Royals Edge Giants 3-1 in a Nail-Biter After Seven Scoreless Innings
In a tense matchup on Monday night, the Kansas City Royals managed to squeeze past the San Francisco Giants with a 3-1 victory, thanks to a stellar performance from Kris Bubic. The lefty, who hails from San Jose and played at Stanford, threw seven scoreless innings, almost pulling off a no-hitter until a controversial scoring change in the sixth inning.
Bubic was cruising along, holding the Giants hitless until there were two outs in the sixth. That’s when Wilmer Flores hit a grounder that seemed harmless enough. But second baseman Michael Massey, trying to make a play, slipped, and the ball rolled past him. Initially ruled an error, the call was later changed to a single, breaking Bubic's no-hit bid.
Aside from that, Bubic (5-2) was nearly untouchable, allowing just one other hit—a clean double from Casey Schmitt down the left-field line in the seventh. His ERA now sits at an impressive 1.47, with five strikeouts and three walks to his name.
On the other side, Giants' left-hander Robbie Ray matched Bubic's intensity, also throwing seven shutout innings and lowering his ERA to 2.67. Ray gave up six hits, struck out seven, and walked just one, keeping the game scoreless until the eighth.
Things heated up in the eighth when Tyler Rogers took over for Ray. With the game still tied, Jonathan India hit a double, setting the stage for Vinnie Pasquantino, who launched a two-run homer over the right-field wall, marking his eighth of the season.
The Giants managed to score in the bottom of the eighth with Jung Hoo Lee's RBI double, but the Royals quickly responded with an insurance run from Kyle Isbel's RBI single in the ninth, putting them ahead 3-1.
Carlos Estévez came in to close it out, pitching a scoreless inning for his 14th save of the season. The Giants had a chance to rally in the seventh, with runners on second and third and one out, but Tyler Fitzgerald's soft liner was caught by shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who executed a slick double play to end the threat.
Before this game, the Giants had won all nine of Ray's starts this season, making this loss a bit of a surprise. Looking ahead, Royals RHP Michael Lorenzen (3-4, 3.76 ERA) is set to face Giants RHP Hayden Birdsong (1-0, 2.31) on Tuesday night, promising more excitement to come.
