Can the Royals snap out of this funk?
The Kansas City Royals are searching for answers after hitting what feels like rock bottom.
Kansas City dropped Sunday's series finale against the New York Yankees 7-0, completing a three-game sweep at Yankee Stadium and extending the team's losing streak to seven games.
The Royals now sit at 7-15, the worst record in all of baseball.
After the loss, manager Matt Quatraro did not dance around the frustration that has been building inside the clubhouse.
"Everybody's frustrated," Quatraro said. "Nobody wants to have a start like this. But it is early, mid-April, and we play better baseball, that's what's in our control. If we're able to do that, we'll dig ourselves out. There's way too much talent in there. There's way too many high-character guys in there."
What Has Gone Wrong
The Royals went 0-6 on a road trip through Detroit and New York, and they have now lost 10 of their last 12 games.
Just about everything has gone sideways.
The offense ranks among the worst in the sport, hitting .219 as a team with just 71 runs scored through 22 games.
Bobby Witt Jr. has been reaching base at a good clip but still does not have a home run, while Salvador Perez is slashing just .160/.200/.291. Vinnie Pasquantino's OPS sits below .500, and the lineup has struggled to string together productive innings.
On the pitching side, ace Cole Ragans fell to 0-4 after surrendering seven runs and a career-high eight walks in Sunday's loss.
The staff carries a 4.61 ERA, which ranks 24th in baseball.
Tensions Building
The weekend in New York brought some off-field noise as well. Quatraro sat Perez on Saturday and described it as giving the catcher a "mental breather," which the 16-year veteran publicly pushed back on through social media.
The two sides smoothed things over before Sunday's game, but the back-and-forth showed just how thin the patience has worn inside the clubhouse.
The sweep was especially lopsided after Friday's opener.
New York outscored Kansas City 20-4 over the final two games, and the Royals have now dropped 11 straight against the Yankees dating back to Game 2 of the 2024 ALDS.
Finding a Way Out
Rookie Carter Jensen has been one of the few bright spots, hitting five home runs through 22 games while flashing legitimate power behind the plate.
Maikel Garcia has shown stretches of solid production too.
But the Royals need much more from their core hitters if they want to climb back into the AL Central race.
Kansas City returns home Monday to open a series against the Baltimore Orioles, starting a six-game homestand that could go a long way toward shaping how the rest of April plays out.
The talent is there on paper. The Royals just need to start showing it on the field.