Manager Matt Quatraro said Tuesday night the Kansas City Royals will need to prepare for a new set of circumstances today.
The New York Mets, in particular, would surely like to offer up something different.
The Royals will look to lock up a series win tonight, when Kansas City visits New York in the middle game of a three-game interleague set.
Steven Cruz (2-2, 5.08 ERA) is expected to serve as an opener for the Royals against fellow right-hander Christian Scott (2-1, 3.49 ERA).
The Royals rode Tyler Tolbert’s historic surge to a wild win Tuesday, when Kansas City overcame a five-run deficit to beat the Mets, 16-12.
Tolbert had hits in his first five plate appearances — a homer followed by four singles — to extend his streak of consecutive plate appearances with a hit to 12, tying the all-time record set by Johnny Kling of Chicago’s National League team in 1902 and matched by Walt Dropo of the Detroit Tigers in 1952.
The streak ended when Tolbert flied out while leading off the ninth inning.
“This is something that I’ll never forget,” Tolbert said.
Tolbert’s big night fueled a second straight breakout game for the Royals, who beat the Philadelphia Phillies 15-1 on Monday. The back-to-back 15-run games are the first in team history while the 41 hits during the last two games are the most Kansas City has ever collected in back-to-back contests.
The Royals trailed 3-0, 5-2 and 9-4 before sending 10 batters to the plate during a five-run fifth and 11 batters to the plate during a seven-run seventh.
“You hear it all the time: ‘Hitting’s contagious,’” Quatraro said. “And then the other one you hear all the time is ‘Momentum’s your next day’s starter.’ So we’re going to have to come out and prepare for a whole new set of circumstances and try to keep repeating it.”
The meltdown by their bullpen was far too familiar for the Mets, who won their previous two games despite struggles by their late-inning relievers.
The Mets escaped with a 10-9 win Sunday against the Atlanta Braves, when Huascar Brazoban and Devin Williams combined to give up six runs in the ninth inning. Williams blew the save by allowing two runs in the ninth inning Monday, when Luis Torrens laced a two-run 10th-inning double before Luke Weaver closed out a 7-6 victory.
The trouble started far earlier Tuesday for the Mets, who went with a bullpen game behind opener Cionel Perez. Kodai Senga, Austin Warren and Matt Seelinger — New York’s second, third and fifth pitchers — combined to allow all 16 runs while recording just 15 outs.
The 12 runs by the Mets were tied for the most in a loss in team history. New York fell to the San Francisco Giants, 13-12, on May 24, 2022.
“It was a tough day for us,” interim Mets manager Andy Green said. “There’s no other way around it.”
Cruz last pitched Monday, when he threw a scoreless sixth inning. He made his lone appearance this season as an opener on June 26, when he tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in the Royals’ 22-1 loss to the Chicago White Sox.
Scott took the loss last Friday after giving up three runs in four innings as the Mets fell to the Braves, 5-3.
Cruz is 0-1 with a 16.20 ERA in two career relief appearances against the Mets. Scott has never opposed the Royals.
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