Today, the Royals took on the Angels, looking to salvage one of the most disappointing series of the season. Kansas City entered the series 2.5 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the last AL Wild Card spot, and despite the Mariners being swept by the Rays, the Royals were not able to make up any ground. Two devastating losses to start the series made today’s game a must-win, and the Royals were able to pull out a big 4-3 comeback win to salvage the series.
The game seemed to be getting off to a good start, as Noah Cameron got two outs in just seven pitches. But a two-out rally by the Angels put runners on first and second for Luis Rengifo, who pulled a ball off the left field foul pole. Cameron got the last out, but after a 34-pitch inning, the Royals found themselves down 3-0 straight out of the gate.
In the bottom of the first, Kansas City looked to respond. Bobby Witt Jr got on with a one-out walk, and then a single to left field by Vinnie Pasquantino gave the Royals runners on the corners. Maikel Garcia came to the plate, but a soft grounder to the shortstop resulted in a double play and got the Angels out of the inning. Fortunately for Kansas City, in the second inning, a solo shot by Adam Fraizer put them on the board, and they headed into the third down 3-1.
The Angels threatened again in the fourth, getting a leadoff double from Luis Rengifo and then a one-out walk from Owald Cabrera. Fortunately, Noah Cameron forced his second double play of the game and got the Royals out of the inning. Kansas City took advantage of the flip in momentum, and Vinnie Pasquantino hit a leadoff solo home run to cut the lead in half.
Noah Cameron exited the game in the sixth, having allowed three runs and recovering from a disastrous first inning. The struggles for Cameron today came in the form of walks, as he posted five walks and ran up his pitch count quite a bit with free passes. Fortunately, he posted five strikeouts and made up for the walks with several double plays. The Royals elected to put the ball in the hands of Jonathan Bowlan, who followed Cameron with two scoreless innings.
For the Angels, Kyle Hendricks gave them a quality start, going six innings, allowing just two runs, both on solo home runs. Hendricks only allowed three hits and two walks in his outing, giving Royals hitters a lot of trouble squaring him up. The Angels elected to hand the ball off to Jose Fermin, who immediately gave up a leadoff home run to Salvador Perez, tying the game 3-3.
The Royals entered the eighth inning tied 3-3. Matt Quatraro elected to go to Lucas Erceg to keep the game tied, and he delivered, giving the Royals a shut-down inning with two strikeouts. The Royals looked to carry that momentum with them into the bottom of the ninth. After two outs to start the inning, Bobby Witt Jr took matters into his own hands and took an inside fastball 399 feet to give the Royals a 4-3 lead going into the ninth. Carlos Estevez was given the ninth inning, and despite a one-out double by Yoan Moncada, he got the save, and the Royals came away with a much-needed win.
The Royals were able to salvage a disappointing series and picked up .5 games on the Mariners, putting them two games back of the third AL Wild Card spot. Kansas City will now host the Minnesota Twins for a three-game series at the K, where they hope to make up ground and stay in the playoff race. A critical weekend series for Kansas City will start tomorrow at 6:40 at the K.
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