The Kansas City Royals let a golden opportunity slip through their fingers, resulting in a second straight series loss to conclude a disappointing road trip.
The Royals will look to get back on track Monday when they begin a 10-game homestand at Kauffman Stadium with the opener of a three-game interleague series versus the Washington Nationals.
Kansas City went just 1-for-15 with runners in scoring position and stranded 15 runners on base in a 5-3 setback in 11 innings to the Minnesota Twins on Sunday.
The Royals failed to hold a one-run lead heading into the bottom of the eighth inning and now find themselves four games behind the New York Yankees for the final wild-card spot in the American League.
“It’s a tough loss, no question, but it’s one loss,” Kansas City manager Matt Quatraro said. “So we are going to have an opportunity to come out (Monday) and play. Get a chance to win (Monday’s) game.”
Vinnie Pasquantino belted a two-run homer for his career-best 20th homer of the season.
Adam Frazier collected four hits and Maikel Garcia added three while reaching base five times for the Royals, who played without All-Star Bobby Witt Jr.
Witt was given the day off after waking up with a stiff back on Saturday, resulting in Garcia making the start at shortstop on Sunday with Frazier stepping in at third.
While Witt’s availability is in question, left-hander Bailey Falter (7-6, 4.14 ERA) has been confirmed to start the series opener versus the Nationals.
That traditionally has been good news for Falter, who improved to 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA in 36 1/3 innings over nine appearances (six starts) against Washington with a dominating performance on April 16. He scattered two hits over seven scoreless innings to lead his former team, the Pittsburgh Pirates, to a 6-1 romp at home.
Falter, however, struggled in his Royals’ debut last Monday, laboring through a 38-pitch first inning before exiting after four frames. He allowed seven runs on eight hits in an 8-5 setback to the host Boston Red Sox.
Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli (0-0, 0.00) will provide the opposition on Monday.
Cavalli provided a feel-good story on Wednesday by returning to the majors for his first start since his major league debut on Aug. 26, 2022. The 26-year-old allowed three hits and struck out six batters over 4 1/3 scoreless innings in a no-decision against the visiting Athletics
“I was a little more amped up in the debut,” Cavalli said, per the Washington Post. “I’ve been visualizing this for three years, and a lot of work’s been put into it. … It had been so long that I almost forgot what it felt like.”
Cavalli would love for a repeat of Washington’s offensive performance on Sunday. The Nationals erupted for 17 hits in an 8-0 road victory over the San Francisco Giants, marking their second straight win following a disastrous 1-8 stretch.
CJ Abrams belted a two-run homer, Josh Bell and Paul DeJong each had three hits and James Wood ripped a pair of two-run doubles.
–Field Level Media
