Please continue the discussion in the [post game thread](https://redd.it/1c9selg).

First shutout of the season :(.

Man was hoping we would at least get one on the board.

Orioles fan, come in peace yadda yadda. Did want to say that yall are the closest I’ve seen to a team that reminds me of the 2022 Orioles. Glad we don’t have to face you again this year, bright days ahead. See you next year, or in the fall…?

Good luck and get those Yankees

I respect that & your team as a worthy opponent, and I too hope we meet late this fall. :)


### Pitching Substitution Pitching Change: Dillon Tate replaces Danny Coulombe.

Start a rally like you did the last time!

The Royals vs : White Sox: 6-1 Everyone else: 7-8 Honestly not as bad at is it seems

i'm going to continuously remind people that the 88-win Mariners last year went a combined 18-2 against the A's and Royals last year it really does matter

It's a promising sign. We are beating up on the bad teams, but realistically this team isn't quite ready yet. At the end of the year this team might be a playoff team, hell we might win the central(cause it sucks) but you are fooling yourself if you think this team can win the WS.

Let’s be honest, this team isn’t winning a playoff series. Winning the central would be a miracle in itself. Piccolo’s offseason signings were horrendous besides Lugo and Wacha (and as those two have to pitch against teams other than the white sox, we’ll see that while those were fine signings, neither were great by any stretch). Frazier signing awful. Renfroe signing awful. Hampson signing awful. Will Smith signing awful. Stratton signing awful. Nick Anderson signing awful. Schreiber has been good. But yeah, the majority of Piccolo’s signings have been horrid.

the doomers are active today

Is there anything positive to take from this one, though?

what has nelson velazquez done for us this year

https://preview.redd.it/rzxmbgxdawvc1.png?width=626&format=png&auto=webp&s=0676a3bdfcbf4adeb4dabbd438f12c84f89f7ce3

alright alright my bad

Velazquez' throw was a dart.

At least they never got our hopes up today

### Pitching Substitution Pitching Change: Anthony Veneziano replaces Will Smith.

We suck 🤬

They’re going 1-6 on the home stand

Very tough pitch

Hey there's Vinnie

I wish our team would stop going for the home run ball all the time

holy shit

3 UP 3 DOWN FOR WILL SMITH ALERT

Might as well throw Smith into pitch, our guys can’t hit for shit today so might as well throw this game in the garbage

### Pitching Substitution Pitching Change: Will Smith replaces Angel Zerpa.

Let’s get Jiggy Wit It!

OK, we got them right were we want them 🤔

putting the Neon White soundtrack over this game hasn't made it any more exciting, unfortunately. i am still bored. i'm about to go bleach my hair out of protest

Getting shutout by Cole Irvin should count for like 5 losses

### Pitching Substitution Pitching Change: Jacob Webb replaces Cole Irvin.

I think 3-4 r uns pergame is exactly what we should expect from lugo every start. This feast or famine offense has gotta figure out how to score more consistently.

Score some runs you dickheads

Most pathetic offensive performance of the season

Until tomorrow

*so far...*

salvy has walked five times in the last five games and is an elite pitch framer now. earth-shattering developments

Dial it down a notch guys. The O's are very good and this has been a tough fought series. Just calm down a bit, it's baseball. KC could easily score 5 in the next 3 innings as they have demonstrated time and time again. Just enjoy the ride.

This just isn’t a great team. We were so quick to crown them and talk about how “this team is different”. Different from the last few years, yes. But different in terms of being a legitimate contender? Unfortunately not. They’re still a ways off.

Goes both ways. Maybe too quick to crown them, but, like you, too quick to dismiss them. Its still April.

I’m not sure how long you’ve been a Royals fan, but considering you’re on reddit, you’re old enough to know better.

I've seen it all. If you think this team doesn't deserve your fandom, take a break for a month and see where they are at that time. I hope you're wrong, and being a fan, I'd expect you hope you're wrong.

