Kansas City, MO – The Kansas City Royals defeated the Atlanta Braves 9-6 on Tuesday night, with key hits from Kyle Isbel and Vinnie Pasquantino. The win was overshadowed by the early exit of Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., who left the game in the sixth inning with tightness in his right Achilles tendon and will be placed on the 10-day injured list.
Vinnie Pasquantino led the Royals’ offense with a solo home run in the first inning and an RBI double later in the game, finishing with three hits and two RBIs. Kyle Isbel delivered a pivotal three-run double in the sixth inning, extending Kansas City’s lead to 7-3. Bobby Witt Jr. also contributed two RBIs, and Jonathan India added a two-run double.
Seth Lugo (8-5) earned his first win since agreeing to a two-year, $46 million contract for the 2026 and 2027 seasons. Lugo took a shutout into the sixth inning but was charged with three runs and seven hits, striking out five and walking four. Carlos Estévez, the fifth Royals reliever, secured his 28th save.
For the Braves, Marcell Ozuna homered and knocked in three runs, while Austin Riley also went deep. However, right-hander Erick Fedde (3-11) struggled in his Braves debut, falling behind 4-0 after two innings. Michael Harris II collected three hits for Atlanta.
A crucial moment for the Royals occurred in the sixth inning when, with the bases loaded and two outs, Hunter Harvey retired Jurickson Profar on a flyball to preserve a narrow 4-3 lead before Kansas City erupted for five runs in the bottom half.
The Royals’ offense has shown significant improvement, scoring at least five runs in seven of their last 11 games, a mark they achieved only 21 times before the All-Star break.
Looking ahead, the Braves will send LHP Joey Wentz (2-2, 5.76 ERA) to the mound on Wednesday, while the Royals will counter with Angel Zerpa (3-1, 4.15 ERA). Pregame coverage on Superstar Country 102.5 FM & 1530 AM KQNK begins at 12:30 p.m., with the first pitch from Kauffman Stadium scheduled for 1:10 p.m.
