Jeremy Peña wasted no time taking over Tuesday night’s opener, and the Royals never found a way to slow him down.
Peña opened the scoring with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the first, then added another blast in the third to power the Astros past the Royals, 4-2. He finished with a three-hit night, and his second homer was his 19th of the year.
Michael Wacha was tagged for four runs over six innings, snapping a run of four straight Quality Starts. The Royals had chances to keep the game tighter, but one of their best openings slipped away in the fourth when they put two runners on. Hunter Brown shut it down by striking out Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey.
Kansas City finally broke through in the fifth, and it came after a tense moment. With two outs, Isaac Collins was initially called out on strikes, but he challenged the pitch and the call was overturned to a ball.
Collins drew the walk, stole second and scored when Carter Jensen lined an RBI double. The hit was Jensen’s 58th extra-base hit of the season, setting a Royals rookie record.
Houston answered right back in the bottom of the inning. Peña singled with one out, and Yordan Alvarez followed with a two-run homer, his 39th of the season.
Pasquantino got one back for the Royals in the sixth with a solo homer, his 12th of the year and sixth in his last 23 games. That gave Kansas City a chance late, and Salvador Perez’s pinch-hit bloop single in the ninth brought the tying run to the plate. But Josh Hader closed it out by retiring Nick Loftin and Tyler Tolbert.
In Other News...
Royals Fans Just Got Another Reminder About The Kris Bubic Trade
Kris Bubics path back to the big leagues has been a little longer than anyone in Los Angeles probably hoped, but the Dodgers finally moved him onto the active roster this week after his minor league rehab work. To clear space, they sent right-hander Paul Gervase back to Triple-A Oklahoma City and removed first baseman/outfielder Ryan Ward from the 40-man roster, a reminder that roster churn never really stops for a contender.
For Royals fans, Bubics latest step is another small checkpoint in a trade that still lingers in the background months later. He arrived from Kansas City on Aug. 3 and has logged six minor league games with the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, keeping the focus on what his return might eventually mean for Los Angeles and what Kansas City gave up to get the deal done. [Read more 🡒]
Carter Jensen Is Forcing A Royals Rookie History Debate
Carter Jensens emergence has sparked a fresh conversation around what counts as a meaningful rookie season in Royals history, especially when the discussion is focused strictly on first-year production instead of long-term reputation. That framing matters for Kansas City, because it puts Bobby Witt Jr. and a familiar group of debut standouts in the same lane as names like Mike Fiore, Eric Hosmer, Lou Piniella, Mike Avils, Angel Berroa and Bob Hamelin, all of whom made their mark quickly enough to earn a place in the franchises rookie lore.
The debate is not just about raw numbers, either. It is about impact, timing and how much weight to give a player who arrives and immediately changes the conversation around the lineup. Jensens run has added another layer to that old Royals argument, and for a fan base that still remembers those early bursts from past rookies, the question is whether his start belongs in that same historical tier or just nudges it a little closer. [Read more 🡒]
Royals May Have Finally Found A Starter They Can Trust
Daniel Lynch gave the Royals exactly what they have been searching for in the middle of a long season, a start that let Kansas City settle in and play from ahead. He worked five scoreless innings against Houston, allowed only two hits and a walk, and matched the kind of efficiency the club has struggled to get from the rotation, while the offense backed him immediately with John Raves two-run homer and enough late insurance to keep the game in hand.
The 5-2 win then turned into one of those nights the Royals have been hoping to stack more often, with the bullpen taking over and holding the line behind Craig Kimbrel, Bryan King, Enyel De Los Santos and Nate Pearson. Lynchs outing did not solve every question about the rotation, but it at least gave Kansas City a reason to think it may have found a starter it can trust to shorten games instead of forcing the relief corps into damage control. [Read more 🡒]