NewsRoyals let one get away from Greinke
Starter yields one run over seven, but bullpen crumbles
By Rustin Dodd / MLB.com
07/19/09 12:36 AM ET
KANSAS CITY -- The feeling was similar. The result was the same.The Royals bullpen let a late lead slip away, and a typically good start from starter Zack Greinke was ruined.
The Royals dropped their fifth in a row, a 4-2 loss to the Rays on Saturday in front of 30,288 at Kauffman Stadium.
The Royals dropped to a season-low 16 games under .500. They've lost seven out of their last eight. And Tampa Bay clinched a series victory with one game left on Sunday.
And that might not have been the worst part.
The worst part may have been that Royals manager Trey Hillman -- and the KC fans among the 30,288 in attendance -- thought they were one out away from handing a one-run game to closer Joakim Soria.
However, Soria never got the opportunity to earn his second four-out save of the year. Instead, Hillman watched as reliever John Bale and Juan Cruz combined to allow three runs in the top of the eighth, squandering a 2-1 lead.
"The bottom line is," Hillman said, "in the light of everybody's frustration, I'm as frustrated as any fan that we have."
The situation unfolded like this: Greinke had allowed just one run over seven innings and exited after throwing 108 pitches.
With the Royals clinging to a 2-1 lead, Bale entered and walked Carlos Pena. Bale then retired Ben Zobrist, and with right-hander Pat Burrell up next, Hillman called on right-hander Cruz. Hillman had Soria warming up in the bullpen alongside Cruz, and he said that if Cruz had retired Burrell, he would have gone to Soria for a four-out save.
But Hillman never got the chance.
Cruz promptly gave up consecutive doubles to Burrell and Willy Aybar, giving the Rays a 3-2 lead. The Rays tacked on another run in the inning and Soria was left in the bullpen, while Cruz was marked with a loss for the second straight night.
"I'm right there with them," Hillman said. "I want Soria in the game, too. But I'm not going to sell my soul to the devil for a guy that's already had two major arm injuries in my estimation."
All the late controversy marred what was a well-played game for six-plus innings.
Two young pitchers, Greinke and the Rays' Scott Kazmir, dueled, newly acquired shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt made a couple head-turning plays with his glove, and the Royals scratched together a run in the seventh inning to take a 2-1 lead.
They needed two breaks to do it, but for a few minutes, it looked like the Royals' offense might provide enough to give Greinke the victory.
The first break came when Kazmir left the game before the seventh with mild cramping in his left forearm. The second break came against reliever Grant Balfour with the scored tied at 1.
After Alberto Callaspo walked with one out, Betancourt hit a chopper that skidded under the glove of second baseman Aybar. The ball appeared to skip after hitting the edge of the infield grass, putting runners at the corners with one out.
David DeJesus followed with another slow bouncer to Aybar, scoring Callaspo to give the Royals a 2-1 lead.
Even with the one-run lead, Greinke said he knew victory wasn't guaranteed.
"You don't feel real comfortable with one," Greinke said. "If you get two, you feel a little better. Three, you're pretty confident that things are gonna finish good."
Greinke, himself, was pretty good all night. After allowing an early run in the top of the second, Greinke zoned in and recorded five straight scoreless frames. He finished with seven strikeouts and lowered his American League-leading ERA to 2.08.
"He's just got great stuff," Burrell said. "And he's pitching good, and he has an idea of what he's doing, and he changes speeds. He's got overpowering stuff. We were fortunate to get one early off him."
Greinke nearly blinked again in the seventh. With the score still tied at 1, Michel Hernandez doubled to lead off the inning, and Greinke walked Carl Crawford to put two runners on with one out.
But Greinke dug himself out of a 3-0 hole against Evan Longoria, getting Longoria to bounce into a double play started by a nice play from Betancourt.
"Control wasn't as good as it has been," Greinke said. "But stuff was fine. I felt like I could throw a strike, just not a real quality strike all the time."
After falling behind, 1-0, the Royals offense evened the score in the bottom half of the inning. Third baseman Alex Gordon walked, and Callaspo doubled over the head of Crawford in left to score Gordon from first.
Mark Teahen doubled and finished with two of the Royals' five hits, but the Royals' offense would go silent until the seventh.
"Tough game," Greinke said. "Two in a row, tough losses. Tomorrow will probably be the exact opposite. It happens that way -- usually."
Rustin Dodd is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
