Jac Caglianone kept rolling Friday night, and the Royals needed every bit of it in a 7-6 win at Angel Stadium.
The 23-year-old turned in a 3-for-4 night with a career-high five RBIs, punctuating the performance with a two-run homer off a left-hander. It was the latest jolt in what has become a scorching August for Caglianone, who has collected a hit in every game he’s played this month. Over that 12-game hitting streak, he’s also produced six multihit games.
August has been loud for him. In 49 plate appearances this month, Caglianone is hitting .446 with five home runs, 18 RBIs and only five strikeouts.
His night got going in the third inning with the bases loaded. He went down and golfed a changeup into right field for a two-strike single that brought home two runs.
He struck again in the fifth, this time punishing a slider from left-hander Sammy Peralta that stayed in the middle of the plate. Caglianone launched it into the seats in right field for a two-run homer.
Then in the seventh, with the Royals trailing by a run, he delivered again against a left-hander. Caglianone singled into right field to score Bobby Witt Jr. from first base and tie the game at 6-6.
Before Friday, he had been hitting just .244 with a .700 OPS against lefties.
That set the stage for Michael Massey, who followed with an RBI single to bring Caglianone home and put the Royals ahead for good.
In Other News...
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The Royals push for a new downtown ballpark is heading into a key stretch, with Kansas City officials set to review the funding and rezoning package tied to the project. The plan calls for the stadium to rise on the south side of Crown Center at 26th and Gillham, a site that has already become the center of plenty of public debate as the team tries to move its long-term home into the heart of the city.
The next step comes as the Finance, Governance and Public Safety Committee takes up the proposal at City Hall, with the political clock now working against everyone involved. A local group is pressing for a public vote before any city money is committed, and the council has a late-August deadline to act if it wants to keep the question from landing on November ballots. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Cannot Ignore This Lineup Need If They Want To Contend
The Royals have spent much of this season sorting through where the roster still falls short of a true contender, and second base has become one of the clearest spots on the checklist. Michael Massey has handled the position most of the year and has taken a step forward from last season, but the overall production still looks like something Kansas City will have to address if it wants to move beyond simply staying in the mix.
Pitching will get plenty of offseason attention, but the middle infield cannot be treated as a minor detail. The Royals need more certainty and more impact at second base than they have gotten so far, which leaves the front office weighing how aggressive it wants to be in finding an upgrade and how to best manage Massey's role as the roster gets reshaped for a more serious push. [Read more 🡒]