00:01Royals baseball tonight from Coffin Stadium in Kansas City where the Royals are back after an
00:06off day and take on the San Francisco Giants in the final three home regular season games.
00:12And they're three games back of Baltimore for the top wildcard spot and now they have a two-game
00:16lead over both Detroit and Minnesota. The Tigers have tied the Twins. And the offense has scuffled
00:22since Vinny went down with the injury and that's a big hole to fill but just about every team in
00:26the major leagues has had a significant injury this year. Get back to some small ball. Put some
00:30runs on the board for the starting pitching and let the pen to win. They've got to get back to
00:34the
00:34formula. If they do they'll make the postseason. For the Royals it's right-hander Michael Wacca. He has
00:39a 329 ERA. That's 10th best in the American League and that's across 156 innings. 27 starts. So 28th
00:47start of the season tonight for 33-year-old Michael Wacca. Yastrzemski is leading off the game. That ball
00:53into right center field and it gets down. Base hit for Yastrzemski to start it off.
01:00And a runner on for Mark Canna. Three and two. There goes Yastrzemski. Ball four. Wow what a
01:09determined gritty plate appearance that was for Canna. And that'll bring up Michael Conforto.
01:15And Conforto hits it into right center field. His bell is there. Yastrzemski tags.
01:22And he'll move up to third as the throw comes into second base. And now would be an even better
01:28time for a ground ball and a double play for Wacca. Elliott Ramos. Softly hit. Yastrzemski is heading home
01:35and everybody is safe. No throw. Wacca came off the mound in a hurry. His only play in his mind
01:43was
01:43first base. But when he picked it up or tried to with his bare hand then he bobbled it. And
01:48then
01:48he picked it up again and realized better not throw anywhere. And so it's one to nothing in favor of
01:54San
01:54Francisco. Runners at first and second now for the catcher Bailey. Fastball by him again. Two down.
02:02And up comes the center fielder Grant McCray. Ground ball to first. Fielded by Gurriel. Steps on first. And Wacca
02:12able to limit damage. Nothing hit that hard but San Francisco won with the Royals coming up.
02:18Mason Black making his seventh start of the year at the big league level. Still looking for his first win.
02:25Black who was
02:26first called up in early May. Initially struggled. Was sent back to AAA Sacramento. Has pitched much better
02:33though since returning. Tommy Pham. Royals leadoff batter.
02:37Three and two. Strike three call. Sinker on the outside. That little movement came back and caught the corner.
02:44And for Mason Black he gets the first out of the game. A beautiful 3-2 pitch right there. Now
02:49the Royals superstar Bobby Witt Jr.
02:52Having an MVP caliber year. A little tap and if it stays fair Witt's on base. They're going to let
02:59it roll. And Witt has a scratch infield hit.
03:03So the third hit of the game between the two teams and only one has left the infield. Salvi Perez.
03:1134 years old now. There goes Witt.
03:14Softly hit. And at number two Witt safely into second.
03:21So the tying run at second for Massey. Michael hitting 260. He's driven in 41.
03:27That ball is belted. Deep center. McCray turning one way. Back the other. Then backpedaling. Inning over.
03:33Hard hit ball but McCray played it well. It's Black through the first.
03:38Now Adam Frazier. And we'll see how the Royals play it here. Gurriel's at second. Melendez is at first. 1
03:44-0 San Francisco.
03:45And he bunts. It's a good one. Schmidt will throw him out.
03:50But the Royals get two in scoring position. That's how you stay out of a double play right there.
03:54That was the other option. Michael Garcia coming up.
03:57Infield draws in now all the way around.
04:00Right to Cannon.
04:02Another hard hit ball with a two strike count.
04:05But an Adam ball. Two down.
04:07Kyle Isbell up there. Kyle hitting 236.
04:11So big pitch here. The leadoff man, Tommy Pham, is on deck.
04:14Center field. McCray. And it comes right to him.
04:17The Royals have left three runners in scoring position in the first two innings here tonight.
04:23Elliott Ramos leading off here in the fourth inning.
04:25Giants ahead. 1-0.
04:27One pitch. Ramos swings and drives one out towards deep left center.
04:30Isbell on the run. Reaching up off his glove.
04:33And the ball rolls to the bottom of the wall.
04:35Isbell will pick it up there. Rounding second.
04:37Ramos on his way to third. The relay. Not in time.
04:42Ramos in with a head first dive.
04:44And a leadoff triple.
04:46Took off fast as he could toward left center.
