The Kansas City Royals are headed home after a winning road trip thanks to victories in Seattle and Phoenix.
The Royals finished 4-3 against the Mariners and Arizona Diamondbacks. And they found some traction to spark their dormant offense.
Kansas City capped a series win against the D-backs on Sunday at Chase Field. Right-handed starting pitcher Michael Lorenzen tossed seven scoreless innings as the Royals earned a 4-0 victory.
“It’s definitely momentum going home,” Royals outfielder Kyle lsbel told FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City reporters. “Winning the series is huge.”
Lorenzen was dominant from the start. He struck out the side in the first inning and continued to pile up efficient frames throughout his outing. The D-backs didn’t collect their first hit until the fifth inning, when Randal Grichuk broke up Kansas City’s no-hit bid with a double.
“Awesome. I mean, seven shutout against that lineup is really efficient,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told local reporters in Phoenix. “He really mixed well and his velo was up 5 (mph), and a little above 5. Really good changeup and he was ahead of everybody. A lot of soft contact and it couldn’t have been much better.”
Lorenzen threw 56 of his 82 pitches for strikes. His changeup darted throughout the strike zone, registering 11 swings and eight whiffs, per Baseball Savant. That helped created favorable counts for Lorenzen to exploit.
He tied his season-high with seven strikeouts. It’s the fifth time this year, in 18 starts, that he struck out seven batters.
“The changeup had a lot of depth,” Quatraro said. “I think the located fastball early in the count, and the changeup playing off of that was deadly.”
The Royals gave Lorenzen some early run support, too. Shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and designated hitter Salvador Perez hit solo home runs in the second inning. Left fielder John Rave and Isbel added RBI singles in the fifth.
For Witt, it was his 12th home run of the season. He was named to his second All-Star Game on Sunday alongside Kansa City starting pitcher Kris Bubic.
The Royals (43-48) went 4-3 on this just-completed road swing and have won four of their last six games. They outscored Arizona by seven runs in this series.
“We’ve got to stack good wins together and this trip was a start,” Quatraro said.
Here are a few more takeaways from Sunday’s game:
Jac Caglianone records 1st MLB steal
It’s been a tough stretch at the plate for rookie Royals right fielder Jac Caglianone, but he continues to make decisive plays in the outfield and on the basepaths.
In the fifth inning, Caglianone was hit by a pitch thrown by Diamondbacks starter Anthony DeSclafani. Caglianone reached first base and decided to run moments later.
Caglianone, who made his major-league debut last month, raced toward second and got in ahead of the incoming throw. He later scored on Rave’s RBI single.
Daniel Lynch IV heads to injured list
The Royals placed left-handed reliever Daniel Lynch IV on the 15-day injured list with left-elbow nerve irritation.
Lynch, 28, will be evaluated further on Monday. The Royals believe the injury is not ligament related. In a corresponding move, Kansas City recalled Jonathan Bowlan from Triple-A Omaha.
Lynch has a 2.59 ERA in 39 games this year.
The Royals also provided a positive update on left-handed starter Cole Ragans. He received a clean MRI and will begin throwing on Monday as he rehabs a left rotator cuff strain.
What’s next
The Royals begin a three-game home series with the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium. Left-handed rookie Noah Cameron (2-4, 2.56 ERA) will start for the Royals opposite lefty Andrew Heaney (4-7, 4.16 ERA).
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