Royals Walk Away Game

The Royals relievers lost all control in the ninth inning of last night’s game with the A’s. Tied 1-1, Sean Lowe, Jason Grimsley and Nate Field combined for five straight walks, as Seattle scored five runs in the final frame to beat Kansas City 6-1. Three of those five runs were walked in. Lowe, who started the walk-parade, was charged with the loss. Mark Ellis drove in two with a single off Field. The Royals only tally came in the sixth inning, thanks to Raul Ibanez who hit a sacrifice fly to score Aaron Guiel. 21-year old Rich Harden made his major league debut with a seven-inning performance. He gave up all four of the Royals’ hits and their only run. Fellow rookie Kyle Snyder gave up just three A’s hits and one run over seven innings and wasn’t a part of the decision. With the loss, Kansas City’s lead in the A.L. Central dropped to six and a half games over Minnesota.