KANSAS CITY -- When Bobby Witt Jr. slid in safely at home on a popup to shallow center field in the first inning Saturday night, Royals bench coach Paul Hoover turned to manager Matt Quatraro and noted the next batter, Samad Taylor, would have to get it a little deeper for Salvador Perez to score from third base.

As if on cue, Taylor hit a fly ball to right field -- and Perez took off for home, showing his “wheels” as he slid in safely, beating the tag.

“You know I’m fast,” Perez said with a grin. “We need to try the little things. The way we’re playing, we’re not winning too many games. If we have a chance to score some runs, we’re going to try our best. Even if it’s me [running].”

The Royals rode a five-run first inning full of bloop hits to a 6-4 win over the Dodgers at Kauffman Stadium, evening the series before Sunday’s series finale matinee.

But while the Royals offense provided the hits in the first, as well as a crucial run manufactured by Dairon Blanco’s two stolen bases in the seventh, it was the bullpen that shone the brightest.

Following Daniel Lynch’s five-inning, three-run start, three Royals relievers shut the door on the Dodgers. It was a glimpse into how the Royals bullpen could be used  in close games without setup man Aroldis Chapman, who was traded to the Rangers on Friday.

“You don’t just slot somebody else in -- there [aren’t] too many Aroldis Chapmans walking around,” Quatraro said Friday. “But the best thing we have to offer is opportunity. We have people with good arms, good stuff, and we need to give them opportunities to pitch.”

The thing that won’t change yet is closer Scott Barlow's role. He earned his 10th save of the season Saturday and 14th career save of at least four outs -- which is the second-most four-out (or more) saves in the American League since Barlow’s 2018 debut, trailing only Liam Hendriks (16).

But with Barlow on the trading block ahead of the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline, other relievers will have to step up, and, right in line with the Royals’ evaluation season, show the club what they can do in high-leverage situations.

First up Saturday was Carlos Hernández. The 26-year-old threw a scoreless two innings, needing 13 pitches to retire the bottom of the Dodgers lineup in the sixth and then working around a leadoff double from Mookie Betts to retire the top of the order in the seventh.

“If I’m going to get the chances, I’ll try to take advantage of them,” Hernández said through interpreter Luis Perez. “I’ll go out there and compete no matter what inning it is.”

Armed with a 100-mph fastball, Hernández offers potential for the Royals’ future back end of the bullpen. But it’s a role he’ll have to earn – and learn how to compete in those situations.

“To be a setup man and closer in the big leagues, you have to prepare yourself for that,” Perez said. “It’s not going to be easy. … You need to prepare yourself and work a little better and concentrate. We’ll see if he can grow a strong mentality, if he can be a closer or setup man. He’s got good stuff. He needs to believe in what he has.”

In the eighth, Quatraro handed the ball to Taylor Clarke, who had a 0.53 ERA in 16 games between May 2 through June 12 but has struggled recently. He allowed a run on three consecutive singles, including James Outman’s grounder to Nick Pratto -- who hesitated and didn’t record an out at home or at first. Clarke picked up Pratto by striking out Yonny Hernández, but things got more precarious when Barlow walked Betts to load the bases with two outs.

Never a doubt, Barlow got Freddie Freeman to ground out.

Those three will not be available every day, so others -- like Amir Garrett, Jose Cuas and the rotation of relievers the Royals will continue to call up -- also must take advantage of the opportunities to pitch in higher leverage.

“I know for me, working in the sixth, then seventh, working your way up, there’s definitely a learning curve to that,” Barlow said. “The experience alone is so valuable. The biggest thing to deal with is controlling your emotions. You can get a little too amped up and feel like you’ve got to do a little extra against those guys. You come to find out that doing your everyday against anybody one through nine of any team and trusting your stuff will get you through.”