One big positive and one glaring negative from Kansas City Royals’ win vs. the Padres

Kansas City Royals starter Brady Singer took another step in the right direction on Tuesday night. Singer showed a lot of resolve as he faced a powerful San Diego Padres lineup. The Royals rode his momentum to a 5-4 victory at Petco Park.

Singer navigated through the All-Star duo of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Juan Soto for six innings. He relied on his sinker and slider to offset the Padres offense. Both pitches were successful as he mixed them across the strike zone.

The sinker generated 20 swings and 15 called strikes. The slider paired well with his changeup that he utilized to dance around trouble. Singer got a pair of well-timed double plays to negate San Diego rallies.

“I think I attacked the zone pretty well tonight,” Singer said. “Some bad walks there that I wouldn’t be happy with, but I stayed in the game as much as I could.”

After allowing a first-inning single to Tatis, Singer got Padres first baseman Jake Cronenworth to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. In the second inning, the same scenario arose after Singer walked Padres designated hitter Matt Carpenter. Singer was able to battle and got Padres third baseman Ha-Seong Kim to roll into a double play to end the frame.

“It was really helpful there,” Singer said. “Leadoff single in the first and I was still trying to get settled in. To be able to get two outs there quickly, they were doing an incredible job turning those plays for me. I was very happy with that.”

Meanwhile, the Royals provided Singer with just enough run support. KC added five runs in a second inning that was capped off by Salvador Perez’s two-run double.

The Royals wouldn’t score the remainder of the game. As a result, it put the onus on the team to hold the lead together. A couple of errors and poor defensive plays nearly cost Singer the chance at victory.

Missed the start of this series?

• Game 1: Royals nearly no-hit in 4-0 loss to Padres

• Roster news: Former 1st-round pick Jackson Kowar back with KC

Defensive woes spark Padres comeback

The Padres added four runs late to close the deficit. They were gift-wrapped two unearned runs due to errors from Royals outfielder MJ Melendez and second baseman Matt Duffy.

Melendez misplayed a single by Padres catcher Brett Sullivan. The ball skipped past Melendez and allowed Sullivan to advance to second base. One batter later, Tatis Jr. reached base after Duffy fumbled a routine ground ball. He overthrew first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino and allowed Sullivan to score.

Tatis scored after Cronenworth hit an RBI triple. Later in the game, Royals outfielder Nate Eaton attempted a diving catch that came up short. He tried to rob Padres designated hitter Matt Carpenter of a double in the sixth inning. The mistake led to another run scoring as Carpenter scored on a sacrifice fly later in the frame.

“MJ’s looked like the ball snaked on top of the grass,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Sometimes that happens and I’m sure he wasn’t thinking other than ‘pick the ball up.’ That happens at times and I’ve seen it happen to the best of them when the ball snakes. Duffy just got caught on an in-between hop. He is a really good infielder and that is just an unusual play for him.”

Only two of the four runs were charged as earned by the KC pitchers.

The Padres tried to complete the comeback late. However, the Royals bullpen shut the door in the waning moments. Royals reliever Aroldis Chapman was electric in the seventh inning. He faced Padres slugger Nelson Cruz, Tatis, and Cronenworth.

Cruz walked and was replaced by pinch runner Adam Engel. After striking out Tatis, Chapman picked off Engel to quell a late rally. Royals reliever Taylor Clarke pitched the eighth inning and bridged the gap for closer Scott Barlow to get the save.

KC snapped a four-game losing streak and improved to 13-31 on the season.

Salvador Perez fuels second-inning surge

The Royals brought nine batters to the plate in the second inning. It led to a five-run frame that was punctuated by Perez’s two-run double. He crushed a double into the center-field gap to effectively chase Padres starter Seth Lugo from the game.

Lugo finished the inning but was replaced by Drew Carlton afterwards. The Royals collected four hits and two walks against Lugo. KC generated RBI singles from Edward Olivares, Matt Duffy and Bobby Witt Jr.

Perez now has 27 RBIs this season. Entering Tuesday’s action, Perez ranked third among MLB catchers in that category.

“First, that is a great win against a team like the Padres,” Perez said. We got a win today and will try to win the series tomorrow. We got some pretty good swings in the second inning and scored five runs. We got the game.”

Speed thrills: Bobby Witt Jr. tracks down fly ball

Witt turned in another sterling defensive play in the fifth inning. He tracked down a short popup into left field with relative ease. He got a good jump and secured the catch over his shoulder. The spectacular play robbed Padres third baseman Ha-Seong Kim of a base hit.

Witt leads the majors with a 30.4 ft/sec sprint speed. He ranks just ahead of Texas Rangers outfielder Bubba Thompson.

“It’s just one of those plays that is reactionary and you just kind of go get it to try and help the team,” Witt said.

High heat: Aroldis Chapman throws 103.8 mph fastball

Chapman had a little extra on his fastball against the Padres.

In the seventh inning, Chapman threw a 103.8 mph fastball to Cronenworth that tied the mark for fastest pitch in the majors this season. He tied St. Louis Cardinals reliever Jordan Hicks.

Hicks set the 2023 mark on March 30 against the Toronto Blue Jays. Chapman owns several of the fastest pitches in the Statcast era. He set a historic mark with a 105.8 mph fastball in 2010.

“It’s amazing to have him on this team,” Perez said.

What’s next: The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Padres. Carlos Hernandez will draw the start in the afternoon matinee. Padres ace Yu Darvish will take the mound on Wednesday.