Cubs prevail in new friendly confines as Royals receive little relief in loss

The chants rained down from the announced crowd of 32,339 on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.

“MVP,” some shouted.

“Let’s go,” cheered others.

Most were not meant for anyone wearing a Royals uniform but instead for the visiting Cubs as the teams began a three-game series one day after the locals returned home from a 3-7 road trip. In fact, Cubs fans were the most vocal of those gathered. They cheered so enthusiastically when Royals made outs that these confines might as well have resembled the friendly ones located 520 miles away on the north side of Chicago.

The Royals received little relief. The din of “Let’s go, Royals” was outdone by the “Let’s go, Cubbies” chant. The outsiders were the ones rewarded Monday night, as the Royals lost to the National League Central Division-leading Cubs 3-1.

On a night where a 22-minute rain delay caused just a minor inconvenience in the fourth inning, the Royals were hurt most by their bullpen after it took over in the sixth inning. Kevin McCarthy threw a first-pitch slider to the Cubs’ Javier Baez and was forced to pay when it stayed in the middle of the zone. The ball cracked off Baez’s bat with an exit velocity of 105.8 mph, no doubt about its trajectory as it hurtled an estimated 415 feet to center field and into the outstretched glove of a man wearing an unbuttoned Cubs jersey in the Pepsi Porch.

“It was just poor execution,” McCarthy said.

The homer was Baez’s 25th of the season, and it drove in his team-leading 87th run. He added to that total in the eighth with an RBI double off Jason Hammel, who had just entered the game in relief of Brian Flynn.

“If you don’t throw this guy a strike, he is still going to attack,” manager Ned Yost said. “You don’t have to throw this guy a strike. ... He’s just dangerous. He’s like Salvy (Royals catcher Salvador Perez). You just never know. He’ll swing at pitches way out of the zone. But if you make (mistakes), he’ll drive it out of the ballpark.”

Royals starting pitcher Jakob Junis, who in his last outing against the White Sox allowed four earned runs but received a win, had long been removed from Monday’s decision. He departed after five innings, the game tied 1-1. The only run scored against Junis crossed the plate on a wild pitch that advanced former Royals second baseman Ben Zobrist from third base after he hit a triple to lead off the fourth inning.

Junis struck out eight and yielded five hits in five innings, the last of which elevated his pitch count to 87. After punching out Cubs left-fielder Ian Happ to start the fifth, Junis allowed Addison Russell and Albert Almora Jr. to stroke back-to-back singles. He then walked first baseman Anthony Rizzo on four straight balls thrown away from the left-handed hitter.

But the Royals’ defense nipped the threat within minutes. Zobrist hit a ground ball to first base, where Drew Butera fielded and threw the ball to Perez to cut down Almora at the plate for the second out. When the next batter grounded a ball to the left side, third baseman Hunter Dozier scooped it off the grass and threw to first base to throw out Jason Heyward and end the inning.

The Royals, whose 76 runs scored after the All-Star break ranked fifth among American League teams entering Monday, mustered little against Cubs starter Cole Hamels, whom they faced twice this season and achieved mixed results against when he was still with the Texas Rangers.

Like the last time he pitched in Kauffman Stadium on June 19, Hamels constrained the Royals to one unearned run. This time, however, he allowed one earned run on seven hits and struck out two batters in six innings. Alcides Escobar was the only one to mar his line, as he roped an RBI single that scored Rosell Herrera and opened the scoring in the second inning.

“He’s tough on us,” Yost said. “Good fastball, not overpowering but spots it extremely well. Pounds fastballs in, cutters in, good curveball.”

Whit Merrifield and Adalberto Mondesi were the only Royals starters not to record hits against the Cubs as the Royals fell to 34-78.

This story was originally published August 6, 2018 at 10:45 PM.