Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa delivered a crucial go-ahead single in the fifth inning to propel his team to a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.
Billy Cook ignited the rally with a leadoff single and scored on Kiner-Falefa’s timely hit past a diving Bobby Witt Jr. at shortstop. Kiner-Falefa also added two other singles in the game.
Royals starter Brady Singer struggled, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks in five innings. Carmen Mlodzinski replaced Jared Jones in the fifth inning and tossed a scoreless frame. Aroldis Chapman closed out the game with a perfect ninth inning, securing his ninth save.
The Royals had a chance to rally in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and two outs. However, Dennis Santana entered the game and induced a flyout from Salvador Perez to limit the damage.
Bryan Reynolds gave the Pirates an early lead with a double in the first inning, and Yuli Gurriel tied the game for the Royals in the second with a sacrifice fly. Tommy Pham nearly scored in the third inning but was thrown out at home plate.
Maikel Garcia’s RBI double gave the Royals a 2-1 lead in the fourth inning, but Oneil Cruz tied the game for the Pirates with a bases-loaded groundout.
The Kansas City Royals are set to kick off a 3-game series against the Detroit Tigers today at Kauffman Stadium. While the Tigers haven’t revealed their starting pitcher, the Royals will counter with Seth Lugo (16-8, 2.94 ERA). The first pitch is scheduled for 6:40 PM, with pregame coverage starting at 6:00 PM on SuperStar Country 102.5 & 1530 AM.
