In the shadow of another lost afternoon, after a 5-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Thursday, after a third bullpen letdown, after the first three-game sweep to begin a season in 16 years, Royals pitcher Jason Hammel stood near his locker and tried to survey the damage.
“I think we had 23 or 24 walks in three games,” he said. “That’s unheard of. That’s just absurd. So we got to throw strikes.”
The precise number, in this case, was 23, which did little to limit the absurdity of the moment. For three games, the command issues infected every corner of the pitching staff, from Danny Duffy to Ian Kennedy to Hammel — to a bullpen which allowed 14 runs in three games.