What a game. Normally I start writing these in the 7th inning and the game has a theme. As of now, that theme is a seesaw.
Grayson Rodriguez got what he wanted in a new pitching coach and access to more data. It didn’t really help. He gave up 3 runs in the third inning and threw somewhere around 834 pitches doing so. But the Royals pitching is also bad, and it gave the lead right back.
A beautiful bunt by Wade Meckler loaded the bases. Seth Lugo and Mike Trout waged an epic 11 pitch battle that ended with a K. And then the contact king came to bat.
Keeping the two out rally going on his own t shirt promo night was Zach Neto. Not known for making contact, he did against Lugo and put the Angels up 4-3.
Never one to look for a shutdown inning, Kurt Suzuki put Sammy Peralta in the game in the top of the 5th inning. His ERA in AAA was closer to 20 than 10 and he gave up 2 runs before he recorded 3 outs. The Angels got back one of them in the bottom of the 5th then took the lead in the 6th.
Tyler Saucedo is the exactly the guy you need to cough up a 7th inning lead, and he did it. He gave up 1 and left a couple of baserunners for Luke Murphy. One of those scored and that pushed the Royals ahead 7-6 heading into the stretch.
Running low on scrubs, Suzuki had to keep the promising youngster on the hill and Murphy pitched a scoreless frame. The Royals 7-6 lead held as the Angels were running out of time. Somehow the Royals put up more late zeroes than the Angels and won it by that score.
7-6 Royals. We out tanked them!
