CINCINNATI, OH (WMDJ) — The Cincinnati Reds fell behind early and never recovered Monday night, dropping a 9-2 decision to the Kansas City Royals at Great American Ball Park.
Kansas City broke the game open in the first inning when Lane Thomas launched a grand slam to give the Royals a quick 4-0 lead. Cincinnati answered with a solo home run from JJ Bleday, his 10th of the season, but the Reds managed just one more run the rest of the way.
The Royals added on with a two-run homer by Jac Caglianone in the fifth, an RBI single from Vinnie Pasquantino in the sixth, a solo homer from Michael Massey in the seventh and a sacrifice fly by Nick Loftin in the ninth.
Bleday accounted for Cincinnati’s first run, while Matt McLain drove in the Reds’ other run with an RBI double in the ninth inning. Cincinnati finished with six hits and struck out 12 times.
One bright spot for the Reds was the Major League debut of top prospect Edwin Arroyo, who collected his first career hit after being called up from Triple-A Louisville following the injury to Elly De La Cruz.
The Reds also announced De La Cruz has been placed on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring tightness. The shortstop is expected to miss two to four weeks, marking the first injured list stint of his Major League career.
Cincinnati will try to bounce back Tuesday night when the Royals return to Great American Ball Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on WMDJ FM 100.1.
