The Kansas City Royals needed every inning to vanquish the San Diego Padres 4-3 on Monday night. With their backs against the wall, Nick Loftin rescued another bullpen collapse with a walk-off single.
In the ninth, Loftin recorded a bunt single to score Josh Rojas, who began the frame with a single. A successful sacrifice bunt by Tyler Tolbert moved runners into scoring position and Loftin did the rest.
The Royals won their third game in four days.
Here’s how Monday’s game unfolded…
Michael Wacha deals again
Kansas City Royals veteran starter Michael Wacha added to his All-Star résumé Monday night against the San Francisco Giants.
In his first start after the All-Star Break, Wacha recorded another quality start as he limited the Giants to one run across six innings. He allowed three hits while striking out five batters as the Royals earned a 4-3 home victory.
Wacha shook off some early first-inning trouble. He walked two batters but retired Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos to end the threat. From there, Wacha worked quickly to dispatch the San Francisco lineup in order.
Ramos did get a measure of revenge in the fourth inning. He belts a solo homer 430 feet to give the Giants a 1-0 lead.
However, Wacha was undeterred. He sat down seven of his final nine hitters to end his night at Kauffman Stadium.
Wacha was in line for a victory. KC scored three runs in the fourth inning behind Salvador Perez’s 13th home run, but a late bullpen gaffe left him with a no decision.
Salvador Perez chases history
Perez belted a 440-foot shot over the center-field wall. The homer was historic as he moved just one behind Hall of Famer George Brett on the franchise’s all-time list.
Brett holds the record with 317 career homers. Perez now sits at 316 homers, well within striking distance of setting a new club record.
The Royals also got an RBI double from second baseman Michael Massey. Since May 29, Massey has hit safely in 16 of his last 20 games.
However, Monday’s victory came with some unfortunate news. Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. exited early with low back tightness. It’s the same injury that kept him out of Sunday’s finale against the San Diego Padres.
The Royals inserted Loftin at shortstop to finish the game. He made a few defensive plays and had the walk-off hit as the club won it late.
In the final innings, KC relievers Steven Cruz and Daniel Lynch IV bridged the gap to Alex Lange in the ninth. Lynch allowed a leadoff double but worked out of trouble — partly due to a nice diving grab from third baseman Rojas.
Rojas robbed Giants third baseman Casey Schmitt of extra bases. The key stop maintained the Royals’ 3-1 lead as Schmitt slammed his helmet in disgust.
Lange would blow the save in the ninth. Adames hit a two-run homer to tie the game before the Royals clawed back to win it walk-off fashion.
The Royals improved to 41-60 on the season. Meanwhile, the Giants (42-58) suffered their third loss in four games.
What’s next: Royals right-hander Luinder Avila (4-3, 5.08 ERA) will start Tuesday’s game against the Giants. He will oppose San Francisco righty Tyler Mahle (2-8, 5.31 ERA) with first pitch slated for 6:40 p.m. Central.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.kansascity.com ’
