When the Royals lost to the Chicago White Sox by a 22-1 scoreline last Friday, I briefly contemplated sending out an emergency Saturday newsletter. Instead, I decided to let it marinate.

Then, when the Royals lost 2-1 on a walkoff, when Daniel Lynch IV loaded the bases in the top of the ninth and beaned his teammate in the...beans, I briefly contemplated sending out an emergency Sunday newsletter. Instead, I decided to let it marinate.

Not even a series-salvaging victory on Sunday, a 5-4 win where the bullpen inexplicably posted five innings of shutout baseball, could brighten the mood. It was a weekend of excruciating baseball. There was nothing redeemable about it. Bad pitching? Check. Poor fundamentals? Check. Blown opportunities? Check. That's just Royals baseball in 2026. This is a bad team and, while we're barely beyond the halfway point of the season, it's clear they are playing out the string.

The knives are out for the manager. Is Matt Quatraro to blame for this insipid brand of baseball? I'm going to waffle here (queue up to take your shots in the comments) and point to injuries, general underperformance and a front office that did the manager no favors with the exercise in offseason roster construction. The Royals came into this season thinking their starting pitching depth would carry them through most of this season. Injuries and a wretched relief corps stocked with firestarters, meant that Mitch Spence wore 10 runs in the third inning on Friday. It was a bullpen game because Steven Kolek was on the paternity list. It wasn't great timing, but that's kind how this season has gone.

Quatraro isn't in a great spot. Sure, he makes some questionable in-game moves from time to time, but I don't think it's anything egregious that would swing the outcome against his team. His bullpen is rancid. His bench depth has been limited by the Royals insistence that they not use the injured list for their position players. The roster is chock full of dudes who can play multiple positions, but none of them well. It's difficult to admit that I drank the Kool-Ade and bought into this team as a contender. The Central isn't exactly a powerhouse division. It's not asking too much of a team to just be mediocre. Instead, they opted for shambolic.

I was curious as to how the Royals would respond to Friday's shellacking. Good thing they have Michael Wacha. I posted on Bluesky ahead of his start that the Royals would need nine innings from the veteran. I wasn't kidding. They got 7.2 frames of general brilliance. Thank god for Michael Wacha. In a season where everything is falling apart, we can count on him every fifth day to keep the ballgame competitive. The Royals should be able to get something decent in return if they decide to deal him at the deadline. They won't trade him. They probably should.

Bobby Witt Jr. returned for the Chicago series, serving as the designated hitter on Friday before slotting back at shortstop for the next two. He went 1-10 with a pair of walks and a sacrifice fly. It was good to see him back after spending the better part of the week alternating between the dugout and the trainer's room. When the team is careening toward a season with at least 90 losses, he remains the only reason to tune in, even when he's not 100 percent. The fact that this front office has not acted with any kind of urgency to surround Witt with a winning baseball club has been incredibly disappointing. While I understand the frustrations and the desire to hold someone accountable, if you're itching for a firing, I suggest you direct your aim at the front office.

I'm not calling for changes. Yet. I'm not sure what's stopping me. Back-to-back seasons without a playoff appearance while Bobby Witt Jr. is in the prime of his career is not a good look. Then again, JJ Picollo can only do so much if he's going to be limited by the budget. It certainly looks like last winter's stasis was the byproduct of a tight pocketbook. Maybe ownership will pour some funds into the payroll now that it appears they are going to get their new stadium. Right. John Sherman is on the ownership committee that is submitting proposals in the negotiations with the Players Association. I'm not getting too wound up on the various proposals that have been floated by ownership because they're not serious proposals. It's still early days as far as that goes.

The Royals Sunday victory was an unlikely consolation. Unlikely because it was dependent upon five shutout innings from the bullpen. How did that happen? I don't trust anyone in that pen. Sure, it's possible. It's just not probable. Not with this crew.

The Royals went 1-5 on the South Side of Chicago this year. They are 3-7 total against them in 2026. They won't meet again until the Sox pay a visit in the final week of the season. What could've been a pivotal series for both teams already has been downgraded to where the Royals could maybe play spoiler for the White Sox post-season hopes. That's where we are. It's not even July.

Central Issues

It was a busy night in the Central as every team but the Royals saw action.

Twins 5
Astros 4

The Twins built a 5-1 lead through home runs from Royce Lewis, Victor Caratini and Josh Bell to go along with a solid performance from starter Zebby Matthews. It got a bit dicey for the Twins in the ninth—we can relate—as the Astros plated three and demanded that Minnesota brought their closer Yoendres Gómez into the mix. He served up a home run before he recorded the final out.

Tigers 7
Yankees 3

Starter Casey Mize recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts over seven innings. Hao-Yu Lee and Kevin McGonigle both hit two-run singles as the Tigers broke the game open early. The Yankees have lost five in a row. You don't hate to see that.

Rangers 6
Guardians 3

A bit of a back-and-forth affair in the middle innings was put to rest by a Nicky Lopez single in the seventh that pushed the Rangers out in front for good. Justin Foscue doubled home Lopez to provide a two-run lead that the Guardians quickly cut to one when Kyle Manzardo scored on a Jakob Junis wild pitch. Foscue hit another double in the ninth, this one scoring two, to provide some insurance and the final margin of victory.

White Sox 8
Orioles 2

The Sox got back to their winning ways, breaking a two-two eighth inning deadlock on the back of a Colson Montgomery double in the eighth. Randall Grichuk singled him home to give Chicago a two run lead. They tacked on four more in the ninth. Adley Rutschman drove home both Baltimore runs on sacrifice flies, upping their Zumwalt Number. (I'll have an update later this week!)

Yes, at 15 games under .500, the Royals are the worst team in the American League. Their -70 run differential, thanks to that horrific Friday night in Chicago, is likewise the worst in the AL. Thank goodness for the Colorado Rockies, otherwise I would be writing "MLB" instead of "AL" for both of those stats. When you're at the midway point in the season and vying with the Rockies for worst in the majors in any category, your season has gone completely sideways.

Up Next

After meeting a week ago in St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Rays pay Kauffman a visit. After dropping the first two games of the series to the Royals, the Rays have reeled off five consecutive wins, including a sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks over the weekend. The Rays have not allowed more than three runs in any of those five victories. That does not bode well for a Royals offense.

Tue - RHP Griffin Jax (3-5, 3.33) vs. LHP Noah Cameron (4-5, 4.50) at 6:40 p.m.
Wed -  LHP Shane McClanahan (6-5, 3.30) vs. RHP Seth Lugo (3-5, 4.18) at 6:40 p.m.
Thu -  TBD vs. TBD at 6:40 p.m.

Thursday's game doesn't have probables listed, but it figures to be Ian Seymour against Stephen Kolek. Congrats to the Koleks on the addition to their family and welcome back to the rotation, Stephen. We missed you.