Nick Loftin drives in final three Royals’ runs in walk-off of Pirates

After clubbing a go-ahead two-run homer in the seventh inning, Kansas City’s Nick Loftin recorded a walk-off single in the ninth for the Royals’ 4-3 home win over the reeling Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.
Maikel Garcia and Salvador Perez posted back-to-back singles off Pittsburgh’s Dennis Santana (2-2) to open the ninth. Then with one out, Loftin sent an Isaac Matson pitch just out of the reach of sliding Pirates center fielder Oneil Cruz to send Kansas City to a second straight victory over the Pirates and first winning home series since May 5-8.
Jac Caglianone also went deep for the Royals, who are 6-2 in July following an 8-18 June. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, has been outscored 34-11 during a seven-game road skid.
The finish overshadowed a splendid pitcher’s duel between Pittsburgh’s Mitch Keller and Seth Lugo of Kansas City. Keller allowed three runs on two homers, and two other hits over 6 2/3 innings. Meanwhile, Lugo yielded solo homers to Cruz and Nick Gonzales, plus two other hits while pitching into the seventh.
Keller yielded just the fourth hit in a 53 at-bat stretch for Caglianone, who cleared the right-center field wall for a 1-0 Kansas City lead in the second. But, with two out in the fourth, Cruz snapped a 0-for-14 rut by finding the fountains over the right-field wall.
Opening the seventh, Gonzales ended Lugo’s night when he went deep to straight-away center for a 2-1 Pirates’ edge.
Keller, meanwhile, retired 16 consecutive batters until Salvador Perez reached with one out in the bottom of seventh after the Royals successfully challenged a non-call of catcher’s interference. After Keller got Caglianone to fly out, Loftin found the seats just inside the left-field foul pole for Kansas City to retake the lead at 3-2.
However, in the eighth, the Royals’ Lucas Erceg issued a one-out single to Isiah Kiner-Falefa, who then reached second on a pickoff throw that glanced off his helmet. Erceg walked Spencer Horwitz and Tommy Pham, then Ryan Reynolds grounded to second baseman Loftin and beat the throw to first that avoided a 4-6-3, inning-ending double play and tied things at 3-all.
Carlos Estevez got the win (3-2), allowing only one hit in a scoreless top of the ninth.