KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Frustrations are mounting for the Royals as the team dropped its seventh straight game overall, and its 10th straight at home, tying a club record it set in April 2012.
As Royals manager Ned Yost was finishing his postgame press conference following a dismal 4-1 loss to St. Louis, he was asked how he was going to hold his struggling offense accountable for another miserable (just two hits against rookie Tyler Lyons) performance.
Yost answered, "What are you asking me to do? Take my belt off and spank them? Yell at them? Scream at them? What do you want?
"These kids, every day we go through the process. We're talking constantly about approach. I understand your question. Do we need to make changes? This can't continue. Somewhere down the road, yeah, we're going to have to make some changes."
The Royals' woeful offense has hit just two home runs since May 14 – both by Miguel Tejada. To put that in perspective, Chicago Cubs pitchers have hit more home runs (three) in that span than Royals hitters.
Yes, it's that bad, as the Royals now have lost 18 of their past 22 games. In their last 14 losses, they have managed just 29 runs.
Tuesday may have been a new low. The Royals managed just two hits – both by Billy Butler -- off Lyons, who earlier this month gave up six hits and two runs to the Royals' Triple-A team in Omaha.
The Royals dropped to 21-28, and are sinking quickly toward last place in the AL Central.
"But again, it's a 162-game season," Yost said. "You look at where the Oakland A's were last season. They were at the All-Star break and totally written off and counted out. Look where they finished.
"Once this team comes together, and if it ever does, and I believe it will, we are going to be in pretty good shape. Right now, you got to continue to let them grow. Are changes coming if this continues? Yeah, I would imagine there would be. Yes. We can't continue this. But to grab them, shake them, yell at them, scream at them, threaten to (send) them down right now, it doesn't do the trick.
"You have to continue to stay and work hard. Hopefully, sooner or later, they're going to get it and they're going to catch fire and we're going to get going."
You can follow Jeffrey Flanagan on Twitter at @jflanagankc or email him at jeffreyflanagan6@gmail.com.
