Kansas City Royals Series Grades: First Win Of 2017 Comes Against Astros
By Ben Almquist
Kansas City Royals Series Grades
Player Spotlights
It wouldn’t be fair to let the performance of the Kansas City Royals as a whole overshadow individual efforts. This was a solid series for the Royals, and a lot of the individual performances reflect that. However, there were some players who went above and beyond in this three game set.
B+. 4/14 (.286), 4 R, 3 RBI, 3 HR, 4 SO. C. Kansas City Royals. SALVADOR PEREZ
It would be easy to look at the three home runs (four in the last four games) and just slap an “A” on Savlador Perez for the series. However, four strikeouts has to be weighted here. Perez was productive for the Royals, but it could have been better. It was still a very strong showing for Salvy though.
A. 5/13 (.385), 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 BB. LF. Kansas City Royals. ALEX GORDON
It was a great weekend for Alex Gordon. He hit the ball well, got on base, and drove in runs. The fact that he was doing that as the lead off hitter is especially impressive. The first batter in the lineup doesn’t tend to get a ton of opportunities to drive in runs. Gordon also had an excellent outfield assist, another area that he has excelled in.
B. 7 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 8 H, 2 BB, 3 SO. SP. Kansas City Royals. DANNY DUFFY
Another solid outing for Danny Duffy, but this time he would get the “W”. Duffy wasn’t quite dominant in this one, but he pitched a strong seven innings that took pressure off a maligned bullpen. This is what the Royals need from their ace this year.
F. .2 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 H, 3 BB, 0 SO. RP. Kansas City Royals. MATT STRAHM
Another loss for reliever Matt Strahm, and once again it was on the back of awful pitching. Strahm walked in the winning run for the Astros with the bases loaded in the 12th inning. There is just no excuse for that. It is quickly becoming apparent that the Royals won’t be able to rely on Strahm to get through important innings this year.
Next: Kansas City Royals: 10 Bold Predictions For 2017
It was a solid series for the Kansas City Royals. They finally got a much needed win, not to mention a series win. Beating a talented team like the Astros on the road is a very good showing for Kansas City. The Royals need to build on this with their home opening series. If KC can string together a couple more solid series, they will put themselves in a strong position.