KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Before Kansas City's 6-2 rain-shortened loss to Cleveland on Thursday, Royals manager Ned Yost reflected on the unavoidable but perplexing nature of hitting slumps.
He didn't know why they happened. He didn't know why they didn't. He just knew his Royals were going through one.
Yost hypothesized that too many off days have gotten Kansas City out of its offensive rhythm. After Thursday's game, he said the club had been facing good pitching through its struggles.
"It's really a strange thing," Yost said.
Trevor Bauer and the Indians continued Kansas City's offensive struggles, halting the lineup before it got revved and holding the Royals to two runs on four hits. In its last nine games, Kansas City has scored 21 total runs, including an eight-run outburst against the Cubs last weekend.
Thursday's performance marked the seventh time in the last nine games the Royals have been limited to two or fewer runs. They lost all seven games. The most recent loss -- a game called in the bottom of the eighth inning after a 44-minute rain delay -- dropped Kansas City (30-21) back into second place in the division, one game behind Minnesota.
But still, Yost has remained steady. He preached patience instead of rashness. He waited to see the offense of early April instead of the hitting of late May. He weathered the first of an assured two or three annual slumps. Yost's confidence oozed every time the same lineup appeared.
"I got so much confidence in these guys," Yost said. "I think that whatever happens, you stay steady, you stay calm and allow the boys to stay loose, stay confident. That's their natural mindset. And let them work through it. They're going to be fine. They're just too good."
In previous seasons, Yost could feel his team slipping. Disappointment would set in and frustration would boil. This year's crew avoided the emotional dip, Yost said, intensity replacing complacency.
"As long as you continue to do that, you will bounce out of those situations a lot quicker," Yost said.
Bauer made sure the Royals didn't bounce back. His only blemish came against Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City's center fielder launching a two-run homer in the third inning. The blast rebounded off the batter's eye beyond the "410" sign. It cut Cleveland's lead in half and injected life into a snoozing offense.
Then it went back to sleep.
Like it had in the previous two games, Cleveland pitching hushed Royals lumber in the game's final two-thirds. Kansas City scored six runs in the games' third innings, but zero after that. The Royals went 4 for 49 from the fourth inning on against the Indians, striking out 16 times and walking just three times.
In the last three games, Kansas City's starting pitching performed well enough to earn a victory, allowing two runs apiece in each contest. The Royals lost a pair after managing one run twice.
Chris Young, though, couldn't supply the offense with a cushion to fall back on. Young turned in his worst performance as a Royal, surrendering six runs on eight hits across five innings. His ERA jumped from 1.55 to 2.56 as he lost his second game in a row.
"They were better than me tonight," Young said. "I wish I could have kept the game closer, gave the team a chance."
Jason Kipnis, Michael Brantley and David Murphy all knocked RBI hits in the third inning to give Cleveland a 4-0 lead. After Cain closed the gap to two runs, Brandon Moss re-inserted it in the fifth inning. Moss punished a two-run home run to right field that inflated the Cleveland lead to four again.
After Moss' homer, the Royals pushed only one more player into scoring position.
You can follow Matthew DeFranks on Twitter at @MDeFranks or email him at matthew.defranks@gmail.com.
