​The Royals failed to seize the opportunity to win back-to-back series as they dropped a 7-3 decision to the Mets on Thursday afternoon. Kansas City held a lead through much of the contest, but for the third consecutive game they let New York put up at least four runs in a single inning, this time surrendering five in the bottom of the fifth. Even when a team crosses the plate 16 times, a sluggish offensive performance can still matter, and today it did against a Mets squad that capitalized on every miscue.
KC did grab the early advantage from the start. Lane Thomas opened the game with a solo homer, his seventh of the season, setting the tone. After the Mets answered with a run in the bottom of the second to tie the game, the Royals regained the lead in the top of the fourth when Bobby Witt Jr. launched his 13th homer. That homer, however, came on an odd-numbered tally that didn’t quite reflect the overall mood of the afternoon for Kansas City.
Michael Wacha started for the Royals but couldn’t navigate out of the fifth inning unscathed. He hurled 4 2/3 innings, allowing six hits, walking three, and striking out five, with a home run surrendered. He was charged with six earned runs and took the loss, dropping to 5-7 on the season. The Mets seized control in the fifth, taking their first lead at 3-2 as Tyrone Taylor opened the inning with his sixth homer of the year to tie the game. The Mets then loaded the bases with one out, and Bo Bichette followed with a sacrifice fly to put New York ahead. Carson Benge added a two-run bloop single, and Francisco Alvarez delivered an RBI single to cap the frame and raise the score to 6-2 before Wacha exited.
In the top of the seventh, Kansas City attempted a rally. After the first two hitters were retired, Nick Loftin singled and later scored on Jac Caglianone’s RBI double, trimming the deficit to 6-3. Isaac Collins then drew a walk to bring up a potential tying run with Tyler Tolbert at the plate, who had been perfect at 12-for-12 on the day. Tolbert, however, bunted with two outs, and Mets catcher Luis Torrens fielded the ball and fired to first for the final out of the inning. The bunt, once again, thwarted the Royals’ comeback attempt and fueled the perception that bunting can be a more reliable rally killer than even a powerful homer.
The Mets extended their advantage in the bottom of the seventh when Juan Soto crushed his 21st homer of the year, pushing the score to 7-3. That would prove to be the final tally of the afternoon. Nick Loftin added a single in the ninth for Kansas City’s only other multi-hit effort, leaving him as the lone Royals batter with more than one hit on the day. Outside of Soto’s homer off reliever Beck Way, the Royals’ bullpen kept the Mets in check, a relief after Wacha’s early exit had already created the uphill climb.
Sean Manaea pitched well for New York, going seven innings while permitting six hits and one walk and striking out six. He also served up two home runs, but the Mets were able to maintain their lead and protect a comfortable cushion through the late innings.
With the loss, Kansas City falls to 38-56 on the season. The Royals will continue their East Coast swing tomorrow as they travel to Baltimore to face the Orioles, looking to salvage more than just a single win on this trip and to start a stronger stretch in the second half of the season.