Royals blown out to drop series to Yankees, 10-1

The Yankees beat the Royals 10-1.

There’s not a whole lot to say here, but I’ll try to fill some space with the grim details and my own grumblings.

Sonny Gray, who entered with a 6.39 ERA, absolutely shut down the Royals all afternoon. It was his best start in three seasons. He cooked through eight innings of one-run ball, and even the run was at the very end. His final line: 8.0 innings, four hits, five strikeouts, and 92 pitches.

It was absolutely nauseating listening to Steve Physioc make Gray sound spectacular all afternoon. This is a guy with an ERA north of six entering the game. Physioc yapped on and on about how great Gray and the rest of the New York roster was doing all game, which probably wasn’t what the fans wanted to hear while watching their team get its ass kicked by the most hated franchise in sports.

The Royals’ lone run was an eighth-inning, two-out single by Jon Jay that scored Hunter Dozier, who reached on a sharp single of his own. Dozier has held his own since being called up in the wake of the Lucas Duda injury. Rex Hudler predicted that he’ll hit his first homer on the upcoming road trip, and I agree with the prediction. It’s fun to see what he can do.

Erik Skoglund pitched well for three innings, but the Yankees got him with three runs in both the fourth and fifth frames. Tyler Austin hit a pair of two-run home runs. All of the stupid Yankee fans in the stands were happy. Patrick Mahomes was in attendance, and unfortunately, he did not start pelting them with baseballs.

Skoglund allowed eight hits and six runs in 5.0 innings. His ERA ballooned to 6.15. He also took the loss, dropping him to 1-4.

The Royals are 14-32. They are a season-worst 18 games under .500. They haven’t been that far under .500 since the last day of the 2012 season.

Here’s something good that happened: Alex Gordon made a really awesome catch in the top of the eighth to prevent two additional runs. It just feels right seeing him play left field. He needs to be there every night. But on offense, he’s seeping back into woefulness, as he’s now 4 for his last 37 at the plate.

Tomorrow, they’ll continue their run against teams with insufferable fanbases, as the Royals head to St. Louis for three with their in-state rival. If Physioc is still on the TV, I might jump out my second-story window.