Kansas City Royals will have to wait another day for milestone win after Tuesday’s loss
The Kansas City Royals’ quest to eclipse last season’s win total will have to wait one additional day. On Tuesday, the Royals lost 6-2 to the Arizona Diamondbacks at Kauffman Stadium.
Arizona scored early, with a three-run first inning, and relied on veteran starter Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery faced little trouble against the Royals. He allowed an RBI double to red-hot Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. but nothing else.
“He’s a veteran pitcher,” Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe said. “He reads swings and he knows how to pitch.”
Witt finished 1-for-4. He snapped a four-game streak with three hits in a game.
Montgomery allowed one run in five innings. He also registered two strikeouts and surrendered one walk.
The Royals were unable to solve his four-pitch arsenal that included a sinker, changeup, curveball and fastball. As a result, Montgomery registered 34 swings and eight whiffs.
“He has great command of his changeup and fastball and he keeps hitters off balance,” Renfroe said.
KC struggled against the Arizona bullpen as well. Diamondbacks reliever Bryce Jarvis recorded three strikeouts in two relief innings. Later, Arizona trio Joe Mantiply, Ryan Thompson and Kevin Ginkel — who allowed a run — sealed the victory.
“They have good arms,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I’ve seen Thompson quite a bit. I had not seen Jarvis before, but he has got an interesting pitch mix. Some of the guys we haven’t seen yet are very quality. We know that the back end of their ‘pen is really good.”
The Royals dropped to 56-46. They also ended a four-game winning streak to start the second half of the 2024 campaign.
Arizona improved to 52-50. Royals starter Alec Marsh took the loss after allowing five runs.
Missed previous Royals coverage?
Game 1: Bobby Witt Jr. nearly hits for cycle in Royals 10-4 victory over D-Backs
Tempers Flare: Inside the tense moments as Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. chased history
Here are more notables from Tuesday’s game:
Alec Marsh falters in start
Marsh fell behind early against the Diamondbacks. In the first inning, he allowed three runs as Arizona sent seven batters to the plate.
“Probably just a little too excited,” Marsh said of his tough start. “You want to go out there and set the tone early. Trying too hard — I think that has been the biggest challenge for me ever since I came to the big leagues. (It was) trying to to harness that and slow down.”
Diamondbacks star Corbin Carroll led off the game with a single. Two batters later, Arizona had loaded the bases for veteran slugger Christian Walker.
Marsh induced a sacrifice fly to retire Walker. However, he failed to limit the early damage as catcher Gabriel Moreno recorded a two-run single to extend the lead.
“I think the first inning, he just missed couple of locations,” Quatraro said. “You know, he is one pitch away from getting out of that with the two strikes on Moreno. He didn’t locate that breaking ball.”
The Royals added a run in the bottom of the first. However, the Diamondbacks continued to add on.
Marsh labored in the fifth inning as he allowed a two-run homer to second baseman Ketel Marte that hit the right-field foul pole.
“In my head, I thought he was looking for spin,” Marsh said. “That’s why I thought the changeup was a really good pitch there. ... (I) just ended up yanking it a little bit. He just put a good swing on it.”
KC turned to the bullpen in the following frame. Marsh suffered his seventh loss as he allowed five runs and struck out six batters.
“I think it’s finding his groove,” Quatraro said of Marsh’s early struggles. “He has a good warmup routine and I think it’s getting into game action and getting the adrenaline focused in the right spot and not overthinking.”
What’s next on the KC Royals schedule?
The Royals conclude their three-game series with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday. KC will start right-hander Michael Wacha in the finale.
Wacha is 6-2 with a 2.30 ERA in his last 10 starts. He recently earned his eighth quality start after pitching seven shutout innings against the Chicago White Sox last Friday.
The Diamondbacks will start right-hander Ryne Nelson in the rubber game. He is 7-6 with a 4.78 ERA.
This story was originally published July 23, 2024 at 10:00 PM.
