Despite five blown saves and a ballooning ERA, the Royals are doubling down on their closer.
Kansas City Royals closer Lucas Erceg didn't have much of an explanation after blowing another save Saturday afternoon in Arlington.
"I've been terrible lately," Erceg admitted, via Anne Rogers of MLB.com. "Kind of just trying to search for some answers."
The numbers support his frustration. Erceg has allowed eight runs over his last three appearances, watched his ERA climb to 6.33 and now owns five blown saves this season. His latest outing was arguably the most painful. The Royals rallied from an early deficit, scored six unanswered runs and handed him a two-run lead in the ninth inning against Texas. Four singles, a home run and no outs later, the Rangers had walked off with a 7-6 victory.
Despite the results, Kansas City has shown no indication that a change is coming.
For a team already dealing with injuries throughout its bullpen, the Royals continue to view Erceg as their best option to handle the ninth inning. Carlos Estévez, Matt Strahm and Nick Mears are all sidelined, leaving manager Matt Quatraro with fewer established high-leverage choices than expected entering the season.
That reality helps explain why the organization's confidence in Erceg remains largely unchanged.
"We've seen him at his best with us," Quatraro told reporters, per Jaylon Thompson of The Kansas City Star. "And he's a competitor."
The Royals are not ignoring the struggles. In fact, both Erceg and the coaching staff seem to understand exactly where many of the problems are beginning.
According to Thompson, Erceg recently received data from the coaching staff showing the dramatic difference between pitching ahead and pitching behind in counts. Erceg said hitters are batting roughly .300 when he falls behind 1-0 compared to around .100 when he gets ahead.
"So it's pretty cut and dry what my No. 1 job is," Erceg said, via Thompson. "And we're not doing that right now."
Erceg's velocity has largely remained intact. Instead, command and pitch effectiveness appear to be the bigger concerns. His chase rates and whiff rates have dropped significantly compared to previous seasons, while both his sinker and slider have become less effective at generating swings and misses.
Rookie catcher Carter Jensen, whose diving catch in foul territory helped preserve Kansas City's lead moments before the collapse Saturday, immediately backed his closer afterward.
"We still, as a team, we back Erceg," Jensen told reporters, according to Thompson. "We know how good he is. Little rough stretch, everybody goes through it. And we're confident he is going to be just fine."
It's understandable for the Royals to have some patience with Erceg, who had such a pivotal role in their 2024 postseason run. Whether he repays that patience with results is still to be seen.
Erceg will look to get back on track as the calendar turns to June, with the Royals opening with a three-game set against the Cincinnati Reds. Luinder Avila will toe the rubber for Kansas City, as the Reds counter with Chase Burns.
