Former Royals pitcher Brady Singer held his old club to just two runs on seven hits over seven innings, earning the win in a 7-2 victory in his return to Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night.
It was a bullpen game for the Royas with Daniel Lynch IV getting the start. After a 1-2-3 first inning, he gave up a solo home run to Tyler Stephenson in the second to put the Reds on the board. The Royals answered in the bottom of the inning with back-to-back RBI singles by Kyle Isbel and Jonathan India to make it 2-1 Royals. Elly de La Cruz launched a missile to dead center off Jonathan Bowlan to tie it up in the fourth.
Taylor Clarke worked around some trouble in the fifth, but served up a meatball to de la Cruz in the sixth that was absolutely hammered for a 451-foot home run into the upper tier of fountains in right centerfield to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.
John Schreiber came in for the seventh and struggled with his command and his fielding. After a TJ Friedl single to lead off the inning, Santiago Espinal chopped a ball back at Schreiber. It hit off his glove and dribbled past him. He went back to scoop it up, but threw wildly to first, causing Vinnie Pasquantino to lose his glove. Friedl would score on the bizarre play to make it 4-2 Reds.
Rather than give Elly de la Cruz a shot at a third home run, the Royals elected to intentionally walk him. After a strikeout, Schreiber walked Stephenson to load the bases, then walked Spencer Steer to force in a run. Angel Zerpa was brought in and got a ground ball up the middle, but the Royals couldn’t quite turn the double play, allowing another run to score.
Steven Cruz gave up an RBI double to Espinal in the ninth to make it 7-2. The Royals went quietly in the ninth, and finished the night with just eight hits and one walk, leaving seven runners on base.
The Royals will look to avoid a home sweep tomorrow evening when Noah Cameron (1-0, 0.93 ERA) takes on right-hander Hunter Greene (4-2, 2.54 ERA)