KC Royals’ early season bullpen woes are nothing new. Just look at the 2014 team
As the bullpen’s struggles continued in the early season, the Royals’ pitching coach stressed patience while fans expressed their displeasure on social media.
Yeah, the Royals bullpen is having issues this season, but the example above is from 2014, a year remembered fondly by Royals fans.
But through the first nine games a decade ago, the Royals had a 4-5 record and the bullpen had an unsightly 5.87 ERA. The Royals had lost three games in the opposing team’s final time batting in that short span.
Wade Davis had a 5.06 ERA with two blown saves. Greg Holland’s ERA was 4.50, while Kelvin Herrera carried a 4.15 ERA.
“We want these guys to be perfect from the first day to the last day,” pitching coach Dave Eiland told the Star’s Andy McCullough that April. “But realistically, that’s not going to happen. They’re going to have their issues just like starters can have their issues.”
Royals general manager J.J. Picollo said Eiland’s words ring true today.
Even with 2 1/3 scoreless innings in a 10-1 win over the White Sox on Thursday, the Royals bullpen is last in the American League in ERA (7.00), opponent batting average (.319) and WHIP (1.78).
Three relief pitchers have unsightly ERAs: Will Smith (20.25), Nick Anderson (13.50) and James McArthur (12.00).
“I think where there’s some comfort is you’re talking about guys that have been doing it a long time and they know the ups and downs of the season,” Picollo said. “The timing’s unfortunate just because we’re getting great starts and we’ve blown some leads, but the reality is there’s gonna be blown saves. That happens. If it was younger guys that were involved, I might be a little bit more concerned.”
Ten years ago, then-Royals manager Ned Yost said the bullpen’s early struggles meant no pitcher had locked up the closer’s job.
“Right now, all the roles are open,” Yost said at the time. “Nobody has solidified their roles. And what we try to do is give guys opportunities to see if they can work themselves into the roles.”
Royals manager Matt Quatraro, however, said he has no plans to shuffle bullpen roles at this time.
“Everything gets magnified early in the season,” Quatraro said. “You’re gonna look at every team go through the year (and) blown saves are part of the game. Runs given up in the bullpen. Things will stabilize. A bullpen can be a volatile place, and the more chances we get, the better we’re going to feel.“
Quatraro and Picollo hope this year’s team can mimic the 2014 Royals. After that horrific start, that team put together 14 straight scoreless innings with 21 strikeouts during a five-game winning streak.
Herrera, Davis and Holland, all veterans in 2014, turned the corner and settled into their roles. Each finished with an ERA of 1.44 or lower and Holland saved 46 games. By Game 7 of the 2014 World Series, the trio combined to throw 5 2/3 scoreless innings of what was a 3-2 loss to the Giants.
Asking this year’s team to match the HDH success is obviously a big leap, but Picollo expects things to improve for his bullpen.
“If this was the middle of July, it’s just a tough five or six-game stretch,” Picollo said. “That’s all it is. But when it’s the beginning of the year, it can weigh on a younger player more than it would a veteran.”
