NewsMissed chances, 'pen work cost Royals
Eighth inning proves critical as KC drops sixth in a row
By Dick Kaegel / MLB.com
07/19/09 8:40 PM ET
KANSAS CITY -- For the third consecutive game, the Royals took a lead into the seventh inning and, for the third consecutive game, they lost to the Tampa Bay Rays.On Sunday at Kauffman Stadium, the Royals grimaced and ingested a 4-3 bitter pill as 18,934 fans bore witness.
"Got out of the seventh today in good fashion, then the damage was done in the eighth," manager Trey Hillman said.
That was the same infuriating pattern that the Royals experienced in the 8-7 and 4-2 losses in the first two games of the series. In the eighth inning of their three victories, the Rays scored a total of seven runs to decide matters.
"It's incredible," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "It's strange how things happen like that because they do have some really good arms in their bullpen."
Ah, but those arms were not so good in this series. In the latest example on Sunday, starter Luke Hochevar pitched well and exited in the seventh inning with a 3-2 lead. In fact, Jamey Wright relieved him with one out and quickly ended the inning.
The eighth did not go so smoothly for Wright. Carl Crawford managed a one-out single and, cognizant of his 45 stolen bases, Wright tried a pickoff throw. It sailed past first baseman Billy Butler.
"I've got a good pickoff move, too," Wright said. "Basically what I do is I throw so all he has to do is catch it and the guy runs into the tag. I just threw it to a spot where he couldn't get it. It was wide."
And it rolled and rolled away while Crawford dashed easily to third base.
"That one was way off and behind Crawford -- I couldn't get around him," Butler said. "I just didn't have a shot."
When the count went to 3-0 on Evan Longoria, he was walked intentionally and Wright gave way to left-hander John Bale, summoned to face lefty Carlos Pena. But Pena got a sharp grounder just past Butler for an RBI single that tied the score at 3.
"I had a shot at it," Butler said. "I don't know if it got around the edge of my glove and just went underneath barely, but I just couldn't get it. I feel like I should make that play."
Bale walked Ben Zobrist to load the bases and was relieved by Roman Colon. Colon fanned Pat Burrell -- the Tampa Bay DH's fourth straight whiff on the day-- but walked Gabe Gross on a 3-2 pitch to force in the deciding run.
Hochevar, in his 6 1/3 innings, gave up seven hits but no walks and registered a career-high nine strikeouts.
"I wasn't trying to strike guys out, just moving the ball around and changing speeds, you know, trying to keep them off-balance," Hochevar said. "They have a good lineup."
Good enough that, for the third game in a row, the bullpen could not take a lead to closer Joakim Soria.
"You've got to have the ability to get to your closer," Hillman said. "We've got guys down there that have the ability to do it. Sooner or later, they have to get it done."
Once again, Soria did not pitch.
"Five walks out of the bullpen, 0-for-4 in situational hitting today and 13 men left on base. It all adds up," Hillman said.
The Royals summoned up 11 hits -- four by Butler -- and loaded the bases in three different innings. End result: just three runs.
They loaded the bases with no outs in the second inning against Rays right-hander Matt Garza but came out of it with just one run. That came when David DeJesus drew a two-out walk. But Willie Bloomquist lined out to end the big chance.
With two outs in the fifth inning, the Royals again filled the bases, and this time they got two runs. Alberto Callaspo bounced a single up the middle, scoring Mark Teahen and Jose Guillen for a three-run lead.
The third fill 'em-up came with one out in the seventh. This time Kansas City came away empty-handed, as Yuniesky Betancourt bounced into a double play.
For the third straight game, Rays closer J.P. Howell put the Royals down 1-2-3 in the ninth. That gave the ex-Royals lefty nine saves and a 1.97 ERA.
"He's just got stuff that people overlook," Butler said. "Next thing you know, you look at his numbers and he's got dominant numbers."
The Royals' bullpen blues were attributed to just "a really bad streak" by Hillman. And it left the relievers contemplating their ill fate.
"The starters are doing good, they're giving us all the opportunities," said Ron Mahay, who worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth. "The offense is giving us the run support and the guys in the 'pen, we just can't hold it for some strange reason. You can't really put a finger on it. Everybody's out there busting their tail as good as they can go; we're just having bad luck."
Wright's record fell to 0-3.
"You sit there and think what a confidence boost it would've been to sweep that team," Wright said. "We were ahead of them and in position to do it all three games and ended up getting swept. That's tough, tough to swallow."
Gulp. The Royals' record against the Rays this season thudded to 0-6.
Dick Kaegel is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
