Royals’ offensive woes can be seen in one stat only nine teams have matched since 1901

Royals pitcher Zack Greinke has a 2.38 ERA through his first two starts of the 2023 season, yet his record is 0-2.

That’s because the Royals didn’t score in either of his starts and were held to two hits in both outings, including Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.

That’s four total hits in two Greinke starts.

Just nine teams since 1901 have been shut out on two hits or fewer twice within the first six games of a season. That’s a shortlist of teams the Royals would have rather avoided joining.

But it’s a sign of how badly they’ve struggled on offense.

“We’ve just got to do better. That’s it,” first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said. “We’ve got to step on the gas pedal a little bit more. Not that we’re not, but we’ve just got to figure something out.”

Seven players are hitting far below the Mendoza Line: Bobby Witt Jr. (.095), MJ Melendez (.111), Pasquantio (.118), Hunter Dozier (.071), Nicky Lopez (.111), Franmil Reyes (.083) and Michael Massey (.125).

The Royals (1-5) have been held shut out three times and were held to one run in another outing.

It’s the third time in franchise history the Royals have opened the season by winning just one of their first six games. The good news is the other team teams finished above .500: The 1993 Royals had an 84-78 record, while the 1994 squad was 64-51 in a season shortened by a labor strike.

Another reason for hope: The last team to be shut out on two hits or fewer in the first six games of a season was the 2013 Pirates. They finished 94-68 and advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs.

And then there’s this: the Royals have the lowest batting average on balls in play (BABIP) in baseball at .189, a whopping 42 points worse than the Mets, who are 29th. That stat measures how often contact leads to a hit, and a low average is seen by many as a sign of bad luck.

Pasquantino noted the Royals scored nine runs Monday, and said a team’s fortunes can turn in an instant. He’s hoping the first step toward improvement comes Thursday in a 1:10 p.m. game against the Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.

“Two days ago, we came out swinging and put up some runs and we won,” Pasquantino said of Monday’s 9-5 win. “And that’s the beautiful thing about baseball, right? We get back out there tomorrow, we’re 1-5, and that can flip really quick.

“So for us, Jordan (Lyles) takes the ball tomorrow, we’re play our ass off behind him and we’re gonna give it everything we got.”