Kansas City Royals: Bullpen off to shaky start in 2019
The Kansas City Royals bullpen was the weakest area in 2018 and so far, it hasn’t improved much in 2019, though we’re only two games into the season.
There’s still 160 games for the Kansas City Royals bullpen to step its game up, but in two games so far, it hasn’t been the prettiest of sights. They nearly blew the game on Opening Day when it took four relievers to get through the ninth inning. On Saturday, only one reliever had a rough day, but to this point, the bullpen hasn’t given us much confidence.
Ian Kennedy, who was moved from the rotation to the bullpen for the 2019 season, has been a bright spot so far. He’s pitched two scoreless innings while surrendering two hits (which both came during the nail-biter on Saturday), but so far, so good for Kennedy’s new role.
Here are all of the Royals relievers we’ve seen so far in 2019:
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- Ian Kennedy – 0.00 ERA in 2 innings, 1 save
- Brad Boxberger – 20.25 ERA in 1.1 innings, 1 save
- Jake Diekman – 6.75 ERA in 1.1 innings, 1 hold
- Tim Hill – 0.00 ERA in 0.1 innings, 1 hold
- Wily Peralta – 54.00 ERA in 0.1 innings
- Kevin McCarthy
We’ve already discussed Kennedy, so let’s look at the other four relievers we’ve gotten a glimpse at in limited action this season.
Brad Boxberger was signed to potentially fight for the closer’s job with Wily Peralta. Peralta struggled on Opening Day, being pulled after recording just one out. Boxberger eventually came in and got the Royals the victory, but his second appearance didn’t go as smoothly. He pitched the seventh inning and allowed three runs.
Jake Diekman was the opposite, struggling in the opener, but pitching a scoreless eighth inning on Saturday to bring his ERA down significantly. Diekman will hopefully be a dependable set-up man moving forward.
Tim Hill relieved Jakob Junis and it only took him one pitch to get the Royals out of the sixth inning without any further damage. He did what was asked of him and should become a reliable bullpen arm for the boys in blue down the stretch.
Kevin McCarthy was one of the four relievers we saw in the ninth inning on Thursday. He pitched, but doesn’t have an ERA because the runs who scored weren’t charged to him.
Scott Barlow, Chris Ellis, and Kyle Zimmer are the names we’ve yet to see run out from the Royals bullpen. It wouldn’t be surprising if someone were sent down to the minors once Homer Bailey is brought up this week, but hopefully Barlow, Ellis, and Zimmer get an opportunity to prove themselves soon.
dark. Next. Observations from 2019 Opening Day
The Kansas City Royals bullpen has struggled a bit so far, but the team is 2-0 and that’s the best the team can be right now! Let’s hope the struggles are just early season jitters and that this won’t be an ongoing problem throughout the season.