Royals grab lead against Orioles but can’t keep it. Here’s what happened Wednesday
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Royals lost to the Orioles at Kauffman Stadium and lost the series.
- Royals fell to 8-17 and remained in the bottom of the AL Central.
- Michael Wacha allowed six earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, raising his ERA from 1.00 to 2.51.
Well, it was nice while it lasted.
Less than 24 hours after snapping an eight-game skid, the Royals were unable to keep the momentum going Wednesday in an 8-6 loss to the Orioles at Kauffman Stadium.
Losing to Baltimore continued an unfortunate trend for the Royals this season: They are 1-7 in 2026 in the final games of a series. They also lost two of three to Baltimore and dropped to 1-6-1 in series this year.
“It’s really disappointing,” first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said. “You feel like you want to build a little bit of momentum. But also, we’ve had conversations here where momentum, whether it’s real or not, you’ve got to either try to fight off the bad momentum or build on the good momentum. So every day is a new challenge, and we’ve got to treat it as such. Can’t take any of these for granted, and just got to be ready on Friday night.”
The Royals dropped to 8-17, the worst record in the American League.
OK, that’s the bad news. There were some positives, including what the Royals hope was a breakout game for Pasquantino.
Entering Wednesday’s game, Pasquantino was batting .143 with two home runs and 23 strikeouts. But he slugged a solo homer in the first inning and doubled and scored in the fourth.
Pasquantino also drew a walk an inning later and reached base three times, a season high.
“I thought today was a step in the right direction from a personal standpoint, but wasn’t enough today,” Pasquantino said. “But I think the steps were there. You just gotta keep working.”
Royals hit three home runs
In addition to Pasquantino’s blast, the Royals got home runs from rookie catcher Carter Jensen and center fielder Kyle Isbel.
After the Royals gave up six runs in the top of the sixth and fell behind 8-3, Jensen opened the bottom half with a solo shot to center and Isbel hit a two-out, two-run homer to right later in the frame.
“We knew that coming into the game, he (Orioles pitcher Chris Bassitt) likes to try to get that two-seam (fastball) on the front door,” Jensen said. “He tried a few times in previous at-bats, and I was kind of sitting on it, getting my load a little bit early, and he ended up throwing it kind of middle in there.”
Michael Garcia departs game
Third baseman Maikel Garcia left the game in the sixth inning because of a sore right elbow.
Garcia said he felt pain in the elbow during a swing in his second at-bat Wednesday. He stayed in the game a few more innings before leaving. The Royals will do further evaluation on Garcia, but he said he was feeling better postgame and expects to play Friday.
Michael Wacha woes
After giving up a two-run home run to Orioles slugger Pete Alonso in the first inning, Royals starter Michael Wacha settled into a groove ... until the sixth.
With one out and the Royals ahead 3-2, the veteran right-hander walked a batter and then allowed three straight hits. He was pulled in favor of Eli Morgan, who gave up a single and a three-run homer to Coby Mayo.
All the inherited runners scored, and Wacha allowed six runs (all earned) on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings. It was his worst outing since Sept. 21, when the Blue Jays scored six runs in five innings at Kauffman Stadium.
“Give up the lead early, and the guys come back, end up taking the lead, you know, fighting back into that game, and then give it right back to him there in the sixth,” Wacha said. “Felt like a lot of traffic, was able to pitch around the leadoff double without letting him in there. But yeah, that sixth inning definitely stings.”
Wacha’s ERA jumped from 1.00 to 2.51 with Wednesday’s performance.
What’s next: The Royals have Thursday off. The Angels fly into town next, and Noah Cameron will open Friday night’s series opener. First pitch is at 6:40 p.m.
This story was originally published April 22, 2026 at 3:58 PM.
