Royals bullpen woes linger in Baltimore setback

The Baltimore Orioles clinched a 4-3 victory against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night after enduring a lengthy five-hour rain delay. James McCann’s two-out, two-run single in the ninth inning sealed the win for the Orioles.

Initially trailing 3-0, Baltimore managed to score twice in the eighth inning against the Kansas City bullpen, overcoming a stellar performance by Royals starter Cole Ragans.

The deciding game of the series was scheduled for 1:05 p.m. Eastern but was delayed until early evening due to persistent rain. The effort to get the game played was a relief for both teams, avoiding the need for a makeup game later in the season.

Despite the delay, fans who waited patiently were rewarded with the flexibility to choose any open seat and received vouchers for future weekday games.

Ragans had an impressive outing for the Royals, retiring 18 of the first 19 batters he faced before being pulled in the seventh inning. He finished with 6 1/3 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and two walks while striking out seven.

On the offensive side, Maikel Garcia homered and Salvador Perez contributed three hits and two RBIs for the Royals.

Orioles starter Corbin Burnes pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up two runs and nine hits. Although not as dominant as his previous outing, Burnes kept the game close.  Yennier Cano picked up the win with a scoreless ninth inning.

Looking ahead, the Royals will face the Chicago White Sox in a four-game series starting Thursday night at Kauffman Stadium, with Seth Lugo set to start for Kansas City. Meanwhile, the Orioles will have a day off before hitting the road for their first away series of the season against the Pittsburgh Pirates, with Grayson Rodriguez slated to start for Baltimore.

Other MLB scores from Wednesday, April 3, 2024: 

American League: 

Texas Rangers 4, Tampa Bay Rays 1

Boston Red Sox 1, Oakland Athletics 0

Cleveland Guardians 8, Seattle Mariners 0

Houston Astros 8, Toronto Blue Jays 0

National League: 

Cincinnati Reds 4, Philadelphia Phillies 2

San Diego Padres 3, St. Louis Cardinals 2

Washington Nationals 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 3

Chicago Cubs 9, Colorado Rockies 8

Los Angeles Dodgers 5, San Francisco Giants 4

Interleague: 

New York Yankees 6, Arizona Diamondbacks 5 (11)

Los Angeles Angels 10, Miami Marlins 2

Minnesota Twins 7, Milwaukee Brewers 3

Detroit Tigers at New York Mets (PP – Rain) 

Atlanta Braves at Chicago White Sox (PP – Rain)