"Closer Joakim Soria hasn't pitched since Monday, but his struggles remain a hot topic for Royals fans.

The prevailing theory in the clubhouse surrounding Soria's struggles is that he lost the bite on his two-seam fastball after developing a cut fastball, a pitch he stopped throwing in mid-May as he tries to regain the fastball and change-up that made him a two-time All-Star.

"Mac (pitching coach Bob McClure) has gone back and looked at every one of his saves in the big leagues since 2007," Yost said. "There's not a lot of difference there. There are no glaring weaknesses. We don't find that he's tipping pitches anywhere. His arm is healthy. It's just a matter of getting back on track."

Mixing in the cutter last season, Soria was largely spectacular, but he also had an elevated pitch count and induced fewer swings-and-misses.

"Mac got a little fearful last year when he was throwing so many cutters, but he was racking up save after save after save," Yost said. "When you're racking up 30-some consecutive saves, how do you tell a guy he isn't doing the right thing?"

The expectation remains that Soria will return to form sooner rather than later.

"I've got the utmost confidence that he's going to pull through," Yost said."