Wild pitch, error prove the difference in Royals' 3-2 loss to Mariners
KANSAS CITY, Mo.-- The Royals' Yordano Ventura stood on the mound one out away from taking a tie game into the seventh inning. Two hits and one wild pitch later, he walked off with the Mariners in control.
Seattle scored the tying and go-ahead runs on that wild pitch, and Hisashi Iwakuma pitched into the seventh inning, helping the Mariners to a 3-2 victory over Kansas City on Friday night.
Ventura (6-7) gave up only a sacrifice fly to Ketel Marte in the fifth before unraveling the next inning, beginning with Seth Smith's two-out single and Robinson Cano's double.
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Nelson Cruz stepped to the plate and nearly gave Seattle a three-run homer, sending a pitch soaring down the right-field line. First base umpire CB Bucknor initially signaled home run, then signaled foul ball, then decided that he wasn't quite sure and met with the rest of the umpires.
"I lost it." Cruz said "I think that happened to the umpire too. I had no clue."
After a review, the ball was declared foul and Nelson dug in again.
This time, Ventura's pitched got past catcher Salvador Perez and bounded away, allowing Smith to score from third base and tie the game 1-all. Perez threw the ball away trying to get him out at the plate, allowing Cano to also score -- the star catcher was given an error on the play.
"I was pitching good up to that point, I got two quick outs in that inning," Ventura said. "I lost concentration and got a little bit behind the count, gave up a couple of hits and then came that play."
Ventura allowed three runs, six hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out five.
Those three runs were enough for Iwakuma (9-6), who allowed one run, five hits and three walks over 6 2/3 innings, striking out six. He kept the Royals off balance with his usual herky-jerky delivery, the only run he allowed coming on Cheslor Cuthbert's base hit in the fourth inning.
"We didn't have scoring opportunities," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "He's tough, got a good sinker, a good split. Keeps you off balance with a decent slider."
Yost called play that produced two runs for Seattle "fluky": "[Sal & Ventura] actually, on the fly, did a good job."https://t.co/VXlaBVIK3E
— FOX Sports KC (@FSKansasCity) July 9, 2016
Steve Cishek, who blew the save in the series opener, allowed Perez's homer in the ninth before finishing off the inning. It was his 21st save of the season.
"Obviously, yesterday was tough," he said. "I felt really good yesterday, it's just baseball. So, I wanted a chance to go back out there and, if I had the chance, give the team the win to make up for it. It got a little sketchy there. I didn't think he hit that that well, but I was able to finish it."
The victoyr also snapped the Mariners' 10-game road losing streak.
"That's the beauty of baseball," Cishek said. "You play so many games that if you have a bad outing you have an opportunity to get back out there the next night."
HOME SWEET HOME
Yost has given up trying to explain his club's bizarre home-road split -- they began the day 28-11 at Kauffman Stadium, best in the majors, but are just 16-30 away from the spacious ballpark. They average five runs at home and just over three on the road. "It's puzzling," Yost said, "but there's not anything you can point to other than we're just not producing."
TRAINERS ROOM
The Mariners' Felix Hernandez will return July 20 against the White Sox. He is slated for a rehab start with Class-A Everett on Sunday. When asked what directions he would give Hernandez upon his return, manager Scott Servais replied: "Go pitch. Have fun." Hernandez went on the DL on June 1 with a right calf strain.
UP NEXT
Royals RHP Edinson Volquez tries to continue his dominance of Seattle when the teams continue their four-game set Saturday. Volquez is 4-0 with a 2.38 ERA in six career starts against the Mariners. He'll face Mariners LHP Wade Miley, who is 0-2 since his return from a left shoulder injury. Miley is 4-1 with a 2.91 ERA against the Royals, throwing a shutout against them on April 30.
