Royals’ Danny Duffy unravels in Rangers’ six-run sixth inning

Royals starting pitcher Danny Duffy gave up as many runs in one inning as he had in his past three starts combined, and that’s all the Texas Rangers needed on Friday night.

Duffy hadn’t lost since his first start off the injured list back in April, and he’d cruised into the sixth looking like nothing could knock him off course.

However, the Rangers jumped on Duffy in the sixth inning — which included a grand slam from slugger Joey Gallo — and the Royals dropped the second game of their four-game series with the Rangers, 6-2, in front of an announced 31,183 at Globe Life Park.

“This game will rip your heart out sometimes, but I’ve got to turn the page after tonight and go back out there and try to be better next time,” Duffy said. “I mean there’s really nothing else we can do. If you want to beat yourself up over it, it is what it is. I felt like I let my team down tonight, but I’ve got a (short) memory.”

After getting called back up to the Royals from Class AAA Omaha earlier in the day, third baseman Cheslor Cuthbert hit a home run in his first at-bat. Whit Merrifield went 2 for 4 with a triple, and Alex Gordon hit an RBI triple that barely missed being a two-run homer in the loss.

Through the first five innings, Duffy looked as efficient and sharp as he has all season. He hadn’t given up a walk, allowed just two hits and struck out six.

“Up until that point he had allowed two base runners and just two singles” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He was rolling. Pitch count was down. He was really doing a good job of handling his pitch count.

“I’m thinking, okay he’s going to waltz through the sixth hopefully get him into the seventh and my decision is going to be is he going to be alright to go back out for the eighth?”

The Royals led 2-0 going into the sixth, but Duffy gave up four hits in the inning. Two of the four came on soft contact, but Gallo’s homer was a no-doubter. Duffy had struck Gallo out swinging in each of the previous two at-bats.

“I left the ball out over to Gallo, and he hit a big-boy homer,” Duffy said. “There’s not anything outside of not loading the bases.”

Duffy started the sixth inning off with a walk to Danny Santana after having been ahead 1-2 in the count.

Duffy struck out No. 9 hitter Isiah Kiner-Falefa, then gave up three consecutive singles, the first just got past the dive of second baseman Nicky Lopez. Elvis Andrus followed with a line drive to center field that scored Santana and cut the Royals’ two-run lead in half.

Then Duffy fielded Hunter Pence’s soft dribbler to the third base side of the mound. With Cuthbert having come off the third-base bag to make a play on the ball, Duffy looked quickly toward third base, but he had to go to first, and Pence beat out the throw to load the bases.

Duffy walked Nomar Mazara on five pitches to force in the tying run with still just one out. That left the bases loaded for Gallo, who entered the day tied for fifth in the AL in home runs (15).

Duffy tried to go down and away with a 1-1 pitch, but it stayed up and over the plate. Gallo punished the pitch from Duffy to deep center field for the first grand slam of his career.

“Not too many lefties get me like that, and he got me tonight,” Duffy said. “He’s on right now. He’s on, and he’s a guy that I can’t allow to beat me, and unfortunately that’s exactly what happened tonight.”

Royals reliever Brad Boxberger finished up the sixth, and Kevin McCarthy pitched two scoreless to wrap up the night. Neither allowed a hit.

The game had shaped up as a pitchers’ duel for the first five innings, and the Royals put themselves in front early.

Cuthbert’s home run in his first at-bat gave the Royals the lead in the second inning. The drive to right-center field marked his first home run since May 2, 2018, on the road against Boston off of pitcher Matt Barnes (a span of 17 at-bats for Cuthbert).

“It’s really fun to come back and have my first at-bat be a home run, but it’s a tough game,” Cuthbert said. “We were winning so long, and just one pitch.”

The Royals second run came with two outs in the fifth inning. Adalberto Mondesi drew a walk, stole second and then scored on Gordon’s RBI triple. Gordon’s blast hit the center-field wall and missed being a home run by a few feet.

Gordon’s triple gave the club 10 players with at least one triple this season. It was also the club’s second triple of the night. Merrifield doubled in the third inning to move into a tie with Mondesi for the American League lead with seven triples. The Royals entered the night with 23 triples, 10 more than the next closest team in the AL (Tampa Bay).

Once the Rangers broke things open with the six-run sixth inning, the Royals never mounted a rally.

Rangers 6, Royals 2

AP-WF-06-01-19 0323GMT

This story was originally published May 31, 2019 at 10:04 PM.

Lynn Worthy

The Kansas City Star

816-234-4951

Lynn Worthy covers the Kansas City Royals and Major League Baseball for The Star. A native of the Northeast, he’s covered high school, collegiate and professional sports for The Lowell Sun, Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin, Allentown Morning Call and The Salt Lake Tribune. He’s won awards for sports features and sports columns.