Royals LHP Kris Bubic wasn’t sharp Thursday. He struggled in this critical area
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bubic's overall command was off and he fell behind in counts early Thursday.
- Two wild pitches set up Detroit scoring chances that led to runs.
- Bubic allowed five runs, six hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings in the loss.
Kansas Royals starter Kris Bubic didn’t have his best command in Thursday’s 10-9 loss to the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park.
It was a stark difference from the left-handed pitcher’s last start, against the Chicago White Sox — a game in which he had a career-high 11 strikeouts.
“Not very good,” Bubic said of his Thursday afternoon effort. “Just never got into a rhythm. Never got very comfortable with a certain pitch type and fell behind in counts too often. That’s really it. They did a good job of not chasing, put some guys on. Leadoff walks came back to haunt us.”
Bubic allowed five runs and six hits while walking three batters in 4 2/3 innings. Early in the game, he was undone by two wild pitches that led directly to runs by Detroit.
“He had trouble getting ahead of the guys,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I mean, we know this team (Tigers) doesn’t expand the (strike) zone. So behind in the count is not a great thing for them.
“I mean, he had some good off-speed pitches, once he was behind in the count, to keep them honest. But I think overall, his fastball command was a little off, especially early in the count.”
Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling got aboard on a fielder’s choice in the second inning. He moved to second after Bubic threw a changeup in the dirt. The ball rolled by catcher Carter Jensen to set up the Tigers’ first scoring chance: Spencer Torkelson took advantage of the mistake with an RBI double.
The same scenario occurred in the fourth inning. This time, Tigers star Riley Greene advanced to third base on a wild pitch. He would later score on Vierling’s RBI single.
Bubic registered 10 swings and six whiffs with his changeup. However, the two wild pitches contributed to his short outing.
“Yeah, just trying to do too much,” he said. “It’s never really an in-zone pitch for me because it’s more split-like than it actually is a changeup. But (I) just overcooked those a little bit. Started them too far down or below, and it happens.”
Detroit did more damage in the fifth. Catcher Dillon Dingler belted a two-run homer off Royals reliever John Schreiber. It was Dingler’s fourth home run of the year.
The Royals were down 6-1 in the fifth. They came back to take the lead, but ultimately fell just short. The Tigers earned a walkoff victory when Colt Keith drove home Riley Greene in the ninth.
The Royals are back in action Friday against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. While Thursday’s loss stings, Bubic is hopeful KC can rebound this weekend.
“We didn’t throw as well as we want to today,” Bubic said. “So now it’s about putting the pieces together.
“The pieces are there. It’s just about putting it together for a full nine-inning game and doing it again and again.”
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 7:15 PM with the headline "Royals LHP Kris Bubic wasn’t sharp Thursday. He struggled in this critical area."
