Royals fall 7-4 to Diamondbacks in exhibition game at Chase Field

Before Chris Young took the mound on Friday night at Chase Field, the plan called for him to throw just 40 pitches. This was a cool-down start, his final innings of spring training, and Royals manager Ned Yost envisioned a brief affair.

But as the Royals prepared to face the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday afternoon, the plan took on even more rigid guidelines. The club may elect to delay the debut of right-hander Ian Kennedy because of tightness in his hamstring. The decision could force Young to start on Tuesday against the New York Mets in the second game of the season. That turned Friday into a possible final tuneup before Young could make his regular-season debut on three days’ rest.

Young allowed four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings in the Royals’ 7-4 exhibition loss to Arizona. His final line did not fully convey his performance. Young tossed two scoreless innings before allowing a run on a one-out double from center fielder A.J. Pollock. His defense stumbled after that.

The next batter, Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt, hit a grounder to shortstop Alcides Escobar, who pondered throwing to third base to cut down Pollock. The hesitation caused Goldschmidt to leg out the infield single. The Diamondbacks’ David Peralta followed by hitting a grounder to second base. Omar Infante elected to go home, but his throw was a tick late, and Pollock slid in safely while injuring his right elbow on the slide. The Diamondbacks later announced that Pollock had fractured his elbow and will require surgery.

“We underestimated Goldschmidt’s speed [going to] first base,” Yost said. “Omar made a nice play; he just double-clutched or we would’ve had an out at home there. If we get one of those two outs, that inning doesn’t develop the way that it did.”

With Young’s pitch count at 40, Yost sauntered toward the mound and inserted minor-leaguer Kevin McCarthy, who allowed both inherited runners to score before surrendering a run of his own.

“I felt good,” Young said. “I felt like I threw the ball well. Weird results, but part of that’s Arizona, part of that’s spring training.”

The Royals opened the scoring in the top of the first, after shortstop Alcides Escobar ripped a line-drive triple to left-center field on the game’s first pitch. Designated hitter Kendrys Morales pushed the Kansas City lead to 2-0 on a deep homer to center field in the second.

The Diamondbacks struck back with five runs in the third inning, chasing Young from the game. The Royals trimmed the lead to 5-3 in the fifth, scoring one run after loading the bases with nobody out. But Arizona stretched the lead back to 6-3 after scoring against Chien-Ming Wang in the bottom of the fifth. Wang has emerged as a favorite for a final spot in the Royals’ bullpen. He evaded danger on Friday after being struck in the chest by a line drive. He remained in the game and finished the inning.

“He’s fine,” Yost said afterward.

For the second time this week, the Royals fielded a lineup that appeared to be a preview of the Opening Day version, and for the second time, that lineup included outfielder Reymond Fuentes, who started in right field and batted ninth. Yost has not indicated whether he will start Fuentes or Paulo Orlando in right field in the opener on Sunday. But with the Mets starting right-hander Matt Harvey, the left-handed hitting Fuentes could get the nod.

The Royals had one more positive to take back to Kansas City as a group of regulars prepared to take a morning flight back home. After a slow start in early March, left-hander Danny Duffy is finishing camp with a strong closing kick. He threw a scoreless inning on Friday and has recorded four scoreless appearances in his last five outings.

This story was originally published April 1, 2016 at 11:35 PM with the headline "Royals fall 7-4 to Diamondbacks in exhibition game at Chase Field."