KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Minor had been in cruise control for going on four innings. The Kansas City Royals’ left-hander pitched efficiently and appeared to have firm control of the outing. Well, until he didn’t.
Minor’s outing and the game took an abrupt turn in the span of three batters, and there was no time for a course correction. The Royals fell 6-2 to the Cincinnati Reds in front of an announced 14,709 in the first game of a three-game series Monday night at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals had just taken a razor-thin 2-1 lead when a four-run seventh inning for the Reds quieted the crowd. It also put the Royals offense, which had scored two runs in the first six innings, in a position to have to score three more in the final three just to pull even.
Minor allowed four runs, three hits and three walks in six innings. He struck out six. He pitched into the seventh inning, but he did not record an out in the inning before the bullpen took over. Three of the runs allowed by Minor came in the seventh inning, and two came after he’d exited the game.
Minor gave up a first-pitch home run to Nick Castellanos on a 419-foot smash to left field to start the seventh inning. Minor then walked the next two batters before manager Mike Matheny called upon right-handed reliever Kyle Zimmer.
With two men on, Zimmer gave up a three-run home run to Eugenio Suarez that gave the Reds a 5-2 lead.
The Reds tacked on another run via Tyler Naquin’s RBI single in the ninth inning.
Jorge Soler and Carlos Santana each had RBI doubles for the Royals. Santana also scored a run. Nicky Lopez doubled and scored.
