Bad day at the office.
Poor defense and a disastrous fifth inning were the main culprits in the Royals’ 6-1 loss to the Marlins on Tuesday night. It’s Kansas City’s 43rd loss and only June 6th.
It was a pitcher’s duel for the first four innings of Tuesday night’s contest as both Jesus Luzardo and Zack Greinke were on their game. In fact, Greinke didn’t allow a hit against the first 13 batters.
Unfortunately, the lack of run support that stemmed from last week’s loss to St. Louis carried into Miami. The lack of urgency the Royals showed offensively could only be masked for so long. Like the Cardinals, the Marlins found a way to adjust. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jesus Sanchez broke the tie on an opposite field home run to left field.
Later on in the frame, the 39-year-old Greinke found himself in hot water. With the bases juiced and one out, the scorching-hot Luis Arraez ripped an RBI-single to left. Soon after, Bryan De La Cruz tagged an RBI-double that cleared the bases. When the loud noises fell silent, the Marlins had opened up a 5-0 lead.
The Royals managed to grab their first run in the top of the sixth after Nick Pratto led off the with a double and later came around to score on a wild pitch. However, it failed to spark anything.
Kansas City, 18-43, will try and avoid a sweep tomorrow. Jordan Lyles will battle with Edward Cabrera. First pitch is set for 5:10 p.m. CT.