Kansas City Royals get swept out of Miami: Marlins’ pitching again quiets KC’s bats

Kansas City Royals infielder Nicky Lopez slammed his helmet in frustration. It was that kind of day for the entire KC lineup against the Miami Marlins.

The Royals found themselves shut down for the second consecutive night. They generated three hits and couldn’t solve Marlins starter Edward Cabrera. He pitched five innings and allowed one run before departing in the fifth due to blisters on his hand.

The Royals didn’t take advantage of the situation. Their offense fell flat in a 6-1 loss.

“Those are good arms. Every single one of those guys,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “Plus stuff. Plus fastballs with movement. They threw a ton of strikes. Cabrera has a good slider and a good changeup. They elevated when they wanted to. Overall, those are five really good pitchers.”

Nick Pratto drove in the lone Kansas City run. He singled to bring home Maikel Garcia in the third inning.

The Royals held an early lead, but it didn’t last long. The Marlins seized control behind Jesus Sanchez’s three-run blast. It was his sixth home run of the season and dampened a strong start from Jordan Lyles.

Lyles threw seven innings and allowed five runs, but his final line wasn’t indicative of how he pitched. The veteran threw 85 pitches and saw increased velocity on his fastball. It topped 94 mph and paired well with a sweeping breaking ball.

“I thought overall Salvy and I did a really good job of keeping us in the game and managing the lineup,” Lyles said. “The early mistake in the third was just a changeup up in the zone — mistake I left over the plate — and one of the better hitters put a good swing on it.”

Lyles generated 36 total swings and four whiffs but fell to 0-10. He said Wednesday’s outing was something to build on, as he felt good with his command. In recent starts, he said, his fastball has seen a slight improvement thanks to an adjustment in his delivery.

“I think the release point we altered that a tad bit to be a little bit more athletic moving down the slope,” Lyles said. “Which has probably added to a tick or two in the last few starts.”

Despite the final line, Lyles said he hopes to build off this start. He noted that his sweeper has its desired shape now, so it’s just a matter of being consistent and working on the curveball.

“Going forward, we are going to keep that where it is and get the curveball back in order,” he said. “Make it a more even split with the two breaking balls.”

The Royals enter their Thursday off-day 18-44.

Missed previous games of the series?

Game 1: Royals squander early 4-0 lead to Marlins, lose 9-6

Game 2: Royals silenced in 6-1 loss to Marlins

Here are more notables from today’s game:

Bobby Witt Jr. robbed of 4th-inning home run

It was another silent night for the Royals, who couldn’t solve Cabrera. He allowed two hits and one earned run before exiting with blisters on his throwing hand.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. offered the best chance against him in the fourth inning.

Witt drove a fly ball to center field and it looked as if he’d recorded his 11th home run. However, Marlins outfielder Garrett Hampson robbed him with a terrific catch at the wall.

The Royals were denied a key chance to slice into the 3-1 deficit. Instead, that catch ended the inning.

Josh Staumont to injured list

The Royals made a roster move prior to Wednesday’s game. Royals reliever Josh Staumont was placed on the 15-day injured list with a neck strain.

In a corresponding move, KC recalled Austin Cox from Triple-A Omaha. He will operate in the bullpen and is stretched out to provide additional innings.

Cox is in his second stint with the Royals this season. He made his MLB debut on May 4 against the Baltimore Orioles. He threw two scoreless innings in that appearance.

What’s next: The Royals are off Thursday before beginning a three-game set against the Baltimore Orioles. Daniel Lynch will start for the Royals on Friday in the series opener.