Witt takes blame for loss as Royals drop chance to gain ground in WC

KANSAS CITY -- It did not matter if Jo Adell was homering or slow-rolling a ball onto the infield. The Angels’ right fielder found a way to crush the Royals over and over again on Wednesday night.

Kansas City has played two games against Los Angeles this week, and Adell has flipped the game in both of them, first with a two-run homer on Tuesday, followed by a three-run homer on Wednesday.

And when he came to the plate in the eighth inning on Wednesday, he hit an 84 mph infield single to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who ran in but saw the ball bounce under his glove.

Adell was credited with an RBI single, the deciding run in the Royals’ 4-3 loss to the Angels at Kauffman Stadium.

“In that situation, you lose the game for the team,” said Witt, who just a day earlier made an incredible diving play to take a hit away. “Made a mistake. It’s unacceptable for me. Unacceptable for that to happen to my teammates and [Lucas] Erceg on the mound. It’s just not who I am. I’ve got to be better.

“I got to, 99 out of 100 times, make that play.”

Witt was accountable postgame, but this deflating loss was not all on him. The Royals mustered four hits total for the second consecutive night and went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Reliever John Schreiber left a first-pitch fastball too far in the zone for Adell, who crushed it out to center field. Kansas City had an answer for Adell’s homer when Salvador Perez and Adam Frazier hit back-to-back doubles to tie the game in the seventh, but nothing after Adell’s infield single pulled the Angels back out ahead.

The Royals (70-69) have lost three straight for the first time since a six-game skid from June 21-27, and they have lost back-to-back series after winning four of the previous five. They’re 1-4 on this homestand with four games left to play.

Still, Kansas City is only 2 1/2 games out of an American League Wild Card spot because Seattle (73-67) was swept in Tampa. The Rays, meanwhile, are 70-69 and are tied with the Royals, a game behind the Rangers (72-69). The standings are murky and no one is playing good baseball right now outside of the Rays, who have pulled themselves back into contention with six straight victories.

• What the playoff picture looks like with under a month to go

“We come out here to win every night,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “We’ve lost both of these games. It’s very disappointing.”

The Royals jumped out to a two-run lead in the third when Kyle Isbel’s bunt forced an error and a run to score, and Mike Yastrzemski brought home another with a sacrifice fly. That lead stayed intact while starter Ryan Bergert shut the Angels down through five scoreless innings.

Bergert struggled some with command but otherwise worked his way out of jams. He went out for the sixth at 82 pitches but issued a five-pitch walk -- his third of the night -- to leadoff hitter Zach Neto.

Unwilling to let Bergert face the middle of the Angels’ order a third time, Quatraro turned to Schreiber, who allowed two runs in Tuesday’s loss but has stranded 75% of runners he’s inherited this year.

“You don’t want trouble to start,” Quatraro said. “At that point, [Bergert] is around 90 pitches. Hadn’t been easy going as far as the pitch count, and we had a well-rested bullpen.”

Yoán Moncada singled on a well-placed ball to Maikel Garcia that the Royals’ third baseman was able to snag in the infield, but was not quick enough to throw Moncada out, putting two on for Adell when he stepped to the plate with one out.

Adell crushed a first-pitch fastball in the zone, 418 feet out to center field, flipping the Angels’ two-run deficit into a one-run lead.

“He’s been hitting good this year,” Schreiber said. “High fastball. I should have gotten it in a little more. Just got a good swing on it. Maybe should have went with a secondary pitch.”

The mistake was almost erased after the Royals tied it in the seventh, but then the debacle in the eighth happened.

Kansas City’s offense had some chances; Isbel walked to lead off the eighth, but pinch-hitter Randal Grichuk flied out to right field on the first pitch he saw, Witt struck out and Vinnie Pasquantino battled during a 12-pitch at-bat before striking out.

“I feel like, personally, I have to be better and be in those situations I want to be in,” Witt said.

“Like I said, it’s unacceptable for my performance out there for me. I’ve got to be better.”