Jac Caglianone kept forcing the issue Friday night, and the Royals rode that surge to a 7-6 win over the Angels at Angel Stadium.
The first baseman delivered the kind of all-around night that can flip a game. He opened the scoring with a two-run homer in the fifth inning, turning on an 81 mph slider from Angels left-hander Sammy Peralta and sending it 393 feet over the right-field wall. It was Caglianone’s seventh homer this season off a left-handed pitcher.
He wasn’t finished there. In the seventh, with the game tied 6-6, Caglianone lined an RBI single off lefty Tayler Saucedo for what proved to be the winning run. That gave him a career-high five RBIs in the game.
The big night fit right in with what he’s done all month. Caglianone is hitting .438 (21-for-48) in August with five homers and 18 RBIs, and Friday also pushed his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games.
Michael Massey helped set the tone early and added another key hit later. He put Kansas City ahead 1-0 with his 10th home run in the first inning, then singled home Caglianone in the seventh to give the Royals the go-ahead run.
The Royals needed every bit of it. Seth Lugo worked 4 2/3 innings and gave up five runs, including a rough fourth inning when the Angels scored four times behind Nolan Schanuel’s three-run double. Schanuel finished with four RBIs, Zach Neto added an RBI single, and Josh Lowe homered off Royals reliever Alex Lange in the sixth.
Kansas City had chances to separate, but the offense went just 2-for-7 with runners in scoring position. In the sixth, Isaac Collins reached with a single and moved to third with less than two outs, but Josh Rojas and Kyle Isbel both struck out to strand him there.
The Royals bullpen held the line after that. John Schreiber, Nate Pearson and Steven Cruz each threw a scoreless inning, and Cruz earned his fourth save of the season.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for Kansas City, now 50-73, and gave the Royals their fourth straight victory over the Angels. They’ll go for the series on Saturday night, with right-hander Randy Dobnak (2-1, 2.00 ERA) set to face Angels left-hander Reid Detmers (3-8, 4.00 ERA) at Angel Stadium.
First pitch is scheduled for 8:38 p.m. Central Time.
In Other News...
Royals Fans Are Turning Payroll Frustration Into A Bigger Debate
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Kansas Citys current salary commitments have kept the conversation centered on whether the Royals will eventually chase premium free agents or keep leaning on mid-tier additions. Jonathan Indias contract has become part of that debate, seen by critics as a sign of a cautious, cheap approach even when the team is spending at a moderate level. For a fan base already wondering about the next few seasons, the real question is whether the payroll plan is designed to close the gap or simply manage it. [Read more 🡒]
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For a Royals team that does not often find itself in the center of the league-wide spotlight, the trip adds a little extra intrigue to the schedule before a pitch is thrown. Both clubs executives welcomed the chance to be part of an event designed around baseball tradition, and the setting alone guarantees this one will be about more than just the standings by the time it arrives. [Read more 🡒]
Jac Caglianone Is Giving The Royals A Big Lineup Question
The Royals series loss to the Dodgers did not come with a shortage of things to sort through, and Jac Caglianone is right in the middle of that conversation. Kansas City has been weighing lineup choices and roster fit as it looks for more consistent production, while other young names around the organization keep popping up too, from Carson Roccafortes home run pop to Angeibel Gomezs early showing that has already drawn some lofty comparisons.
Caglianones bat is part of the appeal, but the bigger question for the Royals is where his value is best realized as the roster takes shape around him. With injury news still part of the daily picture and the club trying to balance upside with present-day needs, the next move may say as much about how Kansas City views its lineup as it does about Caglianone himself. [Read more 🡒]