Kansas City Royals: Back end of bullpen finding its form in early May

The Kansas City Royals’ bullpen hasn’t been great this year, but the back end of the pen has improved and is becoming a solid unit. Could the Royals have their new three-headed monster?

What made the Kansas City Royals so dominant in 2014 and 2015 was their stout bullpen. Even more so was their seventh, eighth, and ninth inning pitchers who were nearly untouchable.

While I’m certainly not comparing the current bullpen to one of the best group of relievers we’ll probably ever see, the back end of the pen this year look so much better than what we were witnessing in the first few weeks of the season.

In Friday night’s 5-1 victory against the Philadelphia Phillies, Royals fans could have possibly seen the seventh-eighth-ninth guys for the rest of the season (depending on the trade deadline, of course). Scott Barlow handled both the sixth and seventh inning, Jake Diekman pitched the eighth inning, and Ian Kennedy closed things out even though it wasn’t a save situation.

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Barlow in particular stood out, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out six straight batters. He entered the game with two guys on base and zero outs, but got out of the sixth inning without any damage. He also pitched a clean seventh inning as well, showing that he’s got the chops to be a reliable reliever in Kansas City.

Jake Diekman had a rough start to 2019 (but then again – what Royals reliever didn’t?) and he’s more than made up for it now. He threw a scoreless eighth inning on Friday night and currently has a 2.81 ERA.

Last, but not least, Ian Kennedy stepped in to close things out. Kennedy’s move to the bullpen has worked out well to this point and while his contract will still likely go down as one of the worst in franchise history, at least he’s doing what’s asked of him in 2019.

While it’d be great to see these three become a reliable trio late in games, Royals fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for this long-term. Barlow is signed through 2025, but Diekman was only signed to a one-year deal and Kennedy is slated to be a free agent in 2021.

Assuming he continues to pitch this well, Diekman will surely be a trade candidate come July. Hell, Kennedy could even be looked at by teams due to his newfound talent as a reliever. Contending teams are desperate for relievers and even though Kennedy is expensive, someone might be willing to overpay for his services.

The Kansas City Royals bullpen looks much better recently and if these three pitchers continue to perform well, we might not have to be as nervous late in games.