— WRITTEN BY ANNE ROGERS – ROYALS.COM —
KANSAS CITY (Royals.com) — For seven innings on Wednesday, the Royals’ offense was quiet and concerning. They had just four hits. There were only two situations with runners in scoring position. Frustration was mounting.
And then Bobby Witt Jr. electrified the offense with a two-out triple in the eighth inning, his eighth triple of the year. Vinnie Pasquantino brought him home with a single into center field and, finally, the Royals had some life.
Salvador Perez followed with a go-ahead RBI double, and the Royals knocked three more hits along with a walk en route to a five-run inning and a 5-1 win over the Marlins to salvage a series win at Kauffman Stadium.
Starter Brady Singer didn’t get credit for the win, but his 7 1/3 innings of one-run ball were the reason the Royals were able to come back at all. Wednesday’s outing marked a season high in innings for Singer, and was the seventh game of his career with at least 7 1/3 innings pitched.
Singer was also the third consecutive Royals starter to deliver a quality start, as Kansas City’s rotation held Miami to just two runs across 19 1/3 innings (0.93 ERA) over the three-game series.
The offense has done very little to support that excellent pitching performance, and frustration — along with some pressing at the plate — has built up because of it. On Wednesday, the Royals mustered just two hits against Marlins starter Valente Bellozo in his MLB debut.
So there was some cathartic release in the eighth inning when Kansas City batted around. When Nick Loftin roped a single into left field, he threw his arms up at first base and pumped up the Royals’ dugout. There was energy again, and the Royals kept the line moving.
Anne Rogers covers the Royals for MLB.com.