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Kansas City Royals: Takeaways from April of 2019 season

By Johnathan Houser

KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 10: Kansas City Manager NedYost signals for a new pitcher in the fifth inning during a Major League Baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Kansas City Royals on April 10, 2019, at Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - APRIL 10: Kansas City Manager NedYost signals for a new pitcher in the fifth inning during a Major League Baseball game between the Seattle Mariners and the Kansas City Royals on April 10, 2019, at Kaufmann Stadium, Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Homer Bailey #21 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images)
Homer Bailey #21 of the Kansas City Royals (Photo by Steven Ryan/Getty Images) /

On the other end, Homer Bailey has been real spotty.

His 11 walks in 30 innings isn’t as bad as Keller, but he should have more control with his big league experience. What hasn’t been working for Bailey? The first two innings have been nightmares for him. He has pitched to a woeful 6.43 and 9.00 ERA in the first two innings.

Bailey has been struggling when the ball is pitched in the upper zones of the strike zone. Opponents are batting .571 (upper left) and .400 (upper right) as well as .300 and .500 in the middle top part of the plate. When he keeps the ball down, he has many swings and misses.

The Royals need both of these pitchers to pitch to their means. This means, Keller has to make adjustments so he can keep ahead of the league if he wants be leading the pitching staff before some of the Royals’ top minor league arms make appearances in the next season or two.

All the while, Royals need Bailey to keep the ball down as he smooths out his tumultuous season. If he can, he could be traded to a contender as the Royals get the potential of adding valuable minor leaguers.

While the starters haven’t been the best, the Royals bullpen was awful in April.

They have combined to throw a 5.23 ERA. Their pen as also blown eight saves in 13 tries. To their credit, they only have five saves. In essence, their pitching has been the one key factor holding them back from any kind of competitive baseball.

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