Royals vs. Cubs came down to one matchup. Here’s what went wrong in Saturday’s loss
Before Saturday, Kansas City Royals pitcher Brady Singer had gotten the best of a brief history against Chicago Cubs slugger Cody Bellinger.
In a 2022 meeting, Singer dazzled with six innings of one-hit, shutout ball against Bellinger’s Dodgers. He struck out Bellinger once during that August start at Kauffman Stadium.
One year later, give or take five days, Bellinger exacted revenge with a pair of home runs at Wrigley Field. Bellinger, who joined Chicago this offseason, continued his career resurgence as he powered the Cubs to a 6-4 victory.
“The stuff wasn’t very sharp,” Singer said. “They kind of jumped on a lot of mistakes there and I couldn’t really get the ball where I wanted to. I think the kind of sharpness of everything was a struggle.”
Bellinger took advantage of the windy conditions. He belted both home runs to left field, as the balls were aided by a 13 mph wind. Bellinger’s second homer traveled 390 feet and would’ve cleared just six of 30 MLB stadiums.
Still, the runs counted just the same. Bellinger finished 2 for 3 with four RBIs.
“The first one was a bad slider,” Singer said. “The second one, I thought I got it up enough and it just wasn’t.”
Singer allowed nine hits, six runs (four earned) and two walks in 3 2/3 innings of work. He threw 91 pitches and struck out three batters.
“I thought his stuff looked fine,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It’s a day where a couple of those home runs are tough pitches and in a park where those are homers. He threw the ball fine and just didn’t command it when he needed to.”
The Royals collected 10 hits in the game. The offense was stymied by Cubs ace Justin Steele for six innings. Steele allowed two runs and struck out seven hitters in six innings. He picked up an MLB-best 14th win.
Four Royals recorded RBIs. Witt finished 3 for 5 in the game. In the eighth inning, Royals outfielder Kyle Isbel hit his 18th double.
“He was just kind of attacking and doing what he’s been doing all year,” Witt said of facing Steele. “I was just trying to put it in play and make things happen.”
The Royals dropped to 40-85 and will look to win the series outright on Sunday afternoon.
Missed the start of this series?
Road Win: Cole Ragans spins quality start in Royals’ 4-3 victory over the Cubs
Highlight Play: Drew Waters saves the day with outfield assist against Cubs
Here are more notables from Saturday’s game:
Bobby Witt Jr. records three-hit game
Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. continues to rake. After hitting his 24th home run Friday, Witt turned in three more hits on Saturday afternoon. He also recorded two stolen bases to give him 36 steals on the season.
Witt singled in the first inning. Later, he recorded consecutive singles in the sixth and seventh as the Royals attempted to climb back into the game.
In the seventh inning, Witt drove home Royals outfielder Drew Waters. The run cut the deficit to three runs.
Since July 28, Witt leads the Majors with a .430 batting average and 16 extra-base hits. He is on pace for 31 home runs and 44 stolen bases this season. His 36 steals rank behind MLB standouts Ronald Acuña Jr., Esteury Ruiz and Corbin Carroll.
Makiel Garcia injury update
Royals manager Matt Quatraro revealed that third baseman Maikel Garcia was feeling better after leaving Friday’s game with left upper-body discomfort.
Garcia dealt with a similar injury on Aug. 11 against the St. Louis Cardinals . Quatraro said that Garcia was available if needed against the Cubs on Saturday afternoon.
“It’s really hard to explain what he is feeling,” Quatraro said. “It’s a little bit of soreness. Yesterday, it affected him throwing. Last time, it affected him running and moving around.”
The Royals consider Garcia day-to-day with the injury. Garcia is hitting .284 with four home runs, 40 RBIs and 18 stolen bases.
What’s next: The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Cubs. Jordan Lyles will oppose veteran starter Kyle Hendricks in Sunday’s finale.
