Bottom of Royals' order fuels first series win since mid-May

KANSAS CITY -- Kyle Isbel was off and running, looking to steal second base, when Nicky Lopez saw a two-strike splitter at the top of the zone from Dodgers starter Tony Gonsolin in the fourth inning on Sunday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

Lopez grounded the ball into right field, setting in motion a key play that summed up the Royals’ 9-1 win over the Dodgers.

Knowing the Dodgers’ outfield was shifted slightly to the left on him, Lopez hustled out of the box for a double, which forced right fielder Jason Heyward to throw to second base instead of home. Third-base coach Vance Wilson saw that unfold, so he gave Isbel -- who couldn’t see where the ball was -- the green light through third base, trailing Drew Waters.

“I thought I might stop at third, but Vance did a good job of seeing Heyward throw the ball to second and wheeling me around,” Isbel said. “If Nicky didn’t go for second base, I wouldn’t have scored.”

The heads-up two-run double catapulted the Royals to back-to-back wins for the first time since the end of May -- and their first series win since mid-May in San Diego, snapping a streak of 12 winless series (10 losses and two splits).

The Royals haven’t hit a home run in seven games, but they won two of three this weekend by playing small ball, while their pitchers limited the juggernaut Dodgers offense to five runs in the past two games.

"Those guys just outplayed us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “It's a different brand of baseball, as far as putting the ball in play, hitting behind runners, stealing bases. They were excellent at situational hitting. To be quite honest, we couldn't keep up. And that's how they beat us. That’s how they won the series.”

Backed by Brady Singer’s seven-inning, one-run start Sunday, the Royals racked up 15 hits. The bottom three batters in the lineup -- Waters, Isbel and Lopez -- accounted for six of those, and the leadoff hitter, Maikel Garcia, added a career-high four to the total.

“It feels really good to be the leadoff hitter,” Garcia said. “But I’m just happy that my teammates are on base, and I get the chance to get RBIs.”

Waters, Isbel and Lopez scored six of the Royals’ nine runs Sunday, while Lopez contributed a career-high-tying four RBIs.

“Turn it around, and you have Maikel, who has been swinging it good, at the top,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “If you keep pressuring them, getting the ball in play -- a lot of those balls weren’t driven, but they were at-bats where they worked the count or put a good swing on it.”

As players establish themselves in the big leagues, the Royals’ young offense is still searching for its identity not only individually, but also as a lineup. This weekend offered a glimpse of what could be. On Sunday, they went 8-for-20 with runners in scoring position. There were sacrifice bunts and sacrifice flies, well-placed hits and excellent baserunning that showcased the team’s speed.

“That’s the identity we need to have,” Lopez said. “It hasn’t been the year that we want, but this is what we need to do. [The Dodgers are] a really, really good team. They’re always playing in October. That’s something we’re striving to get to, so it’s one of those things where it’s good to base yourself off what you did that weekend against a really good team and go from there.”

Royals captain Salvador Perez, who was selected to the All-Star Game on Sunday, joked after the game that he “can’t do everything” and commended the young players for stepping up offensively the past two games.

Garcia taking command of the leadoff spot, Waters continuing his run of success at the plate and Isbel stringing some hits together after returning from the injured list this past week are all positives the Royals can take with them as they finish up the first half of the season this week.

The same goes for the pitching side, as Singer earned his team-leading fifth win. The right-hander limited the Dodgers to four hits, and he has a 3.54 ERA in his last 10 starts.

“That was one of my favorite series to win,” Singer said. “Hopefully, it gives us a lot. Hopefully, we gain a lot more confidence. We haven’t lacked confidence all year long, we’re just going to work every day working hard and trying to get better. It paid off this series. Hopefully, it turns into a good run for us.”