04:48Then redirected himself back at the last moment.
04:51Left his feet.
04:52And nearly made a contortionist kind of catch.
04:56But it ticked off his glove.
04:57And now there's a runner on third with nobody out.
04:59Here's the pitch.
05:01Bailey chops it toward first.
05:02Gurriel gloves it. Steps on first.
05:04Ramos stays put at third.
05:06Third. So Bailey's out. One away.
05:07Two balls. Two strikes on McCray.
05:09Infield still in for the Royals.
05:11And the pitch.
05:12Chain jump. Swung on and missed. Strike three.
05:14Waka needed that one.
05:16His third strike out of the game.
05:17And now there are two outs in the top of the fourth.
05:20Ramos still at third.
05:21The infield moves back.
05:23Casey Schmidt the hitter.
05:24Got him.
05:26That's a huge inning for Michael Waka.
05:30Getting around a leadoff triple.
05:32Another rookie.
05:33A lot of young players in the bottom two-thirds of this lineup.
05:37And this number nine hitter is Marco Luciano.
05:40Called third strike on a backdoor changeup.
05:43And Waka strikes out his fifth.
05:46Now back to the top of the order.
05:47And Yastrzemski.
05:48And he pokes it in the shallow left field.
05:52Melendez is there.
05:54A one-two-three inning for Michael.
05:55And we go to the bottom of the fifth with a one-nothing giant lead.
05:59And a swing and a miss struck him out.
06:02Another high fastball.
06:03So back-to-back strikeouts against the Royals.
06:05Number eight and nine hitters.
06:07And now two gone in the inning.
06:09As the Royals go back to the top of the lineup.
06:11And Tommy Pham.
06:13Wisely.
06:14Oh, what a play!
06:16Tommy Pham.
06:17Somebody call a cop.
06:18He got robbed by Brent Wisely.
06:21A gold glove play there by Wisely.
06:23Two down quickly here for Waka in the sixth.
06:27And Ramos now.
06:29Hammered.
06:30Deep right center.
06:32Up against the wall.
06:34Isbell plays the carom.
06:36A double for Elliott Ramos.
06:39Having a knife.
06:40John, we are on cycle watch.
06:41We have a single, triple, and a double.
06:43This is 108 off the bat.
06:45And he's probably definitely not going to see Waka again.
06:48The beast is lurking.
06:49Now here's Bailey.
06:51Ground ball.
06:52Right field off the glove that slows it up.
06:56And Ramos will score.
06:58Big run and a big hit by Bailey.
07:01Bailey, he's been having no luck.
07:03He's been hitting lots of things hard.
07:04Finally finds a hole right here.
07:05And that's a crucial run.
07:07Two out RBI knock.
07:09Massey is still down.
07:11And if you've ever had the wind knocked out of you,
07:13it is not a serious injury at all.
07:16But painful for a while until you catch your breath.
07:19Off we go into inning number eight.
07:22John Schreiber comes in to pitch for the Royals.
07:24Now here we go.
07:25Elliott Ramos.
07:26He's got a single, a double, and a triple.
07:29We're looking at a home run away from the cycle.
07:32And to right field.
07:33Frazier is on the run.
07:34He dives.
07:35Did he get it?
07:36Yes.
07:37Adam Frazier robs Elliott Ramos.
07:40That one appeared headed for another extra base hit.
07:43It's going to be Camilo Duvall getting an opportunity for another save.
07:48And this one's going to be a big one for him.
07:50It'll be nice to get him back going and rocking and rolling.
07:53He's walked two in a row.
07:55So he has walked the possible tying runners on base, free of charge.
08:00That will bring up Mikel Garcia.
08:02Now he gets a ground ball to short.
08:04Giants on a bobble.
08:06Saved at second base.
08:08Fitzgerald couldn't get the ball out of his glove.
08:11Continue to take advantage of the opponent's miscue.
08:15So the Giants are helping the Royals immensely.
08:18Bases loaded.
08:19One out for Garrett Hampson.
08:21And a high fly ball into right field.
08:25And over comes Jastrzemski to make the catch.
08:29He run will score.
08:30Runner to third will be safe.
08:32So now it's two to one, but now there are two men out.
08:34Now the winning run is at second base.
08:37Tommy Pham to the plate.
08:39He struck him out.
08:41And the ball game is over.
08:43Oh my.
08:44The Giants did everything possible to hand the game to the Royals.
08:48The Royals just couldn't finish it.
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