Overview

The Royals finished out their road stand this weekend with a three-game series against the Rockies. The Royals entered the series with a record of 10-19, and the Rockies with a 16-15 record. The Royals, desperate for a series win, had lost four consecutive series. 

The Royals won the series 2-1. The Rockies generally aren’t the strongest team out there despite having a pretty solid season thus far. However, this was a series win that the Royals needed badly, and they will take the improvement of their record any way they can get it. The Royals improve to 12-20, while the Rockies now hold a record of 17-17. 

Game 1 - Royals Win Game With 31 Combined Hits 14-10

Starters: Zack Greinke (KC) vs. Kyle Freeland (COL)

The Royals wasted no time getting on the board in the top of the first when Whit Merrifield singled and Andrew Benintendi hit a two-run homer, then two more hits and a walk, but they could only plate two. The Rockies overtook them in the second when Brendan Rodgers doubled and Elias Diaz reached on an error, and Jose Iglesias and Sam Hilliard hit RBI singles, and Yanathan Daza hit a sac fly to make it 3-2. The Royals got those back and more in the third, as Benintendi reached on an infield single, Salvador Perez doubled, Carlos Santana walked, Hunter Dozier singled, and Bobby Witt, Jr. hit a two-run triple. They added to it in the fifth via a double from Dozier, errors brought him home and Witt, Jr. to second, and Michael A. Taylor singled. The Rockies responded with four runs of their own in the fifth by way of a Daza infield single, singles from Charlie Blackmon and Ryan McMahon, a wild pitch that scored Blackmon, and a Rodgers two-RBI double to make it 8-7, Royals. The Royals continued to flood the scoreboard in the seventh with four more runs through a Dozier single, a Taylor double, a single from Merrifield, and a Benintendi triple. The Rockies got two runs of their own in the seventh as C.J. Cron singled and Rodgers homered, but the Royals matched it with a Dozier single and homer from Ryan O’Hearn. Sam Hilliard homered in the eighth to try to start to mount a comeback, but that run was the last for the Rockies, and the Royals won 14-10. 

Zack Greinke failed to go the required 5.0 innings to get the win, going 4.2 while allowing eight hits and five runs. Instead, it was Dylan Coleman who recorded the win after coming in in relief and throwing a hitless inning, allowing two walks. Kyle Freeland took the loss, pitching 4.2 innings as well while giving up 12 hits and six runs. Scott Barlow got his third save of the season, pitching 1.1 flawless innings. 

Final: Royals 14-10 Rockies

Most Notable Player: Hunter Dozier (5-5 (first career 5-hit game), 4 R, RBI, 2B)

Game 2 - Rockies Get 10-4 Win on 3 Home Runs

Starters: Carlos Hernandez (KC) vs. German Marquez (COL)

The Rockies got two runs before incurring an out, with a Conner Joe leadoff walk and a Charlie Blackmon homer. They added to it in the second as Sam Hilliard walked, Yanathan Daza singled, and Dom Nunez hit a sac fly. The Royals evened it up in the third inning on a Michael A. Taylor triple, a Whit Merrifield RBI single, and a Salvador Perez two-run homer. The game didn’t stay tied for long, as in the bottom of the third, C.J. Cron and Ryan McMahon singled, then Jose Iglesias hit an RBI single and Hilliard hit a three-run home run. They increased their lead in the fifth, as McMahon walked and Brendan Rodgers doubled him home before Carlos Hernandez was pulled. Rodgers eventually made his way around to third, where Hilliard hit him home on a sac fly. Each team scored in the seventh, via homers from Bobby Witt, Jr. and McMahon, respectively. Neither team was able to generate any other scoring, and the Rockies pulled out the win, 10-4.

German Marquez had an outing good enough to record the win, going 6.0 innings and allowing three hits and three runs. Carlos Hernandez turned in another poor start, going 4.0 innings and giving up eight hits and nine runs. All signs point to him being removed from the rotation soon. 

Final: Rockies 10-4 Royals

Most Notable Player: Ryan McMahon (2-3, HR, 2 R, BB)

Game 3 - Royals Give Up 6-Run Lead But Pull Out 8-7 Thriller

Starters: Daniel Lynch (KC) vs. Austin Gomber (COL)

The Royals were finally the first team to tally a run in the fifth, when Bobby Witt, Jr. walked and Emmanuel Rivera homered. Whit Merrifield added to it in the sixth with a home run of his own. The Royals continued to stretch their lead in the seventh off of a Witt, Jr. homer, an MJ Melendez walk, a Rivera RBI double, and a sac fly from Whit Merrifield to make it 6-0. Just when it looked like the Royals had the game and series locked up, the Rockies came back with a monster inning. Elias Diaz started the inning with a single, then Garrett Hampson and Conner Joe walked to load the bases. Yanathan Daza scored two with a single, then C.J. Cron hit an RBI single of his own. Ryan McMahon reached on an error, scoring Daza. Brendan Rodgers singled to load the bases again, and Randall Grichuk hit a single to score two runs. With one out, Diaz hit for the second time in the inning and popped up a sac fly to give the Rockies a 7-6 lead after seven innings. However, in the top of the ninth, the Royals strung together a walk from Andrew Benintendi, a Ryan O’Hearn infield single, and a Michael A. Taylor walk to load the bases. Salvador Perez hit a clutch single to score two runs, and the Royals shut down the Rockies the rest of the way to squeeze out an 8-7 win.

Daniel Lynch pitched 5.1 great innings in this rubber match, allowing three hits and no runs before stringing together a few walks in the sixth and getting pulled. Josh Staumont recorded the win for the Royals when he came in to pitch the eighth inning, allowing only one hit after a messy seventh. Daniel Bard took the loss, coming into the game in the ninth with a lead and giving up two hits, two walks, and two runs. Scott Barlow got his second save of the series, slamming the door with a flawless ninth inning.

Final: Royals 8-7 Rockies

Most Notable Player: Salvador Perez (1-5, 2 RBI, go-ahead 2 run single in 9th)

Takeaways

The Royals finally broke their streak of series losses, getting a crucial win this weekend. Daniel Lynch was the only starter who posted a solid outing this weekend, and the rotation has struggled. Luckily, Kris Bubic was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Thursday, and it seems Carlos Hernandez might be destined for the same result, at least for now. Offensively, the Royals have only scored 118 runs this season, outscoring only the Tigers, White Sox, and Orioles. It seems the Royals need to make changes soon, such as calling up Nick Pratto or switching up the lineup. Despite their many troubles, the Royals were able to record a rare series win this weekend, which will likely be a huge morale boost going forward. 

Looking Ahead

The Royals will look to keep their newly acquired momentum going as they head back to Kauffman Stadium for five games with the Chicago White Sox. The teams had initially scheduled a three-game series this week and will couple it with two postponed games from earlier in the season. The Royals and White Sox will open the series Monday, play a doubleheader Tuesday, and finish up Wednesday and Thursday. The Royals will see a familiar face take the mound Monday, with Johnny Cueto scheduled to make his season debut for the White Sox. The Royals will also likely face Dylan Cease, Davis Martin, Lucas Giolito, and Vince Velasquez this week. They will open with Brad Keller, then utilize Jon Heasley, Brady Singer, Zack Greinke, and Carlos Hernandez. Singer will be making his first start of the season.