KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Thursday afternoon saw the disappointing ending to a dreadful series for the Kansas City Royals. They’d come into their homestand with an abundance of hope and optimism after a solid road trip and with their top pitching prospect set to debut.
Four games later, Cleveland had swept the Royals right out of first place in the AL Central Division. Cleveland started with three come-from-behind wins, which only added anguish for the Royals.
In the final game, the Royals were shut out for the second time this season, 4-0, in front of an announced 9,250 at Kauffman Stadium. The Royals’ record fell to 16-14 this season as their losing skid reached five games.
Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy (4-2) had allowed just two earned runs this season entering the day, but he gave up three runs in the loss.
Offensively, the Royals were held to four hits — all singles — and they went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position.
Whit Merrifield, Andrew Benintendi, Jorge Soler and Salvador Perez each had one hit for the Royals in the loss.
