The Royals wasted no time putting Sunday’s game away.
Vinnie Pasquantino set the tone with a three-run homer in the first inning, Salvador Perez added a two-run blast in the third, and Kansas City rolled past the Blue Jays 6-1.
Toronto got through a couple of clean defensive plays in the top of the first and forced Randy Dobnak to face the minimum, but the Royals flipped the game as soon as they came to the plate. John Rave opened the bottom of the inning with an infield single, Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a walk, and Pasquantino crushed a 406-foot shot to right for his 11th homer of the season.
The offense kept the pressure on in the third. Witt led off with a 112.5 mph double to left - his 30th double of the year - and Perez followed by sending his 19th homer just over the wall in left center. It was the 322nd home run of Perez’s career, and it pushed Kansas City ahead 5-0.
Nick Loftin added another run in the fifth with an infield RBI single to make it 6-0.
From there, the Royals let their pitching and defense handle the rest. Dobnak worked six innings, giving up four hits and one run while striking out three. Anthony Gose, Jose Cuas, Connor Thomas and Nolan Hoffman each threw scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
Kansas City dropped the series, but finished by splitting the season series with Toronto. The Royals are now 64-80 and will open a three-game series against the Diamondbacks tomorrow afternoon to finish the homestand.
First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. CT.
In Other News...
Royals Suddenly Have A Jac Caglianone Concern They Can't Ignore
Jac Caglianones night ended almost as soon as it began, and for a Royals club already trying to steady itself, the sight of him leaving Tuesdays game against the Blue Jays with left elbow soreness before the third inning was the kind of development that can hang over everything else. Kansas City still played a tight one, falling 4-3 in a game shaped by quality pitching and timely hits on both sides, but the bigger concern for the dugout was clearly Caglianones health.
The Royals now have to sort out what his elbow soreness means for the next stretch, with Randy Dobnak lined up to start the next game and Toronto still to announce its starter. Even in a one-run loss, these are the moments that can shift a teams immediate plans, especially when a young player leaves early and the training staff suddenly becomes part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Craig Kimbrels Royals Exit Was More Alarming Than It First Looked
Craig Kimbrels brief Royals outing against the Marlins looked like a routine midgame bullpen change at first, but the scene on the mound told a much more serious story. In the kind of heavy summer conditions that can wear down even the best-trained arms, Kimbrel was dealing with heat-related illness during a game Kansas City eventually won 7-3.
The weather did not offer much relief, with first-pitch conditions sitting at 97 degrees and about 50 percent humidity. Kimbrel had recorded only two outs before leaving, and the odd sight of a veteran reliever exiting so abruptly raised the kind of concern that goes beyond one bad inning, even on a night when the Royals handled the Marlins comfortably. [Read more 🡒]
Royals Fans Have Every Right To Be Frustrated After This Loss
The Royals had spent a lot of time lately enjoying the matchup with Toronto, but Mondays 4-3 loss in Kansas City was a reminder that the Blue Jays can still turn a game on a few sharp swings and a few costly mistakes. Seth Lugo ran into trouble early, the defense gave away too much, and Kansas City could never quite settle the game down even after the scoreboard started to tighten.
Kazuma Okamoto was a constant problem throughout the night, putting together a big four-hit performance and helping fuel the Blue Jays rallies whenever the Royals looked ready to answer back. For a club that had ridden a five-series winning streak in this matchup, the frustrating part was familiar enough: the chances were there, the game was there, and the little breakdowns kept adding up in the wrong places. [Read more 🡒]