Bullpen stumbles as Royals unravel in ninth. Cardinals win with ... walk-off walk
The much-improved Kansas City Royals bullpen had been a heartbeat of the club this season. But it became a source of heartache Wednesday night as the I-70 series finale flipped abruptly in the ninth inning.
The Royals had a three-run lead entering the ninth. At the time, KC’s was the only bullpen in the majors without a blown save this season. That streak ended as the Cardinals rallied to win 6-5.
The Royals were forced to turn to closer Trevor Rosenthal for the final two outs in the eighth as St. Louis sent nine men to the plate — they had just two hits but drew four walks, including one hit-by-pitch. Rosenthal came back out for the ninth and faltered.
Left-handed reliever Randy Rosario walked in the winning run.
“Our bullpen has been really good for us all year,” Royals outfielder Whit Merrifield said. “These games, they happen to everybody. Throughout the course of the year, they happen. We’ve been fortunate that when we’ve had a lead late in the game, it hasn’t. We’ve ended up winning most of those games.”
The Royals (12-19) lost for the first time this season when leading after the eighth. They’d been 9-0 in such scenarios. They’re now 7-11 in games decided by two or fewer runs.
The Royals are off Thursday off before starting a stretch of 17 consecutive games Friday in Chicago.
“We have the off day to forget about it, then we have 17 in a row,” Merrifield said. “I don’t know the schedule by heart, but I think the majority of that is in division. So we’ve got a chance to make up some ground even though we’re not in a spot we want to be in.”
First baseman/outfielder Ryan McBroom became the first player in the majors with two pinch-hit home runs this season. His no-doubt blast in the eighth broke a tie and gave the Royals a 3-2 lead.
Merrifield, 3 for 5 with two doubles, drove in a pair of runs atop the ninth with a two-run double to left-center that Cardinals left fielder Tyler O’Neill overran. The Royals led 5-2 going into the bottom of the ninth.
Rosenthal, who earned his seventh save in seven tries Tuesday, recorded back-to-back strikeouts with the bases loaded to preserve a one-run lead in the eighth after Josh Staumont ran into trouble. Rosenthal came back out in the ninth but ran out of gas.
“We talked to him in the eighth, and we really didn’t have anyone else who could get us out of that mess,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “So we told him ahead of time, ‘We’re not going to make you try and get five outs here. What we need you to do is use up your pitches, give us a chance, what you got. You and I will be in communication.’
“That was a pretty impressive thing to watch, how he got through that eighth and bailed us out of a really tough situation.”
Matheny said he’d decided to go hitter-by-hitter in the ninth but had a pitch count in mind for Rosenthal. He walked to the mound after Rosenthall loaded the bases. Matheny said his closer had reached a number of pitches that “just didn’t feel safe anymore.”
“I’m not going to sacrifice a player’s health,” Matheny said. “We chase these things at all costs, except that one.”
Rosenthal threw a season-high 34 pitches and tied a career-high with four strikeouts. The former Cardinals reliever sandwiched a pair of walks around a double by Brad Miller and left with the bases loaded, two outs and former teammate Yadier Molina coming to the plate.
“Tough spot to come in,” Matheny said of Rosario’s task in relief of Rosenthal. “That was not an easy assignment we gave him, but I know he wants the ball in any situation. Unfortunately, that one didn’t work out.”
The eighth Royals reliever of the night, Rosario hit Molina with a 2-2 pitch to force in a run. O’Neill atoned for his misplay in the outfield with a sharply hit drive that short-hopped Royals third baseman Maikel Franco and deflected off the third baseman into shallow left field; two runs scored to tie it with two outs.
Kolten Wong then drew a walk on five pitches to force in the winning run.
Royals pitchers managed to strand 14 Cardinals base runners. Cam Gallagher and McBroom hit home runs for the Royals and Nicky Lopez scored twice.
This story was originally published August 27, 2020 at 12:27 AM.
