ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. _ The noise echoed across an empty building. Above the third-base dugout, a collection of three dozen or so Royals fans had taken up residence here at Tropicana Field on late Tuesday night. The place was deserted. The only sounds that suggested a major-league baseball game was still taking place were the thunderous crack of the bat and the scattered cheers that followed.
"Let's go Royals?"
Yes, here in Florida.
In the top of the 12th inning, Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas saw a 1-2 fastball from Rays reliever Diego Moreno and drove the pitch 404 feet into the vacant seats in right. The solo blast delivered a 7-6 victory and capped a gritty comeback in the second game of a four-game series. The Royals won for a second straight day, and this time, the formula offered a glimpse at the mettle in a last-place team. Sparked a party in the bottom section of Tropicana Field, too.
The Royals weathered a mediocre spot start from Chris Young. They erased a four-run deficit after five innings. They discovered a path to victory thanks to a bullpen that finished the game with six straight scoreless innings. The final two came courtesy of rookie Jake Junis, who earned his first career win, and closer Kelvin Herrera, who slammed the door in the 12th. The Royals (12-20) can secure a series victory with a win in one of the final two games here at Tropicana Field.
First baseman Eric Hosmer finished 3 for 6, raising his average to .293. Salvador Perez crushed his seventh homer while piling up three hits. The offense has put up 14 runs across two games in St. Petersburg, Fla.
In a 5-1 hole after five innings, the Royals wielded a rock hammer and went to work, chipping away at the lead. Perez clubbed a two-run homer off Rays starter Matt Andriese in the sixth. They scored two more runs in the seventh via a scatter-shot rally against the Tampa Bay bullpen. Brandon Moss opened the inning with a double while Jorge Bonifacio walked. Moustakas scored one run with a groundout, while Hosmer notched a two-out RBI single to left before getting picked off first base.
That set up the eighth. Perez smacked a rule-book double to right field and scored after Rays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier misplayed a single from Alex Gordon. The miscue represented the third from Kiermaier in two days. The Royals had knotted the score at 6.
Before the end, the Rays' offense had broken through for six runs against Young and reliever Travis Wood. Young was making his first start of 2017, taking the spot of an injured Ian Kennedy. He allowed four earned runs in the first, including a two-run blast to Logan Morrison, before throwing 66 pitches in three innings.
The Royals played from behind all night and sliced the deficit to 6-5 with two runs in the top of the seventh. But a base running snafu from Hosmer snuffed out an opportunity with two outs. Moments after Hosmer singled to left to score Bonifacio, the Rays called on rotund reliever Jumbo Diaz to face Perez with two men on. Perez ran the count to 3-1 before Rays catcher Jesus Sucre picked off Hosmer, the trail runner, at first base.
And yet, the Royals were not done, tying the game as left-hander Mike Minor offered 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief. Joakim Soria entered in the 10th and posted a clean inning.
Upon close inspection, Young was stung by some poor luck in the early innings. Of his first seven hits allowed, four left the bat at less than 74 mph, an array of flares and jam shots. Kiermaier capped the four-run first inning with a soft single that landed on the back edge of the infield dirt, over the head of a drawn-in Moustakas at third.
Yet even the most charitable description cannot cover up the numbers. In his last 14 starts, dating back to last year, Young is 1-9 with a 7.62 ERA while allowing 27 homers. He may not get another opportunity as the Royals attempt to decide who will fill Kennedy's spot in the rotation the next time through.
In 2016, Young was routinely left in tatters, posting a 6.19 ERA and allowing 28 homers in 88 2/3 innings. As a starting pitcher, he was even worse, shelled for 46 runs and 26 homers in 56 innings pitched. Among pitchers who logged at least 80 innings, Young had the second worst ERA behind Minnesota's Tyler Duffey.
On a two-year contract signed in the months after the 2015 World Series, he returned to the Royals in 2017, trying to put last year behind him, hoping to extend his career past his 38th birthday, which falls on May 25. He competed for a starting rotation spot in spring training, yet he seemed destined for a role in long relief.
He posted a 4.22 ERA in his first 10 2/3 innings pitched before Kennedy strained his hamstring last Thursday. The injury created a spot in the rotation. The Royals discussed their options before ultimately opting for Young.
They could have given the assignment to Wood, another versatile veteran who entered the night with a 14.04 ERA. They could have opted for inexperienced Junis, who joined the team Tuesday after a hamstring injury to Scott Alexander. They could have lined up a top prospect such as Josh Staumont. Instead, they chose Young.
The beginning was ominous. The end turned out just fine.
