Bullpen gives up 4-run lead as Royals fall to Angels 7-6

A Royals lead in the late innings becoming a victory has been one of the surest bets in baseball over the past two seasons.

Yet for a second straight night, the Royals coughed up an advantage over the final two innings and on Thursday dropped a 7-6 decision to the Angels.

The previous night, a 7-4 loss to the Tigers, was a head-shaker. Manager Ned Yost second-guessed his pitching decision as the Royals surrendered a two-run lead in the eighth.

The loss to the Angels was a gut-punch. The Royals turned a 5-1 lead over to two of the game’s best relief pitchers, Wade Davis and Greg Holland. They were knocked around for a combined six runs in the eighth and ninth innings.

“It sucks,” Davis said. “It sucks to do it two nights in a row from a group of guys who have done well all year. We’ll take from it a little check-up, and we’ll come back tomorrow and be better.”

Davis entered the game in his traditional eighth-inning spot and served up a sharp single to Kole Calhoun and rocket RBI double to Mike Trout over center fielder Lorenzo Cain’s head. Two ground outs scored Trout and the Royals lead was 5-3.

Davis hasn’t pitched since last Thursday, battling tightness in his back.

“Physically, I felt pretty good,” Davis said. “I made two pitches to the first two hitters, unfortunately both of them scored and got them back in the game.”

But the Angels didn’t go ahead until the ninth, the domain of Holland. He has been one of baseball’s most effective closers over the past three seasons. Only the Padres’ Craig Kimbrel has more saves over that time than Holland’s 117.

Like Davis, Holland found trouble from the outside, issuing a leadoff single to David DeJesus and a walk to Carlos Perez. Pinch hitter C.J. Cron punched a double to right scoring both runners, who had advanced on a wild pitch, and the Angels had forged a tie.

They weren’t finished. Calhoun doubled in two more for a 7-5 lead.

“I felt really good,” Holland said. “My fastball felt good, my slider felt good. But every time I made a mistake it got hit. It was one of those nights.

“I really don’t know what to say. I made some bad pitches and I had to pay for them tonight. We lost the game and it was my fault.”

The loss on Wednesday ended a streak of 111 straight victories when leading after seven innings. Thursday’s loss marked the first time the Royals took a four-run lead into the eighth and lost since 2008.

Davis hadn’t surrendered more than two runs in an inning since April, 2014, a span of 114 games.

“After 111 straight wins…it was just bound to happen,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “These guys pitch better when they have regular work.”

That wasn’t the case with either pitcher. Davis hadn’t pitched in a week, Holland since Saturday.

“The most important thing is keeping them sharp and healthy,” Yost said. “We’ll have to continue to work on that.”

Lost in the stunning finish was the effort of starter Jeremy Guthrie, who produced his best outing in more than two months.

Guthrie arrived at his Thursday start having surrendered 40 hits and 20 earned runs in his last four starts covering 23 innings. Yost kept the faith in the longest tenured Royals starter and was rewarded with a solid performance. Guthrie surrendered two hits, struck out two and issued three walks.

The Royals wasted scoring chances early, leaving a total of four runners stranded in scoring position over the first three innings.

They finally cashed in the sixth when an Alex Rios sacrifice fly and Drew Butera single produced two runs.  An inning later, hits Eric Homser and Kendrys Morales drove in runs. The advantage had swelled to 5-1 and the game had enter the Royals winning zone.

But not Thursday. A wounded Angels team fought back. They lugged a nine-game road losing streak into the game and had scored a total of four runs while getting swept by the White Sox before arriving in Kansas City.

And the Royals were all but certain victors when leading late because of pitchers like Davis and Holland.

“You don’t take anything for granted,” Yost said. “You know things like this are bound to happen. But they’re human. They’re not robots. They get the job done and you come to expect it. But things like this  happen.”

Angels 7, Royals 6

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a-doubled for Featherston in the 9th. 1-ran for Zobrist in the 7th. 2-ran for Cron in the 9th. 3-ran for K.Morales in the 9th.

E: C.Perez (2), Featherston (4). LOB: Los Angeles 8, Kansas City 10. 2B: Calhoun (20), Trout (21), Dav.Murphy (13), Cron (11), L.Cain (29), K.Morales (32), Moustakas (19). HR: Hosmer (13), off Street. RBIs: Calhoun 2 (62), Trout (70), Dav.Murphy (33), Gillaspie (24), Cron 2 (25), L.Cain (52), Hosmer 2 (67), K.Morales (82), Rios (20), Butera (4). SB: J.Dyson (20). SF: Rios.

Runners left in scoring position: Los Angeles 3 (C.Perez, Giavotella, Gillaspie); Kansas City 7 (Moustakas 2, K.Morales 2, Butera, Rios 2). RISP: Los Angeles 4 for 12; Kansas City 3 for 13. Runners moved up: Pujols, Dav.Murphy, Featherston, Hosmer.

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G.Holland pitched to 6 batters in the 9th.

Hold: Madson (12). Blown save: G.Holland (4). Inherited runners-scored: J.Alvarez 1-0, F.Morales 2-0. WP: G.Holland 2.

Umpires: Home, Gary Cederstrom; First, John Tumpane; Second, Lance Barksdale; Third, Quinn Wolcott. Time: 3:45. Att: 32,098.

This story was originally published August 13, 2015 at 11:03 PM with the headline "Bullpen gives up 4-run lead as Royals fall to Angels 7-6."