BALTIMORE -- Overshadowed by the Royals’ late-inning loss to the Orioles on Wednesday was Salvador Perez, a player who rarely takes a back seat to anything news-wise.
Perez continued his phenomenal season, hitting a solo home run in the seventh inning for his team-leading 42nd jack of the season and No. 194 in his career, moving him into sole possession of third place in Royals history. He entered Thursday one shy of the Major League lead (Shohei Ohtani has 43) and seven homers shy of eclipsing Jorge Soler’s single-season franchise record (48 in 2019).
“Try to be ready and don’t miss,” Perez said of his mentality at the plate on Wednesday during that 42nd home run at-bat.
Perez started again behind the plate in the series finale on Thursday, looking to notch at least one more home run at Camden Yards this season, known for being a homer-friendly ballpark.
Also hidden amid the hubbub of Wednesday's loss was Michael A. Taylor’s 500th career hit, which came on a leadoff single in the fifth inning. The kicker? Even he didn’t know it was a milestone hit.
“It’s exciting, you know,” Taylor said on Thursday. “Any milestone is a nice thing, but hopefully there are more to come.”
After signing with the Royals as a free agent during the offseason, Taylor entered the series finale with 105 hits, his first season with 100-plus knocks since 2017 with the Nationals, when he logged a career-high 108 in his second year.
Benny and the jets
Andrew Benintendi stayed hot on Wednesday, going 3-for-5 with five RBIs, including a double and a three-run homer. The outing marked the outfielder’s first five-RBI game since June 1 against the Pirates, in which he hit a grand slam.
“Just a good approach all day long,” Matheny said Wednesday. “And he’s been swinging the bat much better lately. It’s been good to see some good results for him.”
Entering Thursday, Benintendi had gone 5-for-11 with six RBIs, including the game-winning home run in the series opener on Monday.
Bobby does it again
Down on the farm, Bobby Witt Jr. continues to rake. The No. 3 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, hit his second inside-the-park home run on Wednesday. The knock was his 13th homer with Triple-A Omaha and his 29th of the season. His first inside-the-park home run came on July 21, and was his first long ball with the Storm Chasers.