Royals’ young ace Brad Keller frustrated by loss, felt like he executed his game plan against Indians
The plan was fairly simple. Force the Cleveland Indians hitters to put the ball on the ground. Instead of letting them knock the ball around the yard, launch balls into the gaps or play pepper with the outfield wall, Kansas City Royals right-hander Brad Keller wanted to make them earn it by beating a sinker ball pitcher at his own game.
With a few fortunate hops and some ill-timed miscues from the Royals defense, the Indians beat Keller at his own game without an extra-base hit against the somewhat dejected Royals starter.
The Royals lost 5-2 to the Indians in the series opener at Progressive Field on Monday night, all five runs were scored against Keller. The loss extended the Royals losing streak to seven consecutive games, their longest slide since they lost seven in a row July 29-Aug. 5, 2019.
Keller (3-2) lost his second decision in his past three starts, and it left both he and manager Mike Matheny shaking their heads in anguish.
“Probably the most frustrating outing of my life,” Keller said. “I’ve said it many times, but some days baseball works that way and the ball doesn’t bounce your way. It just seemed like I made pitches when I had to and they just squeaked through the infield or whatever. It’s just one of those days.”
Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi continued to show positive signs at the plate with his first home run of the season, a 458-foot blast in the seventh inning, and Maikel Franco had three hits, including an RBI single in the eighth inning. Mondesi also recorded his 100th career stolen base.
Outfielder Edward Olivares went 2 for 4. Hunter Dozier tripled for the Royals (14-28).
Indians starting pitcher Zach Plesac recorded wins against the Royals in back-to-back starts. Plesac held the Royals to one run on seven hits in seven innings. He struck out four and didn’t walk a batter.
Keller allowed five runs, four earned, on eight hits in 6 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one.
The Indians (26-15) managed to get the leadoff batter of the inning on base five times against Keller, including one error, and the runner scored three times.
“Our game plan going in was to keep these guys on the ground,” Keller said. “I felt like for the most part that’s what we did. They hit the ball and it just squeaks through or it’s just between two fielders. That’s just the most frustrating. It’s like You did your job. You did what you want to do. They get rewarded for it. It just happens.”
Keller gave up two runs in the second after he gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning. He still might have escaped the inning, but second baseman Whit Merrifield failed to field a potential double play ball.
A run scored on the play and the runner on first, Franmil Reyes, went first-to-third as the ball rolled onto the outfield grass. Reyes then scored on a fielder’s choice. Keller got the next batter to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Of the five balls put in play against Keller in the inning, four were ground balls — including Reyes’ single — but the Indians were able to push two runs across. Only one of the runs was earned.
“I think that might have been his best one this year,” Matheny said of Keller’s outing. “What a shame that the results were what they were. We’re talking quite a few singles. Double play balls just out of reach, finding spots. When he needed to make a pitch, he made a pitch. … He should’ve walked out of there maybe with one run. It’s just a shame.”
In the fourth, Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor hit a leadoff single and scored on a Tyler Naquin sacrifice fly to make it a three-run deficit for Keller and the Royals.
After Lindor singled to start the sixth, a heads-up piece of deception by Mondesi helped wipe away what should have been a no outs situation with runners on second and third.
With Lindor on first, Carlos Santana smacked a 3-2 slider off the wall in right field for what appeared to be a double. However, Mondesi deked Lindor into thinking the ball had been caught, and Lindor started back towards first base.
Having realized his mistake, Lindor turned back and started towards third bae without retouching second base. The Royals appealed the play at second base, and umpire James Hoye correctly called Lindor out. That out turned Santana’s double into a fielder’s choice.
After a one-out walk, Keller got an inning-ending double play to get out of the inning without a run scored.
“(Replay coordinator) Bill Duplissea had it first, and also our bullpen — I was proud of those guys keeping on top of the game,” Matheny said. “They could see it from their angle. Us looking across, we didn’t see it. Billy caught it for us. That’s a real big play. That’s one that could turn the momentum of any game right there when you take a guy off third base and add an extra out.”
The Indians started off the seventh inning with another pair of ground balls that squeaked through the infield, and an infield single on a ball to third base. Franco fielded it, but he failed to record an out as he fumbled the exchange from his glove to his throwing hand. A run scored on the play. They added another on a sacrifice fly.
“His stuff today was lights-out,” Royals catcher Cam Gallagher said of Keller. “It’s frustrating when you’re hitting location and your ball is moving a lot. You’re doing what you want, but they’re finding holes, weak base hits. I guess that’s baseball. I told him the baseball gods always have a way of working themselves out, so next time out they’ll have to get him and even themselves out.”
This story was originally published September 7, 2020 at 8:30 PM.
