Kansas City Royals bumble to 6-1 loss at Miami Marlins. Here’s a look at what went awry

The Kansas City Royals turned to wily veteran Zack Greinke against the upstart Miami Marlins.

And for a while, Greinke, with two decades of major-league experience, reached deep into his bag of tricks to stymie the vibrant group. He began Tuesday’s game at LoanDepot Park with four scoreless innings.

The Marlins didn’t record a hit in that span. Greinke showcased his vintage sinker and mixed in a combination of fastballs and off-speed pitches, mowing through Miami’s lineup with first-pitch strikes.

Then came the fifth inning: The Marlins batted around, scored five runs and were well on their way to a 6-1 victory.

“The sinker was great,” Greinke said. “I would like to give them a lot of credit. I don’t think they chased one slider. ... Then, they swung at pretty much every strike slider.”

Jesus Sanchez blasted his fifth home run into the left-field seats. Joey Wendle and Jean Segura followed with consecutive singles. Luis Arraez, who is chasing MLB history in the form of a .400 average, added an RBI single.

But it was Miami’s Bryan De La Cruz who delivered the big blow. He lined a three-run double over Royals outfielder MJ Melendez and closed the book on Greinke’s night.

Greinke departed having pitched 4 1/3 innings. He allowed four hits and was tagged with five runs, but just one of those was earned.

“It’s just kind of bad timing,” Greinke said. “There was a big string of hits at the same time. Really, I don’t think I made a lot of mistakes that inning.

“The first home run was kind of the game plan I wanted to do. It’s throw quality curveballs, and he hit a home run, which was impressive. All the other pitches were corners I think they got hit on.

“Just can’t do too much more. It was just unlucky that it was four or five in a row.”

The Royals’ defense didn’t help matters. KC committed three errors. Edward Olivares bobbled a ball in the fifth inning and Matt Duffy later committed a throwing error.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro said it will take focus and concentration to clean up such mistakes.

“Doing the little things consistently,” Quatraro said. “Just take the out when given the out. Keep the double play in order. Those kind of things comes down to focus.”

One example came in the fifth inning.

Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. fielded a ground ball with the infield at close range. He attempted to get the runner leaving third base, but the throw arrived late and the wrap throw to first was not in time.

All hands were safe. And that led to the Arraez’s single that extended the frame.

“It’s infield in and nobody out,” Quatraro said. “Rarely do guys go on contact with nobody out. So, it’s take the out and we move on.”

The Royals (18-43) were also shut down offensively. They mustered just five hits. They scored their lone run following a wild pitch in the sixth inning.

Missed previous games of the series?

Game 1: Royals squander early lead in disappointing loss to Marlins

Here are some more notable aspects from Tuesday’s game:

Jesus Luzardo dominates with fastball command

The Royals struggled to get any offense going against Marlins starter Jesus Luzardo. He averaged 96.8 mph with his fastball and mixed in a slider that topped out at 92 mph.

Luzardo also used his changeup and sinker to keep the Royals off-balance. He struck out four consecutive batters — Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino, Salvador Perez and Melendez — during the middle innings.

Luzardo generated 46 swings and 15 whiffs. He pitched seven innings, allowed two hits and struck out eight.

“He threw a ton of strikes. He was ahead most of the night,” Quatraro said. “His slider looked really good and it looked like he could vary the speed on it, or the shape.

“It was really hard and looked like we had trouble adjusting to that. He keep pounding with it in the zone or strike-to-ball pitches with it.”

Jackson Kowar looks solid in relief

The Royals turned to Jackson Kowar to relieve Greinke in the fifth inning. He pitched 2 1/3 innings, allowing just one run. He struck out three and issued two walks.

This continued a string of strong relief appearances for the talented prospect. Kowar entered Tuesday’s game with a 31.3 strikeout percentage.

“He has been way better. He’s been in the zone consistently and his slider is much improved,” Quatraro said. “He’s always had the plus fastball with good movement and a good changeup.”

What’s next: The Royals conclude their three-game set against the Marlins on Wednesday. Jordan Lyles will start for the Royals opposite Edward Cabrera.