Royals thrill and then sadden mothers everywhere, split doubleheader with O’s

GAME 1: Royals 6, Orioles 4

Good thing they changed that doubleheader rule where they’re back to being nine-inning games, huh?

Kansas City led 3-1 halfway home, mainly thanks to the Orioles being terrible at defense. Edward Olivares did hit an RBI single, but the Royals got two fifth-inning runs when Baltimore committed errors on consecutive plays, including an instance where a should-have-been-double play ball bounced off Kyle Isbel’s back. Zack Greinke pitched well but was let down by his bullpen, as a bloop double in the seventh flipped a 3-2 Royals lead into a 4-3 deficit.

Facing former Royal Jorge Lopez, quite possibly the worst pitcher in baseball history, Salvador Perez broke an 0-for-26 and Ryan O’Hearn hit a game-tying sacrifice fly. Michael A. Taylor, who was inserted into the lineup after Olivares left with a tweaked quad, came through with a go-ahead RBI single in the ninth inning. Perez doubled the lead with an RBI hit of his own. 6-4, Royals.

It was a good day for Zack Greinke, but the man still can’t get a win to save his life. He did a great job pitching out of trouble, as he put 10 men on base but allowed just two runs. His ERA through six starts sits at 2.67. Taylor Clarke got the win, and Scott Barlow earned the save.

GAME 2: Orioles 4, Royals 2

This was a quick game that saw Baltimore get everything they needed in the first inning. Daniel Lynch didn’t make it out of the fourth inning, as he struggled mightily with command. Lynch walked five batters and gave up four hits, neutralizing his five strikeouts. He allowed four total runs.

The offense did very little. Whit Merrifield had a sacrifice fly, which is the highlight of his season so far. Hunter Dozier had a two-out RBI single in the sixth. The team only had seven hits.

Also, Royals pitching somehow walked Chris Owings - yes, THAT Chris Owings - THREE TIMES. Every pitcher who walked Chris Owings should be forced by Rob Manfred to retire. They deserved to lose after doing that. And no, before you ask, Owings hasn’t gotten any better - he’s hitting .105. He had three walks on the season entering the day.

Also also - never play Ryan O’Hearn over M.J. Melendez again. Like... what are we doing with that?

Tomorrow, the teams will play the rubber match at 11:00 am Kansas City time. Yeesh. Carlos Hernandez gets the ball.