Kansas City Royals get out of the gates fast, but fizzle late in loss to Oakland A’s
The day looked so promising for the Kansas City Royals after Salvador Perez staked them to a two-run lead in the first inning, but that modest lead wasn’t nearly enough to hold off a deep and relentless Oakland Athletics lineup.
Perez became just the second catcher in more than 50 years with 45 home runs in a season, but the Athletics opportunistic offense scored seven runs or more for the third time in the three-game series as the Royals fell 7-2 in front of an announced 11,729 at Kauffman Stadium on Thursday afternoon.
The Royals (66-80) dropped the rubber match of the series and finished the season series with the Athletics having gone 2-5.
Royals starting pitcher Daniel Lynch left the game with tightness in his left calf. Lynch allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk in two innings. The left-hander did not record an out in the third inning before he left the game.
“I respect the decision to take me out, obviously, but I could have stayed in there and pitched if they needed me to,” Lynch said of coming out of the game. “It was one of those things that was a lot more precautionary.”
Lynch described himself as “optimistic” and said he expected everything to be fine. Royals manager Mike Matheny also expressed optimism after an MRI indicated Lynch had only experienced a cramp.
Perez, who served as the designated hitter, went 2 for 4 with his 45th home run of the season, while Adalberto Mondesi also went 2 for 4 in the loss.
Royals rookie catcher Sebastian Rivero recorded his first multi-hit game in the majors with a 2-for-3 performance. Shortstop Nicky Lopez (two walks) extended his on-base streak to 25 consecutive games.
Perez’s first-inning two-run home run, which came on the heels of a Lopez walk, gave the Royals an early lead 2-0. They held onto that advantage until the third inning.
Lynch pitched around a leadoff single and a hit batter to start the game, and he bounced back to retire the side in order in the second.
However, Lynch, one of the organization’s top young pitchers, left the game with no outs in the third inning after he threw a 2-2 pitch to Matt Olson with the bases loaded.
Lynch appeared to wince after throwing the pitch and head trainer Nick Kenney and Matheny went to the mound immediately after the pitch.
“I felt a little what felt like a cramp in the first inning, and I got it worked on in between innings,” Lynch said. “It went away for the second, and then I felt fine going into the third. Then I kind of got deep into the inning there and during that at-bat to Olson, it kind of came back and sort of persisted. It just felt like a cramp.”
Lynch issued a walk, hit a batter and gave up an RBI single in the third inning before he walked off the field with Kenney. Reliever Joel Payamps entered the game in the middle of Olson’s at-bat with a 3-2 count and the bases loaded.
Payamps got Olson to line into a double play for the first two outs of the inning. However, Payamps walked the next batter and then Jed Lowrie hit a hot shot down the first-base line that ricocheted off of Royals first baseman Ryan O’Hearn.
Second baseman Whit Merrifield fielded the ricocheted ball. It appeared he might have still had time to get the force out at first base, but he threw across the diamond in an effort to catch the lead baserunner.
Everyone was safe and the second run of the inning scored on the play. The next batter, Chad Pinder hit a two-run single into left field. The four-run inning, including Lynch leaving the outing early, put the Athletics (79-67) in the driver’s seat with a 4-2 lead.
“It wouldn’t let off,” Matheny said of Lynch’s cramp. “When something like that is grabbing, it’s hard to be very consistent with your pitches. Then he just got into a spot that we almost got out of. That third inning is really where the game happened.
“Unfortunately, (there was) a play that didn’t get made and a three-run swing. Overall, I thought he did a nice job. He was pitching in, probably more off the plate than normal.”
The Athletics added three runs in the ninth inning to account for the final margin.
The Royals begin a three-game series with the Seattle Mariners on Friday night at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. CT. The pitching match-up features Royals right-hander Brady Singer (4-10, 4.85 ERA) and Mariners right-hander Chris Flexen (11-6, 3.73).
This story was originally published September 16, 2021 at 5:36 PM.
