The Royals trailed early and made several drives to close the gap to one point, but were unable to overcome a three- and four-run deficit and they lost to the Brewers 8-5 in the rubber game.
Kris Bubic got two quick outs to start the game, but a four-pitch walk from William Contreras set the stage for Milwaukee. Christian Yelich hit a cutter down the left field line, and Nick Loftin dived in but missed, giving the former MVP three RBIs. Gary Sanchez followed with a two-run homer into the left field seats, giving the Brewers a sudden 3-0 lead.
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Jonathan India hit a fastball off the elbow to take the lead in the third inning. After Loftin struck out, Mike Garcia hit his first home run of the season out of the Brewers bullpen. WBC MVP’s 388-foot shot.
Bobby Witt Jr. followed suit in second place. The Royals seemed poised to tie the game. Vinnie Pasquantino singled to right field, but Witt was grounded at home plate and the Royals still trailed 3-2 after three innings.
Similar to the first inning, Bubic got two quick outs in the fourth, but Brandon Lockridge’s two outs spelled trouble. Blake Perkins did the damage this time, hitting a double over the left field wall to extend the Brewers’ lead to 4-2.
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Fast forward to Game 7, with the Royals still trailing by two runs and Matt Strahm making his series debut. A leadoff walk followed by a double from Luis Rengifo put the Royals in trouble. Contreras quickly hit a single up the middle, scoring two runs, and the Royals trailed 6-2. Despite allowing the first three to arrive, Strahm succumbed without causing any further damage.
Kansas City’s Starlin Marte led off the bottom of the inning with a single, India walked, and Isaac Collins pinch-hit for Loftin, adding the bases on a single to right field. No one came out.
Garcia drove in his third of the day, a single to left. 6-3 Brewers, still no one out, Witt, Vinnie and Salvi come on. But maybe the Royals have escaped the ABS challenge thanks to Abner Uribe, who struck out Waiter.
Former Royals player Angel Zerpa will also play in the game later, making his first appearance against the Royals since being traded in the offseason. Pasquantino rushed over and made a perfect straight shot into the left-center gap, scoring two points. First and second, with one out and the Royals trailing 6-5, Salvi led off.
Zerpa’s slider gained just enough depth to allow Perez to fly to deep center for a leadoff three-run home run. Perez’s speed was 104.5 mph. Lane Thomas ended the threat with a grounder to third base on the first pitch.
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Steven Cruz pitched for the fourth time in five days, working through heavy traffic and giving the Royals a chance to tie or take the lead in a scoreless eighth inning. With two outs and a walk, the Indians loaded the bases for the third time of the day, adding a baserunner to Tyler Tolbert. He was picked off in the bottom of the 8th inning when Collins was at bat.
Lukasz Erceg finished ninth, and similar to Strahm, things didn’t go well. The first round is back-to-back doubles, and the second round is doubles singles. 8-5 Milwaukee entering the final half of the inning. The Royals walked out eight batters, and each one seemed to come back to haunt them. The Royals got a two-out single from Witt in the bottom of the ninth, but nothing else.
The loss dropped the Royals back below .500 with a 4-5 record. This is also a 3-3 home game. So far, the Royals’ score in the 9th inning is 14-0. Michael Wacha will start tomorrow for the Royals in Cleveland. The first game is scheduled for 5:10 PM Central Time and can be streamed live on Royals.TV.
