Second verse, much like the first: Royals lose 5-1

Will Smith #31 of the Kansas City Royals poses for a photo during the Kansas City Royals Photo Day at Surprise Stadium on Thursday, February 22, 2024 in Surprise, Arizona.The Royals gave Bobby Witt Jr. by far the biggest contract ever in Royals’ history this offseason and he’s doing his best to live up to it. Unfortunately, he can’t do it alone and the relievers the Royals added to prevent things from getting out of hand as often as they did last season have struggled out of the gate.

But let’s go back to the beginning. Seth Lugo, at least, lived up to his billing as the team’s number two starter in his Royals debut. He pitched six shutout innings while striking out four, walking one, and…