Bullpen blues: Five-run sixth dooms Royals in loss to Rangers

Texas takes the series opener 6-2.

The bullpen continued its woes with a five-run sixth inning and Royals hitters managed just six hits as the Royals dropped the series opener against the Rangers 6-2 on Friday night.

Rangers starter Nathan Eovaldi retired the first eight batters of the game before Kyle Isbel took him deep for his fifth home run of the season. Isbel would later leave the game with lower back tightness.

Brady Singer didn’t allow a hit over the first three innings until Josh Smith led off the fourth with a single. Wyatt Langford doubled home a run to tie the game, but Singer got out of a bases-loaded jam to end the threat. MJ Melendez continued his hot week with a double to lead off the fifth, late scoring on a Garrett Hampson single to make it 2-1 Royals.

Singer had a 1-2-3 fifth and was at 89 pitches, but manager Matt Quatraro pulled him for the struggling John Schreiber to begin the sixth. Adolis Garcia led off with a single and Nathaniel Lowe doubled, before Langford drove home another run on a single. Bobby Witt Jr. nearly pulled off a terrific double play on a grounder, but Jonah Heim beat it out, allowing another run to score to make it 3-2 Texas. In a search for answers, Quatraro found none when he turned to Sam Long, who promptly loaded the bases, then unloaded them on a three-run double by Marcus Semien.

Bobby Witt Jr. went hitless for just the third time this month, and Salvador Perez went 0-for-4 with the ol’ Golden Sombrero. The Royals have dropped 16 of their last 24 and fall to 42-35. They’ll try to even the series tomorrow afternoon at 3:10 when Michael Wacha returns to face Jon Gray.