Velázquez propels Royals to victory in Seattle, where wins had eluded KC of late
There is an old adage: “Good things come to those who wait.”
And Kansas City Royals designated hitter Nelson Velázquez had certainly waited a long time to hit his third home run of the season — more than a month, in fact.
Velázquez finally snapped that homer drought on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. He drilled an 86.3 mph slider over the left-field wall and lifted the Royals to a 4-2 victory over the Mariners.
“I went in there with a plan for that at-bat, to look for the slider and try to hit the ball to the middle,” Velázquez said. “I stayed on my plan and good things happened.”
Velázquez hadn’t homered in 31 games — 97 at-bats. His last home run came on April 4 against the Chicago White Sox at Kauffman Stadium.
“Baseball is about ups and downs,” Velázquez said. “It’s not an easy game.
“The hardest thing in this game is to hit and I just tried to stay positive and go to home plate and do all I can to help the team. Today was the day and I am happy for it.”
Velázquez stepped up in a key situation when the Royals (26-18) were stuck in neutral against Mariners starting pitcher Logan Gilbert. The 6-foot-6 right-hander tossed six scoreless innings and had returned to the mound in the seventh to finish his outing.
Gilbert, who entered with a 2.94 earned-run average, ran out of gas instead. He issued a leadoff walk to Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. and soon after intentionally walked team captain Salvador Perez.
Velázquez took advantage of the situation by pulling an inside slider from Gilbert over the outfield fence. The blast gave Kansas City its first lead of the series after two challenging nights against the Mariners’ pitching staff.
“It’s clearly the biggest spot in the game offensively and he’s been scuffling a little bit,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “This trip, he’s got it going a little bit, but that was a big hit for him personally and for the team.”
The home run helped Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha earn his third victory of the year. The veteran right-hander allowed just one run in six innings. He walked two and struck out seven, throwing 54 of 98 pitches for strikes.
Mariners outfielder Luke Raley accounted Seattle’s early offense. He hit a solo homer in the fourth inning to give the hosts an early lead.
The Royals continued to grind out at-bats late. Maikel Garcia hit an RBI single in the eighth inning to provide a key insurance run.
From there, the Royals turned to their bullpen. Relievers John Schreiber and James McArthur shut the door late.
“Wacha pitched an incredible game out there for us,” McArthur said. “Our offense, against a really good starter, hung in there and was able to do some damage to him later on in his outing. To come in and pick those guys up was big-time.”
McArthur allowed a late home run to Mitch Haniger but recovered to collect his 10th save. The Royals won their fourth game on this road trip and evened the three-game series in Seattle.
Missed previous Royals coverage?
Game 1: Royals fall 6-2 in series opener against Mariners
Great Catch: Mariners fan hauls in two foul balls in consecutive order
Here are more notable aspects of Tuesday’ nights game:
Michael Wacha dazzles against Mariners
Wacha added to his solid road trip on Tuesday. In his previous start, he’d allowed three runs (two earned) against the Los Angeles Angels.
His success away from The K continued in Seattle. Wacha limited the Mariners to one run with a dynamic pitching arsenal, utilizing his changeup and cutter effectively.
“I felt like the ball was coming out good,” he said. “I had command of a lot of the pitches, working in and out, up and down to some guys and keeping them off-balance for the most part.”
Wacha registered a combined 24 swings and 10 whiffs with the changeup and cutter, per Baseball Savant. In the second inning, he struck out the middle of Seattle’s order: Raley, Cal Raleigh and Dylan Moore.
Later, the Royals’ three-run seventh inning gave Wacha the support he needed to cruise through the Mariners’ order one final time.
“I haven’t see the numbers, but I felt like I was ahead and making pitches in positive pitcher counts,” he said.
What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?
The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Mariners on Wednesday with right-hander Alec Marsh drawing the matinee start at T-Mobile Park.
Marsh (3-0) owns a 2.53 ERA in six starts this season. He set a season-high with seven strikeouts in his last start (against the Los Angeles Angels). The Royals have won all six of Marsh’s starts this year.
The Mariners will send right-hander Bryan Woo to the mound. He will be making his second start of the season.
This story was originally published May 14, 2024 at 11:31 PM.
