The KC Royals were looking to win their 6th straight. The Angels had other plans

Looking to win their sixth game in a row, the Kansas City Royals didn’t get off to a good start against the Los Angeles Angels.

Outfielder Garrett Hampson botched a routine fly ball to open Tuesday’s game at Kauffman Stadium. He settled under a pop-up by Angels leadoff hitter Taylor Ward and the baseball hit the palm of his glove before bouncing onto the ground.

The Royals escaped the first inning with no further trouble, but that unforced error might have been a sign of things to come as the Angels won 9-5.

“Tough play to start the game,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “You know, routine ball that clearly he just dropped. Figure he feels bad, worse than anybody, that happened. ... Not the first guy and he is not going to be the last guy to drop a pop-up.”

L.A. did most of its damage against the Royals’ bullpen in the middle innings. The Angels scored five runs combined in the fifth and sixth to even this series in KC at one win apiece.

Angels shortstop Zach Neto, who finished 2-for-5, drilled a solo home run off Royals left-handed starter Cole Ragans in the sixth inning. Ragans took the loss after surrendering five runs (four earned) in five innings.

“I had been going up and in all night,” Ragans said. “Threw it there the first time, fouled it off. Didn’t feel like he was on it and threw it there again. And, obviously, he was.”

Logan O’Hoppe, Anthony Rendon and Kevin Pillar drove in two runs apiece for the Angels.

“I didn’t execute well,” Ragans continued. “A lot of falling behind, a few walks and a hit-by-pitch.”

The Royals failed to keep pace at the plate, too. They collected 12 hits but couldn’t string together any consistency against Angels left-handed starter Tyler Anderson.

Anderson pitched well until the seventh inning, when the Royals pieced together a rally to trim the deficit to two runs. First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run RBI single, scoring teammates Maikel Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr.

Pasquantino’s base hit chased Anderson from the game. Anderson would earn his 10th victory anyway, despite allowing five runs and 12 hits in six innings.

“He’s just a good pitcher,” Pasquantino said. “He mixes his stuff up; he’ll drop down sidearm to lefties sometimes. He stays over the top. He just does a good job and is a solid arm. Reminds me of a guy that you know what you are going to get out of him every night. He is going to pitch deep into the game, and he did that tonight.”

The Royals are 70-56.

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Here are more notable aspects of Tuesday’s game:

Royals squander scoring opportunity

The Royals had a few chances to produce a big inning but were unable to scratch across crucial add-on runs.

KC had runners on second and third with one away in the sixth inning. Outfielder Hunter Renfroe singled and catcher Freddy Fermin followed with a double to set up a prime situation.

The Angels had scored three runs earlier in the inning to take a 5-2 lead. As a result, third baseman Paul DeJong represented the tying run. Anderson struck him out on five pitches.

Outfielder Dairon Blanco was up next, but he grounded out to end the inning. The baserunners were left stranded and KC finished 4-for-10 with men in scoring position.

“We had a chance to punch something across there, but we didn’t,” Quatraro said. “They fought like they do all the time. Had a big chance to come back in the seventh but didn’t just quite get there.

Injury update: Hunter Harvey has setback

The Royals will continue to monitor right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey as he deals with mid-back tightness.

Harvey is on the 15-day injured list. He was progressing well until he felt more discomfort Monday. He received a cortisone injection and will refrain from throwing for a couple of days.

The Royals are hopeful Harvey can resume throwing later this week. He was acquired ahead of the MLB trade deadline from the Washington Nationals. He owns a 6.35 ERA in six games since joining the Royals.

Playoff implications for KC Royals

With Tuesday’s loss the Royals dropped another game behind the Cleveland Guardians (73-52) in the American League Central standings. The Guardians hold a 3.5-game lead for first place in the division.

Cleveland defeated the New York Yankees 9-5 in 12 innings Tuesday and the Minnesota Twins (70-56) remain tied with the Royals in second place after losing to the San Diego Padres.

The Royals have a 3.5-game lead on the Boston Red Sox (66-59) in the AL Wild Card race. The Red Sox defeated the Houston Astros on Tuesday.

What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?

The Royals conclude their three-game series against the Angels. On Wednesday night, KC right-hander Michael Lorenzen will start in the series finale.

Lorenzen owns a 2.87 ERA in three starts with the Royals. Last Friday, he earned his sixth win after allowing one run in 5 2/3 innings against the Cincinnati Reds.

The Angels are expected to start veteran right-hander — and former Royals pitcher — Johnny Cueto on Wednesday. The two-time All-Star is set to make his regular-season debut after being called up from the minor leagues.