Royals send the struggling Lucas Erceg to Triple-A

It is notable that the Royals didn’t turn to nominal closer Alex Lange in a save situation after he blew Tuesday’s game. It didn’t work out very well for Matt Quatraro, who had Lucas Erceg load the bases while getting two outs in a 3-0 game and then had Strahm unload them. It’s hard to be confident about any closer emerging here down the stretch, though it’s a bit surprising they haven’t at least dabbled with Daniel Lynch IV in the role since he’s the only Royals reliever who has been appreciably good this year.

Beck Way started the ninth inning with a 6-1 Royals lead. Erceg came in once it was 6-4 with the tying run at the plate and one out. A lineout and RBI single made it 6-5 before another single put the tying run in scoring position. Then Erceg got Brooks Lee to fly out to end the game. Alex Lange, who had three saves in the previous four days, was unavailable.

Erceg walked one, but he also got two easy popups and a strikeout while pitching in a 1-1 game. Just two of his 15 pitches today were four-seamers, which may or may not be an indication that he’s working on his pitch mix. He usually throws the four-seamer about one-third of the time. With Alex Lange getting his third save in four days, Erceg doesn’t seem worth rostering in mixed leagues right now. However, given Lange’s volatility, things could always change again in a hurry.

Lange was called upon after the Royals scored twice in the top half of the ninth inning to take a two-run lead. He made things interesting, allowing a leadoff single to Victor Caratini and a two-out walk to Byron Buxton to put the tying runs on base, but battled back to get Brooks Lee on a ground ball to second base to end the ballgame. It’s his second save in the last three days and could signal that he could be the favorite for save chances going forward with Lucas Erceg continuing to struggle.

Erceg has been given all kinds of runway as the Royals’ closer since Carlos Estévez (shoulder) went down with an injury, but all he’s done is blow game after game for Kansas City. On Tuesday, Erceg was protecting a one-run lead and allowed a game-tying home run to the first batter he faced in Will Benson. He now has six blown saves and a 6.45 ERA to go with his 11 saves. Fantasy managers as well as the Royals have to be considering alternative options at this point.

Erceg was summoned in the bottom of the ninth to close out the game with a two-run lead against the Rangers. He served up a leadoff homer to Joc Pederson, then gave up three straight hits to bring home the winning run. The blown save was his third in his last five outings and gives him a 6.33 ERA over 21 1/3 innings. The Royals may have to consider a change in the ninth, but there aren’t many standout options. John Schreiber and Daniel Lynch IV have been the most effective in the back end of the bullpen and could be relievers to watch.

It’s a bit remarkable that Estévez has been cleared to resume throwing just a couple weeks after being shut down with shoulder discomfort. The 33-year-old’s fastball velocity will be monitored like the raptor pen in Jurassic Park once he heads out on another minor league rehab assignment. There’s a real possibility that he reclaims the closer role in Kansas City if he’s back throwing in the mid-90’s again. That won’t be clear for at least a couple weeks and fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him back until the second half.

We assumed Erceg would be down today after throwing 32 pitches and giving up three runs with a five-run lead in Sunday’s game. The Royals had other ideas. To be fair, Erceg didn’t give up one hard-hit ball today, Two of the singles actually left the bat at less than 40 mph, and the lone extra-base hit, a double from Jazz Chisholm Jr., might have been handled by a better first baseman than Salvador Perez (he’d just replaced Vinnie Pasquantino after Pasquantino was removed for a pinch-runner). With any luck, this probably would have been a clean inning for Erceg. Still, Erceg just isn’t a very good reliever at the moment, what with his 18/13 K/BB in 21 1/3 innings. Daniel Lynch IV, who worked a scoreless eighth today, might be asked to take over in the ninth for now.

Erceg allowed two doubles and two singles before getting Luke Raley to ground out to end the game. It was the second time this season that he’s given up three runs, and he has a mediocre 4.43 ERA and a poor 18/13 K/BB in 20 1/3 innings. Obviously, this one didn’t actually hurt the Royals, but if he follows with another weak showing right away, it might open the door for Daniel Lynch IV to start getting some save chances. He’ll almost certainly be down on Monday after throwing 32 pitches today.

Erceg walked one, but he retired the other three batters, all on hard-hit balls. He’s 11-for-14 saving games with his 3.26 ERA in 20 appearances.