Royals lose third-straight series in rubber match against Dodgers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
After snapping a six-game skid with a gritty, 9-6 win over the Dodgers on Saturday, the Royals could not finish the job in Sunday afternoon's rubber match. Los Angeles beat Kansas City 5-1 to claim the series victory.
With the loss, skipper Matt Quatraro's group has lost seven out of its last nine games and sits 13.0 games out of first place in the American League Central standings.
An RBI double off the bat of Bobby Witt Jr. to take a one-run lead in the first inning was the last piece of offense that KC would see all day long. After that, the Royals went just 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position.
Los Angeles took control in the second inning with a Kiké Hernández 411-foot home run to left center, which gave the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. From there, the away team never looked back, as Will Smith also went deep in the sixth, while Max Muncy and Miguel Rojas also plated a run apiece.
The Dodgers' performance at the plate was complimented by a strong outing from Justin Wrobleski on the bump. After coming in in relief for L.A. starter Lou Trivino, Wrobleski pitched for 6.0 innings and only allowed three hits, while striking out six Kansas City batters.
On the flip side, Royals starter Kris Bubic was handed his sixth loss of the season the hill. He threw for 5.0 innings and allowed two earned runs on three hits in that time.
Up next - Kansas City will hit the road and head west to meet the Seattle Mariners in a four-game set. First pitch on Monday, June 30 is slated for 8:40 p.m.
