Bobby Witt Jr. played a crucial role in the Kansas City Royals’ 3-2 victory on Tuesday night. In the fifth inning, Witt delivered a go-ahead double after Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a costly error. This mistake allowed the Royals to take the lead, and their bullpen did an excellent job of shutting down Toronto for the rest of the game. Chris Stratton, who inherited a bases-loaded jam from Michael Wacha, minimized the damage and took care of the sixth inning. John Schreiber and James McArthur also contributed to the bullpen’s success by handling the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. McArthur was sent out for the ninth inning and secured his fifth save of the season, despite a challenge from the Blue Jays.
Kevin Gausman started on the mound for the Blue Jays but was unfortunate to allow three unearned runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings. On the other side, Wacha pitched for the Royals and gave up two runs on eight hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. Although Wacha faced some challenges, including loading the bases in the fifth inning, he was also a victim of bad luck with weakly hit singles that led to the Blue Jays taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning. However, the Royals managed to mount a comeback in the bottom of the fifth, capitalizing on a blunder and Guerrero’s error to take a 3-2 lead.
The game had its fair share of tense moments, including a review that overturned a single by the Blue Jays’ Cavan Biggio in the ninth inning. Despite George Springer’s subsequent single and Guerrero’s groundout, McArthur was able to get Bo Bichette to ground out and secure the victory for the Royals. Overall, it was a well-fought game with both teams showcasing their strengths and weaknesses on the field.
The Kansas City Royals will face the Toronto Blue Jays Wednesday evening at 6:40 p.m. with pregame coverage on Classic Hits KQNK 106.7 FM, 102.5 FM & 1530 AM beginning at 6:00 p.m. Alec Marsh (3-0, 3.22 ERA) will pitch for Kansas City against Yariel Rodríguez (0-0, 2.35 ERA).