Reds bats fail to get going in 7-1 loss to Kansas City

Cincinnati struggled to get much done offensively against former Red Michael Lorenzen and the Kansas City bullpen. The Royals didn't get much going, but they held a 2-run lead until the top of the 9th inning, when they scored four runs and put the game completely out of reach for the Reds.

Jonathan India hit a double to start the first inning and then advanced to third base on a groundout by Elly De La Cruz, but the next two batters couldn't get him up the final 90 feet and he was left helpless. Two innings later, India managed a walk with one out, giving the Reds another potential scoring opportunity, but this time De La Cruz hit a 107 mph liner right to Vinnie Pasquuntino at first base, who caught it and stepped on the base, making it an inning-ending double play.

Nick Martinez had a perfect game for three innings. He continued it in the fourth inning by getting Michael Massey to ground out. But the next batter was Bobby Witt Jr., who threw a high fastball and hit it 430 feet into the upper deck in left field to break the perfect game, no-hitter and shutout all at once.

Kansas City extended its lead in the 6th inning and again it was Bobby Witt Jr. who got the Royals going. He started the inning with a double to the right field corner, moved to third base with a single to right and then scored with an infield single. Adam Frazier scored another run with a single and extended the lead to 3-0.

In the bottom of the 6th inning, it was Jonathan India again who tried to get something going for the Reds with a walk with 1 out. Tyler Stephenson hit a double to left center and India sprinted around the bases. His slide and slap tag from the plate just managed to avoid the relay throw to the plate and put Cincinnati on the scoreboard, making it 3-1.

Ty France hit a 2-out double in the bottom of the 7th inning, leading to a back-and-forth between the managers. David Bell sent Stuart Fairchild to the plate as a pinch hitter against left-handed reliever Kris Bubic, and the Royals brought in right-handed reliever James McArthur. Bell then brought Fairchild back to the dugout and sent Jake Fraley to the plate as a pinch hitter. The switch didn't work for Cincinnati, as Fraley struck out in the bottom of the inning.

Fernando Cruz got some help from his defense in the eighth inning. With one out, MJ Melendez threw the ball down the right field line into the corner. Fraley seemed to slow down for a second, perhaps thinking the ball had landed in foul territory, before picking the ball up in the corner and throwing it into the infield. Melendez tried to extend the play to a triple, which proved to be a mistake, as Elly De La Cruz grabbed the relay and fired a laser shot to third base that hit Melendez by a few inches.

Cincinnati sent Fernando Cruz back to the mound for the 9th inning and saw Adam Fraizer come in first with a single. He was then replaced by pinch runner Dairon Blanco, who came in to score when Freddy Fermin hit a double to left field to put Kansas City up 4-1. After a pop-up and a strikeout, the Reds decided to intentionally walk Bobby Witt Jr., who had been killing the ball all night. Vinnie Pasquantino apparently took it personally and blasted the ball into the right field seats for a 3-run homer to make it 7-1.

Tyler Stephenson opened the bottom of the 9th inning with a double to center. The next three batters struck out and the Reds' chance to get back to .500 was gone as the Royals held on for the win in the series opener.

Key moment of the game

Vinnie Pasquantino's 3-run home run in the 9th. The Reds may have felt like they were within striking distance before, but with six runs behind and three outs left, things are a different story.

Noteworthy information

The Reds had only four hits. All four hits were doubles. Two of them came from Tyler Stephenson.

Fernando Cruz had a 3.72 ERA on July 2. Since then, he has allowed 15 runs in 13.0 innings (10.38 ERA) and his ERA has increased to 5.47 this season.

Next up for the Cincinnati Reds

Kansas City Royals vs. Cincinnati Reds

Saturday, August 16, 6:40 p.m. ET

Michael Wacha (9-6, 3.50 ERA) vs. Nick Lodolo (9-4, 3.99 ERA)