How the KC Royals bullpen played a key role in Tuesday’s win over the Houston Astros
On a night when Kansas City Royals ace Cole Ragans grinded through his start, the Royals got a lift from an unsung group.
Ragans pitched five innings against the Houston Astros on Tuesday. He battled a tough lineup and surrendered 10 hits and three runs. The Royals fell behind and called upon their revamped bullpen to keep the game close.
Four relievers answered the call.
The Royals sent relievers Nick Anderson, Chris Stratton, John Schreiber and James McArthur to the mound. Each player was tasked with holding the line.
The quartet pitched five scoreless innings in relief. They allowed four hits, no walks and struck out five batters in a 4-3 walk-off win.
“It was a great job by everybody all around,” Schreiber said. “Ragans battled his (behind) off with his pitch count being so high. (Ragans) got to the fifth inning and got as far as he could. For us to keep the score where it was at and trusting our guys from then on, we’ve got each other’s back out here.”
The Royals did exactly that against the Astros.
In the sixth inning, Anderson took the ball and set the tone. He worked around a one-out single to Astros star Yordan Alvarez. He induced a groundout, lineout and struck out former American League MVP Jose Altuve looking.
Stratton allowed two hits in the seventh. However, he escaped trouble and paved the way for Schreiber in the eighth inning. Schreiber posted a clean frame as the score remained tied at 3-3.
“Everybody in the bullpen knows what we want to do,” Schreiber said. “We just want to go out there and put up zeroes and hand it off to the next guy. That’s our mindset.”
McArthur finished out the game. He worked two scoreless innings, including a critical 10th inning where the Astros failed to score. He was aided by a terrific play from Royals star Bobby Witt Jr., who prevented the go-ahead run from scoring.
“It was a huge turning point for us I think,” McArthur said. “Obviously, a super close game right there. We don’t (want) that run to score. ... It was huge, man. He is such a good player and such a good teammate. It was an awesome play.”
McArthur struck out Jake Meyers to finish off a scoreless top of the 10th. The Royals earned the win after Salvador Perez hit a walk-off single.
The Royals improved to 7-4. The bullpen, which has blown some late leads, was stellar on Tuesday. The clutch moments stood out to many in the clubhouse, including Royals manager Matt Quatraro.
“Without it, we are not here sitting and talking about a win,” Quatraro said. “The efficiency of it was impressive as well. … It was really efficient and good for us as we embark on a long stretch.”
The Royals addressed their bullpen this offseason. It’s a completely new group that is comprised of MLB veterans in Stratton, Schreiber, Anderson, Will Smith and Matt Sauer. McArthur returns alongside Jordan Lyles and Angel Zerpa.
The bullpen hopes to build momentum early in the season. Tuesday night was another step in generating confidence.
“I think we are all in the same mindset in what we have to do to get as far as we can,” Schreiber said.
If the Royals can get similar performances this season, they could achieve their goals of making a long-awaited return to the playoffs. If nothing else, they’re well on track to win plenty more games this year than last.
“Everybody kept us in the game,” McArthur said. “That’s what it’s all about.”
