Kansas City Royals’ Memorial Day rally falls short in series opener at Twins

The Kansas City Royals were foiled by Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan for the second time this season.

Ryan turned in another masterful performance on Memorial Day at Target Field, limiting KC to one run across seven innings Monday afternoon. He is now 6-0 against the Royals in his MLB career.

The Royals mustered just four hits and struck out nine times while he was in the game.

As a result, the Twins picked up a 6-5 victory in the series opener. KC fell to 34-21 and dropped its second straight game.

There were some tense late-game moments for Minnesota as the Royals nearly staged a ninth-inning comeback. KC scored four runs to make things interesting but couldn’t get any closer.

“He did a tremendous job,” Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia said. “We didn’t compete today (against Ryan). We just took advantage of the bullpen and kept pushing until the last 27th out.”

Ryan navigated the Royals’ lineup expertly. He located his four-seam fastball and mixed in a dynamic sweeper and slider. The heater topped out at 96.6 mph and generated 26 swings and 11 whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

The Royals failed to adjust to Ryan’s stuff. He retired 15 of his first 16 batters, with Bobby Witt Jr. providing the Royals’ lone hit during that span.

“He’s got plus stuff,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We know he’s got unique fastball characteristics and he’s throwing hard. He’s (splitter) is good and a good sweeper today. He mixes it all up.”

At the plate, the Twins set the tone early in the game. In the third inning, Jose Miranda hit a two-run homer.

Later, Twins designated hitter Trevor Larnach added some key insurance runs for the hosts. He drilled a three-run homer into the second deck in right field.

Those mistakes haunted Royals starter Alec Marsh, who allowed five runs in seven innings and took the loss.

“You can’t give up a home run right there,” Marsh said of Larnach’s at-bat. “The other one doesn’t bother me as much as the three-run homer.”

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino hit an RBI single for the Royals in the sixth inning. Outfielder Hunter Renfroe doubled in a run during KC’s four-run ninth.

The Royals’ other ninth-inning runs came via an infield single by Dairon Blanco and an error by the Twins.

However, Minnesota closer Jhoan Duran was eventually able to shut the door for his team’s 29th victory of the season.

“There is a lot of positives in that game right there,” Marsh said. “Hate to take the (loss), but we battled our (tails) off there at the end. So that’s huge to see with this group.

“We are never out of it. Like I said, if I get one or two of those pitches back, we might win that game.”

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Here are more notable aspects of Monday’s game:

Kris Bubic takes next step in rehab assignment

Royals starting pitcher Kris Bubic was transferred to Triple-A Omaha on Monday.

Bubic, who is on a rehab assignment following Tommy John surgery, is getting closer to a potential return to the big-league club.

He has climbed the ranks in the Royals’ farm system in recent weeks. He began with the Surprise Royals in Arizona Complex League (ACL). Then he made some Double-A starts with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

In two Double-A starting assignments, Bubic allowed five earned runs across five innings. It’s likely he’ll draw a few more starts with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers.

From there, the Royals will decide where he lands once his rehab assignment concludes.

Royals extend hitting streaks

Despite the loss, both Witt and Garcia extended their hitting streaks on Monday.

Garcia now sports a 14-game streak after going 2-for-5. Since May 11, he is hitting .349 with six extra-base hits, 10 RBIs and 13 runs scored.

“He’s playing great baseball on both sides of the ball,” Quatraro said.

Witt, meanwhile, extended his streak to 10 games. He’s hitting .372 (16-for-43) with four doubles, four home runs and 13 RBIs during this current surge.

Witt also has a 1.237 OPS (on-base plus slugging) amid the streak and is three games shy of matching his career-long streak of 13 games.

What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?

The Royals are back in action Tuesday night.

Southpaw Cole Ragans will make his 12th start this season. On March 28, he allowed two runs and registered nine strikeouts against the Twins.

Minnesota will start right-hander Simeon Woods-Richardson. He owns a 2.57 ERA in seven starts.