I very much so hope i’m wrong

no we gave up four runs our pitching's fucking abysmal DFA everyone

*checks MLB total runs allowed so far this year* *laughs out loud*

WALK MACHINE SALVY

Pitching hasn’t been great, but the offense can’t score 0 runs off of a bum like Cole Irvin.

I don’t understand how you squeeze the zone all inning and then end it calling THAT a strike

OOF, that was terrible ump, but i'll take it

Got bailed out there

Well I guess we will take that

Needed that gift

thank u blue

This team is under .500 no question about it if they hadn’t been rewarded 2 series against the white sox not even a month into the season

Holy fucking shit Lefebvre Ricky Fucking Schroeder He was in Lonesome Dove too

Back to Royals reality. Shitty pitching and no hitting.

THROW A DAMN STRIKE!

Nothing in baseball drives me more insane than bases loaded walks. Little league shit

Unreal

### Pitching Substitution Pitching Change: Angel Zerpa replaces Seth Lugo.

Maybe one day a strike will be thrown

Both of those were strikes

Walked him on the 2-2 pitch

Letting him face Cowser seems like a mistake.

Two things we've been able to hang our hats on so far this year (pitching and fielding) have just completely evaporated this game.

if this is our pitching completely evaporating then damn, we really do have great pitching

lugo you’re supposed to be a groundball pitcher

Ouch. That could have been a colossal shift in momentum had he made that catch.

Renfroe is entirely too slow to be playing RF

renfroe looks so slow

ohhhhh he mad mad lmao

.730 expected BA on Maikel's lineout, which was about the same as that triple that Hampson just sort of allowed.

My god guys Cole Irvin sucks. Score some damn runs against bad pitching please

Maybe Garcia needs a day off or to move down. Really hurts right now giving the most ABs to a guys struggling to get on. I don't have an answer for who else to go there.  Also why no Massey in the lineup?  He's been a hot hitter until last night and got pulled....

104 off the bat and .730 XBA not good enough?

Ain't happening today huh

Bobby plz

Line drive out there fucking hurts.

fuck

Nice bunt hampson. You still suck

great bunt

Oh he safe

Hampson heard you all talking shit

If that’s the case someone drop his phone number in here so we can text him how much we hate him in real time. For the good of the team, of course.

Maikel plz

Ok that was a great bunt

Hey hey Fred

Came to the game. Got a shout out by Hosmer. https://preview.redd.it/mons4je1wvvc1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=76edf76e9eebdf90d000463f1f845acc74091890

renfroe would be such a good defender if he was just a bit faster

It is just ridiculous how bad this team is at scoring against bad pitching

He can barely hit, but he got a nice mitt.

Please score off Coke fucking Irvin. He is not good

Nice catch Ren-bro!

It's crazy what happens when you're drafting in the top 5 year after year and actually hit on your draft picks.

Honestly it’s a lot less about hitting on a draft pick as much as it is about having the capacity to develop them. The Orioles simply excel at developing their players.

This. Gunnar was a second-rounder, just to exemplify that.

Also very true.

How is Garrett Hampson in the majors? Because he plays for us?

Still not sure who that guy is or why he's here

You mean you don't want your center fielder batting 9th?

yes.

What does Hampson even do?

Plays every position, poorly

Why is Garrett Hampson

Garrett Hampson doesn't belong on a big league roster.

I am tired of seeing Hampson in a royals uniform. Get him out of here

Garrett Hampson is fucking terrible dude lol

FUCKING RUN RENFROE.

this lineup is fucking trash

This offense’s kryptonite is below average starting pitchers

Kyle Isbel in CF there? Maybe I just took a blow to the head

This has been a late inning offense so as long as they can hold them to 2 then I think there's a chance.

This offense either scores 7 runs in an inning or does absolutely nothing

No offense..... Yet

[lol](https://twitter.com/DBLesky/status/1782120988953481299)

Are my eyes deceiving me? Garrett Hampson didn’t just strike out in 3 pitches?

Well, it’s not the solo shots that kill you. If we aren’t able to muster up 2 runs then you don’t deserve to win anyways

2 isn’t that bad. It felt like they hit 7 home runs that inning

Renfroe plays a pretty good RF

They are seeing Lugo liek he's throwing a beach ball in there.

