Coming up short on the sweep

The bullpen finally ran out of gas.

For a moment, it looked like the Royals would complete the sweep. They had gotten three home runs from their offense and Vinnie Pasquantino broke out in a big way, going 4-5 with one of those dingers. Michael Wacha put together six strong innings in a start where the Royals needed some length. And the Guardians were still scuffling, as they had all series.

Then the bottom of the seventh happened.

With the Royals leading 5-2 at that point, Bo Naylor opened the frame by barreling a first-pitch center-cut fastball for a home run. With the lineup flipped for a fourth time, back-to-back singles from Steven Kwan and Andrés Giménez chased Wacha. Manager Matt Quatraro, recognizing that this situation represented probably the highest-leverage moment of the game, summoned his best reliever, Lucas Erceg.

It just didn’t work. Three singles and three outs later, the Guardians had plated four. They would tack on another run in the eighth for the final 7-5 margin.

There would be no sweep.

As disappointing as the loss was, I think it’s important to keep the Cleveland series in perspective.

From Anne Rogers, I thought this statement from Royals manager Matt Quatraro was damn near perfect:

“Every time we play a series, we want to win the series. That was a good step forward for us to win it. When you get the first three, you want to win the fourth. It’s disappointing today, but by no means should that put a damper on what these guys accomplished. And it’s a race. We’re going to [go] back and forth.”

It would be super-easy to second-guess the decisions Quatraro made in the seventh, but really, what could’ve been done differently? The Royals bullpen was absolutely shot from the previous three games where they couldn’t get five innings from a starter. They needed Wacha to go as deep as possible. After requiring 27 pitches to navigate the first, he had put together a couple of quick innings and was at 91 pitches entering the frame. If the bullpen had been fully stocked, there’s no way Wacha would’ve been out there for the seventh.

With two runners on in a game where the Royals had a two-run lead, it was an easy call to bring in Erceg in that situation. While it wasn’t a save situation, as noted above, it was a moment of…let’s call it extreme leverage. Erceg is the best and most reliable arm in that bullpen. In five of his 11 outings since joining the Royals, he had dealt with multiple inherited runners. Eleven of them overall. He hadn’t allowed a single one to score.

That streak came to an end.

In my opinion, Quatraro got the process correct. He rode his starter as long as he could. He brought in his best reliever in a tight situation he had navigated myriad times previously. It could’ve worked. You can argue it should’ve worked.

This time it didn’t.

This is what the bullpen had been through the previous two days:

Carlos Hernández - 44 pitches on Tuesday
James McArthur - 16 pitches on Monday, 22 pitches on Tuesday
Sam Long - 26 pitches on Monday, 12 pitches on Tuesday
Daniel Lynch IV - 34 pitches on Monday
John Schreiber - 15 pitches on Monday, 15 pitches on Tuesday
Kris Bubic - 19 pitches on Monday
Lucas Erceg - 14 pitches on Monday
Chris Stratton - 7 pitches on Tuesday

The workload meant Hernández, McArthur, Long and Schreiber were all unavailable.

Quatraro didn’t want to use Lynch because he’s just kind of getting used to a role in the bullpen. OK…I understand that. Give a guy like that a clean inning. Maybe he could’ve come out to start the seventh instead of Wacha. I get the workload concerns too, after throwing three innings two days prior.

The Royals are still being cautious with Bubic and wanted to avoid using him after having him go back-to-back on Sunday and Monday. Quatraro said he could’ve pitched if the Royals held a late lead. He’s another guy who could’ve thrown to open the seventh.

If I’m going to find fault with anything, I think it’s here. Bubic is returning from Tommy John surgery and has developed into a trusted option out of the bullpen. Maybe he should’ve gotten the ball to start the seventh. Yes, it makes sense for the Royals to be cautious with his workload, but Bubic has to be able to go in that situation. Although if Bubic had covered the seventh and gone three up and three down, that would’ve left the next reliever to face José Ramírez and Josh Naylor to open the eighth. That could’ve been Erceg, I suppose. Then you have the ninth.

There just weren’t a ton of palatable options for Quatraro.

Stratton was available, but he’s not someone you want protecting a late, narrow lead. Steven Cruz was called up to take the place of Michael Lorenzen, who landed on the 15-day IL with a hamstring strain, but I’m not sure I like him in that spot either. Again, I’m discussing these as possibilities to open the seventh. Not to come in with two runners on. Because once a run had come across and those runners were on base, Erceg was absolutely the correct call.

We can go around and around on the bullpen usage. One last note on that. I think the game plan was for Wacha to get through the seventh. Bubic was to cover the eighth with the dangerous Ramírez and Naylor. Erceg would close out the game—and the sweep—in the ninth.

Doesn’t that make sense? At least on the internet?

While this game has the feel of an opportunity lost, in the big picture and as Quatraro alluded to above, this was a wildly successful series for the Royals. They won three of four games, ultimately shaving two games of the Guardians’ lead in the division. They own the season series, which means if these two teams are tied for the best record in the Central after game 162, the Royals will be crowned division winners. And they served notice they are legitimate contenders for that title.

In this 20-game stretch that started last weekend, the Royals have played seven games and stand at 4-3. That’s a very solid start. Encouraging.

Next, the Royals head to Houston for a four-game set. Here are the pitching matchups:

Thu - Brady Singer (9-9, 3.38) vs. Hunter Brown (11-7, 3.72)
Fri - Seth Lugo (14-8, 3.19) vs. Framber Valdez (13-6, 3.27)
Sat - Cole Ragans (10-8, 3.28) vs. Yusei Kikuchi (6-9, 4.39)
Sun - TBA vs. Ronel Blanco (9-6, 3.14)

Sunday is Lorenzen’s spot in the rotation and I would bet that will be taken by Alec Marsh.

The schedule is relentless. The Royals will continue to need length from their top three starters. They have to give the bullpen a break.

Let’s close with a look at the races. First, the AL Central.

Yeah, it could’ve been flipped with the Royals on top, but still…I’ll absolutely take being a game out with another series against these Guardians remaining.

And then the Wild Card:

The Royals have built a cushion between themselves and the Twins, who are once again reeling. I remain unconvinced in the quality of the Red Sox. The Mariners are included here as a courtesy, I suppose. The Tigers are back in the mix thanks to a four-game sweep of the White Sox which has been followed by back-to-back wins over the Angels. The good teams beat the bad ones, so maybe the Tigers can make a move? They have the Red Sox as their next opponent.

September is shaping up to be wild.