Kansas City’s power shows off again with five of six runs coming off the long ball.
Heading into the game the storyline was the starting pitchers. Brady Signer is on the rise as the best pitcher in Kansas City and the Giants had former Royals pitcher Sean Manaea. Manaea was traded in 2015 to acquire utility infielder Ben Zobrist.
Through the first three innings the game was a pitching duel. Singer started the game a perfect first three innings. Singer blazed through the Giants line up. Singer tossed 30 pitches and did not allow a single hit. That all changed in the fourth inning.
Singer got beat up in the fourth inning. The inning started off with a homerun. LaMonte Wade Jr hit a low slider 394 feet. The ball was sent to McCovey cove out in right field. San Francisco followed it up with a single and a double to put runners at second and third with no outs. Michael Conforto would score off a Joc Pederson sac fly to increase their lead.
Singer would get his first out of the inning with a strike out but the Giants were not done scoring. Thairo Estrada and Brandon Crawford both singled to keep the line moving for San Francisco. The final run in the inning would score off a single to center field, to make the score 4-0.
The Royals would score their first run of the game in the top of the sixth. Bobby Whit Jr. hit his second home run of the year, muscles up and bombed a slider left up in the zone to center left field. His home run traveled 384 feet to cut the lead down to three.
The bottom of the sixth inning the Giants responded. After making quick work of the first two batters Estrada would double on a slider that stayed in the middle of the zone. On the first pitch of the at bat Crawford would single to right field adding another run on the board. The Royals would gun down Crawford who tried to turn his single into a double. At the end of the inning the Giants had a 5-1 lead.
Franmil Reyes would hit a frozen rope of a home run to left center field 388 feet to start the top of the seventh.
The most damage would be done in the eight. With two out in the eighth inning the Royals got a little rally started with back to back singles from Olivares and Melendez. Salvador Perez stepped up to the plate to be the hero and he delivered. Perez hit a ball to deep left center field to tie the game at five. It was a classic Perez home run as the pitch was a splitter that practically kissed the dirt.
Interm Royals Manager said Perez hitting the home run is just the kind of player Perez is
“He’s clutch,” Hoover said. “I mean he’s done it whole career and for him to come through again for his team is who he is.”
In the bottom of the eighth Taylor Clarke was sent in to keep the game tied. San Francisco came out ready to swing the bat. Immediately the Giants looked to respond as they loaded the bases with three singles. With nobody warming up in the bullpen and no outs in the inning Clarke needed to get out of the jam..
The red hot Estrada would strike out on three pitches. On a two two count Crawford struck out and then Blake Sabol struck out on a slider outside the zone. The inning would end keeping the game tied
Vinnie Pasquantino started the top of the ninth inning with a double to right field. Nate Eaton pitch ran for Pasquantino. Michael Massey had an unproductive pop out to the shortstop and Dozier grounded out to allow Eaton to get to third. Royals would take the lead in the off of a passed ball that Comilo Doval threw a 100 mile hour cutter that was way outside the zone. The ball banged into the back stop but Eaton was able to slide into home plate before the tag could be applied.
Aroldis Chapman came in to seal the Royals Victory. This is Chapman’s first save of the year.
The Royals third and final game in San Francisco will be tomorrow. First pitch is another 3:05 start.
