Royals Writer Stresses Importance Of Quality Starting Pitching For 2025 Team
The Kansas City Royals are off to a bit of a slow start. They dropped two out of three in their opening series this past weekend to the Cleveland Guardians.
The American League Central should be a tightly packed division in 2025, and the Royals should have a chance to compete for the top spot. But the offense let them down this past weekend.
However, the offense wasn't the only issue. Their starting pitchers weren't as effective as usual.
Anne Rogers of MLB.com stressed the importance of starters going deep into games this year and how the rotation's struggles put stress on the bullpen.
"The Royals’ top of the rotation was not sharp this weekend and didn’t record a quality start, which is what it was known for in 2024," Rogers wrote.
"All three still kept the Royals in the game without their best stuff. But it led to the bullpen having to cover 14 innings over three games, and that’s not a recipe for success no matter how good your bullpen looks. Homers off Sam Long and Chris Stratton in the fifth and sixth on Sunday allowed the Guardians to pull away."
The rotation was the strength of the team in 2024 and should be a strength again in 2025 if they can overcome the weekend struggles. However, their top three starters didn't get the job done over the weekend.
If the struggles continue, then the Royals could be in trouble as they try to get back to the postseason and overcome their early exit last October.
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Curt Bishop is a freelance sports writer who graduated from Maryville University of St. Louis with a Bachelor of Arts degree in the field of Communication and currently writes as a contributor for various platforms covering Major League Baseball. Curt’s work includes covering trade and free agency predictions, as well as rumors and news.