ARLINGTON, Texas _ They reside near the top of the order for a reason. Alex Gordon is the silent warrior whose own story mirrored that of his franchise, a busted-up prospect who learned a new position, found his swing and became a star. Eric Hosmer is the face of the franchise, a genial, charismatic talent whose biggest moments always came on the grandest stage.
They are two reasons why there is a 2015 World Series championship flag hanging inside Kauffman Stadium. And yet now, in the opening moments of this season, they are two reasons why a baseball team cannot hit.
The Royals lost again on Saturday night, falling 2-1 to the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. The end came when Elvin Andrus drilled a walk-off RBI single into left field in the bottom of the ninth. The final moments did little to convey a baseball team's biggest problem.
Hosmer finished 0 for 4, another night spent pounding baseballs into the ground. Gordon was hitless in four at-bats, his batting average falling to .176. The two players represent the most alarming trouble spots for an offense that has produced just seven runs in its last 60 innings. The quiet offense has led to three straight losses in this series and nine straight defeats at the hands of the Rangers.
The Royals will attempt to avoid a four-game sweep on Sunday afternoon.
This was another loss opportunity, for seven innings the Royals were flummoxed by Rangers starter Nick Martinez, who had been relegated to Class AAA Round Rock for much of the month. The meek production rendered moot another strong start from Ian Kennedy, who allowed one run across seven innings.
Martinez was only on the mound because Rangers starter A.J. Griffin was placed on the 10-day disabled list Friday after complications from gout, a form of inflammatory arthritis that had weakened his ankle. The Rangers needed a starter on short notice, so they turned to Martinez, a 26-year-old with a 4.77 ERA in 50 career major-league starts.
Five days earlier, Martinez had allowed five earned runs in four innings while starting against the Iowa Cubs in Des Moines, Iowa. On Saturday, he opened the evening by retiring 16 of the first 17 men he faced.
The first crack came in the top of the second, when designated hitter Brandon Moss watched a 3-2 fastball moved out of the strike zone. The walk represented the only base runner until Drew Butera blew up the no-hit bid with a sharp single to left field in the sixth.
Butera advanced to second on a slow chopper Alex Gordon. Moments later, Mike Moustakas pounced on a 1-0 changeup and tied the score at 1 with an RBI single to center field.
The Royals had an opportunity to strike for more when Lorenzo Cain served a single into center field, but the inning ended when Hosmer rolled over a pitch and grounded out to second base.
Another night of paltry production forced Kennedy into a bind. He performed admirably, allowing just one run in seven innings.
Kennedy surrendered the first run of the game in the second, when Rangers first baseman Mike Napoli took a hack at a 93 mph fastball that stayed in the zone. The baseball jumped off the bat and soared toward the corner in right field. It cleared the fence by a matter of inches, an opposite-field shot that traveled just 353 feet.
Kennedy responded by retiring seven straight in the middle innings. He maneuvered around a single, a throwing error on a pick-off attempt, and a walk in the bottom of the sixth.
The pivotal out came when Kennedy struck out Napoli on three pitches to record the second out of the inning. He ended the threat by inducing a foul pop to first base from Rougned Odor.
When his night was over, Kennedy had tossed at least seven innings for a second straight game and lowered his ERA to 2.08. Armed with a potent four-seam fastball and a changeup generating whiffs at a high clip, Kennedy has yielded just three earned runs in 21 innings across three starts. In 26 innings, he has surrendered just one home run.
For the starting rotation, the numbers are mostly all good. The success is not translating to wins.
