Salvador Perez's 0-for-18 Streak is Killing Kansas City, and Nobody Has an Answer

Holy smokes, baseball fans, you gotta see what's happening out in Kansas City tonight! The Boston Red Sox, after sputtering at the plate for what felt like forever, suddenly look like world-beaters and are absolutely gunning for a sweep against a Royals squad that simply cannot catch a break. They broke out the bats in a big way, and now they're ready to put the Royals out of their misery, or at least try to.

The Boston Bats Are Waking Up (Finally!)

The Red Sox offense, man, it was a ghost town for a minute there. They went nine straight games scoring three runs or fewer, which is just brutal. But then Tuesday happened! They exploded for a 7-1 win over the Royals, ripping 15 hits to follow up a 3-1 victory on Monday. That's more like it, right?

Jarren Duran was a huge part of that Tuesday night party, smashing a three-run homer in a massive four-run ninth inning. The dude has been on fire lately, going 5-for-14 with four extra-base hits in his last four games. He gets it, telling NESN, "This team has been putting some good at-bats together. We may not be producing a lot of runs right now, but we're getting the opportunities. We've just got to keep pushing the gas." Willson Contreras is also dialed in, logging two hits and three RBIs on Tuesday, pushing his four-game total to an insane six hits and seven RBIs. Boston is hungry for their second three-game road series sweep of the season, and you can feel the energy.

Kansas City Is a Mess, And the Numbers Prove It

Meanwhile, the Royals are just flat-out scuffling. Seriously, it's rough. They've dropped eight of their last nine games, scoring a measly 25 runs in that entire stretch. In the first two games of this series, they managed only six hits each night. That's not gonna cut it, folks.

Their first baseman, Vinnie Pasquantino, is stuck in a brutal slump, going 2-for-22 in his last six outings, which has dropped his season average to a painful .194. But the real gut-punch? Salvador Perez. He's got an 0-for-18 streak in his last six home games. Ouch. Royals manager Matt Quatraro summed up the struggle, saying, "There's got to be, I believe, a certain level of trust in your players. We don't have 25 other major-league-quality players just floating around that you pick and put in a lineup." You can practically hear the frustration.

Pitching Showdown: Early vs. Wacha's Resurgence

So, who's on the bump for this Wednesday showdown? For Boston, it's left-hander Connelly Early, rocking a solid 3-2 record with a 3.21 ERA. The kid has been consistent, allowing more than three runs in only one of his nine starts this season. In his last two outings, he's given up just two runs over 12 innings, striking out 14 and walking just one. Those two runs came via solo homers against the Braves, which is pretty good damage control. Early, who has never faced the Royals in his 13 career starts, just wants to "go out there and compete every single time."

On the other side, the Royals are sending out veteran right-hander Michael Wacha, who's 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA. Wacha had a couple of rough starts back in April, giving up 10 runs over 10 1/3 innings in back-to-back appearances. But since then, he's been lights out, yielding only five runs, with three being homers, over 20 innings and racking up a 2-0 record. The guy ranks among the major-league leaders with seven quality starts! He knows his stuff, saying, "There's some positives, and there's some stuff that (I've) got to get better." Wacha even had a resurgence with the Red Sox back in 2022, going 11-2 with a 3.32 ERA in 23 starts. He's 3-1 with a 2.33 ERA in five career starts against Boston, though Contreras has hit him for two homers in his 21 at-bats.

This game has some serious stakes, even if it's not our Mariners fighting for it. The Royals are desperate to avoid a painful home sweep, and Boston wants to keep this new offensive fire going. It's gonna be a battle, especially with those two pitchers on the mound. Who you got?

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.