The Kansas City Royals hit a speed bump on Saturday.
After recording four consecutive wins to begin a six-game road trip, the Royals ran into some tough pitching at Petco Park. The San Diego Padres shut down seemingly resurgent Kansas City 5-1.
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The Royals’ bats were quiet, too: KC was limited to four hits. The Padres (41-35), meanwhile, were buoyed by All-Star outfielder Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
“It was a pretty good pitch down and in,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told local media in San Diego, “and Tatis, who his a good hitter, got to it.”
Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease and three relievers kept the Kansas City offense in check and the Royals failed to respond.
Cease picked up his third win of the season. Royals starter Noah Cameron took a hard-luck loss despite allowing just two runs.
The Royals (38-39) slipped back under .500 with the loss. The deciding game of the series will be played on Sunday afternoon.
Dylan Cease stymies Royals
The Royals faced a familiar foe Saturday.
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Cease, who began his career with the Chicago White Sox, was effective through 6 2/3 innings. He likes to rely on his wipeout slider, but he favored his fastball against the Royals.
Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease (84) delivers against the Kansas City Royals at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday, June 21, 2025.
Cease threw his fastball 56% of the time. He registered 40 swings and 15 whiffs while forcing the Royals to put the baseball in play.
“He had a good fastball,” Quatraro said. “It was upper 90s and he held his velo the whole time.
“Guys were saying his fastball was exploding. … We laid off some pitches at the top of the (strike) zone, but he was tough and kept going there.”
When he needed to, Cease used his slider to finish off at-bats. The Royals logged three hits — all before the fifth inning — against Cease. Nos. 7-9 hitters Drew Waters, John Rave and Mark Canha provided the offense.
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Rave hit an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1. The Royals would draw no closer, finishing 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position.
Noah Cameron duels in San Diego
The Padres got to Cameron early. He pitched a clean first inning, but the Padres’ duo of Gavin Sheets and Jake Cronenworth combined to give San Diego a 1-0 lead.
Sheets doubled to start the second inning. Two batters later, Cronenworth grounded into a fielder’s choice and Sheets came in to score.
Cameron also ran into trouble in the third. He issued two walks and then Padres star Luis Arraez stepped to the plate. Arraez made him pay with an RBI single to extend San Diego’s lead.
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“Can’t really argue with the results,” Quatraro said. “He kept us in the game and found a good release point on the breaking ball. It was good to see him battle there.”
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Noah Cameron works against the Padres at Petco Park in San Diego on Saturday, June 21, 2025.
Cameron departed after 5 1/3 innings and 88 pitches thrown. He faced 22 batters, inducing five groundouts and six flyouts.
This season, Cameron has a 2.08 ERA in eight starts.
What’s next: The Royals conclude their weekend series against the Padres on Sunday afternoon. Seth Lugo (4-5, 3.05 ERA) returns to Petco Park while the Padres will send right-hander Randy Vasquez (3-4, 3.70 ERA) to the mound.