Waters homers but Royals fall in extras to Cleveland 6-5

Despite overcoming two two-run deficits in the first nine innings, the Royals couldn’t do it a third time in extras and fell to the Guardians 6-5. It marks Kansas City’s 81st loss of the 2022 campaign.

After getting roughed up against the White Sox last week, Brady Singer toed the slab attempting to return to his July/August form. Unfortunately for the right-hander, he wasn’t missing many bats.

In the top of the second, Cleveland tacked on two runs on a bunt from Austin Hedges and RBI-single by Myles Straw.

As for the Royals’ bats, they were silent through four against Triston McKenzie. However, the shutout didn’t last forever. In the home half of the fifth, rookie Drew Waters demolished a game-tying, two-run shot into the right field bullpen. The 400-foot blast was the first of Waters’s career.

That lead was short-lived. As soon as the page turned to the top of the sixth, the Guardians reclaimed the lead on a solo homer off the bat of Josh Naylor. A costly error from Singer allowed another run to cross the plate — extending Cleveland’s lead back to two runs.

Since the All-Star Break, there hadn’t been a better bullpen in baseball than Cleveland’s. The Guardians last blown save had come roughly a month earlier. However, even the best can have off nights…which occurred at Kauffman Stadium Monday. In the bottom of the seventh, Kansas City trimmed the deficit to one on a sacrifice fly from Michael A. Taylor. In the ensuing inning, Salvador Perez tied the game on an RBI-double into the left field corner.

With the hope of giving the offense a chance to walk it off, Mike Matheny turned to Scott Barlow to keep the game tied. Behind a jaw-dropping defensive gem from Bobby Witt Jr, the Royals earned that chance. Though a failure to drive in the winning run with less than two outs in ninth sent the game to extras.

In the 10th, Carlos Hernandez was the man called upon. That move proved to be the wrong one, as Cleveland’s Oscar Gonzalez crushed a two-run double off the wall in left-center field.

Trailing by two for the third time in the game, the Royals had one more chance to cash in off the Guardians’ dominant bullpen. Only that third opportunity came against Emmanuel Clase, who had 24 consecutive saves. Kansas City brought the winning run to the plate but Clase slammed the door on the Royals and the night.

The Royals, 55-81, will try to avenge the loss tomorrow night. Kris Bubic takes on former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber at 7:10 p.m. CT.