Brady Singer falters in KC Royals’ series-opening road loss to Seattle Mariners
The Kansas City Royals were on the receiving end of a stellar Monday evening performance from Seattle Mariners starting pitcher George Kirby.
Kirby, an All-Star last season, was formidable in limiting the Royals to just three hits in Seattle’s 6-2 series-opening victory at T-Mobile Park.
The Royals didn’t have many scoring opportunities. Kirby quelled a bases-loaded threat in the first inning and then went on to retire 17 of the final 21 batters he faced.
“He had his stuff tonight,” Royals second baseman Michael Massey said. “The fastball was electric and he was throwing that slider there on the back door. ... He had the split going down as well so it was tough to kind of keep in the (strike) zone.”
The Royals recorded six hits, but Kirby successfully navigated their lineup with the four-seam fastball. The heater averaged 96.6 mph and registered 21 swings and eight whiffs, per Baseball Savant.
Kirby pitched seven scoreless innings and didn’t issue a walk. He has not allowed a run in his last 16 innings at T-Mobile Park.
And the Mariners had much better luck against Kansas City’s starting pitcher, Brady Singer. The right-hander didn’t have his best command and that proved costly.
“It was kind of a struggle all around,” Singer said. “You know, I couldn’t really get any of the pitches really where I wanted to the whole night. I just had to battle. It was tough to get through five (innings) there. I had to compete and pitch with what I had.”
Seattle attacked Singer’s sinker all night. On several occasions, he struggled to locate the pitch in favorable counts. That resulted in a lot of hard contact, specifically from Cal Raleigh and Luke Raley.
Raleigh finished 2-for-4 with an RBI single and Raley belted a two-run homer and finished with three RBIs.
In the second inning, Raley hit a 92.8 mph sinker from Singer over the center-field wall. The blast traveled 432 feet with an exit velocity of 107.3 mph.
“I didn’t have much of a feel for (the sinker),” Singer said. “But, you know, the location was bad as well.
“It’s kind of tough when that is not working. I went to some other pitches, too. I tried the four-seamer, tried the sweeper, threw a couple of changeups. I tried it all. (It was) just kind of a struggle tonight.”
The Royals trailed 4-0 after the fourth inning but briefly closed the gap in the eighth. Massey drove in both Kansas City runs — his 15th and 16th RBIs of the season — with a double.
KC had pulled within two, but the Mariners quickly matched those runs with Ty France’s two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth.
Singer (3-2) took the loss and the Royals dropped to 25-18.
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Here are more notable aspects of Monday’s game:
Royals fail to cash in early opportunity
The Royals struggled to find any traction against Kirby.
In the first inning, star shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. got aboard with a one-out single. Then both Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez were hit by pitches.
KC had loaded the bases and set up a prime scoring chance. However, Kirby then struck out Massey and coaxed a ground-out from outfielder Nelson Velazquez.
“The fastball exploded out of his hands and he pitched great tonight.” Massey said.
The Royals came up empty and Kirby didn’t allow another hit until the fifth inning, when Royals outfielder Dairon Blanco reached on a single.
“That could be a swinging point in the game,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We get bases loaded and one out and try to do your best to capitalize. But he made really good pitches to Massey and Nelly (Velazquez).”
A final note: Perez extended his on-base streak to a team-leading seven games by reaching in the first on the hit-by-pitch.
What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?
The Royals continue their three-game series against the Mariners on Tuesday.
Veteran right-hander Michael Wacha will be the Royals’ starting pitcher. He owns a 5.15 ERA and his last outing was a quality start.
Right-hander Logan Gilbert will start for the Mariners. He is 3-1 with a 2.94 ERA this season.
This story was originally published May 13, 2024, 11:36 PM.
