Raul A. Mondesi keys offense as Royals salvage a 7-5 victory against Angels

The meeting began just after 3:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, the message lasting just two or three minutes. Ned Yost sought to keep it brief.

In the days before, as the losses mounted and the stress balled up inside the Royals clubhouse, Yost could sense something was off inside this room. There was an anxiety present, an apprehension born of a looming trade deadline and a losing baseball team. So as the Royals prepared to conclude a nine-game home stand against the Los Angeles Angels, Yost called his players into the room and began to speak.

Forget the rumors, Yost told his team. Forget the distractions. Forget everything outside this room. Two months remained in this 2016 baseball season. There was a lot of baseball left.

Royals manager Ned Yost tries to get team to relax and have fun playing baseball 

It is impossible to know, of course, if the meeting had any effect — if it helped clear the air or serve as a reset. But the scoreboard offered one verdict Wednesday in a 7-5 victory over the Los Angeles Angels at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals improved to 49-51 as they closed out a nine-game home stand. They salvaged a victory against the last-place Angels and offered a few signs of vitality after a dreadful run in July. The night was not a cure-all, of course. It was just one night. But a talented rookie arrived on his 21st birthday, a maligned offense showed up, and the result was a four-run burst during a wild, pivotal and bizarre seventh inning.

“It was just a good night to get some runs on the board,” Yost said.

In just his second regular-season game, rookie infielder Raul A. Mondesi offered the biggest moment, a bunt single in the seventh that forced a throwing error, scored two runs and sparked a lengthy and controversial review.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia spent close to 15 minutes filibustering on the Kauffman Stadium field. Yost was left perplexed inside the Royals’ dugout. In the end, order ruled the day.

“The whole thing was a little bit confusing to me,” Yost said.

He was not alone. The bottom of the seventh inning began with consecutive singles from Alex Gordon and Paulo Orlando. That brought up Mondesi, who followed by dropping down a bunt. As Mondesi sprinted down the first-base line, Angels starter Matt Shoemaker uncorked a wild throw to first, allowing Gordon and Orlando to score.

The play was scored a single, giving Mondesi his first career major-league hit. The Royals knotted the game at 3-3. And Scioscia emerged from the third-base dugout, arguing that Mondesi had interfered with the throw by running in the base line.

Take a look at Raul A. Mondesi’s blazing speed and how it helped Royals win 

The argument — and the ensuing review — lasted for close to 10 minutes. The call stood, and the Angels played the rest of the game under protest. The Royals tacked on two more runs in the inning, taking their first lead on a triple to right by Jarrod Dyson.

“It was pretty confusing what was going on,” Yost said. “It was a judgment call. But it was the umpire’s judgment that he wasn’t out of the lane. I went back and looked at the video, and he was right on the line.”

Yost brought an iPhone to the postgame press conference and read directly from the MLB rule book, citing Rule 5.09. By rule, a judgment call is not able to be reviewed under MLB’s instant-replay policy. But according to Yost, the umpiring crew sought to radio New York and signal that Scioscia desired to play the game under protest. When asked if he thought the Angels had a chance to win the protest, Yost was short.

“No,” he said.

Scioscia vehemently disagreed, telling reporters that he was "100 percent confident" that umpire Phil Cuzzi misinterpreted the rule on the play. Scioscia said he expected the protest to be granted and the game to be replayed, starting with one out in the seventh inning. 

“It’s very clear,” Scioscia said. “Phil Cuzzi had Mondesi running inside the line in jeopardy the whole way, and stated that it was 'OK' because he was stepping back towards the bag, which is wrong. You’re only OK if you start in the lane and step back in the bag. You’re in jeopardy the whole way if you run inside, whether you get to the bag or not. So the question wasn’t if the throw impeded him, or if he impeded the throw. 

"The question wasn’t if he was running inside. It’s, what I believe, is his misinterpretation of the rule, given the guidelines that he gave me. There’s no judgement involved. He admitted that (Mondesi) was outside the line. In his head, Phil felt that he wasn’t in jeopardy because he was stepping to the bag, which is wrong. That’s the basis of the protest.”

The Royals’ comeback win is context for the more important question 

In some ways, the review overshadowed Mondesi’s first career hit, which displayed his tantalizing athleticism. At the age of 21, with his offensive game still developing, one thing is apparent: Mondesi can fly.

“That’s part of my game,” Mondesi said. “I like it. I enjoy it. Good bunt. Bad throw. And we scored two.”

The offense was needed. In the bottom of the fifth, the Royals snapped an 18-inning scoreless drought with a single run, tying the game at 1-1. By the end, Kansas City had put up seven runs, its most since scoring seven against Cleveland on July 18.

Gordon finished 3 for 4 and raised his batting average to .209. Mondesi legged out two infield singles, with two runs scoring on each play. Left-hander Danny Duffy recorded another solid start, allowing three earned runs in six innings. The offensive output proved vital after an uncharacteristic wobble from closer Wade Davis, who allowed two runs in the ninth inning.

On Wednesday morning, the Royals began the day 9  1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central and 7  1/2 games out of a playoff spot. The Kansas City offense had fallen flat during a nine-game home stand. The bullpen had turned mortal for much of July. As Yost arrived at Kauffman Stadium in the morning, he made sure to avoid a glance at the standings. No point, he said.

“We got to win some games,” Yost said Wednesday afternoon. "That’s your whole focus, winning tonight. You’re not going to make it up in one day. You’re not going to make it up in one week. But you put together a good week, you’re gonna get closer.”

A few hours later, there was a meeting. Then there was a victory. Then there was a late-night flight to Texas, where the Royals open a four-game series on Thursday.

For the Royals, it was one night. For a struggling team, it was needed.

“Every win from here on out is going to be huge for us,” Duffy said. “We definitely have to get back on the right track and that was a good start.”

Royals 7, Angels 5

This story was originally published July 27, 2016 at 10:49 PM with the headline "Raul A. Mondesi keys offense as Royals salvage a 7-5 victory against Angels."