Royals end Dodgers’ 12-game winning streak in a 4-0 win
The Dodgers finally encountered something as hot as they’ve been — Kauffman Stadium in the afternoon August sun.
At 90 degrees with oppressive humidity, the air was as thick and sticky as any signature tomato-based barbecue sauce in this beef and pork-centric Midwestern city.
The Dodgers’ 12-game winning streak — one short of their longest since moving to Los Angeles in 1958 — died on the vine, the Royals salvaging the finale of the three-game series, 4-0, Sunday in front of 18,481 fans, most of whom found seats in the shade.
The hot hand was provided by Brady Singer, a third-year Royals right-hander who gave up only a single by Chris Taylor in six scoreless innings. Singer’s ERA over his last six starts fell to 1.64, and he received a standing ovation after striking out Max Muncy to end the sixth on his 102nd pitch.
No wonder. Singer (6-4) silenced Dodgers bats that scored 21 runs in lopsided wins Friday and Saturday and had outscored opponents 91-31 during the winning streak.
“He’s really good with that two-seamer inside to a lefty, he makes you cognizant of that and it opens up his sliders away,” Freddie Freeman said.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called off pregame batting practice for a second day in a row to keep his players out of the heat as long as possible. They hit in an indoor cage instead.
“We know there is no correlation between on-field batting practice and production on the field,” Roberts said. “So our guys have bought into that and actually have really enjoyed days when they can show and go.”
Except when it’s little show and no go. The Dodgers threatened only in the fifth when Joey Gallo walked and Taylor singled with none out and in the eighth when Mookie Betts doubled with one out and Freeman reached on an error and stole second with two out.
Singer pitched out of the jam in the fifth and closer Scott Barlow struck out Max Muncy to end the eighth. The ninth was a breeze for Barlow, marking the fifth time this season the Dodgers have been shut out and the first since June 27 at Colorado.
“We don’t like getting shut out, plain and simple,” Freeman said, “but we still won the series, you’ve got to look at it like that sometimes. We’ve got a tough series ahead in Milwaukee, so we just have to turn the page.”
The Royals didn’t put up crooked numbers on the scoreboard but scored single runs in the first, third and sixth innings against left-hander Tyler Anderson (13-2), primarily shooting ground balls and blooping fly balls to the middle of the field.
The Royals have 12 rookies on their roster, an extraordinarily high number. Those portable scouting reports scribbled on index cards Dodgers fielders glance at between batters? Intel on the KC Kiddie Corps might simply have read NEI — not enough information.
A particularly impressive rookie, first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, homered in the eighth against Craig Kimbrel after hitting an RBI single in the third and a double to lead off the sixth.
“You look around and it’s almost a rookie at every position,” Dodgers second baseman Gavin Lux said. “They kind of came up together it seems like. I think this is fun for them to be part of and they will be pretty good in a couple years.”
And for one blistering day in 2022, they were better than the Dodgers, who fell one win short of tying the record of 13 consecutive wins since the team relocated to L.A.
The Dodgers won 13 in a row in 1962 when they won 102 games but finished second in the National League to the San Francisco Giants. In 1965, they won their last 13 games in September to overcome the Giants, winning the pennant and going on to defeat the Minnesota Twins in the World Series.
The streak that ended Sunday triggered no such drama. The Dodgers are 79-34, hold a 16-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL West and have four more victories than any other team in baseball.
One loss — even getting shut out — didn’t change the calculus for Roberts.
“The thing that stands out most about this group is just the intent to show up each day to win a ballgame,” he said. “It’s as good a team offense as I’ve seen, and as far as preventing runs, whether it be the starter or the guy coming out of the ‘pen, they’ve all done a fantastic job.”
Vinnie Pasquantino homers in the ninth and the Royals lead 4-0
Rookie Vinnie Pasquantino homered with one out in the ninth against Craig Kimbrel to give the Royals a 4-0 lead.
Pasquantino also hit an RBI single in the third inning and led off the sixth with a double, eventually scoring on Kyle Isbel’s single.
Kansas City continues to peck away, scoring a third run while Dodgers remain dormant
The Royals added a third run against Tyler Anderson in the sixth inning when rookie Kyle Isbel singled with two out to score Vinnie Pasquantino, who had led off the inning with a double.
Meanwhile, Brady Singer continued to dominate the Dodgers, giving up only a fifth-inning single by Chris Taylor in six scoreless frames. Singer struck out seven before being replaced by Amir Garrett to begin the seventh.
Royals extend their lead to 2-0 with three singles in the third inning
No. 9 batter Nicky Lopez led off the third for Kansas City with a groundball single up the middle that barely eluded the glove of Gavin Lux. Michael A. Taylor followed with a bloop single that Cody Bellinger pulled up on and let drop.
Those fortunate hits led to the Royals’ second run of the game. With one out Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Vinnie Pasquantino singled to right to score Lopez.
The Dodgers tried to answer in the bottom of the inning but Trea Turner’s leadoff bloop to right field was caught on a full-length forward dive by Nate Eaton.
Royals score first on Salvador Perez’s first-inning double
A day after the Dodgers scored five runs before an out was recorded in the first inning, the Royals were the first to put up a run.
After Brady Singer set down the Dodgers in order, Michael A. Taylor opened the bottom of the first inning with a single against left-hander Tyler Anderson. With one out, Salvador Perez doubled to right-center to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead.
The Dodgers lineup is stacked with left-handed hitters against the right-handed Singer.
The right-handed hitting Mookie Betts and Trea Turner are batting in their customary one, two spots, and are followed by lefties Freddie Freeman, Max Muncy, Gavin Lux and Joey Gallo.
Designated hitter Chris Taylor is batting seventh, followed by left-handed hitting Cody Bellinger and catcher Tony Wolters. Right-handed hitters Will Smith and Justin Taylor aren’t in the lineup.
Dodgers make it a day to remember with Negro Leagues museum visit and 12th consecutive win
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A day brimming with an appreciation for the past eventually had the Dodgers cherishing the present and peering excitedly into a future that gets more promising with every game. Call it a win, win, win.
History lessons abounded, but not the dry, academic kind. These, by all accounts, were gripping and profoundly meaningful tales.
Saturday morning was spent touring the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum while listening to the captivating narration of museum president and master storyteller Bob Kendrick.
From the exploits of Satchel Paige and Cool Papa Bell to the Negro League debuts of future major league Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Roy Campanella and Willie Mays, to the shocking segregation and second-class treatment of the teams and their fans from 1920 to 1960, Kendrick emphasized that the story of the Negro Leagues “isn’t about adversity. It is about what they did to overcome that adversity.”
Here’s how to watch and stream the Dodgers this season
Here’s a look at the Dodgers broadcast and streaming schedule for the remainder of the 2022 regular season: