Royals Recap
Hosted by Big Dill
About This Episode
Generated sports podcast with host Big Dill based on prompt: Kansas City Royals daily updates. If they played a game yesterday give me the highlights.
Transcript
Welcome to "Royals Recap" on Big Dill Sports. I'm your host, Dillon, ready to dive into all things Kansas City Royals. Last night, the Royals took on the Atlanta Braves at Kauffman Stadium, and man, what a rollercoaster!
The Royals kicked off strong with Maikel Garcia leading the charge. He started the night with a double, bringing Jonathan India home. Just a couple of batters later, Salvador Perez added to the excitement with another RBI single, putting us up 2–0. But the Braves had plans of their own; three homers, including a massive 468-foot shot by Ronald Acuña Jr., put them right back in the game.
Now, despite the 10–7 loss, the Royals' offense had some sparks. Randal Grichuk, newly acquired from Arizona, hit his eighth homer of the season in the eighth inning. Bobby Witt Jr. also had a stellar night, with two doubles, keeping his major-league lead alive. Vinnie Pasquantino and Jurickson Profar chipped in with some clutch hits as well.
On the pitching side, veteran Rich Hill made his 250th career start but struggled. He gave up four runs and six walks over four innings. It’s a trend we need to curb—our starters haven’t seen the fifth inning in recent games. Our bullpen did hold off Atlanta for a bit, thanks to the efforts of Pierce Johnson, Daysbel Hernández, and Steven Cruz, but things fell apart late, adding six more runs to Atlanta’s tally.
The real killer was walks: 14 in total, tying a franchise record. Those free passes put pressure on our pitching staff and undermined a pretty solid offensive showing.
Even with Kansas City’s late rally in the ninth, scoring two with Freddy Fermin and Profar leading the charge, Atlanta's closer Raisel Iglesias held firm. It was a valiant effort, but Iglesias cinched the game with his 12th save.
We had a bit of a scare when Salvador Perez took a pitch to his left elbow. He had to leave and unfortunately, it’s a wait-and-see situation for his return. His absence could leave us thin at catcher. Fingers crossed for good news after X-rays!
Despite the setback, the Royals remain in third place in the AL Central. We’re trailing the Detroit Tigers by six games and the Guardians by one. Now, more than ever, we need to tighten the defense and cut down on those free passes.
Up next, Seth Lugo takes the mound for us against Atlanta's Erick Fedde. This matchup is crucial as we try to avoid a losing streak.
And now, my favorite part—our 'Big Dill' player of the game. Today it’s Maikel Garcia. With a 3-for-4 night, including two doubles and some stellar RBIs, he proved why he's a big deal for the Royals.
That’s a wrap on this episode of Big Dill Sports. Stay tuned for more Royals action and updates. Until next time, keep swinging for the fences!
## Game Recap
The Kansas City Royals (52–55) fell to the Atlanta Braves by a final of 10–7 at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, July 28, 2025, dropping the first game of a three-game home series. Atlanta snapped a five-game losing skid behind three homers, while Kansas City set a club mark by issuing 14 walks—its highest since 2006—ultimately undermining a seven-run offensive outburst by the home team ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com)).
## Offensive Highlights
Kansas City struck first in the opening frame. Maikel Garcia led off with a double to deep right-center, driving in Jonathan India, and two batters later Salvador Perez’s RBI single brought home Garcia to make it 2–0 Royals ([houstonchronicle.com](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/atlanta-kansas-city-runs-20790957.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). Randal Grichuk provided a late spark in the eighth inning with his eighth home run of the season—his first since being acquired from Arizona—cutting Atlanta’s lead to 9–3 ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). Bobby Witt Jr. finished 2-for-5 with two doubles, extending his major-league lead to 36 on the year, and scored once ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). Vinnie Pasquantino contributed an RBI double in the seventh, and Jurickson Profar’s run-scoring single in the ninth brought the Royals within two ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). Maikel Garcia recorded his third multi-hit game of the homestand, finishing 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, while Freddy Fermin capped the rally with a two-run single in the ninth ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com)).
## Pitching Performance
Veteran Rich Hill (0-2) made his second start of the season and the 250th of his 21-year career. Hill labored through four innings, surrendering four runs on four hits and issuing a season-high six walks before departing with the score tied 2–2 ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). The workload continued a trend for the Royals’ back end of the rotation, as Kansas City’s starter has yet to complete five innings in its last seven home starts. Beyond Hill, Pierce Johnson, Daysbel Hernández and Steven Cruz combined to hold Atlanta scoreless from the fifth through seventh, but the bullpen could not contain the Braves’ late surge, yielding six runs over the final four frames ([mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [houstonchronicle.com](https://www.houstonchronicle.com/sports/article/atlanta-kansas-city-runs-20790957.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com)).
## Walks and Free Passes
Kansas City’s 14 walks tied a franchise record initially set in 2006. Rich Hill alone issued six bases on balls, while relievers added eight more—an indication of control issues that directly contributed to the Braves’ 10 runs ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [new.cbssports.com](https://new.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20250728_ATL%40KC/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). The lack of command undermined quality at-bats from the Royals’ offense and put additional strain on an already thin bullpen.
## Key Moments and Turning Points
After Kansas City threatened in the ninth—scoring two runs on a Freddy Fermin single and Jurickson Profar RBI knock with none out—Atlanta summoned closer Raisel Iglesias. Iglesias yielded a sacrifice fly before managing a fly-out and ground-out to secure his 12th save ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [new.cbssports.com](https://new.cbssports.com/mlb/gametracker/recap/MLB_20250728_ATL%40KC/?utm_source=chatgpt.com)). Earlier, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuña Jr. tied the game with a 468-foot two-run homer in the third and Marcell Ozuna followed with a two-run shot in the fourth, seizing momentum ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com), [mlb.com](https://www.mlb.com/stories/game/776971?utm_source=chatgpt.com)).
## Injury Update
Catcher Salvador Perez exited after taking a pitch on his left elbow in the third inning. He finished the night 1-for-3 with an RBI but did not return due to a bruised elbow. Perez’s status for Tuesday’s game will hinge on X-rays and further evaluation, leaving the Royals thin behind the plate ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php), [mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com)).
## Season Implications & Standings
The loss dropped Kansas City to 52–55, maintaining third place in the American League Central—six games behind the first-place Detroit Tigers and one game behind the Cleveland Guardians, both of whom won on Monday . With the All-Star break now behind them, the Royals must tighten their bullpen and reduce free passes if they hope to mount a second-half push in a tightly contested division.
## What’s Next
Right-hander Seth Lugo (7-5, 2.95 ERA) will toe the rubber for Kansas City on Tuesday as the Royals seek to avoid a two-game slide. He will face Atlanta debutant Erick Fedde (3-10, 5.22 ERA) in game two of the series at 6:10 p.m. CDT ([mrt.com](https://www.mrt.com/sports/article/acu-a-ozuna-and-riley-homer-as-braves-end-20790970.php?utm_source=chatgpt.com)).
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