Garrett's shutdown 6th frame a 'turning point'

KANSAS CITY -- Reliever Amir Garrett raised his arms and ran toward the dugout in jubilation after the Royals finished off a snazzy double play in the sixth inning on Monday night, keeping the scoreless affair intact after Garrett had pitched out of trouble.

The energy was palpable, and Kansas City took advantage of it shortly after with an offensive breakthrough in a 7-0 win over the Angels at Kauffman Stadium. The shutout win was the Royals’ third consecutive victory, and it might not have happened without Garrett’s lockdown frame.

Facing the middle of the Angels’ order, Garrett yielded a leadoff double, but he made a heads-up play to get the lead runner at third base when Luis Rengifo bunted into a fielder’s choice.

When Max Stassi lined a soft grounder up the middle, second baseman Whit Merrifield was there to start the clutch double play that gave the Royals the chance to take the lead in the sixth on Michael A. Taylor’s RBI single.

“That was the turning point of the game, I believe,” Garrett said. “Whit told me right before that happened, ‘AG, I’m going to play right behind you.’ So the ball was hit up the middle, and my first instinct was to grab it, barehand it. I couldn’t do that, but I realized Whit’s right there. It was a team win.”

Kansas City is an American League Central-best 19-16 in its last 35 games since June 16. A step toward the future in 2022 hinges on two things: The Royals must see progress from their pitching, as well the emergence of the team’s young hitters at the Major League level.

They’ve seen both over the last month, and both were on display against the Angels.

Zack Greinke twirled five scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and matching a season-high five strikeouts. His last K of the night was Andrew Velazquez in the third inning, marking Greinke’s 2,856th career strikeout as he passed Hall of Famer Jim Bunning for 20th place in AL/NL history.

The Royals flashed a graphic on the scoreboard congratulating Greinke on yet another milestone.

“It’s crazy,” Greinke said. “I mean, I never really thought about any of this stuff. But there’s some interesting ones that have been happening the last couple of starts.

“Some of [the milestones] are pretty neat. To where I think it is kind of really nice.”

What’s neater is Greinke’s contribution to the Royals’ rotation, and while he might not be in Kansas City for the coming years -- although this likely isn’t Greinke’s last season -- he’s leaving his mark on the rest of the pitchers.

Kansas City’s rotation owns a 2.73 ERA (21 earned runs in 69 1/3 innings) in the past 13 games since July 10.

“If our starting pitching gives us a chance, this offense is starting to show what it can do,” manager Mike Matheny said. “You’re seeing the power, the speed. Guys are taking walks and getting on base, which makes for bigger innings.

“If our pitching can hold us in a game, we believe the offense is going to be able to do it.”

That’s what happened on Monday night. Angels starter Noah Syndergaard held the Royals scoreless through five innings, but Emmanuel Rivera started a two-out rally in the sixth, and Kansas City poured it on in the seventh.

Showcasing his plate discipline skills, first baseman Nick Pratto recorded neither a hit nor an out in the series opener; he walked three times and was hit by a pitch. He became the third Royal to record a three-walk game inside his first eight games, joining Fred Rico (1969) and Jorge Pedre (1991).

“That’s impressive, and he’s not going up there passively,” Matheny said. “He’s an aggressive hitter, but he knows the strike zone.”

Catcher MJ Melendez was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts when he stepped to the plate in the eighth inning. He promptly crushed a two-run tank of a home run to left-center field -- an extremely hard place to go for a lefty at The K.

And Vinnie Pasquantino was 2-for-4 with an intentional walk. Add Bobby Witt Jr. into that group -- he sat out Monday as a precaution after feeling hamstring tightness on Sunday -- and the Royals have a solid foundation for their lineup for the next several years.

“It’s a younger team, so I think the more we go out there and play good baseball, and beat good baseball teams, the confidence is going to build,” Taylor said. “These guys are learning they can play at this level, and as a team, we can do some things. We’ll take any confidence and any momentum we can get, and just keep moving forward.”