While watching Monday’s game, I was writing the recap in my mind. If you recall, it was a dull and lifeless game. Boring, actually. It vibed a team playing out a string of success, knowing further success was out of reach.
Then, the eighth inning happened. Happiness reigned. The funeral was postponed.
Or maybe delayed.
On Tuesday, the dull and lifeless Royals stepped to the plate once again. This time, there would be no comeback.
I mean… Just some garbage at bats from the Royals on Tuesday.
How about Kendrys Morales taking a couple of strikes and then EXPANDING the zone.
Or how about Salvador Perez, one batter later, likewise falling behind 0-2 and then chasing a pitch UP IN THE CLOUDS.
I mean, it was that kind of day. Sure, the Royals scratched together a few runs. A single, a wild pitch, and a sac fly brought them home. That’s a Very Royal Offense, isn’t it?
The screen grabs above are from the eighth, but the real missed opportunity came in the seventh. Against a tiring Danny Salazar, the Royals opened the frame with a walk and a base hit. Up stepped Alcides Escobar. During the at bat, the runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch. Somehow, he worked the count to 3-1, but you know how this is going to end.
Escobar swung at ball four up and out of the zone and hit a harmless pop up. Cheslor Cuthbert drives in the Royals final run of the night with the aforementioned sac fly before the Indians went to their bullpen to stymie Eric Hosmer. It sure felt like the Royals were primed to post a crooked number in that inning. Escobar and his awful plate discipline derailed that possibility. Second and third with no outs and just one run crossed the plate.
Its not that the buzz from Monday just evaporated. The Royals just dosed it with Sominex.
Bryan Flynn auditioned for the open fifth starter position and immediately showed he belonged by offering Mike Napoli a sacrificial 2-0 pitch that was promptly crushed and deposited by the Royals Hall of Fame. This was a two-run shot and from there, Cleveland never looked back.
After a smooth second, Flynn ran into trouble in the third, not all of it was his own doing. After the first two batters of the inning reached, the Indians were more than happy to trade an out for 90 feet, but Perez was having none of that. He fielded Jason Kipnis’ bunt and for some reason went to third. The throw was late, loading the bases. A sacrifice fly plated Cleveland’s third run and chased Flynn.
Dillon Gee entered and pitched well for the most part. If you could ignore the fifth, it would have been even better, but the rule don’t allow for you to do that.
Tomorrow is another day.