Salvador Perez returns, lifts Royals to a 3-2 victory over the Rockies | The Kansas City Star

In the moments after a 3-2 victory, after the closer was injured and Scott Alexander wiggled from danger and the Royals handled the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night, Salvador Perez emerged from the trainer’s room and strolled into the main room of the home clubhouse, looking down at his phone.

His shoulder wrapped in ice, his hair still dyed blonde, Perez had specks of dry sweat visible on his forehead. It was the best kind of sign.

“Nice to have him back, wasn’t it?” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

For 17 days, the Royals had played baseball without Perez. For 17 days, they had held the fort. They won six games and lost nine. They lost 3  1/2 games in the American League Central race. They dropped out of a wild-card spot. And inside the manager’s office, the weeks piled up and the time felt like an eternity.

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Yost tried to preach patience. Tried to exercise caution. Tried to inspire optimism and resolve. But on an afternoon in Oakland eight days ago, he sat inside a clubhouse office and pondered life without his All-Star catcher.

“It seems like it’s been a year since he got hurt,” Yost said.

The Royals forged onward, of course. Backups Drew Butera and Cam Gallagher were productive. But the defense was softer and the pitching staff was erratic and a baseball team was not complete. They could not be until Perez returned.

On Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals were whole again. Perez stepped back into the lineup and finished 2 for 3 with an RBI double in the fourth. Starter Danny Duffy allowed one hit and two runs across six excellent innings. Kansas City moved to 64-62, opening a three-game series against a National League opponent.

“It provides a massive presence,” Duffy said of Perez. “Not only in the dugout, not only in the clubhouse, but out on the field.”

The return of Perez, an effervescent force of nature on and off the field, injected the team with life. The good vibes appeared to transfer to the pitching staff, which tossed a team gem with their catcher back behind the plate.

The night was not without its imperfections or question marks. Closer Kelvin Herrera loaded the bases in the ninth inning and left with tightness in his right forearm, providing an uneasy end to the night. But left-hander Scott Alexander entered with the bases loaded, two outs and a 2-0 count to Pat Valaika before inducing a game-ending grounder to shortstop.

“The story of the game is what Scott Alexander did today,” Duffy said. “That took some kind of guts.”

Alexander said he sought to keep things simple, aiming his sinker for the bottom of the strike zone. He left with his first major-league save.

“I didn’t want to shy away from the opportunity,” he said.

Duffy had held Colorado hitless for 5  2/3 innings before home-plate umpire Dan Iassogna blew a 3-2 pitch against DJ LeMahieu in the sixth, extending the inning. Moments later, Nolan Arenado hammered a two-run blast to deep center field, slicing the Royals’ lead to 3-2 and leaving the Kansas City dugout somewhat incensed.

Duffy, who improved to 8-8 with a 3.78 ERA, opted to take the high road in a postgame interview. The bullpen regrouped over the final three innings, holding the Rockies scoreless. Mike Minor and Peter Moylan offered clean innings in the seventh and eighth before the Herrera-induced drama in the ninth.

It began when Melky Cabrera played a blooper from the bat of Jonathan Lucroy into a triple with an ill-advised dive in right field. It continued when Herrera issued consecutive walks and Perez sprang from his crouch, noticing that Herrera’s fastball velocity had dipped into the low 90s.

“The last two pitches were like 92 (mph),” Perez said. “So on the first pitch, I go out and talk to him. He told me he was tight a little bit. So on the second one, after I saw the same thing, I think he’s hurt. He said he’s tight. But I think he’s hurt.”

The Royals will know more about Herrera on Wednesday. Yet in some ways, the performance soothed concerns. In the month of August, the pitching staff had posted a 6.05 ERA, the second-worst mark in baseball. Most of that had come with Perez on the disabled list because of a muscle strain in his right side.

In interviews over the last week, Yost sought to downplay the effect of Perez’s absence on the pitching staff. But as he sat in his office on Tuesday afternoon, he acknowledged the possibility.

“I don’t know,” Yost said. “We’ll find out. Now Sal’s back. We’ll find out.”

Perhaps this was mere coincidence. But Duffy logged his best performance since July 31, striking out seven and issuing three walks in six innings. In moments, it appeared as if he might realistically chase a no-hitter. But when Arenado smashed that dream in the sixth, Yost pulled Duffy after 88 pitches.

For the most part, the decision worked out nicely.

Early on Tuesday, Perez arrived at Kauffman Stadium, smiling as he returned inside the clubhouse. He had been sidelined since Aug. 5 because of a strained intercostal muscle in his right side. The decision to activate him had been expected for days. It became official after the veteran catcher passed a slew of final tests on Sunday and Monday, an off day dominated by a rare eclipse. (Hey, even Yost watched it from the bed of his truck.)

Perez had increased the intensity of his batting practice in recent days, testing the stability and strength of the muscle. When he swung and missed against a pitching machine in the indoor batting tunnel at Kauffman Stadium, he knew he was close.

“I don’t feel anything,” Perez said.

On Tuesday, he provided the game-winning RBI, ripping a double to right-field against Rockies starter Jon Gray during a two-run fourth. As he cruised into second base, Perez formed a heart with his hands, placing the symbol near his chest. He looked back at the dugout and flashed his megawatt smile once more.

The Royals were whole again. Their heart was back. A victory followed.

“Unbelievable,” Perez said. “Thank God.”

Royals 3, Rockies 2

Rockies	AB	R	H	BI	W	K	Avg.
Blackmon cf	4	0	0	0	0	2	.333
LeMahieu 2b	3	1	0	0	1	1	.310
Arenado 3b	3	1	1	2	1	0	.312
Reynolds 1b	4	0	0	0	0	1	.277
Lucroy c	4	0	1	0	0	1	.252
Gonzalez rf	3	0	0	0	1	1	.243
Story ss	2	0	0	0	1	2	.223
a-Parra ph	0	0	0	0	1	0	.343
1-Amarista pr	0	0	0	0	0	0	.236
Valaika dh	4	0	0	0	0	2	.262
Tapia lf	3	0	0	0	0	0	.280
Totals	30	2	2	2	5	10

Royals	AB	R	H	BI	W	K	Avg.
Merrifield 2b	4	1	1	0	0	0	.282
Cain cf	4	0	0	0	0	2	.292
Cabrera rf	4	1	1	0	0	1	.294
Hosmer 1b	3	1	1	1	1	0	.315
Perez c	3	0	2	1	0	1	.281
Moustakas 3b	3	0	0	0	0	0	.282
Moss dh	3	0	0	0	0	1	.201
Escobar ss	3	0	0	0	0	0	.238
Gordon lf	3	0	1	0	0	1	.199
Totals	30	3	6	2	1	6

Rockies	000	002	000	—	2	2	1
Royals	100	200	00x	—	3	6	1

Rockies	I	H	R	ER	W	K	P	ERA
Gray L, 5-3	6.2	6	3	2	1	6	101	4.54
Neshek	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	12	1.47
Dunn	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	6	4.46

Royals	I	H	R	ER	W	K	P	ERA
Duffy W, 8-8	6	1	2	2	3	7	88	3.78
Minor	1.2	0	0	0	0	3	18	2.77
Moylan	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	3	4.50
Herrera	0.2	1	0	0	2	0	24	3.97
Alexander S, 1	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	2	2.42