Beatdown

Another game against the Yankees. Another loss.

I’m fairly certain I’ve used the headline before. Likely multiple times from 2021 to 2023. I think it says something that this is the first time I’ve even thought about a game from the Royals in this manner all season.

The Royals lost to the Yankees again on Tuesday. This time, it was by a score of 10-1. Yes, it was a beatdown.

There are going to be games like this. What’s kind of unique about the 2024 Royals is that games like this haven’t happened often. Hardly at all, in fact. Tuesday was just the fifth time all season they’ve lost by five runs or more. The last time they suffered a defeat almost this bad was about a month ago when they lost to the Angels by a score of 9-3. Overall, they are 14-5 in games decided by five runs or more.

It’s an ugly loss, but that doesn’t change what’s happened up to this point. The Royals are still a good team.

With everyone clamoring for the Royals to find some help for a beleaguered bullpen, it was an amazing moment at The K as the newest pitching prospect made his major league debut. Here’s his scouting report from Baseball America that was published just prior to the draft in 2017 where he was rated as the number 27 prospect available:

The legend of Nick Pratto began at the 2011 Little League World Series, when he hit a walkoff single to give California a 2-1 victory over Japan in the championship game. Pratto's legend has only grown since; as a legitimate two-way performer he starred for the 18U National Team in each of the two summers prior to his senior year. On the mound, Pratto attacks hitters with an upper 80s fastball that can reach as high as 91. He's able to pound the strike zone and locate his fastball to both sides of the plate. His best offspeed pitch for the next level is his filthy changeup, which shows plus fade and was an out pitch for him on the showcase circuit. Pratto also throws a three-quarter breaking ball that shows promising shape and spin but is a below-average pitch at present. Pratto's future, however, is in the batter's box.

That fastball has lost a little gas since the draft. Baseball Savant had Pratto throwing mostly sliders, but I’m going to say those were four-seamers for the most part. It did look like he threw a few changeups. Overall, he looked plenty comfortable on the mound.

Pratto got two whiffs and finished with a 33 percent CSW%, which is pretty damn good for a position player pitching. Even if he was once a legit two-way player.

Check out this rip from Giancarlo Stanton.

I can feel the breeze from this GIF.

If I’m writing about a position player pitching (which, for me, the novelty wore off long ago), you know the game went completely sideways. And on Tuesday, there was little to write about. It was just an old-fashioned beatdown. The type the Yankees used to administer to the Royals at The K in the late 90s. Appropriate for that throwback theme the Royals are promoting this series.

Brady Singer got knocked around. The second tough start in a row for him, coming back from the bug that caused him to miss a start a couple of weeks ago. Don’t look now, but the Royals starters not named Cole Ragans are having a rough month of June. In nine starts this month, they’re posting a 6.70 ERA. That’s…not good.

There is a glimmer of optimism to be found behind the numbers. They’ve been getting BABIP’d to the tune of .343 and their strand rate is an abysmal 62 percent. Part of this can be attributed to coming up against some rather stalwart offenses such as the Guardians and these damn Yankees. Another part can likely be ascribed to that inevitable bugaboo of regressing to the mean. And then there’s the fact that someone like Singer just hasn’t brought much to his two outings this month.

On Tuesday, Singer relied on his trusty ole sinker/slider combo. According to Baseball Savant, he threw just four four-seamers and six changeups. There were likely a few sweepers mixed in with his classified sliders, but looking at the data at Savant, I’d guess he threw that particular pitch five or six times. As much as I hate to project how a player is feeling I’ll dare to say Singer is back to not trusting his pitches beyond that sinker and slider. And when he’s missing location while leaning on those two pitches, it’s going to be an exasperating evening.

Then you have a team like the Yankees, which again, is some type of offensive cheat code. People have been wondering how they’ve been winning all season while missing Garrett Cole and I just look up and down their lineup. Soto. Judge. Stanton. These guys are cartoon characters who happen to play baseball. (Yes, I know Stanton is past his peak, but did you see what he did to a baseball in the seventh inning last night?)

Central Issues

Nationals 5, Tigers 4 - 10 innings

The Nationals scored their runs in a variety of ways, including a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly on a foul pop out. Along with a garden variety sac fly that tied the game in the eighth. The Tigers plated all four of their runs on a bases-loaded little league home run from Reily Greene. I don’t know why I watched the Royals on Tuesday, this game seemed more fun. The Nats scored their Manfred Man in the 10th on yes—a passed ball and a sac fly.

Guardians 5, Reds 3

I feel like I should know this, but is the Battle of Ohio anything like the Showme Showdown? Or whatever we call it when the Royals and Cardinals meet? The Reds used seven pitchers. Steven Kwan hit two doubles and drove in two. Josh Naylor homered and drove in three.

Rockies 5, Twins 4

Pitcher’s duel through five as Cal Quantrill and Louie Varland traded zeros. The offensive joy was found once the teams went to their bullpens. Caleb Thielbar, first out for the Twins faced four batters in the sixth, didn’t record an out and all four came around to score. Three of the runs were courtesy of an Ezequiel Tovar home run.

White Sox 3, Mariners 4

At least the Hapless White Sox didn’t blow the lead in the eighth, like the night before. They blew the lead in the seventh. Progress? A Cal Raleigh double that plated two off reliever John Brebbia was the difference.

The playoff odds report from FanGraphs features some kind of battle between the Royals and the Twins.

That’s not entirely accurate to call it a “battle.” Thanks to Commissioner Manfred and his expanded playoffs, both teams have a better than 50 percent chance of qualifying.