The Kansas City Royals dropped Game 2 of their series against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday, falling 4-3.
It was a heartbreaking loss for Kansas City. Reds outfielder Will Benson hit a game-tying home run in the bottom of the ninth inning, and Blake Dunn followed with a walk-off hit in the 10th to give Cincinnati the win.
Kansas City has now fallen to 23-38 on the season and sits in last place in the AL Central. The Royals are also seven games back of an American League Wild Card spot.
Although it was a gut-wrenching loss for the Royals, there was still a positive to take away from Tuesday’s game.
Noah Cameron appears to have turned a corner
Royals starter Noah Cameron turned in a phenomenal outing on Tuesday. The 26-year-old tossed seven innings, allowing just one hit and one earned run while striking out eight.
This level of production has become a common trend for Cameron of late. Over his last three starts, he has logged 18 innings while allowing just three earned runs. He has also recorded 20 strikeouts during that stretch.
He has held opposing hitters to a .148 batting average during those three starts as well.
It was a rocky start to the season for the left-hander. After an impressive rookie campaign in 2025, expectations were high for Cameron entering this season.
He got off to a slow start, posting a 5.40 ERA across 31 2/3 innings in April. Cameron was highly hittable early in the season, often catching too much of the plate, which led to five home runs allowed during the month.
While Cameron’s underlying metrics may not jump off the page, one encouraging sign is his 6.7% walk rate. According to Statcast, that mark ranks in the 77th percentile.
Cameron’s recent stretch is an encouraging sign for Kansas City. The Royals’ starting rotation has been the club’s biggest strength this season.
Kansas City owns a 4.08 ERA from its starting rotation, which ranks 12th in MLB, according to FanGraphs.
With Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic on the injured list, the Royals need pitchers like Cameron to step up and deliver. That is exactly what he has done of late.
The Royals are coming off a brutal loss and will look to take two of three from the Reds on Wednesday in the series finale.
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