The struggles continue for Royals starter Ian Kennedy. He finished the month of May, 0-3 with an 11.30 ERA, allowing 18 earned runs, 16 hits, including six home runs, and nine walks in 14 1/3 innings. He was pulled after three innings on Wednesday night in the Royals 6-5 loss to Detroit. In fact, Kennedy last won on Sept 11, 2016. Since then he is 0-7 in 13 starts.
He was given a 3-0 lead when Salvador Perez singled home Lorenzo Cain with the first run. Cheslor Cuthbert’s two-out single scored Eric Hosmer and Perez.
Kennedy was up 3-1, but threw 41 pitches in the third inning. He walked the bases loaded and then allowed two run doubles by J.D. Martinez and Justin Upton with two outs to fall behind 5-3.
“I think that’s the most frustrating part about it,” Kennedy said. “Physically you feel good for the first time in close to a month and then you say, `OK, it might be a good day.’ And then it just unravels in the third inning and your outing comes out to be pretty awful.”
The Royals cut the lead to one in the eighth when Jorge Bonifacio and Whit Merrifield singled, extending his hitting streak to a career-high 16 games, and longest by a Royal this season. Bonifacio scored on a wild pitch.