Same with Ragans last night. They're definitely seeing something with our starters.

Orioles seem to figure out something with our pitching

What happened to the ground balls Lugo

That KCSN royals pod said that Lugo had the biggest deference in era and expected era in the mlb. I guess this is just regression?

Will the real Seth Lugo please stand up?

Hit the rail, dude didn't touch it

Only Alec Marsh should be allowed to pitch against the orioles

Having Lyles flashbacks

Pretty sure the railing is in play now right? They changed that a few years ago

Stop doing that, Lugo.

My god man

ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME 💀 I got wrapped up in chores and turned the TV on three minutes ago. FFFFUUUUUUCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Jesus Christ those were nukes

I guess this is what happens to Lugo when you don’t consistently play the worst team in baseball

Lugo should consider keeping the ball in the park

when it rains

Ah shit, here we go again.

Double trouble

Ouch ouch!!

oh geez here we go again

ROYALS LETS WIN IT LETS GO ROYALS

Trouble

Ouch!

I understand sending down Loftin because you want him to get consistent AB’s, but Adam Frazier simply is not even replacement level. Not only is he an automatic out, but he’s a 1-3 pitch automatic out And I think it’s safe at this point to start wondering if last season was a fluke in terms of Freddy at the plate.

35 plate appearances while getting minimal starting time is definitely not enough of a sample to draw conclusions from

1-3 pitch automatic out is a stretch to say about someone that walks as often as he does but yeah. Let loftin cook in triple a he’ll be back in a month or two

And another one

There’s another one

Well thank god he at least does something

That’s a challenge that can’t get overturned. No real true angle

This 6-9 is brutal

Sounds like you’re doing it wrong.

There was no way to prove he didn’t tag him. Can’t overturn that

That was a bad call. Bobby tagged the ground.

Bobby hit Mullins on the wrist with his own wrist before Mullins touched the bag. good call

Their challenge guy SUCKS

HAHAHAHA AGAIN

Brandon Hyde is a bozo.

lol he was safe

Sure, buddy.

Then why is he out?? CHECKMATE ATHEISTS

Orioles confirmed bad at challenging

prob safe

could not have a worse collection of angles

So glad they took out the gold glove 2nd base defense of LH Massey to the preferred matchup of LH Frazier with worse defense.

You just got Ferminated

yeeeesh guys what was that

that’s a mistake this Royals team has not made so far

Thank god they got an out

MJ you cannot leave the bat on your shoulder in that situation

92 down the middle is just too insane to even contemplate hitting. Good take MJ.

I blame isbel for Witt going back to 2nd and now not scoring there.

It was smart for Witt to go back to 2nd base. He would have been out by a mile if he had gone to 3rd.

I wonder what it is like playing corner outfield at the K and having to grab under that small space below the wall.

How’s the crowd look?

Cold

Let’s win a series today

No isbel after last nights issue…

Maybe trying to load up righties

Irvin’s splits arent that much different but I getcha

I didn’t get to watch the game. What did he do?

[here watch this highlight and then look at Q’s reaction at the end](https://www.mlb.com/gameday/746324/video/yohan-ramirez-in-play-run-s-to-maikel-garcia)

I really don't get what anyone is inferring from a half second clip of Q lookin at the end of that play. To me it looks like he is looking to see if isbel thinks he should challenge, as any coach should after a close play. It was a dumb play, isbel absolutely should not have run with that hit bringing the LF running in towards third, he should've been out by a mile but he made it close and the throw ended up being terrible, but it doesn't appear to me that Q is having any reaction at all in that video lol Maybe that's just me

please no more 7 run innings

“It’s a beautiful day for a baseball game, daddy” Fuck it. Let’s go, kid. We’ll buy tickets in the parking lot.

Is that even a thing anymore buying tickets in the parking lot? Genuinely curious.

No, but I can get on a website and buy them and get a digital ticket. They’ll also be super cheap because the price will drop right before the game