KC Royals Need To Keep Bryce Harper Cool

The KC Royals finally got another win yesterday after what seemed like an eternity. What do they need to do to keep the Nationals at bay?

The KC Royals finally did something they’ve been struggling to do on Sunday: hit with runners in scoring position.

They went 3-9 in that category on Sunday after being hit-less in that situation for a long stretch of time. They got shut out in the first two games of the series against the Mariners, but showed a little more 2015 in the win on Sunday.

Lorenzo Cain had two hits on Sunday, and his second multi-hit game in the series. It was only the third time this year that he’s had a multi-hit game.

Not only did he get hits, but he went up the middle and slapped the ball the other way. That is the Lorenzo Cain the Royals need to have at the dish. Not the ‘guessing what’s coming and soft swinging strikeout’ version of last year’s third place finisher in the MVP vote.

The Royals are 2-5 this season in games when Lorenzo Cain doesn’t have a hit. Meanwhile, they’re 11-6 in games where he has tallied a hit. It’s not surprising really, considering he’s third in the order. Not only do they win when he hits, they win when he doesn’t strike out.

Lorenzo Cain only has six games this season that haven’t seen him strikeout. In those six games, the Royals are 5-1 on the year. So they may not even need him to hit. But they definitely need him to make contact.

The entire lineup has been struggling to produce as of late, but Sunday was a much better ‘keep the line moving’ type of performance. Alcides Escobar had a three-hit game. Bloop singles fell. It was a very Royals’ performance.

How can they turn that losing streak into a winning streak? Let’s see how the match-ups shake out against the Nationals.

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