In 1-0 loss to the Rays, Jorge López takes fall as Royals offense remains dormant
The Royals arrived at Tropicana Field Monday hoping to see pitcher Jorge López take steps in the right direction after his six-run debut last week.
They got what they wanted, though maybe not in the most efficient form: López allowed one run in five innings as the Royals lost 1-0 to the Rays, but it took 95 pitches to navigate the Rays lineup. He yielded five hits and issued three walks, executing pitches where he wanted them but at times not getting borderline calls from home plate umpire Scott Barry.
“He could have gotten quicker decisions (on hitters),” manager Ned Yost said. “They were pitches that could have gone either way. ... But I thought he threw the ball extremely well.“
Perhaps most encouraging for López was the comfort he felt on the mound, even as he hovered around 94-95 mph with his fastball. He was made to sweat, especially as his pitch count jumped to 75 in a 32-pitch third frame in which he issued all three walks. But the damage done by the Rays, who shut out the 88-win Red Sox on Sunday, was minimal.
A bunt single dropped by Ji-Man Choi in the second inning spurred a string of four consecutive Rays reaching base — the only inning that doomed the Royals where pitching was concerned.
The Rays challenged a call that Willy Adames, the fourth batter, was out at first base. Royals third baseman Rosell Herrera charged a ground ball hit up the line and made a quick transfer to Lucas Duda at first. But replays showed Adames was a second quicker to the bag. Umpires overturned the call, rewarding Adames with an RBI and an infield hit.
“The guys just went up there and fouled, fouled, fouled,” López said. “When you’ve got guys like that you’ve got to keep making pitches and see what happens. I feel everything was good. My rhythm, timing. Just didn’t execute one — the curveball to Kevin Kiermaier (who lined a single to right field).”
The Royals offense, which fell dormant after putting together a six-run second inning in Sunday’s loss in Chicago, remained in a deep slumber.
“We didn’t have any (timely hitting),” Yost said.
Indeed, for the Royals tallied six hits but none in five opportunities runners in scoring position. When Salvador Perez dunked a double into right field to lead off the fourth inning against Rays reliever Ryan Yarbrough, he was stranded along with Duda, who walked, as Yarbrough struck out the side.
Yarbrough pitched five scoreless innings after spelling Rays opener Hunter Wood with two outs in the second. The remainder of the Rays bullpen helped Tampa Bay record its second straight shutout of the season.
The Royals struck out 10 times and left seven on base as they fell to 38-87 in 2018.
A lackluster homecoming: Royals reliever Brett Phillips, who went to Seminole High School 15 miles away, had a personal cheering section at The Trop. He said before the game some 800 people had bought tickets to come and support him.
Whether that many showed was difficult to discern. But Phillips, who went 0 for 3 and stranded Duda in the second inning, drew plenty of cheers throughout the night.
A solid debut: If reliever Jake Newberry felt any type of way about making his major-league debut, he did not betray his emotions on the mound. In front of an announced crowd of 10,036, Newberry pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings, working around traffic to keep the Rays at bay.
He threw 21 pitches in the sixth inning, sandwiching a walk to Choi and single to Kiermaier between a ground ball, a three-pitch strikeout of Joey Wendle and a fly ball. He struck out two of the three batters he faced in the seventh but allowed a single to Mallex Smith and threw a wild pitch in between the punch-outs.
Salvy extends major-league lead in …: Rays center fielder Kiermaier scorched a hit up the left field line and reached second base on a double to lead off the fourth inning against López. With the Rays clinging to a 1-0 lead, he considered breaking for third base with Rays shortstop Adames in an 0-1 count. He thought better of it and dove back for the bag at second base — but not before Pérez received López’s slider and darted the ball over the mound to shortstop Alcides Escobar.
When Kiermaier was called safe on the play, Escobar gestured enthusiastically toward the Royals’ dugout on the third base side to encourage a challenge of the play. Royals replay coordinator Bill Duplissea asked for a challenge within moments and got the call overturned after 2 minutes, 51 seconds. Duplissea improved to 24 for 31 on challenges this season.
Meanwhile, Pérez recorded his third pickoff of the year and 22nd of his career. No other catcher has picked off as many runners as Pérez since his debut in 2011.