Kansas City Royals offense can’t get going during 3-1 loss to Rangers in series finale
The Kansas City Royals had just one hit through seven innings Thursday night. Even though the top of their lineup strung together three hits in the eighth to get them into the scoring column, it proved too little.
The three-hit eighth inning accounted for more than half of the Royals’ hit total for the night as they lost 3-1 to the Texas Rangers in the rubber match of a three-game set in front of an announced 14,994 at Globe Life Field.
Royals star catcher Salvador Perez, who served as the designated hitter for the 11th time this season, drove in the club’s lone run with his RBI single through the right side of the infield in the eighth inning.
Rookie starting pitcher Jonathan Heasley, a native of nearby Plano, Texas, pitched 3 1/3 innings and left with the bases loaded and the Royals trailing 1-0 in the fourth.
“There’s a lot of positives to take from it and, obviously, some stuff we’ve still got to work on,” Heasley said. “Obviously, the four walks stand out. That’s not the ideal way to go about it right there, but I felt like I grinded. I felt like I threw the ball well. There was a lot of positives, like I said, but definitely those four walks — I need to get rid of that.”
Heasley (0-1) made his season debut for the Royals (10-19) after having started the season with Triple-A Omaha. He joined the club in Texas this week.
On Thursday night, Heasley allowed one earned run, four walks and four hits. He struck out just one. He pointed to his third inning, in which he retired the side in order on a pair of infield grounders and a strikeout, as indicative of the way he usually attacks.
Pitching in his home state of Texas for the first time in his major-league career, Heasley threw 80 pitches despite not getting through the fourth inning. But he got swings and misses using his fastball, changeup and curveball.
“I was just kind of nibbling a little bit, especially with my offspeed,” Heasley said. “Just maybe trying to be too fine. Honestly, everything’s better when I just throw the crap out of it and throw it just like my fastball. So that’s just kind of mentally focus, dial it in a little bit and just know that that third inning was really good and just build off of that. That needs to be my style all the way through.”
Heasley, who made his fourth career start in the majors, earned pitcher of the year honors for Double-A Northwest Arkansas last season.
The Rangers pushed one across against Heasley in the first inning thanks to an infield single, a walk and an RBI single looped over third base by Kole Calhoun.
Heasley found himself in trouble in the fourth because of walks. He gave up a leadoff single by Nick Solak, then walked Eli White and Andy Ibanez back-to-back to load the bases.
“He competes well and he doesn’t seem to get rattled,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said of Heasley. “We go through this a lot when you bring a young guy up, trying to make too much of a perfect pitch. Especially early in the count to where it puts you behind in counts. Major-league hitters are going to make you pay when you get to the middle of the plate.
“He fought his way through it and made really good pitches when he had to.”
Matheny turned to left-handed reliever Amir Garrett out of the bullpen.
Garrett held the line
Garrett got an infield pop-up and a fly ball caught in foul territory to end the inning and leave all three men stranded on base.
“My approach anytime I come in, I want to strike everybody out,” Garrett said. “That’s my main goal. I strike guys out. That’s what I do. In that situation right there, I’m looking for the strikeout but I was lucky enough to get out of there with four pitches, soft contact and pop ups.
“But I’m always looking for the strikeout in those situations. I think it gives the team momentum when they see stuff like that.”
Garrett, acquired from the Cincinnati Reds during spring training in exchange for Mike Minor, pitched 1 2/3 innings and didn’t allow anyone to reach base. He struck out two and threw 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes. He now has a 2.70 ERA in 11 appearances this season to go along with a 0.90 WHIP.
“Those kinds of situations, I love to be in those situations,” Garrett said of coming in with the bases loaded and one out. “I want to be in those situations more. I’m just here to help the team as much as I can. Heasley pitched a great ballgame for us today. I was just trying to keep us in it.”
Collin Snider (one inning) also provided scoreless relief, and the score remained 1-0 until the seventh inning.
Royals right-hander Taylor Clarke allowed a one-out solo home run off the right field foul pole by Brad Miller on a first-pitch fastball. Miller’s fifth home run of the season gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
Rangers starting pitcher Taylor Hearn held the Royals to one hit in five innings, and the Rangers’ bullpen picked up where he left off.
The Royals’ first run came in the eighth inning on Perez’s RBI single after Whit Merrifield (1 for 5) and Andrew Benintendi (1 for 3, walk) started the inning off with back-to-back singles. The Royals stranded two men on in the inning after Hunter Dozier and Bobby Witt Jr. struck out.
Rangers cleanup hitter Adolis Garcia tripled and scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the eighth inning as Texas regained the two-run advantage.
Michael A. Taylor (1 for 4) and Ryan O’Hearn (pinch hit) also each had hits for the Royals. They had the tying runs on base in the ninth, but weren’t able to convert.
The Royals head to Denver, where they will finish their three-city, nine-game road trip over the weekend against the Colorado Rockies.
Royals right-hander Zack Greinke (0-2, 2.67) will pitch the series opener on Friday night, while the Rockies list left-hander Kyle Freeland (1-3, 3.94) as their scheduled starter.
This story was originally published May 12, 2022 at 10:08 PM.
