The Royals split their doubleheader with Silverman's Rangers on Sunday, dropping the opener 5 – 1 before erupting in Game 2 for a dominant 15 – 5 run-rule victory.
The contrast between games couldn't have been more dramatic. Game 1 was played under brutal conditions for hitters, on field 3 with a stiff 17-mph wind blowing straight in from centerfield that transformed would-be homeruns into routine fly balls. Rangers' ace Matt Brumley masterfully kept the Royals off balance, allowing just one run in the first inning before settling in to carve through the lineup, outdueling Scott Greenberg in a tightly contested, low-scoring affair. The Royals struggled to string anything together despite out-hitting the Rangers 10 – 9.
One defensive highlight did provide a spark: with the game tied 1 – 1 in the bottom of the third, the Rangers threatened with a runner on third and just one out. Dyllan McKay ripped a line drive into the 5–6 hole, but Donnie Holtmann ranged three steps to his left, snagged it cleanly on the move, spun, and fired a strike to Scott Leonard at the plate to cut down the runner trying to score. It was a brilliant play that momentarily preserved the tie. But momentum proved fickle – Timothy Abbracciamento followed with his second inside-the-park homerun of the game, pushing the Rangers ahead 3 – 1.
Abbracciamento was a one-man wrecking crew, accounting for all five of the Rangers’ runs by pulling two rabbits out of his hat – two inside-the-park homeruns to left center and left field that eluded the Royals' outfielders both times. Abbracciamento finished the day with a staggering 5-for-6 performance, scoring three runs, driving in four, while adding two doubles to his pair of homers to cap a career day.
John Mendez and Robert (Brown Bear) Avalos had no problems with the wind or solving Brumley as they had two hits apiece, accounting for four of the Royals' 10 hits.
The Rangers' 5 – 1 victory in the opener was a masterclass in pitching and wind management. As the teams relocated to field 1 for the nightcap, no one could have predicted how dramatically fortunes would shift.
If only the doubleheader had ended there, Brumley might have gone to bed that night dreaming of his pitching masterclass. However, Brumley's sweet dreams likely turned to nightmares when the teams relocated to field 1 for the nightcap, where that same 17-mph wind now blew straight out to centerfield, turning the diamond into a launching pad.
With the change in scenery, the Royals’ bats awakened with thunderous authority after spotting the Rangers an early 2 – 0 lead, courtesy of Isaac Hill’s two-run double. The comeback began when Toto Hungers led off the bottom of the first with a single and scored on Mendez's RBI double. Michael Murphy followed with a towering two-run blast that sailed over the left centerfield fence, giving the Royals a 3 – 2 advantage. Then stepped Brown Bear to the plate, his bat seemingly charged with electricity as he connected with a 2 – 2 pitch, sending it screaming into the jet stream and over the left field fence. 4 – 2.
The Royals weren't finished. Not by a long shot.
Scott Greenberg and Holtmann singled ahead of Mark Phares’ booming triple, pushing the score to 6 – 2. Larry Lachman’s RBI single capped off the seven-run outburst, and the Royals were rolling.
The second inning brought more fireworks – all with two outs. Mendez connected for a solo shot that landed in the parking lot of Spirit Park. The Royals' faithful were still applauding when Murphy stepped in and crushed his second homer of the game to roughly the same location as where Mendez’s homer had landed. Then, with the dugout in a frenzy, Avalos approached the plate for his second at-bat. The Rangers' outfielders backed up to the warning track, the infielders looked nervously at each other, and Brumley appeared visibly shaken on the mound. On a 2 – 1 pitch, Avalos unleashed a perfect swing, creating that unmistakable crack of the bat that echoed through Spirit Park. The ball launched like a rocket, soaring high against the bright blue sky, before disappearing beyond the parking lot for his second consecutive homerun. The back-to-back-to-back homers pushed the lead to 10 – 2.
The Rangers managed a lone run in the top of the third, but the Royals kept pouring it on. This time it was the bottom of the order that came through as Lachman delivered his second RBI single of the game with the bases loaded, and HOF Larry Goldstein added a sacrifice fly, extending the lead to 12 – 3.
The Rangers scored twice more in the fourth, but the Royals’ power surge wasn't over. With one out in the bottom of the frame, Mendez tripled. The Rangers, clearly fearful after Murphy's two previous blasts, never gave him a hittable pitch as they issued him the unintentional, intentional walk. That brought Brown Bear to the plate once more, the crowd rising to its feet in anticipation of what seemed impossible – yet inevitable. The tension was palpable as Brumley took a deep breath before reluctantly releasing his first pitch. The pitch came in belt-high, and Avalos' swing was a masterpiece of timing and power, connecting with a thunderous crack. The ball rocketed off his bat at 104.9 mph at a launch angle of 33 degrees, climbing higher and higher until it was just a speck against the clouds before falling well beyond the outfield fence – a no-doubter from the moment it left his bat. The Royals' dugout erupted as Avalos completed his trifecta with a three-run homer, putting an exclamation point on the 15 – 5 run-rule victory.
Mendez had an incredible day, going 5-for-5, scoring three runs, driving in two, while collecting two doubles, a triple, and a homerun. In doing so, he became the third Royal this season to hit for the combined cycle across a doubleheader, joining Hungers and Murphy in that exclusive club. Scott Greenberg, despite taking the loss in Game 1, pitched admirably in both contests, allowing just five runs in each game while scattering nine hits in the opener and 11 in the nightcap. The difference was the overwhelming run support in Game 2, where the Royals pounded out 18 hits, six of which left the park.
Robert Avalos 3 - 2, 3 Runs, 5 RBI, (3) HR
Michael Murphy 2 – 2, 3 Runs, 3 RBI, BB, (2) HR, GWRBI
John Mendez 3 - 3, 3 Runs, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B, HR
Mark Phares 2 – 2, 1 Run, 2 RBI, 3B
Larry Lachman 2 – 2, 2 RBI
Donnie Holtmann 2 – 2, 2 Runs
Scott Greenberg 2 – 3, 2 Runs
Royals Split Doubleheader with Rangers in Tale of Two Fields
