KANSAS CITY – The Royals finished off their long, nine-game homestand with a 5-2 series-finale win over the D-backs on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium.
In many ways, this homestand was a disappointing one. The Royals came home after a strong road trip and had played well at home most of the second half only to go 3-6 against the Marlins, Blue Jays and D-backs, losing the first two of every series before taking the finale of all three. Mistakes loomed large, particularly this week against Arizona and the two extra-innings losses on Monday and Tuesday.
But salvaging Wednesday night means they’ll head into an off-day and the final road trip of the season – through Boston, Houston and Pittsburgh – on a better note.
Here’s what mattered most from Wednesday:
Witt’s clutch home run
The Royals have been in search of a big hit, and they got one in the fifth inning from Bobby Witt Jr., who crushed a middle-middle sinker from D-backs righty Michael Soroka. The three-run blast was Witt’s 18th of the year and a little bit of redemption after he had come up empty in big spots a couple of times this homestand.
“Three-pointers are nice,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “... I know he’s felt like he’s left some runs out there, and he feels a lot of responsibility for that. That was a huge swing of the bat for him and for us.”
The D-backs took the bat out of Witt’s hands in big moments the past two nights; he was hit by a pitch on Monday in the 10th inning and intentionally walked in the 10th inning Tuesday. The D-backs are fighting for a playoff spot and weren’t going to let the Royals’ best player beat them.
Wednesday’s homer was exactly why.
John Rave scratched out the first run Wednesday in the second, but then it was the sluggers who took over with Carter Jensen’s solo home run – his 23rd of the year, the second-most ever by a Royals rookie, trailing Bob Hamelin (24 in 1994) – and Witt’s homer. Both punished mistake pitches. Sometimes that’s all it takes.
“Hunt the pitches and be able to do damage on the ones you’re looking for,” Witt said. “And not miss them. Take it one pitch at a time, and once you get those pitches, be able to capitalize on them.”
Lynch’s bounce-back
It has not been an easy road for Daniel Lynch IV as a starter over the past month, but the two runs he allowed in five innings Wednesday was a major bounce-back after he allowed five runs in five innings against the Blue Jays on Friday.
He committed to his reliever mindset again, and it paid off dividends.
“I felt like my last couple [of starts], I was kind of passive, a little bit more defensive,” Lynch said. “Today, I made a commitment to being aggressive on offense pitching, and I felt like it translated to good results.”
Lynch’s velocity has trended down since he’s become a starter, with both fastballs 1 mph slower than what they averaged when he was a reliever. He averaged 93.9 mph with his sinker Wednesday, which is more on par with what he was throwing as a reliever (average 94.4 mph). He’s still lacking in whiffs with just 15% on Wednesday, but he was able to limit damage against him.
“Results aside, I felt like myself,” Lynch said.
Loftin at the hot corner
Sometimes the biggest play of the game happens early. That might have been the case Wednesday. With runners on the corners and one out in the first inning, Nolan Arenado smoked a ball to third baseman Nick Loftin – who was able to corral it, spin and throw home to Jensen for the out.
“Pretty much all reaction,” Loftin said. “I don’t know if [Jensen] knew that I was going to come home with it. I literally told him in the dugout, ‘Thank you for being ready for that one.’ That could have been bad if that got by him or it was challenged. Who knows how that would have changed the game.”
Loftin has done an excellent job at the hot corner with Maikel Garcia sidelined with a hamstring strain. The Royals view Garcia, who will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, as their long-term third baseman, but Loftin has solidified his defensive value this year: He can fill in all over the field.
“He seems like he’s slowed the game down, understands the rhythm of what’s going on,” Quatraro said. “When to speed up, when he has time to make throws.”