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Kansas City Royals closer Carlos Est\u00e9vez continued to struggle with his velocity<\/a> on Saturday night against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And it led to a blown save.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Est\u00e9vez allowed six earned runs in Saturday\u2019s 6-2 loss. The Braves scored all six runs in the ninth inning as designated hitter Dominic Smith belted a walk-off grand slam over the right-field wall.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals fell to 0-2 to start the season. And Est\u00e9vez, who was hit by a line drive in his left ankle, became the topic of discussion.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cJust bad all around,\u201d Est\u00e9vez said of his performance. \u201cI have to execute better, my pitches. Changeup was a little flat, slider was OK. Was basically all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n On Sunday, Royals manager Matt Quatraro hinted at potential changes. The club wants to help Est\u00e9vez return to optimal levels.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe need to get him feeling like he can move correctly and get his mechanics right,\u201d Quatraro said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s what our focus will be on.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals are aware that Est\u00e9vez tends to build up at a slower pace. He experienced low velocity<\/a> last spring training before finding his rhythm. He ultimately led the majors with 42 saves<\/a> and made the All-Star team.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Est\u00e9vez is working behind the scenes. On Sunday, Quatraro relayed that some of the command issues stem from a mechanical place. He added that there are conversations to get Est\u00e9vez back on track.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s not going to go from 91 to 98 (mph) today,\u201d Quatraro said. \u201cHe\u2019s got to build up. And there\u2019s plenty of relievers over the years I\u2019ve seen that do that gradually throughout the year.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This spring, Est\u00e9vez missed critical time due to his World Baseball Classic commitments. He pitched in one WBC game with the Dominican Republic. He later got a handful of spring appearances before the regular season.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals will continue to evaluate Est\u00e9vez as they return to Kansas City. If his ankle checks out, Quatraro said his bullpen role will be contingent on his velocity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI think it will be more based on what we see, whether that velo is coming,\u201d Quatraro said. \u201cI mean, we\u2019re not averse to putting him in a lower-leverage situation. We feel good about the rest of the options that we have, too. So I\u2019m not going to say he wouldn\u2019t do it, but I also think it would be probably smarter for us to try to build him a little bit in lower leverage first.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Royals have options with closing experience. They could turn to Lucas Erceg, Alex Lange or others. Both Erceg and Lange have multiple saves in their MLB careers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWe have guys that have done this for many years and we\u2019re very comfortable with that,\u201d Quatraro said.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If Est\u00e9vez is injured, the Royals could look to Triple-A Omaha. Steven Cruz is a candidate to be recalled.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, Quatraro said the plan is not to shy away from Est\u00e9vez \u2014 if he checks out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thinking that way and only because of the fact that we might be able to get some extra pitches on him, too,\u201d Quatraro said. \u201cThis is the best practice to get out there in a game. So if we can get him 30 pitches in a game, you know, two innings or something like that to get those reps going and his body moving.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The goal is simple. Quatraro believes the plan isn\u2019t to reinforce anything negative but to get his body movement and mechanics synced, so the velocity can return.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Est\u00e9vez is adamant he can return to form. He is determined to be the reliever the Royals can count on.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know what I can do,\u201d Est\u00e9vez said. \u201cI know my stuff. I know it\u2019s a tough game, but at the same time, I\u2019ve done it before. I know how to get back to that. And like I said, I\u2019ve got to pound the strike zone and that\u2019s gonna make it a lot harder for them.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n