CINCINNATI — Michael Massey delivered a tiebreaking, RBI single in the ninth inning, and Nick Loftin followed with his first home run of the season to power the Kansas City Royals past the Cincinnati Reds 5-2 on Wednesday night, securing a crucial three-game series victory.
The win snaps a recent slide for the Royals, who had dropped seven of their previous eight games overall. It also marks a rare bright spot in deciding games for Kansas City, improving their record to 2-4 in rubber matches and 6-14 in series finales this year.
With the game knotted at 2-2 in the top of the ninth, Massey lined a clutch single to right field off Reds reliever Tony Santillan (1-3), driving home pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert for the go-ahead run. Moments later, Loftin provided plenty of insurance by launching a two-run blast to cap the scoring.
Vinnie Pasquantino got the Royals on the board early. After Bobby Witt Jr. drew a one-out walk in the first inning, Pasquantino crushed a two-run shot over the right-field wall to jump out to a quick 2-0 lead. Pasquantino, Massey, and Jac Caglianone paced the Kansas City offense with two hits apiece.
The Reds generated their only offense in the fifth inning. After Tyler Stephenson grounded into a double play, Matt McLain singled to keep the frame alive. Blake Dunn followed by tattooing a two-run homer to left-center, tying the game at 2-2. Dunn finished the night with a multi-hit performance.
Both starting pitchers turned in stellar, no-decision outings. Royals starter Stephen Kolek struck out eight over seven strong innings while allowing just the two runs. For Cincinnati, 23-year-old sensation Chase Burns racked up nine strikeouts over six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. The performance pushes Burns’ impressive season total to 81 strikeouts in 70 1/3 innings.
Daniel Lynch IV (2-0) earned the victory after pitching a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Kolek. Former Detroit Tigers reliever Alex Lange handled a clean ninth inning to secure his first save of the season—and his first save opportunity since 2024.
The victory marks the Royals’ second road series win of the season and their first since a three-game sweep of the Seattle Mariners from May 1-3.
Up Next
The Royals travel to face the Minnesota Twins on Thursday to kick off a four-game series. Neither team has announced a starting pitcher for the opener.
