KANSAS CITY, Mo. (TNS) ? The ball hit the top of the outfield fence, then bounced up there … and bounced again.
Royals outfielder Whit Merrifield turned toward the infield, believing he?d just seen a home run. A Royals fan beyond the wall ducked under a cordon, convinced he was about to get a souvenir baseball.
J.D. Martinez?s deep shot fooled both of them. After the ball?s unlikely trajectory and belly flop on the top of a cushioned outfield wall, it trickled back onto the warning track, with Martinez having to settle for a sixth-inning RBI triple.
It was the weirdest single occurrence that took place during the Royals? 8-3 loss to the Boston Red Sox on Tuesday night.
Another set of circumstances, though, had to seem just as strange for manager Ned Yost as he watched an early lead slip away.
For a night, the Royals two best relievers ? and if we?re honest, two of the team?s top pitchers overall ? did not resemble themselves while coughing up late runs.
It started with Scott Barlow, who entered tied for second among all AL relievers in strikeouts. He entered to a fireman role in the sixth, looking to preserve a two-run lead with one on and one out.
He couldn?t avoid hard contact. That started with Martinez?s hard blast to right ? the one that hit off the top of the wall three times ? before a walk, sac fly and Brock Holt double gave the Red Sox a 3-2 lead.
Jake Diekman ? the Royals? pitcher of the month for May ? later quashed any hopes of a comeback in the eighth with his worst outing of the season. Martinez and Xander Bogaerts started a rally with singles, then pinch-hitter Eduardo Nunez ? with just one home run in 101 plate appearances this season ? blasted a 1-2 pitch over the wall in left center for a three-run shot.
The Royals? Cheslor Cuthbert rounds the bases after hitting a home run in the second inning.
The Royals? early offense came in the second.
Alex Gordon led off with a double, and one batter later, Cheslor Cuthbert turned on a low inside cut fastball, driving it to the visitor?s bullpen in left for a two-run homer and a 2-0 advantage.
KC starter Glenn Sparkman ? making his third start of the season ? danced around trouble to keep the Royals in it. Boston had five different at-bats result in 100 mph exit velocities in Sparkman?s 5 1/3 innings, but only one of those turned into hits, as Kelvin Gutierrez and Adalberto Mondesi both contributed diving plays on the infield.
The Royals (19-41) have now lost four straight and seven of their last eight.
