Is anyone in the league hotter than Ryan Greenberg? And no, I don’t mean the way his wife, Jordan thinks about him! Greenberg has been nothing short of unstoppable, going 11 – 11, with 9 Runs, 7 RBI, three doubles, and a walk over four games. The versatile outfielder put together a dazzling 5 – 5 performance on Sunday, crossing the plate four times, driving in four runs while adding a walk and two doubles to help power the Royals to their third consecutive doubleheader sweep to improve to a scorching 6 – 0! And his outfield defense was just as impressive – especially given the treacherous windy conditions on Sunday.
The Royals have started the season on an absolute tear. This time, they did it with a perfect combination of dominant pitching, airtight defense, and an explosive offense that set the tone early and never let up. Unlike their previous games, where the Royals had to overcome early deficits, the Royals never trailed in either of Sunday’s contests. The Royals stormed out of the gates, scoring a combined 13 first-inning runs to seize control, defeating Anthony/Enlow’s Orioles, 16 – 11, and Roth’s Indians, 12 – 5.
In the opener, playing on field 2 with the wind howling out to center field, the Royals took on the short-handed Orioles. The conditions were brutal, as 17 - 22 mph gale force winds transformed the field into a swirling vortex of chaos, where routine fly balls became high-stakes adventures and pitches took unexpected detours.
After holding the Orioles scoreless in the top of the first, the Royals wasted no time asserting their dominance, parlaying five hits and two walks into seven runs before the first out was ever recorded in the bottom of the frame. Nick Pierotti and Toto Hungers sparked the rally with back-to-back singles. Two bases on balls sandwiched John Mendez’s RBI single to give the Royals an early 3 – 0 lead and bring Robert Avalos to the plate with the bases loaded.
Avalos, fresh off a two-homer performance last week, worked the count full before launching a towering shot that rode the howling winds and seemed to defy physics. It traversed the diamond's expanse with a vivid streak of kinetic energy that disappeared into the morning sky, leaving the Orioles’ outfielders frozen in their tracks. Grand Slam. 7 – 0.
The Orioles got on the board in the top of the second as former Royal, Jimie Simeone blasted a two-run homerun over the left centerfield fence to make it 7 – 2. However, the Royals didn’t take their foot off the gas pedal, scoring five more runs in the bottom of the second, thanks to the bottom of the order. HOF Larry Goldstein drew a leadoff walk and moved to second on Scott Leonard’s single, turning the lineup over. After a fielder’s choice, Hungers obliterated a 2 – 1 pitch for his first homerun of the season. Two more runs scored in the inning on Ryan Greenberg’s bases-loaded double to make it 12 – 2.
The Orioles showed resilience, with former Royal, Ben Enlow adding a three-run no-doubter during a five-run third. After holding the Royals scoreless in the bottom of the frame, the momentum appeared to be shifting in the Oriole's favor. In the top of the fourth, they appeared to be on the verge of another rally when the Royals' defense delivered a game-changing moment. With Oriole runners on first and second, nobody out, and the top of their order due up, Scott Greenberg induced a two-hopper to third baseman Donnie Holtman, who stepped on the bag, fired to Mark Phares at second, and watched as Phares’ off-balance throw was somehow snagged by first baseman Larry Lachman, who spun in mid-air to tag the runner for an electrifying 5–4–3 triple play to end the inning and extinguish the Orioles’ threat.
“That was the turning point”, the Royals' Captain commented. “The defense rose to the occasion when we needed it most.”
The Royals rode that momentum into the bottom of the fourth, where they extended their lead to 16 – 7 as Leonard once again turned the lineup over with a leadoff single, and Scott Greenberg and Ryan Greenberg delivered RBI hits.
The Orioles plated four more in the fifth as rookie Walker Sandschafer hit his first TSSL homer – a three-run shot, and the fifth homerun of the doubleheader by both teams – but Scott Greenberg limited the damage there, pitching a scoreless sixth to close out the victory.
