Three Up, Three Down: Groundhog Day

Two games into the season...Same as it ever was.

I didn’t go to Opening Day this year. In a small way, it feels like I still got to attend, just two days later.

That’s because about 48 hours after the Royals dropped the first game of the season by a score of 2-0, they lost the second game by the same scoreline. In pretty much the same fashion.

It was the first time in team history the Royals have been shutout in their first two games of the season. Here’s your fun fact of the day from the Royals media department:

They’re the sixth team in American League history to allow 2 runs or fewer in each of their first 2 games of a season and lose them both, following the 1972 Chicago White Sox, 1956 Cleveland Indians, 1947 Cleveland Indians, 1913 New York Yankees and 1908 Philadelphia Athletics.

That’s some…company.

The Royals, once again, seem intent on squandering any opportunities they have on offense. To recap all of them here would crush my intent of keeping this a brief dispatch.

Leading off the second, Vinnie Pasquantino saw a steady diet of curveballs in his first PA. He singled on the fourth one on a 1-2 count. After falling behind in his PA 1-2, Franmil Reyes reached on a walk to put runners on first and second with no outs. They failed to score.

Nicky Lopez opened the third with a great PA, falling behind 0-2 and not biting on any of the next four pitches out of the zone. That was followed a couple of batters later by MJ Melendez fouling off a pair of well-located curves on 2-2 before drawing a walk of his own. Pasquantino, who again saw only off-speed pitches, then walked to load the bases. Reyes, after drawing a pitch clock violation to open his AB, struck out to end the threat.

Those were their best opportunities of the afternoon.

They’re posting good plate appearances, though. After drawing five walks on Opening Day, they picked up five more. They hit the ball hard. Ultimately, they can’t come up with a big hit. Or any hit as they’ve collected just six through their first two games. On Saturday, they left eight runners on base and went 0-8 with runners in scoring position.

You can’t win if you don’t score.

Fundamentals, my friends. Fundamentals. The Twins scored in the first after Nicky Lopez couldn’t field a laser of a one-hop throw from Nate Eaton in left that would’ve been the final out of the first on Byron Buxton trying to leg out a double.

Related: I could watch Eaton try to gun down runners from the outfield all day long.

Still, there were two outs. Yet Jordan Lyles couldn’t get that final out. A walk and a single later, Minnesota had their first run.

The second run was unearned thanks to a bizarre sequence of events that saw a leadoff single from Buxton, a passed ball and a Witt brain freeze where he fielded a sharp ground ball and, instead of going to first for a sure out, threw off the mark to third. It was a poor decision from Witt. With runners on the corners and one out, pinch-hitter Kyle Farmer launched a fly ball to shallow center. It was 242 feet to be exact. Kyle Isbel didn’t seem to think Buxton would be tagging. But he was. And he scored.

Just like on Thursday, two runs were more than enough for Minnesota.

I’ll have more on Lyles later, but want to use the third note to discuss the Royals’ bullpen. Ryan Yarbrough came in behind the starter after the Witt mental miscue put runners on the corners and one out. That shallow fly ball was the only one the Twins hit out of the infield for the rest of the afternoon.

Yarbrough retired all five batters he faced, allowing plenty of weak contact. Taylor Clarke came in behind him and, just like Jose Cuas the game before, set the Twins down in the eighth by striking out the side. This is exactly what you want from your reliever.

Those elevated sliders, all kissing the black, all called strikes. Beautiful.

After Clarke, Aroldis Chapman made his Royals debut. Really, I don’t want to give much, if any, space to his exploits, but he did touch 102 MPH and did strike out the side in the ninth. If this version of Chapman is the one the Royals signed, they should absolutely be able to flip him. It’s a little early to talk trade, but you know…

The Royals close out the series tomorrow afternoon. Brad Keller will face off against Joe Ryan. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10.