Brady Singer falters in KC Royals’ series-opening road loss to Seattle Mariners
The Kansas City Royals were on the receiving end of a stellar performance from Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby.
Kirby, an All-Star last season, was formidable in limiting the Royals to just three hits in the Mariners’ 6-2 series-opening victory at T-Mobile Park on Monday.
The Royals didn’t have many scoring opportunities. In the first inning, Kirby quelled a bases-loaded threat ... and then he went on to retire 17 of the final 21 batters he faced.
The Royals recorded seven hits, but Kirby successfully navigated their lineup with an electric four-seam fastball. The heater averaged 96.6 mph and registered 21 swings and eight whiffs, per Baseball Savant.
The Mariners had much better luck against Brady Singer. The Royals’ right-handed starting pitcher didn’t have his best command, and that proved costly.
Seattle attacked Singer’s sinker all night. On several occasions, he struggled to locate the pitch in favorable counts. That resulted in a lot of hard contact, specifically from the Mariners’ duo of Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley.
Raleigh finished 2-for-4 with an RBI single and Raley belted a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs.
In the second inning, Raley hit a 92.8 mph sinker from Singer over the center-field wall. The blast traveled 432 feet with an exit velocity of 107.3 mph.
The Royals trailed 4-0 after the fourth inning but briefly closed the gap in the eighth. Second baseman Michael Massey drove in both Kansas City runs — his 15th and 16th RBIs of the season — with a double.
KC had pulled within two, only to watch the Mariners match those runs via Ty France’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.
Singer (3-2) took the loss and the Royals dropped to 25-18.
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Here are more notable aspects of Monday night’s game:
Royals fail to cash in early opportunity
The Royals struggled to find any traction against Kirby.
In the first inning, star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got aboard with a one-out single. Then both Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez were by pitches.
KC had loaded the bases and set up a prime scoring chance. However, Kirby then struck out Massey and coaxed a ground-out from outfielder Nelson Velazquez. The Royals came up empty.
Kirby didn’t allow another hit until the fifth inning, when Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco reached on a single.
What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?
The Royals continue their three-game series against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha will be the Royals’ starting pitcher. He owns a 5.15 ERA and his last outing was a quality start.
Right-hander Logan Gilbert will start for the Mariners. He is 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA this season.
