A KC Royals ... winning streak? Michael Wacha & MJ Melendez lead 3rd straight win
Seven hundred twenty-seven days.
It’s been that long since the Kansas City Royals finished a day over .500. They were 2-1 on April 10, 2022, a mark that held up until ... Saturday night.
Kansas City improved to 5-4 — above .500 — with a 3-0 win over the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium. The clubhouse scene postgame reflected that of a team that has been starved for wins.
After six scoreless innings, KC’s MJ Melendez broke the tie with a two-run home run off White Sox starter Chris Flexen.
“He cut the wind — that ball was really hit well,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “He was ready to hit. I mean, Flexen was really tough today and he got a first-pitch heater. From the replay, it looked like pretty much middle of the plate and (Melendez) didn’t miss it.”
KC added another run on a single by a surging Maikel Garcia to take a 3-0 lead by the end of the seventh.
From there, KC’s bullpen held on for the victory.
Take a look back at how the game unfolded...
Quality pitching continues
After a pitchers’ duel on Friday, the pitching excellence continued on Saturday. The two teams had a combined six hits through six innings.
Royals starter Michael Wacha had an excellent outing. He pitched seven innings, allowing no earned runs with eight strikeouts. He surrendered only two hits and one walk.
“I felt like we had a good mix going,” Wacha said. “We were getting ahead and staying in attack mode. Working both sides of the plate. Getting good contact at times and letting the defense play behind. Able to get some punchouts whenever we needed them.”
Meanwhile, Flexen exited midway through the seventh inning after surrendering three earned runs and striking out four. His big mistake? He pitched a four-seam 91 mph fastball down the middle, which Melendez crushed for a home run.
Garcia’s RBI-single came off White Sox relief pitcher Jordan Leasure in the seventh inning.
Missed the start of the series?
Game 1: Royals on pace to shatter team pitching record after 10-1 win over White Sox
Game 2: The Kansas City Royals are back to .500 after late rally
MJ Melendez continues clutch hitting
In Friday’s game, Melendez drove in the game-winning run with a single in the seventh inning.
He had some seventh-inning heroics again on Saturday.
His two-run homer in the seventh inning not only put the Royals on the scoreboard, but it was all the run support the KC pitchers needed.
“To just be able to push across the runs right there and have a big inning was pretty important for us,” Melendez said.
He finished 1-for-4 for the night, but his home run was crucial.
Up next for the Royals
The Royals finish their four-game series against the White Sox at 1:10 p.m. Central on Sunday. Alec Marsh will face off against Chicago’s Garrett Crochet.
After that, the Royals will play three home games against Houston.
This story was originally published April 6, 2024 at 8:37 PM.
