Jason Hammel's struggles, in many ways, are the Royals' struggles as a whole.
In an MLB season that has featured more strikeouts than ever before, the Royals — for another day — lagged in that all-important aspect during a 5-3 loss to Tampa Bay on Wednesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.
Let's start with Hammel. Though he walked no one in six innings, he also didn't get nearly enough swings and misses, striking out only two while allowing five runs and 10 hits.
This has become a trend. Hammel struck out just one in his previous start, and his 12 percent strikeout rate entering the game ranked 91st out of 92 qualified MLB pitchers.