MILWAUKEE -- It wasn’t the start the Brewers had in mind for Tuesday’s big Wisconsin sports doubleheader.

Royals pinch-hitter Ryan O’Hearn blasted a tiebreaking, two-run home run off the scoreboard against Hunter Strickland in the seventh inning and the Brewers absorbed a 5-2 loss in a game moved to an afternoon start at American Family Field so fans could give their full attention to the Milwaukee Bucks’ bid to close out the NBA Finals in Game 6 later that night.

The Brewers had the right man at the plate in the bottom of seventh to answer back. But Willy Adames, named the National League’s Player of the Week a day earlier, stepped up with the bases loaded and one out and grounded Kyle Zimmer’s first pitch into a rally-killing double play that represented Milwaukee’s last serious threat.

“He hit the ball hard,” manager Craig Counsell said, “just hit it right at him. Just didn’t get it in the right spot tonight.”

The Brewers fell to 0-3 this season against the Royals, who entered the day having lost 31 of 47 games since sweeping a two-game series against Milwaukee in Kansas City on May 18-19.

With setup man Devin Williams on the 10-day injured list due to an elbow injury and Brad Boxberger day to day after experiencing shoulder discomfort, and J.P. Feyereisen, Drew Rasmussen and Trevor Richards all having been traded away in the past two months, the Brewers are relying on relievers the likes of Strickland and Miguel Sánchez to cover big innings at the moment.

Both have earned the opportunity. Strickland entered Tuesday having made 11 scoreless appearances for Milwaukee after being acquired in a trade with the Angels for cash. Sánchez held opponents 7-for-37 (.189) in his first nine Major League appearances after getting a callup from Triple-A Nashville.

But on Tuesday, each faltered. With a runner aboard thanks to Michael A. Taylor’s dribbler over third base and one out in the seventh, and Strickland pitching in his second inning of work, he threw a sinker over the middle of the plate and not down enough to O’Hearn, who clobbered it 106.3 mph off the bat and a Statcast-projected 431 feet to center field, where it clanged off the scoreboard and broke a 2-2 tie.

It was Kansas City’s first pinch-hit home run this season.

“He’s been really helpful and good,” Counsell said of Strickland. “The Taylor ball to start the inning was kind of bad luck with the placement. [Against O’Hearn], he just made a mistake trying to go down and away. Kind of left it up and middle to O’Hearn, who has been really good. When you’re pitching in tight games like that, those are going to hurt you.”

An inning later, Sánchez put himself in a tough spot by walking a pair of batters after Salvador Perez’s leadoff double. Sánchez limited the damage to a Taylor sacrifice fly, but needed 35 pitches for four outs.

"Hopefully we come out tomorrow after a Bucks win and tie the series,” said Brewers starter Brett Anderson.

Anderson looked shaky in the first inning, but he delivered five innings and left the game in a 2-2 tie. The offense came from backup catcher Manny Piña, who singled home two runs in the second inning after a 3-for-57 funk.

The Brewers did little else against Kansas City starter Mike Minor over the first six innings, then three innings against a Royals bullpen that has yet to allow a run in three games against Milwaukee this season.

“You have to give them credit. They had good at-bats,” Anderson said. “Minor had the one bad inning and then settled in nicely, too. He was efficient. You can’t take any team lightly, regardless of their record.”