Kansas City Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino placed blame after another loss.
The Kansas City Royals dropped the final two games of their four-game set against the Cleveland Guardians. Kansas City missed a chance to move into first place in the American League Central.
Instead, they remain 2.5 games back, which is a frustrating outcome for a team trying to position itself for a return to the MLB postseason this year. It is still early, only May, but the Royals know how important it is to stack wins in a division that remains wide open.
In both losses, Kansas City’s offense sputtered, producing just six total runs. After Thursday’s defeat, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino was asked about the team’s struggles at the plate and the frustration of coming up short in consecutive games.
He did not sugarcoat anything. “… It starts with me, I've been [expletive] dog [expletive] with runners in scoring position,” Pasquantino said (h/t Harold R. Kuntz of FOX4 News Kansas City).
Pasquantino’s accountability reflects the type of clubhouse leader he has become, someone who sets the tone and refuses to deflect blame. And he is not wrong. His struggles have not been limited to hitting with runners in scoring position, nearly a quarter into the regular season, he simply has not looked like himself.
The 28-year-old is typically one of the most consistent first basemen in baseball, but this year he has posted a .194 batting average, .277 on-base percentage, .643 OPS, five home runs and 18 RBIs across 36 games.
He is supposed to be the best bat behind Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr., the hitter who lengthens the lineup and forces pitchers to work. Instead, he has been a liability, and his slump is a major reason the Royals sit at 17-21.
Still, there is time for a turnaround. Pasquantino has a long track record of production since debuting back in 2022, and as long as he stays healthy, he remains one of the most likely candidates on the roster to rebound. Kansas City needs that rebound badly. After all, just last year, Pasquantino played a career-high 160 games and posted a .264 batting average, .323 on-base percentage, .798 OPS, 32 home runs and 113 RBIs.
He will look to get back on track Friday when the Royals open a divisional matchup against the Detroit Tigers, a chance to reset, respond and help support a lineup that needs his bat to return to form as soon as possible.