Taking out the trash: Rays sweep Royals

When you’re 52-games under .500, you’re going to lose games in some really, really strange ways. But for the Kansas City Royals, now losers of 90 games in less than 5 months, they found a way to lose on Thursday night that I haven’t seen in awhile.

Ryan O’Hearn and Salvador Perez botched an easy inning-ending double play, allowing the walkoff run to score and send the Royals to a season sweep by Tampa Bay.

I mean, it’s the type of play you make in little league. With the bases loaded and one out, a little dinky grounder was hit right to O’Hearn, who made a bad throw home. Perez also could have handled the throw but he missed too.

The Royals actually led this game on a couple different occasions. They took a 1-0 lead in the first inning when Lucas Duda, inexplicably playing over young guys for some reason, singled home a run.

Tampa got two in the third inning to grab a 2-1 lead. The Royals came back and got two of their own in the fifth, coming on an Alex Gordon RBI single and a Salvador Perez sacrifice fly. They led 3-2, Danny Duffy did his job, and it looked like they might actually escape Tampa Bay with a victory.

Tampa got the tying run in the eighth on a fielder’s choice, but they appeared to grab a 4-3 lead when Kevin Kiermaier hit into a run-scoring fielder’s choice. Upon further review, a wild slide at second base screwed up Alcides Escobar, inexplicably playing over young guys for some reason, so the umps called both runners out and the inning ended with the contest still tied.

I can’t believe Escobar and Duda are still here. Like, that’s not even a hyperbole. I actually cannot believe that a team that is 50-games under .500 is still giving these guys playing time when Adalberto Mondesi and Brett Phillips and Jorge Bonifacio are regularly getting days off. They’re the epitome of clueless.

Brian Flynn got the loss. Danny Duffy was good. Brandon Maurer pitched well again, so the Royals are going to tender him a contract because he’s been decent over his last 10 or so appearances. Get ready for that.

They’re 38-90. Thirty-eight and ninety. That is IMPOSSIBLE. They also didn’t beat Tampa Bay once this year (0-7).

The Royals now get three games at home with the first-place Indians. Somebody shoot me.