KC Royals in free fall as losing streak hits 7. Here are the playoff implications

The Kansas City Royals are heading in the wrong direction with the season’s final month underway.

On Tuesday, the Royals dropped their seventh consecutive game, on “Bark at the Park” day, no less. The Royals suffered a 7-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians at Kauffman Stadium in front of 14,813 fans (and about 500 dogs) in attendance.

KC now sits at 75-65. The Guardians (80-59) picked up another game in the American League Central and have a 5.5-game lead over the Royals with 22 games to play.

The silver lining: Both the Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox also lost. So, KC didn’t lose ground in the AL Wild Card race. The Royals are 4 1/2 games ahead of the Red Sox for the final Wild Card spot. They are one game behind the Twins.

Guardians 7, Royals 1 ... Game recap

After recording two hits on Monday, the Royals continued to struggle at the plate.

KC mustered just four hits in Tuesday’s loss. Bobby Witt Jr. had two hits while Tommy Pham and Salvador Perez added singles. The rest of the lineup went a combined 0-for-20 in their plate appearances.

Third baseman Paul DeJong provided the lone Royals run. He hit a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning after the club loaded the bases with no outs, and KC failed to cash in any further. Perez lined out and MJ Melendez struck out to end the scoring threat.

Shortstop Brayan Rocchio fueled the Cleveland offense. He blasted a two-run homer and recorded four RBIs.

Royals relievers Sam Long and Lucas Erceg allowed five combined runs in 1 ⅔ innings out of the bullpen. Cleveland scored all five between the seventh and eighth innings, as Steven Kwan drove in a pair of baserunners with a two-run single.

The run support was enough for Guardians starter Tanner Bibee. He allowed one run in six innings and earned his 11th victory.

The Royals have been outscored 39-17 during their seven-game losing streak.

Missed previous Royals coverage?

Game 1: Royals continue offensive struggles in 4-2 loss to Guardians

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Here are more notables from Tuesday’s game:

Brady Singer looks solid in start

The Royals starters continue to put together strong outings. Singer added to the recent streak by allowing two runs in 5 ⅔ innings.

Singer limited the Guardians offensively. He utilized his four-pitch arsenal to generate 43 swings and eight whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

In the second inning, Singer surrendered consecutive hits to Will Brennan and Kyle Manzardo as Cleveland produced an early scoring chance.

Rocchio capitalized with a sacrifice fly to put the Guardians on the board. Singer also gave up an RBI single to Andres Gimenez in the fifth.

Singer dropped to 9-10 this season, but he has allowed two runs or fewer in three of his last four starts.

Matt Quatraro misses second game

The Royals were without manager Matt Quatraro on Tuesday night. Quatraro missed the last two games to attend to what the club previously termed a personal matter.

The club has since confirmed to The Star that Quatraro’s absence was for a memorial service for his mother, Dorann M. Stagnitta, who died recently.

Quatraro is expected to return on Wednesday. Royals bench coach Paul Hoover has served as the club’s acting manager.

What’s next on KC Royals schedule?

The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Guardians. Royals ace Seth Lugo will look to halt the club’s seven-game slide on Wednesday night.

Lugo owns a 3.36 ERA in 14 home starts this season. And he has won each of his last three home outings against AL Central opponents.

The Guardians will start right-hander Ben Lively in the series finale. He is 11-8 with a 3.92 ERA this season.