Pirates are crushed by Royals, 4-game winning streak ends

While the Pittsburgh Pirates’ loss to Kansas City on Friday night could not be entirely reduced to a single play, a sequence in the second inning was undoubtedly crucial in their 8-3 loss to the Royals at PNC Park.

With only one out, starter Luis Ortiz committed a throwing error to first base and from then on the situation got out of control.

Kansas City scored three consecutive hits with men on base, followed by a two-run homer by Salvador Perez to take a 6-0 lead.

Ortiz was unable to stabilize himself and needed 47 throws before he could finally finish the round.

“You can’t make a mistake against a really good team that’s scoring runs,” manager Derek Shelton said after the game. “We made a mistake and that inning kind of got to us.”

The Pirates (70-77) tried to tie the game in the ninth inning and scored two runs. They also scored one in the sixth inning, but it wasn’t enough.

Ortiz (6-6, 3.45 ERA) lasted four innings, allowing seven runs on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks.

Royals starter Alec Marsh dominated, striking out 11 players in 5 1/3 innings and taking the win.

Ortiz’s tough second inning began with a walk by Robbie Grossman.

That led to his wild throw after a dribble by Adam Frazier that got past Rowdy Tellez, putting men on second and third base and Yuli Gurriel having one out and hitting an RBI single.

“After that throwing error to first base, I tried to pull myself together and do my best, but it didn’t work,” Ortiz said through Pirates assistant coach and translator Stephen Morales.

“I just rushed and didn’t put myself in a position to make a good shot.”

Kyle Isbel then fought through a 10-pitch at-bat against Ortiz and delivered an RBI double, making it 2-0 Kansas City.

From there, the Royals kept catching up, and Tommy Pham hit a two-run single to clear the bases and give his club a 4-0 lead.

Then Perez hit his 27th home run of the year, a two-run shot.

“I didn’t think (Ortiz’s) stuff was bad,” Shelton said. “Four-pitch walk for Grossman and then Frazier hit the ball from about eight feet out, then we threw it away. From there, it was just an extension of at-bats.”

“They just kept fighting foul balls, fighting foul balls, fighting foul balls and extending the at-bats, then they made a few mistakes. If we make one play, the whole course of the game probably changes.”

In the third inning, Ortiz calmed down and struck out the team, but the Royals took a 7-0 lead in the fourth inning when Isbel hit his eighth home run of the year with a solo hit to right center field.

The Pirates finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning when Joey Bart brought Oneil Cruz, who had started with a double, home with a single.

The score was now 7-1 and Marsh was eliminated after 96 throws.

Royals relief pitcher Carlos Hernandez ended the inning and avoided further damage.

After Ortiz retired, Joey Wentz delivered two scoreless frames, with Kyle Nicolas taking over in the seventh.

Nicolas stayed on the field and made two outs in the eighth inning, but Frazier hit him deep and hit a solo home run over the Clemente Wall, making the score 8-1.

In the ninth inning, Reynolds increased the lead to 8-2 with a sacrifice fly after the Pirates had loaded all bases.

With runners on first and second base, the score was 8-3 when Cruz hit an RBI single.

Andrew McCutchen then flew out to end the game.

The Pirates struck out 14 times and left ten men on base in the loss.