KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ Royals manager Ned Yost sat atop the bench inside the Kauffman Stadium home dugout at 4:30 p.m. Friday and analyzed the makeup of his bullpen. He referenced years past, most notably the reliability of three power right arms who adopted the moniker HDH.
Five hours later, he had one more reminder of how quickly things change. It came from an unexpected source.
Toronto second baseman Devon Travis tagged Royals fill-in closer Kelvin Herrera for a ninth-inning solo home run _ the difference in a 4-3 victory on Friday in front of 31,831 fans at Kauffman Stadium.
Herrera had not allowed a home run since July 6.
Travis hit one only 138 minutes earlier.
The Toronto leadoff man's first shot came just four pitches into the game. His final one dropped into the Royals' bullpen.
A fitting depository.
On Thursday, it was Royals right-handed reliever Joakim Soria who suffered the loss after allowing a three-run, go-ahead homer to Tampa shortstop Brad Miller in a 3-2 defeat. On Friday, Herrera allowed his first run of any sort since July 6. Ironically enough, it followed a scoreless frame from Soria, who backed up a scoreless inning from Peter Moylan.
In the bottom of the ninth, Royals outfielder Paulo Orlando reached second base on a one-out throwing error from Toronto third baseman Darwin Barney. But he was caught attempting to steal third in the ensuing at-bat. Jarrod Dyson directed a base hit into left field a few pitches later before Alcides Escobar struck out for the final out.
That extended an uninspiring streak.
On the final day in June, after the Royals traveled across the state to its eastern border, they secured a victory in downtown St. Louis, a game in which right-hander Chris Young started but lasted fewer than five innings. Thirty-six days later, the Royals remain winless when the fifth spot in their rotation takes its turn. On Friday, starter Dillon Gee overcame a rough start to last six innings, allowing three runs on four hits to post his first quality start since April 27, 2015.
His initial deficit came four pitches into the game. Travis redirected a curveball into the left-field seats. By the time he had disappeared into the Toronto dugout after his home run trot, a smattering of boos overtook Kauffman Stadium, some of them reserved for the next hitter, outfielder Jose Bautista, who drew the ire of Royals fans during last fall's American League Championship Series. Gee later limited the harm to just one run, escaping a bases-loaded jam.
The Royals answered. Twice.
Escobar scored a run in the first after reaching on Barney's first error, and after the Blue Jays put two more on the board in the third, the Royals responded again two innings later. On a night in which his home country opened the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Orlando hit his third home run of the season just over the left centerfield fence. Four batters later, Lorenzo Cain tied the game on a triple to left center that scored Cheslor Cuthbert.
All of that damage came against Toronto left-hander Francisco Liriano, who was making his Toronto debut. The Blue Jays acquired Liriano hours before the trade deadline Monday. He threw six innings, allowing three runs, two of them earned. Liriano was 6-11 with a 5.46 earned run average with the Pirates before the trade.
The Blue Jays entered Friday tied with Baltimore for the American League East division lead.
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