Commentary: Royals Have Plenty to Prove

Thursday night was ugly for the Royals. They couldn’t pitch, couldn’t hit, and couldn’t play defense, and deserved the 16-0 drubbing they got from the Cleveland Indians. Cleveland is still the class of the Central division, and will probably win the crown again this year. But that doesn’t mean the Royals should throw in the towel. We’ll find out a lot about this team over the next few days. They just got their tails whipped by a team that has dominated their division for years. Will the Royals fold up and take a beating from the Tribe all weekend? Or will they bounce back tonight with a solid effort? If they leave Cleveland with a split of the four game series, they will know they can play with anyone, despite the 16-0 loss. On paper, they don’t match up. But a little solid pitching, like they got in Detroit, can make up for a lot. It’s still early in the season, and the Royals’ fortunes could move in either direction. But I’d sure like their chances a lot better if they came out of this weekend feeling good about how they bounced back against the Tribe.