Royals tie club record by allowing 14 walks in series-opening loss to Braves
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- Royals pitchers issued 14 walks, tying a club record in loss to Braves
- Royals squandered early lead, stranded 10 runners and fell 10-7 at home
- KC lost All-Star Kris Bubic for season; Salvador Perez left with elbow injury
The Kansas City Royals have reached a point in their season where every win is important and every loss is magnified to a greater extent.
On Monday, the Royals felt the brunt of a lackluster 10-7 loss to the Atlanta Braves in a series opener at Kauffman Stadium.
The Braves (45-60) arrived 16 games under .500. They were swept by the Texas Rangers last weekend and have struggled throughout the 2025 season since opening the year 0-7. Meanwhile, the Royals (52-55) were fresh off a pivotal series victory against the Cleveland Guardians.
Monday’s contest was a chance to build some momentum ahead of a nine-game road trip against American League foes — the Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins — in the upcoming week.
The Royals couldn’t get it done at home on another sweltering evening. The Braves sandwiched three home runs around 14 walks allowed by Royals pitchers — tying a club single-game record. Atlanta stars Ronald Acuña Jr., Marcell Ozuna and Austin Riley each went deep against Kansas City pitchers.
“Everybody is playing with the same ball and the same conditions,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “So we can’t use that as an excuse. We’ve got to throw the ball over the plate. You know, normally we do. That’s a real outlier of a game for us.”
Riley finished with four RBIs. His three-run double in the seventh inning served as the final blow.
Forty-five-year-old Royals left-handed starter Rich Hill took the loss. He surrendered four runs and six walks in his first start at Kauffman Stadium since 2021. He also allowed two of the Braves’ three homers in his four innings of work.
“It was terrible,” Hill said of his start. “The ball didn’t come out of my hand the way I wanted it to and (I) put the team in a bad position. Put the bullpen in a tough position to cover a lot of innings. ...
“I take full responsibility for that loss. And yeah, I’ve just got to get back to work tomorrow.”
The Royals could not maintain an early two-run lead. The Braves surged forward in the middle innings as KC squandered some opportunities.
In the sixth, the Royals had two baserunners aboard with no outs. Neither scored as MJ Melendez flew out, Kyle Isbel went down swinging and Jonathan India grounded out. The Royals did put up three runs in the ninth but couldn’t overcome such a large deficit.
“They’ve been getting on base at a much higher clip since the All-Star break, for sure,” Quatraro said. “They have been taking walks, but we have the stuff to challenge guys in the zone. We just didn’t execute tonight.”
KC finished 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 10 men on base. Atlanta took advantage, snapping a five-game losing streak.
Salvador Perez exits game early
The Royals are dealing with multiple injuries at the moment.
On Monday, the club announced that All-Star starter Kris Bubic will miss the remainder of the 2025 season with a left rotator cuff strain.
And now the Royals are evaluating yet another injury.
Royals captain Salvador Perez left Monday’s game with a left-elbow contusion. He was replaced by backup catcher Freddy Fermin in the fifth inning.
“A little sore but it’s good,” Perez said after the game. “Worried about my two fingers, as they were numb a little bit.”
In his second at-bat, Perez was hit by a 94.4 mph fastball thrown by Braves ace starter Spencer Strider. The ball hit Perez’s left elbow guard.
Strider appeared to be upset with himself for the errant pitch and Perez looked to be in significant pain immediately.
Quatraro and Royals assistant trainer Chris DeLucia hustled out of the dugout to evaluate Perez. He stayed in the game and ran the basepaths, and also caught the fourth inning, before Fermin took over behind the plate.
“I got the feeling back in the seventh or eighth inning,” Perez said. “KT (Royals head athletic trainer Kyle Turner) was doing a lot of treatment with me. I should be fine for tomorrow.”
Perez had hit an RBI single in the first inning. Fermin added a two-run single in the ninth inning against Braves reliever Rafael Montero.
Family Affair at The K
The Braves arrived in Kansas City with their star-studded lineup in tow. And Royals fans caught a glimpse of 2023 National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.
Acuña made his presence felt with a two-run homer into the left-field fountains. The blast traveled 468 feet as the Braves tied the game in the third inning. He also showcased his defensive wizardry in right field.
Royals fans let Acuña hear it with a chorus of boos. However, Acuña took it all in good fun as he dueled with his cousin — and Royals third baseman — Maikel Garcia throughout the night.
Garcia had a strong game of his own. He recorded three hits, including an RBI double.
Both players enjoyed some playful banter during the game. In the first inning, Garcia gave Acuña a jovial finger-wag after beating his incoming throw from right field while simultaneously scoring a run.
“I had a big lead in that situation and with two outs, I have to score,” Garcia said. “And when Salvy hit the ball, I was thinking of scoring. Then, when I scored, I just put up the fingers, like, ‘No, he didn’t get me out the whole play.’”
What’s next: The Royals will send right-hander Seth Lugo (7-5, 2.95 ERA) to the mound Tuesday night against the Braves. Lugo, who signed a two-year contract extension on Monday, will oppose new Atlanta acquisition Erick Fedde, a right-hander with a 3-10 record and 5.22 ERA this season.
This story was originally published July 28, 2025 at 10:01 PM with the headline "Royals tie club record by allowing 14 walks in series-opening loss to Braves."
