ARLINGTON, Texas — The Royals got off to nice start Monday, even catching a break in the first inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park. KC’s Bobby Witt Jr. opened the game with a single, stole second and came around to score on an error.
Little did the Royals know at that point they were in the path of Rangers’ starter Andrew Heaney’s club-record strikeout performance..
Heaney retired the final two batters in the first on strikeouts. He fanned every Royals hitter in the second and third innings and opened the fourth by whiffing Salvador Perez.
Nine consecutive punchouts later, the Rangers were well on their way to an 11-2 victory.
Matt Duffy finally ended the Royals’ parade of futility against Heaney with a flyout to right in the fourth.
The first-inning strikeouts doomed the Royals’ best chance to add runs. After Perez reached on a two-base error, the Royals had a run home and runners at second and third with one out. But Heaney struck out Duffy and Nicki Lopez to end the threat.
Monday’s game marked Heaney’s second start of the season. The 31-year-old lefty went 2 2/3 innings and surrendered seven earned runs against the Baltimore Orioles last week. He struck out just two.
His nine straight K’s Monday tied an American League record. It had been accomplished twice.
Things got out of hand in the sixth when the Rangers plated seven runs, including Adolis Garcia’s grand slam. The blast came off reliever Jose Cuas, but his predecessor, Dylan Coleman, had done the big damage by issuing four walks.
The Royals got one back in the seventh on Hunter Dozier’s first home run of the season, a solo shot into the Royals’ bullpen.
In a bullpen-saving move, KC manager Matt Quatraro — back from a five-game absence after testing positive for COVID-19 — went with Nate Eaton, who started the game in right field, to pitch the eighth.
It was Eaton’s first major-league appearance on the mound. Eaton allowed a pair of singles but was the only Royals pitcher who didn’t surrender a run. He struck out Adolis Garcia to finish his appearance.
GREINKE’S GAME
Royals starter Zack Greinke contributed to some of his bad luck in the third. Travis Jankowski doubled and went to third on Witt’s first error (only the second by the Royals this season). Greinke deflected Corey Seager’s line drive and the ball trickled away far enough to allow in a run.
But the defense also saved a run that inning. Seager was thrown out at the plate on Nathaniel Lowe’s double to the wall in left-center: Jackie Bradley Jr. to Witt to Salvador Perez. That kept the Rangers’ lead 3-1.
With the first-inning run, the Royals scored while Greinke was pitching for the first time this season. But in his third start, Greinke surrendered three earned runs in five innings while striking three. He dropped to 0-3 this season.
SHIFT WORKS FOR ROYALS
The shift has been outlawed in the infield, but not the outfield, and that’s how the Royals recorded an out in the fifth inning..
Seager, who had already homered, appeared to have a base hit to right field. But right fielder Nate Eaton was playing in. He gloved the ball on a hop and nailed Seager at first.
NEXT
Next up is Game 2 of the series at Globe Life Field, which is located across the street from the Rangers’ old ballpark. That’s now called Choctaw Stadium.
Tuesday’s probables: Jordan Lyles (0-2) vs. the Rangers’ Jacob deGrom (1-0). Game time is 7:05 p.m.
