Jordan Lyles is on worst MLB streak ever
The Kansas City Royals are currently 0 for 15 when Jordan Lyles is on the mound, losing every start he has made and marking the worst streak in MLB history.
Just minutes after Jordan Lyles left the mound in his 15th start of the season, the Kansas City Royals blew a 4-1 lead to fall to the Detroit Tigers.
The stumble that adds to a catastrophic campaign (19-53), could pass as one more if it were not for a statistic that suggests that Lyles is a pitcher on whom a thick curse fell.
Lyles yet to earn his first win of the season, and without relief the Royals have chalked up the loss in each of his fifteen starts on the mound. In the long history of Major League Baseball, nothing quite like what is happening with the 32-year-old right-hander has ever happened before.
Lyles is 0-11 as a starter for Kansas City on the current schedule, and while he’s had some quality outings like Monday night, the stars simply haven’t lined up for him.
Jordan Lyles is just three losses away from tying the mark set by Matt Keough, who set the record for the longest such streak back in 1979 with the A’s.
The Royals’ man is the fifth pitcher since 1969 to go at least 0-11.
Lyles was signed by the Royals as a free agent from the Baltimore Orioles in the off season. Going into Monday night his ERA of 6.89 was the worst among pitchers who have made more than a dozen starts with a mere 59 strikeouts in nearly 80 innings.
Lyles limited Detroit’s offense to six hits and one run over six inning to keep his ERA intact. But the Royals bullpen couldn’t hang on to the lead.
The Oakland A’s potential move and lousy run has kept the press busy, overshadowing exactly how terrible the Royals are in 2023. Both teams have the worst records in MLB and are the only ones with fewer than 20 wins this season.
Over the course of the season, Lyles has strung together four losing starts and has allowed four or more runs in 12 starts.
NEGATIVE RECORD WHICH COULD UPGRADE LYLES
As contradictory as it sounds, Lyles has a real chance to establish his name in the MLB record books. With just over half the schedule left to go, Lyles is in position to be remembered as the first 20-game losing pitcher since Mike Maroth in 2003.
With his 69 runs allowed thus far, he is on course to surpass the 140 set by José Lima in 2005. He is on pace to allow 155 runs, which would be the most by any pitcher since Pedro Astacio (160) in 1998 with the Rockies. He is also on pace to allow 40 home runs.