The Royals have hit the skids while the Cleveland Indians go on a power play; Aroldis Chapman fills up on dessert; Gary Carter honored in Montreal; Major League Baseball in Blighty?Royals humbledThis was supposed to be the breakout seaso...
The Royals have hit the skids while the Cleveland Indians go on a power play; Aroldis Chapman fills up on dessert; Gary Carter honored in Montreal; Major League Baseball in Blighty?Royals humbledThis was supposed to be the breakout season that fans in Kansas City had been waiting forever for, and for the first 27 games of the season, that prospect seemed like a distinct possibility. However, after a 17-10 start, their best early effort in recent history, the upstart Royals have faltered, winning just four of their previous 16 games. Whether or not this is just a bump in the road for a young KC team ready to rip it up is a question that will need more time to answer, but for now, the Royals have reverted to their doormat status, most recently dropping four straight one-run games, including a sweep at the hands of the Oakland A's and a loss to the lowly Astros. Veteran outfielder Jeff Francoeur told mlb.com:"At Spring Training, Ned [manager Yost] said you're going to hit a couple of rough patches. This is obviously our first big rough patch. The key is to get out of it as fast as we can as a team offensively."Frenchy has been an enigma since his Atlanta days, regularly posting some ungodly on base percentages - he's at .264, which will surprise no one. More frustrating to watch has been their youthful tandem of Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas, who lie at the core of an offense that's shaking at the knees, struggling to put up runs. Moustakas has been seen as a can't miss player for some time, but that's all he's been doing lately - his sub-.200 batting average has plummeted nearly 50 points in just 12 days thanks to an extended slump. It's something the Royals' face-of-the-franchise and fellow third baseman George Brett knows a thing or two about. "We all know what he's capable of doing," the Royals Hall-of-Famer told the Kansas City Star. "But I just think he has to relax, see the ball and hit it. Breathe, smile, have fun. The game's no fun when you're on a one for 34."The Kansas City Star points out that Brett struggled as a young prospect, taking a .205 average into the All-Star break before coming around in the second half of the season, something that Moustakas can take solace in, even if the 23-year old has already experienced success in the Bigs, hitting 20 jacks last season. Still, he needs to show progress sooner rather than later in order to become an anchor of KC's lineup as was expected. Meanwhile, Hosmer has just one home run in a position where power is mostly seen as mandatory - first base. As a rookie in 2011, Hosmer hit 19 homers and slugged close to .800, but that pop fizzed somewhat last season and has been non-existent this time out. There are other holes on the team - take second base for example, a position that the Royals have failed to fill adequately in at least 20 years. Chris Getz has completely fallen off the shelf since his strong start. All these struggles with the bats come in a season in which their pitching has come to fruition, with James Shields, the reclamation of Jeremy Guthrie and Ervin Santana leading the way. Even Luke Hochevar, a total bust as a starter, has found a home in the pen, and so all these Royals need to compete are a few runs. On Tuesday, they got some. Staring a second straight defeat to the Astros in the face, the Royals rallied from three runs down, busting out for seven runs in the late innings. Moustakas came through with the key hit, a bases loaded single that snapped that four-game losing streak. They had momentum, but an evening. On Wednesday the Royals were back to their losing ways, dropping yet another game to Houston, putting just a single run on the board against one of the worst pitching staff in baseball. Pitchers' mistakes wind up in the lakeThe Cleveland Indians, who came into 2013 with a new manager, a handful of new recruits and slightly higher expectations than a season ago had just suffered their latest defeat - a 9-0 beating by their AL Central rivals, the