Royals stymie Blue Jays bats, win yet another 3-2 game

Starter Alec Marsh left the game early, but the bullpen had his back.

I had a good feeling when Wednesday’s game started off with a 1-2-3 inning from Alec Marsh. Then Salvador Perez started the scoring, and I had a great feeling.

The Kansas City Royals held the Toronto Blue Jays in check, thanks to another scoreless Marsh start and some timely hitting up and down the lineup. The 3-2 victory tonight came in a picture-perfect spring evening backdrop.

Perez put Kansas City on top in the first when his single scored Witt from third base. The Royals did not look back after taking the lead.

Marsh saw his fifth start of the season cut short thanks to a comebacker from the debuting Addison Barger. The righty still threw Barger out at first base but left the game shortly after. Kansas City announced later that evening that Marsh suffered a right forearm contusion.

Kyle Isbel, who already had a double, started the bottom of the fifth with a single. That proved very valuable, as he ended up scoring on a Witt single to centerfield.

A bang-bang play at third base proved to be critical. Garcia and Witt executed a well-timed double steal, and it looked like Garcia was off the bag when Toronto third baseman Ernie Clement applied the tag. The Blue Jays challenge failed, expending it and putting runners on second and third with no outs. Kansas City could not capitalize, with groundouts from Pasquantino and Melendez.

Zerpa had a rocky outing following Marsh’s exit. He allowed two earned runs in 1 ⅔ innings, starting off with a solo George Spring home run. He did record three strikeouts in that span, including two of his final three outs. Zerpa may never reach the starter potential fans once hoped for, but manager Matt Quatraro clearly trusts him coming out of the bullpen.

Reliever John Schreiber continues to be an underrated member of Kansas City’s bullpen. He pitched the 7th inning, inducing three soft groundouts to Adam Frazier for a 1-2-3 inning. He now has 12 innings pitched and only one earned run this season, resulting in a minuscule 0.83 ERA.

A diving catch from Daulton Varsho robbed Witt of a leadoff single in the bottom of the 7th. That knock had an amazing .910 expected batting average, according to Baseball Savant.

Chris Stratton extending his scoreless streak, pitching a hitless 8th inning. He now has five consecutive scoreless and hitless outings this season, contributing to the Royals' resurgent bullpen.

Frazier joined the multi-hit-game party in the eighth inning. He quietly has a three-game hitting streak, reaching base throughout the homestand. His numbers won’t have his jersey flying off the team store shelves, but Frazier has been a net positive near the lineup’s bottom.

Royals fans everywhere had to feel good seeing “The General” James McArthur come trotting out in the ninth. After recording his second career multi-inning save the night before, McArthur still had plenty left in the tank. He struck out two in the frame for his sixth save in as many opportunities this season.

The game was yet another Royals win where they scored three runs or less. Tonight was their fifth such win, after having seven in the 2023 season. They’re now 13-2 when allowing fewer than four runs as well, the most in MLB.

It was far from a dominant win, but the pitching and infield defense locked Toronto down when it mattered the most. Now, Kansas City has a chance to win the series on Thursday against the AL East team. The first pitch tomorrow is 1:10 Kauffman Standard Time, with Coke Cole Ragans taking the bump.