KC Royals: Surprise meltdown ruins night in Seattle

The KC Royals, suffering from a weak, nonproductive offense all season, entered Saturday night time’s sport towards Seattle with a brand new lineup providing little promise of breaking out.

And promptly misplaced by six runs.

However don’t blame the 13-7 loss, a 3rd straight defeat that handed Seattle the sequence win, on the bats. As an alternative, the unlikeliest of culprits sank the Royals.

The bullpen collapsed. The seemingly unbreakable aid corps, using a streak of 24.2 scoreless innings when the sport started, blew this one and ruined one of many membership’s higher nights on the plate.

An offensive outburst preceded the meltdown that doomed the KC Royals.

Kansas Metropolis opened with a curious new lineup suggesting nothing greater than a continuation of the membership’s offensive ineptitude—collectively along with his .125 common, Whit Merrifield moved to heart area; Hunter Dozier, trying fairly snug to date within the DH spot, however changed Merrifield in proper; Carlos Santana, possessed of the worst official batting common within the majors, stayed within the lineup; and Ryan O’Hearn, who actually hasn’t hit since 2018 and entered the competition trying to find his first hit of the season, took a flip at DH.

And for the primary 4 innings, supervisor Mike Matheny’s newest creation seemed just like the folly it seemed to be earlier than the sport even started. Sure, the Royals scored a run within the first inning, however Seattle starter Matt Brash held them scoreless till hassle discovered him with one out within the fifth and his membership main 5-1.

Andrew Benintendi and Salvador Perez singled and Santana walked to load the bases and finish Brash’s night time. Dozier greeted reliever Matthew Festa with a single to quick which, mixed with two throwing errors on the play, scored Benintendi and Perez to make it 5-3. Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single narrowed the hole to at least one.

However the bats weren’t executed. With Kansas Metropolis down 6-4 within the seventh (the M’s scored a sixth-inning run, however extra on that later), and after Yohan Ramirez hit Perez on the left hand (Perez left the competition following the inning), Santana tied the sport along with his first house run of the season. Dozier adopted with a double and scored when Edward Olivares, understandably pinch hitting for the nonetheless hitless O’Hearn, doubled him house to offer the Royals a 7-6. The seven runs equaled their highest output of the 12 months.

Then got here the meltdown.

The often dependable bullpen misplaced management of the sport for the KC Royals.

Kansas Metropolis’s relievers saved their worst for the eighth inning, however the first signal of hassle got here within the sixth after the Royals had nearly overcome the 5 runs starter Kris Bubic handed Seattle earlier than leaving within the third.

Rookie Collin Snider, practically untouchable earlier than Saturday—2-0 coming into the sport, he hadn’t surrendered a run and had scattered solely three hits in six appearances—gave up a single and a stroll (solely his second of the season) earlier than Eugenio Suárez doubled to offer the Mariners a 6-4 lead.

Then, Seattle spoiled the lead the Royals took with their three-run seventh by nicking Josh Staumont for 2 hits and the tying run within the backside half of the body.

The actual harm, although, got here within the eighth. Jake Brentz, no stranger to manage hassle throughout his seven-year minor league profession, in his rookie marketing campaign final 12 months (5.2 BB9) or this season (5 walks in 4 innings earlier than Saturday), walked 4 straight to start out the inning and hand the lead again to the Mariners, then served up a two-run double to Jesse Winker that widened their result in three.

That introduced Dylan Coleman, who like Snider hadn’t been scored upon this season, into the sport. He instantly retired Adam Frazier for the second out, however Ty France tagged him for a three-run homer to make it 13-7.

Assign many of the blame for this defeat, then, to Saturday night time’s surprisingly poor bullpen effort.

The preliminary information about Salvador Perez was optimistic for him and the Royals.

The exact extent of Perez’s potential damage wasn’t generally known as of this writing (early Sunday morning), though x-rays had been adverse.

Given Perez’s well-known will to play and resiliency, and barring a prohibitive damage, don’t be shocked to see him within the lineup in the present day. The higher guess, nonetheless, is that Matheny will ensure that he takes the time without work.

Kansas Metropolis and Seattle conclude their three-game sequence this afternoon at 3:10 p.m. CDT.