The Royals were shut out by seven Blue Jays relievers on Wednesday, but they turned around on Thursday and wasted no time in getting the offense going ... and going ... and going.
That, plus another dominant start from Noah Cameron, sent the Royals to a 13-2 victory and a series win at Rogers Centre. It will be a happy flight to Cleveland, where Kansas City will play three against the Guardians this weekend.
It was the Royals’ 10th win in their last 11 games and their fourth consecutive series win, a streak that started in Anaheim from Aug. 14-16 and continued in the last homestand with sweeps of the Athletics and Tigers. Thursday also marked the Royals’ second consecutive road series win after going 3-15-2 in their first 20 road sets of the season.
This is what mattered most from a nice bounce-back win for Kansas City:
1. Cameron keeps rolling
The turnaround for Cameron keeps rolling along with another quality start (two runs allowed in six innings). He held the Blue Jays scoreless until his final inning, when George Springer hit a two-out, two-run home run in the sixth.
That put an end to Cameron’s scoreless innings streak at 19 frames, as well as a stretch of 48 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing a home run.
Even as the Royals monitor Cameron’s workload now that he's surpassed his career high in innings, he’s been impressive. He doesn’t let jams get to him like they did early in the season, and the slider continues to be a real weapon for him. Along with calling his own pitches, the slider has been what’s fueled this whole turnaround.
The Royals have always viewed Cameron as a big part of their future, but this stretch only emphasizes just how important he will be. That’s especially true as they start to build their offseason plan, which will revolve around pitching additions.
2. Jensen sets the tone
The Royals took the lead two pitches into Thursday’s game when Carter Jensen crushed a Statcast-projected 421-foot no-doubter above the bullpens in right field, his 18th homer of the season. It was Jensen’s fifth leadoff homer as a catcher this year, which breaks a tie with Paul Lo Duca (2001) for the most leadoff homers in a season by a catcher in MLB history.
Next Wednesday will mark Jensen’s one-year anniversary of his Major League debut. In the span of a year, there has been so much thrown at the 22-year-old, from taking over as everyday catcher -- from his idol, Salvador Perez, no less -- to taking over the leadoff spot for most games. There have certainly been ups and downs to Jensen’s season, but he always seems to get back up whenever he’s knocked down. Those in-season adjustments were just as important for the Royals to see this season as Jensen’s overall development as a hitter and as a catcher.
Jensen walked three times after his home run, including in the Royals’ six-run sixth inning that blew the game wide open. The Royals received RBIs that inning from Kyle Isbel, Bobby Witt Jr., Jac Caglianone -- part of a career-high six-RBI night for him -- and Vinnie Pasquantino, whose two-run home run was the dagger that caused boos throughout the ballpark.
3. Collins shines at second base
In a blow to the offense, the Royals had to place second baseman Michael Massey on the seven-day concussion injured list on Thursday, two days after he hit his head hard on the ground when he fell while making a throw. The good news is that Massey is progressing well, and if that continues, the Royals expect him back next week.
Infielder Josh Rojas was recalled from Triple-A Omaha, but it was interesting that the Royals brought in Isaac Collins from left field to start at second base for the first time this season. We knew Collins could do this -- his versatility was one of the reasons the Royals traded for him this offseason -- and he’s had plenty of pregame defensive work there. But they haven’t needed him on the dirt too often.
Collins didn’t miss a beat. He helped turn a couple of double plays and made one excellent play on a liner back to him, throwing out a speedy Ernie Clement in the fourth inning.
It might be worth watching how many times Collins does play second while Massey is out. It wouldn’t hurt to evaluate Collins’ play at second, even just for a short time, as the Royals look toward the future. It also opens up an outfield spot for someone like John Rave, who started in left field on Thursday.