Royals Dominate In Series Opener Against Diamondbacks
The Royals continued their dominance of the last series into today's game, outplaying the Diamondbacks in every aspect of the game. There was a lot of chippy moments in this game between the teams, the main one coming after the Diamondbacks hit Bobby Witt Jr with the first pitch in the at-bat while he was just a single away from the cycle. John Schrieber hit Gabriel Moreno the next inning, causing the umpires to issue warnings to both sides. This set off Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo who was ejected after telling at the home plate umpire. Salvador Perez was right in the middle of the action after both hit-by-pitches, adamantly defending his teammate.
Kansas City put together consistent offense and steady pitching despite a couple of bumps in the road. Cole Ragans picks up his seventh win of the season and Bobby Witt Jr now has his fourth three-hit game in a row and falling just a single short of the cycle. Salvador Perez and Hunter Renfroe added home runs to help the Royals win the series opener and gain a spot on the Guardians in the division series after their loss today.
Follow Along Below:
9:47 p.m. - The Diamondbacks put two base runners on against Will Smith, unfortunately for them it was too little too late as the Royals close the game out to pick up their fourth straight win. Kansas City put everything together tonight in a dominant performance. 10-4 Royals
9:39 p.m. - Bobby Witt Jr looks like he is going to fall just a single shy of the cycle, a shame since he had an at-bat taken away from him with the hit-by-pitch. Kansas City still looks primed to pick up the win and advance further into the division standings with the Guardians losing earlier today. 10-4 Royals
9:33 p.m. - Chris Stratton came in to handle the eigth inning with a seven run cushion. Stratton didn't look fantastic, allowing an unearned run, but he got the Royals half an inning closer to picking up their fourth straight win. Bobby Witt Jr will lead off the bottom half of the inning. 10-4 Royals
9:09 p.m. - John Schrieber hit Gabriel Moreno with two outs remaining and the umpires got together to have a word before issuing a warning to both dugouts. That made Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo explode on the home plate umpire, leading to his ejection and a long argument between the two. During that time Salvador Perez was not happy, yelling in the direction of Lovullo and the Diamondbacks bench while the entire stadium chanted "SALVY!" during. 10-3 Royals
9:02 p.m. - That is the fifth straight inning that the Royals have brought a runner across the plate as Salvador Perez hits a sacrifice fly to bring Bobby Witt Jr in to score. Every time Castellanos got set to pitch the entire crowd rained down boos, all the way until his exit when the crowd let him have it one last time. 10-3 Royals
8:58 p.m. - On the very first pitch Humberto Castellanos goes up and inside on Bobby Witt Jr, catching him square with the ball. The crowd is raining down boos on Castellanos, unhappy the Royals star player was hit just a single shy of the cycle. Salvador Perez had some choice words for Castellanos as well as Witt Jr jogged to first. 9-3 Royals
8:54 p.m. - Despite the bad inning, Cole Ragans still had a very solid outing, ending his night after six inning with three total runs allowed. Barring a total collapse from the Royals bullpen, Ragans will move to 7-6 on the year. John Schrieber was warming in the bullpen during the last inning. 9-3 Royals
8:39 p.m. - The Royals opened the floodgates in the second inning and haven't looked back. They have now scored in four straight innings as Hunter Renfroe crushes a home run over the left field wall. Kansas City is now up six runs and just have to not collapse. Regardless of how lopsided the score gets there will still be plenty of intrigue in this game with Witt Jr to the plate soon to attempt for the cycle. 9-3 Royals
8:27 p.m. - The crowd is ecstatic as Bobby Witt Jr crushes a three-run no-doubt home run to left field. He is now just a single away form the cycle and the entire crowd is chanting "Bobby" as he rounds the bases. Witt Jr now has four straight games with at least three hits and now has a chance to join history if he can add a single to his statline. 8-3 Royals
8:23 p.m. - Kansas City's offense over the past four games has looked more consistent than any other stretch of the season. Kyle Isbel drove a ball 106.3 mph down the right field line for an RBI-double to extend the Royals lead. The Royals have now scored in three straight innings, a feat that at times seems impossible for the Royals offense. Arizona has already replaced their starting pitcher here in the fourth inning and the Royals look poised to do even more damage. 5-3 Royals
8:17 p.m. - Cole Ragans managed to get himself back on track after last inning, striking out a clearly furstrated Ketel Marte to end the top of the fourth inning and preserve the lead. 4-3 Royals
8:03 p.m. - Don't blink or you'll miss it! Bobby Witt Jr continues his monster stretch with a lead-off double before Vinny Pasquantino shot a single up the center to bring it home. Jus two pitches later the Royals would reclaim the lead on a Salvador Perez home run that travleded 425 feet to dead-center field. 4-3 Royals
7:55 p.m. - Cole Ragans allowed 5 hits in that inning before recording the second out, a rough stretch for the usually surefire pitcher. There is still plenty of time for Ragans to right the ship, but now it'll be important for the offense to not go on a long scoreless stretch like we've seen before. 3-1 Diamondbacks
7:44 p.m. - Cole Ragans hits his first speedbump of the night, allowing back-to-back doubles before recording an out to allow the Diamondbacks to tie the game. Ragans would try to battle back but Ketel Marte took a pitch below the zone and sent it into the stands in left field, giving the Diamondbacks a two-run advantage. 3-1 Diamondbacks
7:35 p.m. - Drew Waters rounded second base on a Maikel Garcia single, chugging his way to third on a play that looked like the Diamondbacks had him dead to rights at third base. Waters managed to pull some baserunning magic to avoid the tag and keep the inning alive, allowing Kyle Isbel to hit a single into shallow center field to give Kansas City the lead. 1-0 Royals
7:26 p.m. - Cole Ragans has breezed through two innings without serious issues from the Diamondbacks offense. He is on a good pace at 25 pitches over two innings and if he continues to pitch at this pace could leave the bullpen extrememly rested going into the next week. 0-0
7:19 p.m. - Bobby Witt Jr has been the best player in baseball since the All-Star Break and that continues tonight as he roped a stand-up triple all the way to the right field corner in his first at-bat. Unfortunately for Kansas City, neither Vinnie Pasquantino or Salvador Perez could bring Witt Jr home. 0-0
7:10 p.m. - The game is underway as Cole Ragans retires Ketel Marte to get the action started. Ragans will need to keep the Diamondbacks off the board early, something that Kansas City has struggled with this year. 0-0
How to watch:
Where: Kauffman Stadium, Kansas City, MO.
When: First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT.
TV: You can watch the game on Bally Sports KC or MLB.TV (blackouts may apply depending on location).
Starting Pitchers
KC - Cole Ragans (6-6, 3.16 ERA)
ARI - Yilber Diaz (1-0, 1.50 ERA)
Batting Order/Lineup
KC: 1. Adam Frazier (2B) 2. Bobby Witt Jr. (SS) 3. Vinnie Pasquantino (1B) 4. Salvador Perez (C) 5. Michael Massey (DH) 6. Hunter Renfroe (RF) 7. Drew Waters (LF) 8. Maikel Garcia (3B) 9. Kyle Isbel (CF)
CWS: 1. Ketel Marte (2B) 2. Gabriel Moreno (C) 3. Lourdes Gurriel Jr (LF) 4. Christian Walker (1B) 5. Randal Grichuk (DH) 6. Eugenio Suarez (3B) 7. Corbin Carroll (RF) 8. Kevin Newman (SS) 9. Alek Thomas (CF)
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Austin is a sports journalist from Kansas City, Mo. He is a freshman at The University of Missouri-Columbia, pursuing a degree in sports journalism.