Pasquatch sparks roller-coaster win as Royals eye late-season push

DETROIT -- When manager Matt Quatraro was asked what he thought of the Royals’ Triple-A affiliate clubbing a record 10 home runs on Saturday night, he quipped, “I’d like to do that today.”

Turns out, Kansas City didn’t need nearly that many dingers in Sunday’s finale at Comerica Park. The Royals got just two, but those, combined with a six-run third inning, were more than enough to get the visitors amped during a 10-8 victory over the Tigers.

“These three games were very hard fought,” manager Matt Quatraro said. “You’ve got to give these guys a lot of credit. They just don't break; they just keep fighting. That wasn’t easy.”

While Omaha spread out its 23-run attack against Columbus, scoring in seven of nine innings, Kansas City did most of its damage in one frame, stringing together six consecutive two-out hits -- including four doubles and a homer -- to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 6-1 lead.

Vinnie Pasquantino’s two-run homer highlighted the frame. The Statcast-projected 429-foot shot off Tigers starter Jack Flaherty came off Pasquantino’s bat at 106.6 mph and marked his ninth long ball in 14 games.

The Royals would turn out to need every one of those runs and then some after the Tigers dinged starter Seth Lugo for three runs in the fourth and fifth innings to retake a 7-6 lead.

The sixth inning was perhaps the biggest testament to the team Kansas City has grown into during its recent hot stretch. When such a rally might have sunk them in the past, these Royals simply delivered a counterpunch in the form of a three-run sixth, then added their 10th and final run of the day on a solo home run from Maikel Garcia.

However you slice it, few can argue that the Royals that took the field on Sunday afternoon were not the same ones who went 1-3 in Motown back in April.

Yes, many of the main characters are the same, but the way Kansas City functions as a unit has changed dramatically. While the early-season Royals were still getting their feet under them -- and getting outscored by the Tigers in that series, 16-5 -- this Kansas City squad entered the weekend with 64 homers in its past 40 games and an American League-best 19-12 record since the All-Star break.

“It’s a tight clubhouse, a tight-knit group here,” Lugo said. “We’re all pulling for each other, and we're all working together, and I think that's what shows in the box score.”

Pasquantino and Bobby Witt Jr. were both on tears. Carlos Estévez and the bullpen had been lights out. The Royals entered the series just two games out of an AL Wild Card spot and flying high after a franchise-record-tying 8-2 homestand.

Of course, none of that makes a lick of difference if Kansas City can’t also replicate those successes against tough teams going forward. The 8-2 stretch was nothing to sneeze at, but it did come against the division-basement-dwelling Nationals and White Sox, and a Rangers squad that had won just seven games in 25 tries as of Thursday’s series finale.

That the Royals weathered a late-game surge against the AL Central-leading Tigers -- owners of the second-best record in baseball -- and then fought back to salvage the final should earn them just a little grace while they get going again, no?

Progress, however small, is still progress, and nothing over the weekend suggested that Kansas City won’t be able to continue its late-season push, starting with Monday’s series against the White Sox.

“[Being in contention is] very special,” said reliever Jonathan Bowlan, who was recalled from Triple-A and threw a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday. “Especially being with this team and all these guys. It's always a blessing to be up here, and trying to do my part.”

Pasquantino is still hitting .273 (75-for-275), with 20 homers and 61 RBIs since June 1. Witt Jr. will bring an MLB-leading 13-game hit streak with him to Chicago. The Trade Deadline acquisitions are firing on all cylinders. Perhaps most importantly, the Royals honestly believe they have a chance at the postseason.

“This was just two really good teams going after it, and somebody's got to win the series, and they happened to win this one,” Pasquantino said. “… They’re a good team, and I believe we're a good team too, and we compete with them. That’s what you’ve got to do, and we'll see them again next weekend.”