KC Royals have turned to ‘The General’ to close games. The bullpen has settled in, too

James McArthur doesn’t panic when his number is called.

McArthur, a Kansas City Royals reliever who has earned the nickname “The General,” is prepared to hold down the fort on any given night. On Tuesday, the Royals needed him to cover two innings against the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.

And McArthur came through with his fifth save in KC’s 3-2 victory.

“Just try to slow it down and trust the process,” McArthur said of his mentality. “Trust what Salvy (Salvador Perez) is calling and trust what I can throw in the situation. Just attack and execute pitches.”

McArthur has stepped back into the closer role this season. He earned the confidence of the Royals coaching staff with a terrific run last year. McArthur registered four saves and 19 strikeouts in his last 16 ⅓ innings of the 2023 campaign. He didn’t allow a run in that time.

The Royals signed veteran reliever Will Smith this offseason. He got the first opportunity to close games earlier this year. However, Smith got off to a disastrous start by posting a 12.38 ERA in nine appearances.

In recent weeks, McArthur has been re-inserted into the role. He hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven appearances and ranks 10th among MLB saves leaders.

“He’s got the right mindset for a closer and to be able to get those late innings,” reliever Chris Stratton said. “So, we have a lot of faith in him as a team to get the job done.”

The Royals bullpen has shined as well. While the starters have drawn league-wide acclaim, the relief group is also hitting its stride.

Several relievers can pitch multiple innings. It’s a valuable trait as it creates flexibility for Royals manager Matt Quatraro.

In Tuesday’s game, Stratton and McArthur pitched more than one inning. Meanwhile, fellow reliever John Schreiber tossed a scoreless frame against the Blue Jays.

Stratton earned his second victory and Schreiber got his fifth hold.

Prior to Tuesday’s game, the Royals bullpen had a combined 3.48 ERA, per FanGraphs. KC revamped the group by adding veterans such as Smith, Stratton, Schreiber and Nick Anderson to the fold.

The Royals utilize each reliever in different situations. If the Royals face tough left-handed hitters, Quatraro might turn to southpaw Angel Zerpa.

Should the Royals need a ground-ball double play, there are multiple options available. It could be Stratton or Schreiber.

KC also added Tyler Duffey to the fold this week. Meanwhile, Matt Sauer is learning at the major league level as a Rule 5 Draft pick.

Tuesday’s game encapsulated why the Royals trust their bullpen. Royals starter Michael Wacha didn’t have his best stuff. So, the Royals turned it over to Stratton in the middle frames. He worked a shut down sixth inning after KC had scored.

Next, Schreiber worked the seventh inning and McArthur closed it out.

“It’s a one-run game and there is no margin for error,” Quatraro said. “They put up 4 ⅔ scoreless (innings) against a really good team. So I can’t overstate that enough. Without that, we are still out there playing or we are behind.”

The Royals bullpen was much maligned last season. Now, the unit is looking like a strength as the team continues to play good baseball.

KC sits at 14-10. Despite a few hiccups along the way, the bullpen is a big reason for the increased success.

Just like on Tuesday night.

“As a pitcher, we never like coming out of the game,” Wacha said. “I have complete trust in every guy in that bullpen out there to come in and limit the damage and get out of my mess out there.”