Relentless Royals earn walk-off win after pressure-filled weekend

KANSAS CITY -- To understand how the Royals were able to rally once again in the ninth inning and finish off a 4-3 walk-off win over the Padres on Sunday afternoon, let’s rewind back to Friday night.

Another bullpen implosion led to the loss, but the Royals put together a five-run ninth inning, forced the Padres to use closer Robert Suarez and had the tying run at the plate when Nelson Velázquez's deep drive to left field came up about five feet short of a home run.

Players were frustrated because of the loss, but it wasn’t overpowering.

“I think we have momentum even though they won the game,” Bobby Witt Jr. said Friday as he noted the pressure the offense put on Padres pitchers.

On Sunday, Witt’s foreshadowing played out. The Padres used their dynamic relief duo in Jeremiah Estrada and Suarez on back-to-back days, so when San Diego entered the ninth inning Sunday with a two-run lead, the Padres turned to lefty Yuki Matsui, who is having a good start to the year but is not the club’s typical ninth-inning reliever.

Vinnie Pasquantino led off and won the left-on-left battle with a hard-hit knock into right field. Salvador Perez followed and drew an impressive walk, and Dairon Blanco came in to pinch-run for him.

It was Velázquez who stepped to the plate in a big moment again, this time as a pinch-hitter, and sent a missile out to center field. As it bounced off the Boulevard sign at the wall, two runs scored and Velázquez busted out of the box, never breaking stride to end up on third base for his first triple of the season.

“When I hit it, I knew it wasn’t a homer,” Velázquez said. “It was a line drive. So I said, ‘Man, I have to run.’ I was thinking I’d stay on second, but I said, ‘You have to go to third. You have to put that run 90 feet away.’"

Velázquez scored four pitches later on Nick Loftin’s sacrifice fly and first career walk-off RBI.

“That’s what playing every out of every game can do for you,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “I’m not taking anything away from Matsui, he’s got great stuff. But that’s not how they usually finish games. So you put people in uncomfortable spots, and sometimes it works to your advantage. These guys continuing to play every out is what helped us in that situation right there.”

The Royals (36-25) have had a frustrating week. They lost three of four in Minnesota and two of three to the Padres. They just lost starter Michael Wacha to the injured list, and the bullpen is struggling, nearly becoming the story again Sunday when Angel Zerpa -- one of their most dependable relievers -- allowed two runs on four consecutive singles in the eighth inning.

These Royals, though, don’t quit. So far, they haven’t panicked either.

James McArthur got Zerpa out of trouble in the eighth, helped by a heads-up play from Witt on a grounder that he threw home instead of turning two and allowing another run to score.

Will Klein earned his first career win by working a scoreless ninth inning to set up the Royals’ walk-off.

“Y’all have seen it,” starter Cole Ragans said after allowing just one run with six strikeouts in six innings Sunday. “Late innings, they bring in their relievers, and no matter who we’re facing, they put together good at-bats. They pass the baton. Sometimes you come up short, but it’s still the fight. These guys are relentless.”

The Royals have not lost more than three games in a row this season, bouncing back when they need it most to put together a solid win. They haven’t been swept, either. Sunday was no different, even when the offense was held mostly quiet by Padres starter Michael King for seven innings.

“You don’t have to win every game, but either way, you have to stay together for nine innings and 27 outs,” Velázquez said.

That’s becoming the Royals’ identity. It’ll be helpful now more than ever.

After Monday’s off-day, the Royals will head to Cleveland for the first time this year to face the American League Central-leading Guardians. Kansas City is in the midst of a 20-game stretch in which it plays six consecutive series against teams who currently hold a postseason spot.

“We’ve shown a lot of resilience throughout the series,” Loftin said. “And now for it to finally come to fruition in this game was huge.

“... Today was the biggest game of the season so far. Because it was today. We can only focus on today. But it does give us the momentum moving forward into playing the first-place team in our division.”