Erceg is searching for answers.
Kansas City Royals closer Lucas Erceg didn't have anywhere to hide after Tuesday night's loss in Cincinnati.
For the third time in a row, he walked into a save chance and couldn't finish the job, and this time it wasted one of the best starts any Royals pitcher has thrown all year.
"Yeah, things have been going horrible for me," Erceg said after the 4-3 extra-inning loss to the Reds. "I feel bad for the guys, because it's been a little bit of a tough season so far for us, and we expect better, and I expect better of myself."
A Dominant Start Gone to Waste
The loss hurt more because of what happened before Erceg got the ball.
Left-hander Noah Cameron was brilliant over seven innings, allowing just one hit while striking out eight and walking nobody.
The only damage off Cameron was a Spencer Steer solo home run in the fifth, and after retiring the first 13 batters he faced, Cameron tied career highs in both innings pitched and strikeouts, giving Kansas City every reason to think it had this one wrapped up.
The Royals carried a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth when Erceg came on to close.
Pinch-hitter Will Benson launched a solo home run to tie the game at three, and two walks later, Erceg got out of the inning with a strikeout but the tie was already locked in.
Blake Dunn singled in Steer in the 10th to walk it off for Cincinnati.
Erceg's Season Has Been Falling Apart
Tuesday was just the latest rough night in what has been a brutal 2026 for the 31-year-old right-hander.
Erceg has posted a 6.45 ERA with six blown saves in 17 save chances this season, and his 20-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 22.1 innings shows how much his command has slipped.
Over his last four outings alone, he has given up nine runs, and nothing about his recent work suggests a turnaround is coming soon.
It is a far cry from 2025, when Erceg posted a 2.64 ERA across 61.1 innings and looked like a dependable late-inning arm before a shoulder issue ended his season in September.
The Problem Goes Beyond the Closer
Erceg's issues are only part of a much wider collapse for a team that entered the year expecting to compete.
The Royals sit at 23-38 and are last in the AL Central, 12 games behind the Cleveland Guardians.
Their bullpen carries a 5.08 ERA that ranks near the bottom of baseball, and late-game breakdowns have piled up since opening day.
Kansas City has already put together three separate losing streaks of six or more games this season.
With Carlos Estevez and other bullpen arms on the injured list, Matt Quatraro hasn't had many choices outside of Erceg for the ninth inning, and the front office has stayed behind him even as the results have spiraled.
How long that patience lasts is anyone's guess, especially with the trade deadline on the horizon and the Royals starting to look more like sellers than contenders.
