Nick Pratto ejected on frustrating night for Kansas City Royals in loss to Guardians

The Kansas City Royals mustered only two hits against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday night. It was another quiet night for the offense, which was held in check by Guardians starter Aaron Civale.

The most memorable offensive highlight? A Nick Pratto ejection in the seventh inning ... after striking out. It was that kind of game.

Civale pitched seven scoreless innings and struck out nine batters. The Guardians scored three runs as they cruised to a 3-0 victory.

Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor went 2 for 4. He collected his 200th RBI with a single in the first inning. Meanwhile, Josh Bell hit a 404-foot two-run homer off Royals starter Daniel Lynch.

Lynch allowed three runs in the loss and fell to 2-4 on the season.

The Royals have scored just one run in their last 27 innings. KC was held scoreless for the 11th time this season, which tied the club with the Detroit Tigers for most in the league.

“These guys have to individualize each pitch and each at-bat,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “There is nothing you can do about the previous 27 innings. It’s about the pitch you are competing (against) right there. That’s the mindset we have to keep.”

The Royals dropped to 25-64. They have lost five consecutive games to begin their seven-game road trip.

Missed the start of the series?

Game 1: Royals lineup silenced in 6-1 loss to Guardians

Here’s a look back at the action from Friday evening...

Nick Pratto ejected against the Guardians

It was a tough night for Royals first baseman Nick Pratto. He went 0 for 3 with three strikeouts against Guardians starter Aaron Civale.

In the seventh inning, Pratto was ejected by home plate umpire Brennan Miller. He argued a close strike call that appeared off the plate.

Miller called the pitch a strike. He tossed Pratto after a short conversation that escalated.

“I just disagreed with him and it got a little more emotional than I wanted it to,” Pratto said.

Pratto was frustrated with a couple of calls. He mentioned that a few pitches could’ve gone either way during his at-bat.

“They work hard back there,” Pratto said of the umpires. “At the same time, we are going out there every day and seeing a ton of pitches. We prepare all day and every day for this. It’s pretty frustrating when things don’t go in your favor in that situation.”

Quatraro received an explanation after the ejection. He said Miller gave Pratto time to air his frustration. However, the conversation went on a bit too long.

“He gave him a little leash and then took it a little too far as is common,” Quatraro said. “Guys are frustrated you are not getting results.”

The Royals inserted infielder Matt Duffy at first base for the remainder of the game.

Daniel Lynch produces quality start

The Royals got another solid outing from their starting rotation. Daniel Lynch pitched six innings and allowed three earned runs. He allowed six hits and struck out three batters.

Lynch had one major mistake. He allowed a two-run homer to Guardians designated hitter Josh Bell.

In the fourth inning, Bell hit a 89.7 mph fastball into the left-field seats. The blast traveled 404 feet and scored Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor.

“I didn’t have my best stuff tonight, but I felt the biggest takeaway was mixing my pitches pretty well,” Lynch said. “I threw a lot more sliders and curveballs today and I thought they were pretty effective.”

Lynch threw 55 of 73 pitches for strikes. He relied on his fastball and slider primarily through his outing. Both pitches generated 28 swings and seven whiffs.

In his last four starts, Lynch has allowed seven earned runs in 17 innings of work. He has struck out 11 batters and issued seven walks.

He rebounded after the fourth inning. He made a nice defensive play to get Andres Gimenez at first base. The play helped him settle back in.

Later, he retired eight of his last 10 batters to finish his outing.

“Good teams have good hitters and they are going to get runs off you,” Lynch said. “I felt overall, the (final) line wasn’t as good as it has been in the past, but I thought that might have been more of a complete game (since returning from injury).”

What’s next: The Royals continue their four-game series against the Guardians. Brady Singer will start Saturday’s matchup against Gavin Williams.