Royals offense cannot overcome Royals bullpen in 7-5 loss

Q: What were the key moments in the Royals vs Orioles game on April 20, 2026?

Key moments included the Royals loading the bases multiple times but failing to score, and a grand slam by Leody Taveras in the 12th inning that sealed the game for the Orioles.

Q: How did the Royals perform with runners in scoring position during the game?

The Royals went 5-for-21 with runners in scoring position and left 16 runners on base, which significantly contributed to their loss.

Q: Who was the standout pitcher for the Royals in the game against the Orioles?

Seth Lugo was the standout pitcher, throwing seven innings, allowing only one hit, and striking out seven batters.

Q: What was the final score of the Royals vs Orioles game on April 20, 2026?

The final score was 7-5 in favor of the Baltimore Orioles.

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - APRIL 20: Kyle Isbel #28 of the Kansas City Royals leaps for a ball that sails over the wall for a grand slam by Leody Taveras #30 of the Baltimore Orioles during the 12th inning of the game at Kauffman Stadium on April 20, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) | Getty Images That game was NOT how you overcome the bad vibes of a losing streak. The Royals were one strike away from a win, from ending this misery. They could not make it happen despite having all the opportunities in the world. The Orioles did not reach third base until the ninth inning. They did not hold a lead until the 11th inning. The Royals left a bajillion guys on base. You wouldn’t guess that from just looking at the final score. The Orioles did NOTHING for the first eight innings. But luckily for them, it doesn’t matter, exactly, when you score, or how many baserunners you have, as long as you have more runs than the other team when the last guy finishes hitting. Only one team was capable of that tonight. Despite their five-run offensive output, most of which came in extras, the Royals had tons of opportunities for more. They EASILY could have put this game away in regular time. They should have! In the bottom of the first inning, the Royals loaded the bases with only one out, Carter Jensen up to bat. He hit into a double play to end the threat. In the second inning, they added two singles after Jac’s home run but got nothing else. In the third inning, they loaded the bases again, this time with no outs. hit a comebacker to the pitcher, who got the force at home. Two strikeouts ended that threat. In the sixth, they again loaded the bases and got nothing. Runners at first and second in the 7th, again nothing. In the 10th inning, with the added advantage of starting with a guy on second base with no outs, the Royals still found a way to squander it. After a walk, Cags hit a routine fly ball to center field. was the extra inning runner, and he tagged up as normal. The throw got by the third baseman, and Thomas decided to take off for third. The Orioles defense recovered and tagged him out on the slide. grounded out to end that nonsense. The Royals plated their second run in the bottom of the 11th with their life on the line. Kyle Isbel finally put down the bunt he had been trying to put down all game to move the Manfred Man, Collins, from second to third. Down to the last strike, managed a single to bring him in and tie the game. It still seemed harder than it should have been. It took until the 12th inning for the Royals to actually do something with the bases loaded. A single and a walk loaded the bases for Nick Loftin, who pulled a grounder past the diving third baseman for a double. All three runners scored. Too little, too late. The Royals went 5-for-21 (!!!!) with runners in scoring position and left 16 (!!!!) on base. Orioles starter allowed 10 hits and 3 walks in 5 and 1/3 innings! And yet, somehow, the only run he gave up was Cags’ solo homer. Speaking of Jac’s homer – hoo wee. This was one of the few positives of the game, so let me talk about it for a bit. Jac sent that ball into next week. Bradish had a clear plan to go after Cags – backdoor breaking pitches. Cags managed to lay off a bunch of them, but not completely, throughout the game. For whatever reason, Bradish abandoned that plan for one pitch and left a fastball up and over the plate. Cags put a murderous swing on that ball and hit it 437 feet beyond the center field wall. Beautiful. I hope to see many years of those things. Worth noting – Cags laid off the breaking junk in his third plate appearance against Bradish and walked. But back to the rest of the game – it was pretty frustrating to watch that offensive performance, gotta be honest. They just kept stalling out over and over again. It wasn’t any one thing either, to me. They had bloops, blasts, help from the Orioles defense, and more. The Orioles did everything in their power to give up 10 runs in the first nine innings of the game, not 1. The Royals \ to take advantage of these opportunities as the season goes on. The Royals pitchers, up until the dang ninth inning, did their part. absolutely carved up the Orioles hitters over seven complete innings. He walked four guys in those seven innings, but he gave up only one hit, which was after a pickoff in the first inning. Lugo finished with seven strikeouts in a kitchen-sink-type outing. He was great. followed by striking out the side in the eighth. He got a borderline ball overturned in his favor when Jensen challenged – it was about as close as it gets to a ball while still being called a strike. Like I mentioned before, through 8 innings, the Orioles had never touched third base. Too bad couldn’t throw strikes in the ninth and blew it. He walked and managed to pick him off (like Lugo did earlier). Then he walked . He got a forceout to put the situation at two outs and a man on first, with up. Erceg induced a couple check swings from Alonso, but alas none was called a swing. I guess you can argue all you want about the check swing calls. I don’t know. Felt like the Royals should have won the game before that! Alonso walked. Jensen called for an ABS challenge against Basallo, the next hitter, but failed. Erceg put a fastball down the pipe that Basallo smacked into the gap to bring in the first Orioles run of the game (and the first time any Oriole touched third), which felt like it ended the Royals hopes for a win because the rest of the bullpen could not keep it together. did his job but was pulled after 12 pitches. and Lange unraveled from there, including the dang 12th inning grand slam. Look, this was terrible. The morale will not improve tonight. The vibes will not improve tonight. The hole is deeper. The Orioles and Royals will play again tomorrow. Eat Arby’s.

Royals offense cannot overcome Royals bullpen in 7-5 loss

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