SURPRISE, Ariz. – Under the lights and an epic sunset for their final Cactus League night game of the spring, the Royals trotted out a very Opening Day-esque lineup in their 8-8 tie against the Angels at Surprise Stadium on Wednesday night.

And a sequence in the third inning was exactly what the Royals are hoping to see from their hitters this year.

At the bottom of the lineup with one out, designated hitter Nelson Velázquez -- who will play plenty of outfield this year -- walked and moved to third on a single from No. 9 hitter Kyle Isbel, who has done a good job this spring of moving runners.

With the lineup turned over, third baseman Maikel Garcia got down in the count but ended up working a long plate appearance for a walk, followed by Bobby Witt Jr. making hard contact on a grounder and legging out an infield RBI single.

First baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, hitting third, wasted no time in roping a three-run double into left field -- clearing the bases with Witt scoring from first.

And catcher Salvador Perez followed with a game-tying double.

“When you get to turn the lineup over like that to those guys, we like our chances,” manager Matt Quatraro said.

The Royals believe their offense will improve this season because of the experience the young hitters got last year, the addition of Pasquantino, the added power potential with Hunter Renfroe and the depth created with the signings of Adam Frazier and Garrett Hampson. An emphasis has been made on situational hitting this spring as well.

It happened again in the fourth, when Velázquez and Isbel got on base, Garcia smoked an RBI single, Witt moved Isbel to third on a flyout and Pasquantino snuck a ground ball through the infield for another RBI.

“I can’t really be anything but happy,” Pasquantino said. “That’s how it’s supposed to be done. Get the bases loaded, get the guys in. There were just quality at-bats, one after another, and we were able to get runs on the board.”

Nick Loftin played second base for the second consecutive day. The status of Michael Massey (lower back tightness) could increase Loftin’s chances, but for now, the Royals’ No. 2 prospect is doing everything he can to make the team, with another hit Wednesday and a .995 OPS this spring.

Zerpa to the bullpen
Angel Zerpa will be in the bullpen to start the season, Quatraro said Wednesday night. That’s not surprising given his recent outings, when he threw three innings this past weekend in a Minor League game and a scoreless inning Wednesday night.

The lefty’s durability and ability to fill a variety of roles gives the Royals versatility in the bullpen, from multiple innings to shorter stints.

“He’s available to do both,” Quatraro said. “We know how durable he is, how versatile he is. He’ll be in the bullpen but in whatever role we need. If he can really be tough on lefties like we predict him to be, it’s going to be really valuable. Guys that can pitch back-to-back, three-out-of-five [days], that really helps a lot.”

Zerpa gives the Royals another lefty -- along with closer Will Smith -- in their bullpen. There are two bullpen spots still to be decided, with one likely going to whoever doesn’t win the fifth starter spot in the rotation. Matt Sauer, Josh Taylor and Sam Long are competing for the other spot.

Singer’s final tuneup
Brady Singer's final Cactus League start did not go as planned with seven runs allowed in 4 2/3 innings. The Angels hit him around with hard contact, and he walked three batters.

He didn’t get the whiffs he’d like on his sweeper, and the Angels squared up his four-seamer at times. But one positive was his changeup, which was in the zone.

“I got swings on them, which is a huge plus,” Singer said. “Usually it’s called or they just watch it. I’ve got to be in the strike zone with it. That’s the first part. But I was locating it down and away where I wanted it to. It had good movement on it. I look forward to using it more.”

There are things to work on, to be sure, but Singer’s just excited to be heading to Kansas City early next week to finally get the season started. As it stands now, he’s lined up to pitch at some point on opening weekend, although that could change with off-days scheduled next week.

“Excited to get this going, get to KC,” Singer said. “We’re excited about this team and the guys we have. Ready to go.”