Final Score: KC 4 | BOS 5

Overall Record: 52-45

Winning/Losing Pitcher

• W: Brayan Bello (10-5 | 5.32 ERA)
• L:  Brady Singer (5-6 | 3.20 ERA)
• S: Kenley Jansen (19 | 2.16 ERA)

Royals Player of the Game

Salvador Perez

2-4, HR (17), RBI, 2 R

On a quiet game offensively, I’ll take Salvy on this one. If anything for respecting his status as a nine-time All-Star selection. His homer in the sixth kept them in it, and sparked any fire coming back in this one. This team is not in the position that it is without Salvador Perez being at the helm of it. You can’t help but thank him for what he’s done for this organization the past decade wow nothing has seemingly gone right. This team despite its woes of late, nowhere without the captain. 

Key Highlights

This one started off with a literal bang, and what seemed like a great start for the boys in blue. With Adam Frazier stroking a beautiful solo shot to right field. 

That would be all the Royals had while Brady Singer gave up two two-run home runs in back to back innings. One off the bat of the baby-faced assassin, Rafael Devers, in the first. And the other off Dominic Smith in the bottom of the second. Singer was in more trouble with two runners after giving up that bomb to Smith. Thankfully, Michael Massey started an impressive double play to get Singer out of the inning. That was the story all day today for Brady, who continued to have another long inning in the third. As he departed the game in the third inning with the bases loaded and 74 pitches through    2.2 inning pitched. A let down outing for Singer, who’s had a good first half for the most part. Angel Zerpa got out of the inning. Leaving the score 4-1 through three. Plenty of time for the Royals, even though their starter comes out early in this one. The Royals had a shot in the pan the fourth with back to back singles by Salvador Perez and Michael Massey. But after a fielder’s choice, MJ Melendez scores a run on a fielder’s choice of his own, but more importantly, MJ was hurt on the play. He stepped on the bag and had a hard time putting weight on it, got removed from the game, and it looked like it got worse while he was walking…. we’re still waiting on what the official diagnosis is. A left ankle sprain is all we have. 

The Red Sox offense was working all day with ten hits through four innings, leaving six runners on during that time. Whether that be the Royals pitching, is to be discussed. But they were able to get out of jams.  Salvador Perez stamps his name in the book before the break, with a monster shot OVER the monster in the sixth. Salvy is going to be a particular part of this offense if they’re going to be any good in the second half. Everybody knows that though, I’m not here to spread anything brand new. But he has to continue his dominance, and he will. I think we will look back and see his 2024 season as a remarkable achievement. The Red Sox get another one in the eighth off Will Smith. One thing to talk about here is the bullpen was pretty good after Brady Singer’s bad start. Sam Long, Angel Zerpa, and McArthur were great. And Will Smith gave up the winning run at the end of it, but not terrible moving forward. The Royals scratch and claw back in this one and they have runners on first and second with one out. Freddy Fermin comes through with a single to centerfield, and Garrett Hampson tries to advance to Third. But is thrown out on a questionable mistake on the basepaths, basically ending the Royals rally. So this one ends the first half on a sour note. That being said, this team being seven games over .500 at the all star break positions you well for the foreseeable future. Now you make some minor tweaks and try to win this sprint to October and beyond.

Summary of the Next Game

Next we head into the All-Star break. Where we take a look at our team, and if you were to tell us at the beginning of the year that we’d be in this situation now, I think we’d all take it. It’s exciting that the Royals are making moves to try to get better for right now, and we continue to watch their chase to the postseason. But now we look to the All-Star week! This year, we have a lot of fun activities as Royals fans. First, we have Bobby Witt Jr. competing in the Home Run Derby on Monday night at 7:00 CST on ESPN. The rules are a bit different this year, but tune in to see how Kansas City’s superstar fares in his hometown derby. Then, we look at the All-Star game on Fox on Tuesday at 6:10 where the Royals will be recognized with four different players. With four of them not looking like they’re starting, it looks like we’ll see all of them in line as they announce them before the game. The All-Star festivities are always incredible, so we will see how it works out. I miss when the league that won, won home-field advantage for the World Series. Just a kind of ridiculous thing, that makes baseball awesome. But totally see why not. 

As for the Royals, they come back Friday, the 19th against the White Sox. Matt Quatraro said that Michael Wacha will start the second half on the mound. Important to start the half strong so the hopes of the postseason can continue. We’ll see if any moves are made as well moving forward, as J.J Picollo was the first to break the ice on that front. 

The draft is also Sunday, so we’ll see who the Royals pick with the sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft.