Kansas City Royals belt three homers to defeat Miami Marlins in homestand opener

Kansas City Royals outfielder Hunter Renfroe took a second to admire his outcome of his swing in the sixth inning of Monday night’s game against the Miami Marlins.

Renfroe knew he had just hit the baseball a country mile.

“Yeah, it’s been a while,” said Renfroe, who had missed some time with a bone bruise on his left big toe. “Like I said, it’s been a rough 10 days for me being able to watch the guys and the struggles they were going through. ...

“For me to be able to hit a ball solid for now and get back into the groove of things is pretty fantastic.”

The Royals hadn’t scored a lot in the past week. In fact, they had been shut out for 22 consecutive innings entering Monday’s game, the first of a 10-game homestand at Kauffman Stadium.

But scoring wasn’t an issue Monday night. Three Royals homered as KC beat the Marlins 4-1, improving to 43-37 overall after a 2-7 road trip.

“It was fantastic to see that and the guys to bounce back,” Renfroe said.

Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez hit back-to-back solo home runs in the fourth inning.

Pasquantino homered on an 89.9 mph cutter from Marlins pitcher Roddery Muñoz. Perez followed by hitting the next pitch over the center-field wall.

The instant offense made it 2-1 Royals and ignited the home dugout.

“Anytime you can score runs and you can slap fives, it brings energy,” said Royals bench coach Paul Hoover, who filled in for manager Matt Quatraro for a second straight game. “Obviously, Vinnie and then Sal backing up the very next pitch, it brought us some energy to the dugout.”

That run support was enough for Royals starting pitcher Cole Ragans. The Royals ace improved to 5-5 after allowing a single run.

Marlins designated hitter Bryan De La Cruz hit an RBI double in the third inning, but Ragans was able to rebound.

“Every team goes through a rough patch,” Ragans said. “We are going through ours. It’s just keep doing what we’ve been doing and keep doing the small things right. It will come up where we end up winning.”

The Royals will look to win the series Tuesday night.

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Here are more notable aspects from Monday’s game:

Cole Ragans strikes out 11

The Royals needed to stop their recent slide on Monday. They had lost 11 of their last 14 and fallen out of rhythm offensively.

The Royals needed a high-quality start from Ragans … and that’s exactly what they got. Ragans allowed one run in six innings. He struck out 11 and scattered four hits.

Royals bench coach Paul Hoover indicated he’d had a good feeling about Ragans’ Monday start on the ride back from Texas following Sunday’s series finale against the Rangers.

“I walked past him on the airplane,” Hoover said of Ragans, “and said, ‘We’re alright. We have the stopper going tomorrow.’”

Miami didn’t generate a lot of hard contact against Ragans. He kept the Marlins off-balance with a changeup that registered 15 swings and 10 whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

“The changeup was good and I got some good swing-and-miss on it,” Ragans said.

Ragans threw 68 of 108 pitches for strikes. Despite issuing three walks, he was able to avoid a big inning and pick up his fifth win of the season.

Bobby Witt Jr. reaches 100 hits

Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. became the first American League player to reach 100 hits this season.

In the fifth inning, Witt laced a double down the left-field line. It was his 21st double of the year — and a special one, because Witt had etched his name in franchise history.

Witt is the fifth Royal (sixth instance) to reach the 100-hit mark in a season faster than any other AL player. He joins Lou Piniella (1972), George Brett (1976, ‘79), Willie Wilson (1980) and Whit Merrifield (2019) on that list.

Witt is hitting .312 with 12 home runs, 53 RBIs and 21 stolen bases this season. He trails only San Diego Padres star Luis Arraez (104) for the MLB lead in hits.

Royals manager Quatraro misses 2nd straight game

Royals manager Matt Quatraro missed his second straight game to attend to what the club termed a personal matter.

Hoover filled in for Quatraro on Monday. The Royals also utilized infield coach Jose Alguacil as the third base coach during the game.

“(Quatraro) has always empowered us to be managers in our own areas,” Hoover said. “So, we all take ownership of our jobs and nothing has changed other than the actual in-game decisions.”

Hot night at The K

Per the Royals, Monday’s temperature at first pitch was an even 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

That made it the hottest game at Kauffman Stadium since a July 31, 2012 game against Cleveland. It was a steamy 100 degrees for that one, too.

What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule?

The Royals are back in action on Tuesday night.

Right-hander Seth Lugo will pitch against the Marlins at Kauffman Stadium. He leads the American League with 10 wins and owns a 3.12 ERA in seven home games this season.

Right-hander Yonny Chirinos will make his second start for the Marlins.