Kansas City Royals take 1-0 lead in 8th, but KC kid plays hero for Cleveland Guardians

Kansas City Royals fans may want to keep their ticket stubs from Tuesday’s game. The price of admission wasn’t enough to justify the oddities that occurred at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals mustered two hits against the Cleveland Guardians. Freddy Fermin hit a single in the third inning and Edward Olivares doubled in the eighth, a leadoff shot off the left-field wall that paved the way to a 1-0 KC lead entering the ninth.

Yet somehow, the Royals let victory slip through their grasp again. The Guardians scored two in the ninth — both men crossing the plate on a double to right off closer Scott Barlow by Blue Valley High and K-State product Will Brennan — to win the series opener 2-1.

After Olivares got aboard in the eighth, he was replaced on the base paths by Dairon Blanco. The Royals speedster stole third and was 90 feet away from home plate.

Blanco would score in an unconventional way. Royals second baseman Nicky Lopez hit a comebacker to Guardians relief pitcher Trevor Stephan. The reliever fielded the ball cleanly but made an errant throw home that flew past Cleveland catcher Bo Naylor.

“We played for the one (run) and got it,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

Blanco crossed the plate during the scramble for the ball. That set the stage for Barlow, whom Quatraro called upon to save the game.

Barlow, who is typically consistent and reliable in such situations, was hit hard in the ninth inning. He allowed a single to Josh Naylor and a walk to Andres Gimenez.

“Soft hits,” Quatraro said. “The key there was probably the walk to Gimenez. Ground ball hit down the first-base line. Give them credit — they put the ball in play.”

But the major blow was Brennan’s one-out double. The extra-base hit scored both Naylor and Gimenez. KC failed to score against Guardians star closer Emmanuel Clase in the bottom of the ninth.

The Royals fell to 22-57 this season. It was their first loss when leading after the eighth inning and their MLB-worst 29th blown-lead defeat.

Brady’s Bunch: Singer finds groove vs. Guardians

Brady Singer had command of all of his pitches against the Guardians on Tuesday. He pitched six scoreless innings with an effective sinker and slider combination. Both pitches kept Cleveland’s hitters off-balance.

Singer threw 54 sinkers during his outing and used the pitch to generate 21 swings and three whiffs. His slider was also effective, as he utilized it to scatter four hits and strike out three batters.

“I felt like I had better command of everything,” Singer said. “It was a little shaky in the first and second inning with the sinker. But I think the slider was really good today. It helped me out a lot. I was able to steer it around and throw it to different spots.”

The Royals didn’t provide enough offense for Singer to earn a victory. But he looked sharp after a string of disappointing starts.

Singer said sinker command is the key to his success. He was glad that his recent bullpen work helped him find the sweet spot in his delivery.

“We are really focusing on the sinker command,” he said. “I feel like if I can establish that early in the game, obviously that helps me out throughout the outing. You get to use the changeup and the slider a lot better when you have that constant command.”

Gavin Williams leaves Royals’ offense guessing

The Royals struggled to get a read on Guardians starting pitcher Gavin Williams. The KC offense didn’t have many opportunities to score.

Williams pitched seven innings and allowed just one hit. He struck out six, throwing 92 pitches with 70 strikes. He induced six ground balls and four flyouts to keep the Guardians in the game.

“He’s got a big arm,” Quatraro said. “That’s an upper-90s fastball with carry. (He has) two breaking balls and he pitched effectively at the top or just above the zone.”

What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game set with the Guardians on Wednesday. KC hasn’t announced a starter for the game. Zack Greinke will start for KC Thursday afternoon against Shane Bieber.