How the Royals gave up nine 1st-inning runs, rallied back & still lost to Astros
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Yordan Alvarez hit two homers and drove in six runs in the Astros’ 10-8 win.
- Luinder Avila was chased in the first inning after allowing eight earned runs.
- Kansas City rallied multiple times but fell to 28-42 after losing three of four at home.
The Kansas City Royals tasted their own blood on Friday night.
The Houston Astros came out swinging in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Designated hitter Yordan Alvarez threw a nasty left hook that caught Royals starter Luinder Avila, homering in his first at-bat. And then Alvarez went for the jugular with a grand slam to deep center field.
All of this happened in the first with Avila on the mound for Kansas City.
Alvarez brought the fight to Kauffman Stadium. He belted two homers and drove in six runs in the opening inning alone, and the Astros went on to beat the Royals 10-8 in Friday night’s series opener.
Houston scored nine runs before the Royals could take a single at-bat.
“Disappointed we lost,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “It was a good comeback, came up short, but at the end of the day, we’re trying to win the game.”
Houston batted around to open the game. Avila (1-3) faced just 10 batters, allowing eight earned runs in his truncated start — he departed with KC having recorded two outs.
“The guys fought and it made me even more mad because I couldn’t help today,” Avila said via a translator. “Watching them keep on fighting and keeping it close was inspiring.”
The Astros (32-39) knocked Avila around right away. Batting second, Alvarez crushed his 23rd homer of the season off a misplaced changeup.
Christian Walker followed with a solo homer of his own, depositing an 87 mph slider into the left-field bullpen.
Avila had lost his command. He left too many pitches over the plate and the Astros took advantage.
“All pitches, not only breaking balls, but fastballs, too,” Avila said. “The inning turned out to be bad and you’ve just got to keep going.”
With Avila knocked out early, the Royals’ face was on the mat. But they found a way to stay in it, battling back with a couple of their own salvos.
It just wasn’t enough to overcome the large deficit.
The Royals scored five of their runs in the bottom half of the first inning. KC sent nine batters to the plate and cut into the visitors’ sizable lead.
Vinnie Pasquantino had an RBI single and Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey and Kameron Misner also each drove in runs.
“A lot of good at-bats throughout the game,” Massey said. “So I thought guys stayed in it really well and kept putting pressure on them.”
Massey hit a two-out RBI double off Astros starter Tatsuya Imai. Later, Misner recorded a two-run single to knock Imai out of the game. Imai allowed five runs on four hits and, like Avila, departed in the first inning after throwing 38 pitches.
Both teams were squarely into their bullpens at that point. And neither side allowed much more damage.
The Royals’ relievers kept the deficit in reach. Black allowed Alvarez’s grand slam, but three of those four runs were charged to Avila. Black settled down after that, throwing 2 1/3 innings before handing off to Steven Cruz, Lucas Erceg and Eli Morgan.
Cruz and Erceg combined for two scoreless innings. Morgan didn’t allow a hit and kept the Astros from adding on.
“We all knew in the bullpen we had a job to do,” Erceg said. “And that was to cover a couple innings. And I think we did a good job of that.”
The Royals mounted one final comeback in the eighth inning. Maikel Garcia reached on a leadoff single and scored on Massey’s RBI single. Then Bobby Witt Jr. rapped an infield hit that drove in a run and loaded the bases.
Starling Marte pinch-hit for Vinnie Pasquantino, nearly legging out an infield single. But Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena made a strong throw and the putout, the third out, stood up on review.
“It’s right there,” Witt said of a potential breakthrough. “I don’t think it’s like a matter of time, it’s just a matter of ... score those extra two runs, score those extra three runs, score that extra run.
“And it’s just finding a way and competing every day, getting back at it tomorrow.”
KC was that close to pulling off an improbable comeback. The Royals finished the evening 5-for-12 with runners in scoring position (RISP).
Houston added an insurance run in the ninth. Pinch-hitter Brice Matthews drilled a solo homer 433-feet into the left-field seats.
That was the final blow for the Royals. KC dropped to 28-42 and has now lost three of four on its current homestand, which started with a series against the Texas Rangers.
What’s next: Royals left-hander Noah Cameron (3-4, 3.84 ERA) will start Saturday’s game opposite Astros right-hander Mike Burrows (3-8, 5.77 ERA). First pitch is set for 6:10 p.m. Central Time at Kauffman Stadium.
This story was originally published June 12, 2026 at 10:44 PM with the headline "How the Royals gave up nine 1st-inning runs, rallied back & still lost to Astros."
