Record: 28-23
W: Jonathan Bowlan (1-0, 1.80 ERA)
L: Logan Webb (5-4, 2.67 ERA
Key Performances
Salvador Perez entered this game on a low streak and in search of fifth place all-time amongst American League catchers. In the fourth inning, he hit a two-run shot to break a home run drought of over a month and push the Royals’ lead to 6-1. Salvy’s three-hit day was the best performance of the day with a double and a single tacked on for good measure. His performance was an example of how well the offense produced as a whole.
Garcia, Witt, Waters, and Massey also had multi-hit games. In a stretch where the offense struggled to score more than 2 or 3 runs, six players accumulated an RBI, and the team collected four extra-base hits over 16 total hits. Vinnie Pasquantino collected his team-leading 29th RBI on a first-inning single. This single gave the Royals a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. The story of the offense was all nine batters collecting at least one hit against a solid Giants pitching staff.
The lesser plotline of this game may get lost in the excitement of the offensive outpouring. Daniel Lynch made the start for this game, kicking off an all-staff game that was successful in the end. The Royals aren’t typically a team that utilizes this style of roster management, but some key injuries in the rotation required some creativity from manager Matt Quatraro. Thankfully, the offense performed well enough that the second pitcher of six picked up the win.
Lynch started strong enough, allowing just one hit over 1.2 innings. He may have been forced out of the game a bit earlier than they would have liked due to three walks given up. Jonathan Bowlan cleaned up his mess and pitched another inning, giving up a run. It was a great day for pitchers who hadn’t seen much success.
Taylor Clarke pitched two perfect innings to help safely secure the victory. Following him was a one-hit, scoreless inning from Angel Zerpa, who has struggled to find his footing in the early season. The only unfortunate outing of the day came from Lucas Erceg, who appeared with a very safe lead. He gave up a two-run home run to Heliot Ramos in the bottom of the ninth, fortunately, only making the game seem closer than it was. The Bullpen is the unsung hero of this win.
Overview
This win secured a road series for a Royals squad that dropped the last three, two of which were at home. Now on an off-day, the Royals sit in third place in an AL Central division that currently has four teams in the postseason. With much of the season still to play, there is plenty of room to shift, but the division has established itself as the most competitive in the MLB in the early going.
With an upcoming series in Minnesota, the Royals have a chance to jump into second place in the division and start a winning streak. They will face off against the Tigers at home two series after the next and may have a chance to challenge for first place. While a middle-of-May matchup doesn’t typically ooze importance, the stretch coming up may produce a massive launching off point. At the very least, some momentum going into a Detroit series that may provide a tie-breaker late in the season.
Coming up
Three-game series: Kansas City Royals v. Minnesota Twins
Game 1: Noah Cameron (1-1, 0.71 ERA) v. Jorge Lopez (4-2, 2.40 ERA)
Game 2: Michael Wacha (3-4, 2.86 ERA) v. Zebby Matthews (0-1, 12.00 ERA)
Game 3: Kris Bubic (5-2, 1.47 ERA) v. Bailey Ober (4-1, 3.68 ERA)
Image Credit: AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez
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