The Royals have struggled to hit this year, so Maikel Garcia decided to try to win the game with his legs. The team ended an eight-game losing streak when Garcia scored in the bottom of the ninth on a wild pitch to beat the Orioles 6-5.
It looks early on like the losing streak might continue when the Orioles took an early lead. Coby Mayo blasted a three-run home run in the second inning off Kris Bubic to put the Royals in a hole.
But the Royals chipped away at the lead. Carter Jensen doubled in the bottom
of the inning and scored after a wild pitch and a Michael Massey sac fly to put the Royals on the board. The Royals stranded a pair of runners in each of the next two innings, giving fans flashbacks to last night. But tonight, Royals hitters were able to cash in some runs.
In the fifth, Kyle Isbel led off by chopping a double up the left field line. Maikel Garcia singled to drive him home and cut the lead to one. He stole third, then scored on a sac fly by Vinnie Pasquantino (did he touch home? It seemed like he didn’t touch home. But the Orioles never challenged so…keep it to yourselves).
Meanwhile, Bubic settled down and turned in another Quality Start. He retired eight of the last nine batters he faced, giving up just the three runs over six innings. He finished with three strikeouts and three walks, and threw 66 of his 100 pitches for strikes.
Nick Mears turned in a 1-2-3 seventh, to give the offense a shot to take the lead. Kyle Isbel led off the bottom of the inning with his third hit of the night, a double to right. He advanced to third, and when Orioles starter Shane Baz walked Maikel Garcia, it appeared his night might be done. But Baltimore manager Craig Albernaz left him in to face Bobby Witt Jr., who drilled a pitch to right, the third sacrifice fly of the night for the Royals. Isbel scored to make it 4-3, Royals.
But Matt Strahm would cough up the lead in the eighth. Gunnar Henderson grounded it up the left field line for a double. Just off the Injured List, Adley Rustchman laced a pitch 394-feet for a two-run home run to put Baltimore on top.
Orioles reliever Rico Garcia hasn’t given up a hit all year. Until the eighth, when Michael Massey took out his frustrations and hit a 412-foot bomb for his first home run of the year to tie it.
The Orioles brought in closer Ryan Helsley in the ninth, and he struggled with his control. Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. each led off with walks, and Helsley went 3-0 with Vinnie Pasquantino. But Vinnie continued his struggled, swinging at a pitch way out of the zone to strike out, although the runners advanced on the pitch. Salvador Perez also swung at pitches out of the zone, and it looked like the Royals be letting an opportunity slip through their fingers. Helsley bounced a pitch that Rustchman blocked behind the plate, but the ball bounced back towards the pitcher. That was all Garcia needed, as he hustled from third and slid across home for the walk-off win.
The Royals can take the series tomorrow afternoon when Michael Wacha faces Chris Bassitt at 1:10 CT.
