KANSAS CITY – After failing to capitalize on the chances the Royals had throughout Game 2 of Saturday’s double hit against the Blue Jays, Salvador Perez capitalized when it mattered.
The All-Star catcher no doubt threw a homer over the wall of the center-left field at the bottom of the seventh inning for a 3-2 victory at the end of the night for a two-bill split at Kauffman Stadium.
Perez and the Royals knew he had gotten another slider from Joel Payamps, the Blue Jays reliever, as soon as he got in touch. The projected distance was 459 feet, according to Statcast, for the first walk in Kansas City in the 2021 season.
The Royals were unbeaten in five innings against Steven Matz in a 5-1 opener, but started better in Game 2. Jarrod Dyson showed his familiar wheels with a triple lead in the third half. and ran home on the field of choice of Andrew Benintendi’s player. Benintendi scored Carlos Santana’s double on the center-right wall, but that was all the Royals could do on Tommy Milone and the Blue Jays bullpen until the seventh.
Mike Minor’s early 5/3 innings begin in Game 1, despite giving up four losing runs, allowing the Royals to be aggressive with their bullpen in Game 2 after starter Ervin Santana allowed a run in three innings. After Jake Brentz got a run in the fourth, high-lever relievers Scott Barlow, Josh Staumont and Greg Holland combined for 3/3 innings without a score.