For too long, the Kansas City Royals had been in the gutter with loss after loss, and no end in sight. Finally, after last night's 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds, the Royals capped off their first road series win since the start of May when they swept the Seattle Mariners.
KC outscored the Reds 17-8 over the three-game span, with contributions coming from every corner of the ballclub. The most welcome newcomer to the party was first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, who finally provided the Royals with the much-needed firepower that's been so stagnant. He batted .307 in the series with three RBIs, one homer, and two walks.
Sasquatch wasn't the only one to show up versus the Reds, as second-year man Jac Caglianone came through with two hits in each of the Royals' two wins. Reserve outfielder Lane Thomas set the tone early in the series with a grand slam in the top of the first inning and ended the game with three hits. Veterans Michael Massey and Nick Loftin finished the series from the bottom of the order with three combined hits last night, including a home run from Loftin.
Royals' others need to carry hot streak into Minnesota
You'll notice that above, there is no mention of Bobby Witt Jr., which is exactly what you'd want if you're a Royals fan. Greatness is expected from Witt on almost a nightly basis. What he needed and what fans had been clamoring for was for the "others" to give him some help. That's exactly what they did and what they need to continue to do as they enter into an important divisional matchup, traveling to Minnesota to take on the Twins.
Coming off a series win of their own, the 29-34 Twins lost the first season series versus the Royals at Kauffman Stadium and will look for some payback in front of their home crowd. Kansas City gets the benefit over this coming four-game stretch to play three of its best pitchers, with Seth Lugo getting the nod tonight, followed by Michael Wacha, and then Noah Cameron to cap it off.
It may be too early to get excited about the Royals finally showing some life, but it was certainly nice to see and will only matter that much more if they can carry it further into the season. Another impressive series versus the Twins would do wonders in pulling the Royals out of the grave of the AL Central.
Add us as a preferred source on Google