Bobby Witt Jr. hit a double that gave Kansas City the lead in the fifth inning after Blue Jays’ first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. made a costly error. The Royals’ bullpen then shut down Toronto for the rest of the game, securing a 3-2 victory on Tuesday night.
Chris Stratton (2-1) took over the pitching duties with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, preventing further damage. He continued to pitch through the sixth inning, followed by John Schreiber in the seventh and James McArthur in the eighth.
Royals manager Matt Quatraro decided to keep McArthur on the mound for the ninth inning. Initially, it seemed that the Blue Jays’ Cavan Biggio had secured a single, but the call was overturned after a review. Despite George Springer’s single and Guerrero’s groundout, McArthur managed to retire Bo Bichette, earning his fifth save of the season.
“You don’t get too many opportunities with the extra outs there, but we were able to make them pay,” said Wacha. “Bobby came through for us, like he so often does, and the bullpen shut the door for us.”
Kevin Gausman (0-3) pitched for Toronto, allowing three runs — none of them earned — on seven hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings.
“I mean, Gausman led the league in strikeouts last year, and he had one or two in six-plus,” Quatraro said, “so just getting the ball in play. Not every contact is going to be solid. But you know, make something happen.”
Wacha, pitching for Kansas City, allowed two runs on eight hits and three walks, but he needed 96 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings. Despite some inconsistencies, he was also unlucky, facing several weakly hit singles that contributed to the Blue Jays taking a 1-0 lead in the third inning.