Toto Hungers 3 – 3, 3 Runs, 4 RBI, 3-Run HR, GWRBI
Ryan Greenberg 2 – 2, 1 Run, 4 RBI, BB, (2) 2B
Scott Greenberg 3 – 3, 3 Runs, 2 RBI
Robert Avalos 2 – 3, 1 Run, 4 RBI, Grand Slam HR
Scott Leonard 2 – 2, 1 Run
Nick Pierotti 2 – 3, 3 Runs, 2B
Donnie Holtmann 1 – 2, BB
Michael Murphy 2 BB, SF
The Royals' bats remained red-hot heading into the nightcap against the Indians on Field 4, where the gale-force winds had shifted to blow directly in from center field. If that was supposed to suppress offense, the Royals never got the memo. They jumped out to a 6 – 0 lead in the top of the first, stringing together clutch RBI singles by Mendez, Scott Greenberg, Holtmann, and Phares, and capitalizing on an Indians error.
You sure wouldn’t have known gale force winds were blowing in when Garrett Granato came up to bat in the bottom of the first. The Indians’ multi-talented shortstop launched a 2-run missile that took 2.3 seconds to clear the left field fence, scoring Brian Lee who led off the inning with a single and pulling the Indians to within four runs, 6 – 2. From that point on the story of the game was the Royals' bottom of the order.
The Royals got those two runs back in the top of the second, and once again, it was the bottom of their order who came through. Goldstein doubled to lead the inning off and was still at second two outs later when Hungers, who had delivered a three-run shot in the opener, connected for his second homer of the day to push the lead to 8 – 2.
After Avalos’ RBI double in the third made it 9 – 2, the Indians plated two in the fourth – courtesy of RBI singles by Sean Greeley and Evan Berkowitz – and one in the fifth to make it a 9 – 5 game.
In the sixth, once again the Royals' bottom of the order came through. Ryan Greenberg and Avalos singled to lead off the sixth, and one out later Phares walked to load the bases. With two outs and the bases still loaded, Goldstein, Leonard, and leadoff batter, Pierotti delivered clutch, RBI singles to extend the lead to 12 – 5, and put the game out of reach.
Through three weeks of play, the Royals have found a different hero each week. Sunday’s star was Hungers, who not only delivered a breakout performance at the plate – accounting for 11 of the Royals' 28 runs – but also locked down right field with Michael Kleinmuntz out.
Ryan Greenberg, Hungers, and Avalos, each had five hits to pace the Royals' 35-hit attack that featured nine extra-base hits. The entire lineup demonstrated exceptional plate discipline, drawing seven walks in the doubleheader.
Scott Greenberg turned in two gritty pitching performances in some of the most difficult conditions imaginable. Across 12 innings, he issued just two walks while battling to a 7.5 ERA – a respectable mark given the offensive-friendly environment.
With their third straight sweep in the books, the Royals are showcasing a complete team. They’re winning with pitching. They’re winning with defense. They’re winning with power. They’re winning with discipline. And most importantly, they’re winning every single time they step on the field.
The question now isn’t whether they can keep this up – it’s whether anyone in the League can slow them down.
Robert Avalos 3 – 3, 1 Run, 2 RBI, 2B
Ryan Greenberg 3 - 3, 3 Runs
Toto Hungers 2 – 4, 2 Runs, 2 RBI, 2B, 2-Run HR
Larry Goldstein 2 – 3, 1 Run, 1 RBI, 2B
Michael Murphy 1 – 2, 1 Run, BB, 2B
Mark Phares 1 – 2, 1 Run, 1 RBI, BB
Scott Greenberg 1 – 3, 1 Run, 2 RBI
Scott Leonard 1 – 3, 1 RBI
John Mendez 1 - 3, 1 Run, 1 RBI, GWRBI
Wind, Power, and Dominance: Royals Surge to 6 – 0 Start
