The Kansas City Royals surrendered a go ahead two run home run to Rafael Flores Jr. in the eighth inning to help the Pittsburgh Pirates to a 4-3 win and a series sweep at PNC Park.
The game was back and forth throughout the matchup, the Royals starting the scoring in the first inning on an RBI single by Salvador Perez driving in Bobby Witt Jr. The Pirates answered in the fourth inning when Oneil Cruz hit his 20th home run of the season to center field off a curveball left hanging in the middle of the zone by Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha.
Pittsburgh pulled ahead 2-1 in the sixth inning after Spencer Horwitz hit a bloop single to center off Wacha that drove in Ryan O’Hearn with two outs in the inning. In the seventh inning, Kansas City retook the lead for the first time since the opening inning behind a pinch hit two run home run by Vinnie Pasquantino, scoring John Rave with two outs and pulling the Royals ahead 3-2.
In the eighth inning, after the former Royal O’Hearn led off with a frame with a single to center for the Pirates, Flores sent a slider from Nate Pearson into the left-field bleachers for his 10th home run of the season to push the Pirates ahead, rallying Pittsburgh for a second straight game in the eighth inning after Brandon Lowe hit his 33rd home run of the season in a 6-5 win Saturday.
Mason Montgomery earned his 16th save for the Pirates, the Royals did threaten however. Montgomery retired the first two batters in the ninth before Luke Maile hit a double and took third on a fielding error by Jake Mangum, but Montgomery got Isaac Collins to fly out to right to strand Maile and end the game. Wacha in no decision threw 5.2 innings giving up two runs on four hits while walking four and striking out five. Pearson, now 2-3 on the season blowing his second save, gave up two runs on three hits, striking out one, in 0.2 innings of work.
At the plate, Perez was 2-for-4 with an RBI. Jac Caglianone was 2-for-3 on the day with a walk, while Pasquantino was 1-for-1 with the home run and two RBIs.
Kansas City will now return to Kauffman Stadium for the final nine games of the season, first hosting the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday after a Monday off day. Daniel Lynch IV (6-5, 3.29 ERA, 52Ks) is currently set to start for the Royals against Anthony Kay (9-9, 4.41 ERA, 121Ks) for the White Sox. First pitch is at 6:40pm on Tuesday with a 6pm pregame on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).
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