The Royals wasted another quality start Saturday. It’s hurting their postseason odds

The Kansas City Royals still have postseason dreams, but their offense in clutch situations has become a nightmare.

The Royals can’t seem to produce with runners in scoring position. It’s a never-ending discussion among the fan base. Prior to Saturday’s game, the Royals entered with a major-league worst .606 OPS (on-base plus slugging) with RISP.

And the team ranked just above them —the Chicago White Sox — took advantage with a 4-1 win at Rate Field.

“The frustration comes in the fact that we lost,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Doesn’t matter what the score is. We need to find a way to cash in a couple of those opportunities, because we gave ourselves a couple of good ones but we didn’t come through.”

In the fourth inning, the Royals trailed by two runs. Maikel Garcia got aboard with a single to begin the frame. Next, Vinnie Pasquantino added his own single to set up a potential rally against White Sox starter Adrian Houser.

Both runners moved up 90 feet following a wild pitch. The Royals had a great chance to tie the game with the heart of the order at the plate.

It didn’t happen.

Salvador Perez struck out on six pitches. He worked a full count but flailed at an 85.6 mph changeup in the dirt. The pitch would’ve represented ball four and loaded the bases.

The Royals were down one out. It was still an advantageous spot with top rookie Jac Caglianone at the plate.

Caglianone has dealt with some unlucky breaks during his first week in the big leagues. He fouled off two pitches before grounding out back to Houser. The Royals baserunners failed to advance on the play.

Now, KC was down two outs. And Drew Waters represented the final chance in the fourth inning. Waters also worked a full count but was caught looking by a 93.6 mph sinker atop the strike zone.

The pitch looked a little high upon replay. Waters disagreed with home plate umpire Nick Mahrley after he was rung up, but the Royals were turned away with another scoreless frame.

“One guy is not going to make everything happen,” Pasquantino said. “You’ve got to find a way to get hits in a row and make it happen that way. And we struggled with that the past two days and we’ve got to be better. As simple as that. We’ve got to be better.”

The Royals also came up empty in the eighth inning. Perez struck out with runners on first and third base. It was his fourth strikeout of the game.

KC finished 0-for-5 with RISP and left eight men on base.

The Royals were among the best teams in the category last season. It’s now approaching a point of serious concern. The Royals have tried everything from promoting Caglianone to shifting the batting order.

Still, the offense continues to afflict them. The fourth inning was a microcosm of the 2025 season up to this point. The Royals continue to get quality starts from their pitching staff but timely hitting has hurt them all season.

KC (33-32) remains in fourth in the AL Central, more than eight games back of first-place Detroit. The Royals have the ninth best record in the American League despite ranking third in ERA.

“There is still so much confidence from everyone in here,” Pasquantino said. “I think we can all agree that we haven’t played our best baseball.”

White Sox win series outright

It’s been a while since the Royals dropped a series to the White Sox. Prior to Friday’s game, the White Sox had lost 10 consecutive games in the head-to-head matchup.

Chicago snapped the streak with a 7-2 win in the series opener. The White Sox won the series outright after Saturday’s victory.

“These two haven’t gone our way, but we just had a nice series against a really good Cardinals team and won that series,” Royals starter Michael Wacha said. “We have a really good group of guys in here that we are able to flush it and move on to the next day.”

Pasquantino scored the lone Royals run. He blasted a solo homer off Houser in the second inning. It was his team-leading 10th home run of the 2025 campaign.

The Royals recorded seven hits and drew two walks. However, the club also struck out eight times. Perez recorded four strikeouts from the fifth spot in the batting order.

Houser earned his second win with the White Sox. He owns a 1.48 ERA after posting six strikeouts in six innings.

What’s next: The Royals conclude their three-game series against the White Sox on Sunday at Rate Field. Right-hander Michael Lorenzen will draw the start. The White Sox have not announced a starter.

The Royals wasted another quality start Saturday. It’s hurting their postseason odds

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