones when they come along.
Salvador Perez hits 10th home run
Salvador Perez hit his 10th home run of the season on Saturday. Perez, who tied for the MLB lead in home runs at the end of the 2021 season, hasn’t started 2022 by belting bombs as he did in the year prior. There is still plenty of season left, however, and there's a chance that Perez will continue to heat up as the summer does.
Rookie watch
Jun 19, 2022; Oakland, California, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder MJ Melendez (1) hits a double against the Oakland Athletics during the fifth inning at RingCentral Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports
Bobby Witt Jr. and MJ Melendez continue to start consistently, and everyone is keeping tabs on what the young players of the future are doing. Witt Jr. collected five hits this past week, with just one of them being for extra bases. He also struck out 10 times and didn’t take a single walk. He’ll need to improve that strikeout-to-walk ratio as the season progresses.
Melendez has been much better about his approach to the plate. This past week alone, he only collected three hits but he walked seven times while adding only four strikeouts. Both the Royals and their fans will undoubtedly be keeping an eye on their young franchise cornerstones as the 2022 season reaches its halfway point soon.
Barlow looking dominant
Scott Barlow has been downright brilliant at the end of games as of late. In three appearances this past week, he didn’t allow a hit or a walk while striking out four and collecting two saves. He was also used in more than an inning in two of his three outings. It’s good to see him bringing the heat once again.
The Royals will finish up their west coast road trip with three games against the Los Angeles Angels before coming back to Kansas City to host the Athletics at The K to end the week. Their next game is slated to begin at 8:38 CST on Monday evening.
