But slowly but surely, Kansas City began to grind out victories and put together a winning May. That set the stage for the Royals' recent surge, as they have won 18 of 27 and vaulted back into the thick of the American League Central race. They are a game behind Tampa Bay for the second AL Wild Card spot.
Now talk of fire sales has been replaced by talk of whom general manager Dayton Moore might add to bolster the Royals' postseason chances.
What went right
Manager Ned Yost decided to flip his batting order on June 5, putting Whit Merrifield in the leadoff spot and rookie Jorge Bonifacio at No.