Image Credit: AP Photo / Jason Redmond
Final Score: KC 2 | SEA 4
Overall Record: 26-19
Winning/Losing Pitcher
W: Bryan Woo (1-0 | 0.93 ERA)
L: Alec Marsh (3-1 | 2.43 ERA)
S: Andres Munoz (7)
Royals Player(s) of the Game
Alec Marsh: 5.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 H, 7 K, 1 BB
Yes, I have set another starting pitcher winning my ‘Player of the Game’. It wasn’t pretty, but Marsh certainly gave the Royals a great chance to win the game. Although he faced base runners in four of the five innings he pitched, he allowed just one earned run (which came on a solo home run). It wasn’t his most effective start and he had to fight nearly every inning, but he did more than enough to put the team in a position to win the series.
Bobby Witt Jr: 0-3, 2 RBI
I know what you’re thinking, “How can someone be a ‘Player of the Game’ while not recording a single hit. Well, sometimes it’s not about getting yourself on base. Facing a 2-0 hole in the sixth inning, Witt hit a sacrifice fly to cut the lead in half. With the bases loaded, a hit would have been ideal. However, Witt had struck out in both of his first two at-bats, so it’s nice to see him not try to do too much and get a run on the board. He then did the same thing in the top of the eighth. With runners on second and third, he took what was given to him and put a ball in play to the right side of the field to again cut the lead to one. Both times he put the ball in play, it came with two strikes. A good Bobby Witt Jr. day would have scored at least a couple more runs on those plays, but even a not so good Bobby Witt Jr. day scored runs in both instances and kept the team in the game.
Other Highlights
Adam Frazier and Freddy Fermin both collected a pair of hits. It’s good to see some of the ancillary offensive pieces getting involved. While Fermin was the one that crossed home on both of Witt’s sacrifices, it was Frazier who got the hits that put Fermin in scoring position.
Will Smith notched his eighth consecutive scoreless outing and has lowered his ERA by nearly 6.50 points in that time. He is gaining his confidence back and it could be from pitching in less stressful situations. Early in the year, they were asking him to be the closer or setup man and he struggled. Now, as the guy asked to pitch in the sixth or seventh inning, he is reverting back to what he has been throughout his career. Since April 17th, he has allowed a run in just one appearance, which was a game that the Royals led 6-0 when he came in.
Summary of the Next Game
The Royals are off on Thursday as they travel back home for a weekend series with the A’s. This will also be the 10-year anniversary celebration of the 2014 AL Pennant winning team. Cole Ragans is slated to pitch in the first game of the series. The A’s pitcher has yet to be announced, as Alex Wood (the projected starter) was placed on the IL.