Royals bullpen almost blows it, but Maikel Garcia plays hero in 4-3 win

Marsh took his no-hitter into the 7th, too

It looked like yet another game blown by the Royals bullpen. Alec Marsh took a no-hitter into the 7th and left with a 2-0 lead, only to have that lead blown in the 8th. However, as they have done so often this year, Kansas City rallied with two outs in the 9th, capped off by a walk-off double by Maikel Garcia to win 4-3.

The win snapped a four-game losing streak, their longest streak of the season, and helped the Royals avoid a four-game sweep before heading to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. The win was also their 40th of the season, keeping Kansas City at 10 games above .500.

Alec Marsh and Nestor Cortez dueled throughout the afternoon, with the lone runs off either coming via Vinnie Pasquantino’s two-RBI double in the 4th.

Bobby Witt Jr added two hits and raised his batting average as high as .330, but the offense was mostly cold aside from the two-run 4th. New York’s crafty lefty held the Royals at bay in his 7.0 innings of work.

It was Marsh, however, who stole the show. The 26-year-old took a no-hitter into the 7th inning before losing it on a leadoff Juan Soto single. He struck out seven in his seven innings of work, leaving a 2-0 lead to the bullpen, looking to snap Kansas City’s longest losing streak of the season.

John Schreiber replaced him in the 8th and the Yankees immediately cut the lead in half on a solo Anthony Rizzo homer to lead off the inning. The Royals bullpen continued its season-long struggle, as three singles put the Yankees up 3-2.

After a questionable strike-three call ended Kansas City’s threat in the 8th, Drew Waters started the rally in the 9th. He singled before being forced out on a MJ Melendez groundout. However, Kyle Isbel’s two-out single moved Melendez to third as the tying run. Ispel represented the winning run on first, as the struggling Maikel Garcia faced closer Clay Holmes with two outs.

Kansas City gets rewarded for their latest comeback with a trip to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers.

Up Next: Royals at Dodgers, Friday, June 14, 9:10 PM CDT. LHP Cole Ragans (4-4, 3.08 ERA) v. RHP Gavin Stone (7-2, 2.93 ERA)