KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After the flood of excitement and elation of Friday night’s come-from-behind walk-off win, the Kansas City Royals let the air out of the balloon fairly early on Saturday afternoon.
Royals pitchers gave up 11 runs in the first four innings on their way to a 13-1 rout at the hands of the Cleveland Guardians in front of an announced 17,024 in the second game of a three-game weekend series at Kauffman Stadium.
Things went so far awry on the mound that the Royals (31-52) turned to center fielder Michael A. Taylor, who pitched the eighth and ninth innings. Taylor, who showed a fastball as fast as 93.8 mph, tossed a scoreless eighth and allowed two runs in the ninth in his first career pitching performance.
The Guardians (41-41) evened the series and set up a series-deciding rubber match on Sunday afternoon.
Royals starting pitcher Jonathan Heasley gave up six runs (five earned) on six hits, including one home run, and a hit batter in 1 1/3 innings. He gave up more hits and more runs than he recorded outs, and five of the hits he allowed were extra-base hits.
Heasley’s average velocity below usual on all of his pitches (four-seam fastball, curveball, change-up, slider and sinker), including an average four-seam fastball rate of 90.8, compared to his average for the season of 93.9.
Heasley’s outing ended on a two-run home run by Jose Ramirez, the fifth batter of the second inning. The Guardians scored four runs in that five-batter span, the lone out coming on an Amed Rosario strikeout.
Right-hander Jackson Kowar took over with one out in the second inning and the Royals trailing 6-0. Kowar stopped the bleeding temporarily, but things went south for him in the fourth inning.
After he recorded the final two outs of the second inning and pitched a scoreless third, Kowar gave up a five-run fourth, including the first major league home run in the career of Guardians outfielder Nolan Jones. The 457-foot, three-run blast into the fountains in right-center field made the score 11-0.
Kowar threw 60 pitches in 2 2/3 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits, including a home run, and three walks.
Meanwhile, old nemesis Triston McKenzie (6-6) handcuffed Royals hitters for six innings on the mound for the Guardians. The Guardians’ starter tossed six scoreless innings and held the Royals to three hits (all singles).
McKenzie entered the day having been near-dominant in his previous outings at Kauffman Stadium. In his four previous games at The K, he’d posted a 3-1 record with a 1.35 ERA, the fourth-lowest ERA at the ballpark among all active pitchers (minimum 20 innings).
Offensively, the Royals were stuck on one hit — an infield single by Edward Olivares — until Nicky Lopez hit a leadoff single up the middle in the sixth inning.
The Royals’ lone run came in the seventh inning, when Lopez hit a ground ball that went for a bases-loaded fielder’s choice — the Guardians couldn’t turn a double play on Lopez.
Royals rookie shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and outfielder Edward Olivares finished the day with two hits apiece. Lopez had one hit and an RBI.
