The Royals are on brink of elimination after several walks to Yankees in their AL Division Series

AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are facing playoff elimination on Thursday night against the New York Yankees in Game 4 of their AL Division Series, and they can put their finger at walks as a big reason why. Their pitching staff dished out nine of them in a 3-2 loss at Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday night that gave New York a 2-1 series lead. And the Royals have given out a staggering 22 walks in the series, including two bases-loaded walks that helped the Yankees to a 6-5 win in the series opener.