Pirates end Royals winning streak with 2-1 win

The Royals’ five-game winning streak came to a close on Tuesday night, with the Pirates quieting Kansas City’s offense and holding on late for a 2-1 win.

In all, the Royals managed just four hits, all of which were singles. Carlos Santana had two, and Salvador Perez and Michael A. Taylor each had one. The offense was completely shut down by up-and-coming lefty Tyler Anderson. The one run Kansas City scored came on a second-inning infield single by Santana. The Pirates’ bullpen threw three scoreless frames to finish it off.

Jake Junis was the tough-luck loser, but he pitched very well. He twirled 6.1 innings of two-run ball, striking out nine and using just 84 pitches to get his 19 outs. He left with runners on first and third in the seventh, and Scott Barlow was unable to get out of the fire when Wiler Difo broke the tie with a run-producing single.

Junis’ ERA through four starts is down to 3.47, which is excellent from the No. 5 spot in the rotation. He took the loss and is 1-1.

There really isn’t much more to add. The Royals are 14-8, and this series concludes with a 5:35 pm CDT first pitch tomorrow. Mike Minor will get the ball for Kansas City. After that, it’s an off day on Thursday before a stretch of 10 games in 10 days against AL Central opponents begins.