In the seventh inning, Nelson Velázquez hit a three-run homer, which helped Kansas City take the lead, while Michael Wacha pitched well for six innings as the Royals defeated the Seattle Mariners 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Velázquez’s homer, his third of the season, came at a crucial moment, spoiling a strong performance by Seattle’s starting pitcher, Logan Gilbert, who had allowed only three hits and no runs in the first six innings.
Things changed in the seventh inning when Bobby Witt, Jr. walked and then advanced to second base on a groundout. Salvador Perez walked intentionally, setting the stage for Velázquez’s homer.
Mariners manager Scott Servais commented on Gilbert’s performance, stating, “They found a way to put some pressure on him late, he made a mistake, and the three-run homer was the big swing in the ballgame.” Velázquez hadn’t hit a home run since April 4, making this one particularly significant.
Reflecting on his approach during the at-bat, Velázquez said, “He’s a high percentage slider guy, so I went there with a plan that at-bat. Look for the slider and try to hit the ball in the middle. I stood on my plan and a good thing happened.”
Maikel Garcia extended Kansas City’s lead with an RBI single in the eighth inning off Mariners reliever Trent Thornton.
The Mariners initially took the lead in the fourth inning with Luke Raley’s solo homer, one of the few hits against Wacha, who struck out seven batters.
“Today, his pitching looked good,” stated Royals manager Matt Quatraro. “He’s been working on his slider, which showed improvement. He started with high velocity and controlled the ball well, mixing in effective changeups as usual.”
In the bottom of the ninth, Mitch Haniger hit a solo home run against closer James McArthur, who then struck out Dylan Moore and got Luis Urías to line out, securing his 10th save.
The Mariners’ aggressive swinging resulted in 11 strikeouts, ending their seven-game winning streak against the Royals.
“Especially early on, they were swinging aggressively and might not have had time to adapt to the changeup,” said Wacha. “But also, I tried to mix it up with other pitches to keep them guessing. When I did use it, it felt like it had good action. Some positive outcomes today.”
