Royals’ bullpen falters again and Marlins win series. What went wrong this time?
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals' bullpen allowed late runs in both losses, costing them the series.
- Kansas City mustered just three hits Saturday, including one Salvador Perez homer.
- Cal Quantrill held the Royals scoreless over six innings despite reverse splits.
The Kansas City Royals continue to be plagued by their inconsistent offense. And now, the bullpen is starting to bear the brunt of the pressure.
On Saturday, the Royals mustered just one run against the Marlins. It came in the eighth inning, when Salvador Perez hit a solo home run, his 14th of the year.
The rest of the Royals’ lineup remained silent as the Marlins earned a series victory with a 3-1 win at LoanDepot Park.
The Royals had just three hits. Bobby Witt Jr. went hitless and failed to extend his franchise-record road hitting streak to 28 games. Vinnie Pasquantino struck out twice.
The Marlins (46-51), meanwhile, took advantage in Saturday’s late innings. Otto Lopez hit a two-run double off Royals reliever Lucas Erceg in the eighth after Erceg walked the leadoff batter and then put another man aboard.
“Leadoff walks always kill, right,” Erceg told Anne Rogers of MLB.com via FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City. “For me personally, I felt like every time I dealt a leadoff walk, they always score. I’ve got to be better at that, and I’ve got to be better at pounding the (strike) zone and getting ahead of guys. I know my stuff is good enough and I just didn’t do that today.”
Lopez was responsible for all three runs Saturday against the Royals’ pitching.
Added up, it’s another series loss for the Royals. They dropped both games in Miami because of their leaky bullpen. The Marlins walked off the Royals in 10 innings Friday and won Saturday in similar fashion.
The Royals (47-52) will look to salvage a win in Sunday’s series finale before heading to Chicago for a series against the Cubs.
Royals shut down early
Marlins pitcher Cal Quantrill is quite familiar with the Kansas City Royals.
Quantrill, 30, faced the Royals multiple times during his seasons with the Cleveland Guardians. In 10 career outings against KC, he had a 6-0 record and 2.96 ERA.
On Saturday, Quantrill crossed paths with the Royals again. And this time he propelled the Marlins to victory.
The Royals logged just two hits against Quantrill, who remains undefeated against them.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro tried to utilize his right-handed hitters strategically in Saturday’s batting order. It was a good idea, as Quantrill has reverse splits this season.
Quantrill had limited left-handed batters to a .203 average. Against righties, however, he had struggled. Opposing right-handed hitters had hit .371 against him with a 1.063 OPS.
Those numbers didn’t matter Saturday afternoon.
Quantrill struck out three in six shutout innings. He earned a no-decision as the Royals came back to tie the game in the top of the eighth on Perez’s blast to center field.
Michael Wacha lacks run support
Royals starter Wacha navigated an early flurry of activity against the Marlins.
He allowed an earned run in the first inning — the first time this year he’s given up a run in the first inning of a game — after Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards opened the contest with a leadoff triple. Edwards then came around to score on Otto Lopez’s RBI groundout.
Wacha settled in from there. He scattered three hits across six innings but didn’t receive the run support he needed.
“It looked like he pitched to the corners really well,” Quatraro told local reporters in Miami. “He got in on guys with the sinker and got away on righties with the slider and cutter. And (there were) ground balls with runners on base. It was really soft contact.”
That’s nothing new for this team. This year, Wacha has averaged a paltry 2.29 runs of support per start. That’s the lowest such figure in the majors among qualified starting pitchers.
The Royals gave themselves few opportunities to score. In the third inning, KC outfielder Tyler Tolbert singled but was picked off first base. Later, third baseman Maikel Garcia rolled into a 6-4-3 double play that ended the Royals’ half of the seventh.
What’s next: Royals All-Star Kris Bubic (7-6, 2.48 ERA) will start Sunday afternoon’s series finale opposite Marlins right-hander Janson Junk (4-1, 2.68 ERA).
This story was originally published July 19, 2025 at 5:45 PM.
