KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals’ late-season losing streak stretched to five on Friday night with a 2-1 loss to the San Francisco Giants, who got three hits from Heliot Ramos.
Kansas City dropped four games behind Baltimore for the first AL wild card spot and saw its lead cut to one game over Minnesota for the second of the three wild cards.
“You’ve got to make your own breaks,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “We had every opportunity to hit a ball in the gap or a line drive through the middle. We’ve got to keep putting ourselves in the opportunities to get guys on base and force the action. Hopefully we break through.”
Mason Black (1-4) pitched shutout ball over a career-high 5 2/3 innings for already eliminated San Francisco, limiting the Royals to four hits.
“He pitched great,” San Francisco manager Bob Melvin said. “He seems like the last few times he’s been a little bit more comfortable and confident with what he’s doing out there.”
Camilo Doval allowed Garrett Hampson’s sacrifice fly before striking out Tommy Pham with runners on second and third to get his 23rd save in 28 chances.
PHOTOS: Royals' late-season skid reaches 5 with 2-1 loss to Giants, who get 3 hits from Ramos
“That was a little stressful, but he got out of it,” Melvin said.
Hampson came close to a bases-clearing double down the left-field line that would have won the game with one out in the ninth, but the ball was ruled foul. Quatraro asked to challenge the ruling but was denied.
“I was surprised it was called foul,” Quatraro said. “I didn’t have a great angle from where I was sitting, but they called it foul and it’s not reviewable.”
Quatraro felt like the ball was behind third-base umpire John Bacon, but he was told that the replay umpire in New York said it wasn’t.
“I’ve argued that one a million times,” Melvin said. “You can’t review it unless it’s behind him.”
Kansas City went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners, including three runners in scoring position in the first two innings.
“You want to score every time you get those opportunities,” Quatraro said. “It just didn’t go our way.”
“We hit the ball hard but didn’t have anything to show for it,” Adam Frazier said. “We just need a timely hit or two. The pitchers kept us in the game.”
Michael Wacha (13-8) gave up two runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings, dropping to 9-2 in 15 starts since June 22.
“I feel like they made me work, especially in the first,” Wacha said. “I feel like I was able to settle in there, but the sixth was frustrating.”
Mike Yastrzemski led off the first with a bloop single, advanced to second on a walk and to third on a flyout, then scored on Ramos’ infield hit.
Ramos hit a two-out double to the wall in right-center in the sixth and scored on Patrick Bailey’s single for a 2-0 lead.
Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Tuesday with right-shoulder inflammation and right-hander Austin Warren was recalled from Triple-A Sacramento.
UP NEXT
In a game moved up to 4:10 p.m. CDT because of a forecast of bad weather, San Francisco RHP Landen Roupp (0-1, 3.02 ERA) is to start Saturday against Kansas CIty RHP Brady Singer (9-11, 3.53 ERA).
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