Pasquantino (HR, career-high 5 RBIs) changes up results as KC wins 6th straight

KANSAS CITY -- The game plan to face Vinnie Pasquantino early on in 2024 has been fairly simple: Attack him with changeups. Entering Wednesday, the Royals' first baseman had seen 47 changeups this year -- 26.7% of all the pitches he’s seen, the highest changeup rate in the Majors -- and was 0-for-7 when putting the offering in play.

So it wasn’t surprising when Pasquantino saw eight changeups in a 10-pitch at-bat in the fourth inning Wednesday night. What was encouraging was how he kept fouling them off. At one point, it was five consecutive changeups Pasquantino got a piece of to keep the at-bat alive. And when Astros reliever Brandon Bielak finally left one hanging, Pasquantino crushed it 389 feet out to right field for his first home run of the year.

A weight lifted off Pasquantino’s shoulders. The homer was one RBI in a career-high five for the slugger Wednesday night in the Royals’ 11-2 rout of the Astros at Kauffman Stadium, sealing the series victory and their sixth consecutive win.

“I’m very happy with tonight,” a visibly relieved Pasquantino said.

In a game full of positives -- from Seth Lugo recording the Royals’ ninth quality start in 12 games to the bullpen extending its scoreless streak to 19 1/3 innings -- Pasquantino’s emergence was the key. The Royals are 8-4 with a plus-29 run differential. Their offense ranks in the top 10 in baseball in home runs (15), OPS (.742) and entered Wednesday with the highest average exit velocity (90.6 mph) in the Majors.

They’ve done all that without their No. 3 hitter producing. Pasquantino entered Wednesday hitting just .108 (4-for-37), with no extra-base hits and no RBIs. Getting his swing back is key for the lineup.

“Immensely,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “Especially if he’s hitting behind Bobby [Witt Jr.]. Bobby’s going to be pitched tough regardless, but if there’s an easier out behind him at times, it’s going to make it even tougher.”

“I think I told somebody just a couple days ago, ‘Just wait until Vinnie gets going,’” Lugo said after allowing two runs in six innings Wednesday. “He had that night we all know he’s capable of.”

The frustration certainly set in for Pasquantino over the first two weeks. He pressed at times. He tossed and turned in his sleep. But his approach and routine didn’t change. He looked at the positives with his hard-hit rate and walks that he was taking. That bought him some time for mistakes from opposing pitchers to surface. And when they did, Pasquantino didn’t miss.

“I feel pressure every day for myself,” Pasquantino said. “I don’t want to be the best, I want to be my best. And I didn’t feel like I was being my best. Tonight felt like a step in the right direction.”

The Royals playing well and winning games helped Pasquantino. The offense has picked him up, and the Royals have won in different ways.

That makes things a whole lot better from an individual perspective.

“The beautiful thing is … it doesn’t matter when you’re winning,” Pasquantino said. “That’s something we haven’t been able to say around here for the past two years since I’ve been here. It doesn’t [freaking] matter when you’re winning. It doesn’t matter who the guy is that night or whatever, we’ve got plenty of guys. That’s what we need.”

Finally, it was his turn. He went 3-for-3 on Wednesday with a walk and a sacrifice fly. His opposite-field double against Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti, who was making his Major League debut, drove in the first two runs during a seven-run third inning.

“I’ve been trying to go the opposite way all year,” Pasquantino said, laughing. “Yeah, it was encouraging.”

Pasquantino added the home run in the fourth inning, the sacrifice fly in the sixth and his fifth and final RBI in the eighth inning on a single up the middle.

“I was fighting for that last one, I’ll tell you that,” Pasquantino said. “That’ll give me some props on my phone call with my father later for not just giving away an at-bat at the end. I’m really happy with that one, just being able to fight until the end of the game. I love driving in runs.”

And that’s what the Royals need him to do the rest of the season: Offer protection for Witt, drive in runs and show the power-patience combination he’s known for.

On Wednesday night, Pasquantino showed all of it.

“We really feel Vinnie is a really quality Major League hitter,” Quatraro said. “He’s played in 10 games prior to tonight. And that’s a really, really small sample. He’s done it at this level before, and we know he’s going to continue to do it.”