Singer Shines, Royals Complete Sweep of Reds with 8-1 Victory
On Sunday, the Kansas City Royals completed a dominant sweep of the Cincinnati Reds with an 8-1 victory at Great American Ball Park, marking their eighth sweep of the season, a feat matched only by the Dodgers and Guardians in 2024.
Royals’ starter Brady Singer delivered a standout performance, rebounding from recent struggles with six scoreless innings despite a 45-minute rain delay in the second inning. Singer struck out six batters, walked only one, and allowed just four hits over his 94-pitch outing. Manager Matt Quatraro's decision to keep Singer in the game after the delay paid off, as the right-hander grew stronger as the game progressed, retiring 10 of his last 12 batters faced.
Kansas City's offense, energized by Players' Weekend, got on the board early and often. Dairon Blanco, wielding his distinctive neon yellow bat, highlighted the day with a solo home run in the fifth inning, part of his 2-for-3 performance that included two runs scored and an RBI. The Royals' bats stayed hot, piling on runs throughout the game to back Singer’s effort.
The Royals took the lead in the third inning when Vinnie Pasquantino singled to right, driving in Blanco, and Bobby Witt Jr. scored on a sacrifice fly by Salvador Perez, giving Kansas City a 2-0 edge. Blanco extended the lead in the fifth with his homer to center, and Pasquantino added another RBI with a sacrifice fly, pushing the score to 4-0.
Cincinnati managed to get on the board in the seventh inning, with Jonathan India drawing a bases-loaded walk that forced in Santiago Espinal. However, that was the extent of their offense as the Royals’ bullpen shut them down the rest of the way.
Kansas City added insurance runs in the ninth inning, sparked by a single from MJ Melendez that scored Freddy Fermin. Kyle Isbel then doubled, driving in another run, and Witt capped off the rally with an RBI single. Pasquantino finished the scoring with another RBI single, sealing the 8-1 win.
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MATHEY GIBSON