KANSAS CITY -- Back-to-back days with a home run had to have Nick Loftin feeling good, but there was no better feeling than when he saw the ball he lined to center field find grass, or when he rounded first base to watch Maikel Garcia score from third, or when Loftin’s teammates mobbed him on the infield dirt.
After all, that was the clinching moment that sent the Royals to a 4-3 walk-off win over the Pirates at Kauffman Stadium on Tuesday night.
“They’re both pretty good, but any time we can get a win, that’s the best feeling,” a grinning Loftin said postgame.
The victory gave the Royals a series win -- their second in a row -- ahead of Wednesday night’s finale, as well as their seventh win in their last 11 games. It is the first time since April 22-May 8 that Kansas City has won back-to-back series (five straight).
If Monday’s win was all about the superstars superstar-ing, Tuesday was about the unlikely heroes coming through in big moments -- and the relief that comes along with that.
Loftin and Jac Caglianone bookended the Royals’ win with key at-bats, starting with Caglianone’s first home run at Kauffman Stadium in the second inning and Loftin’s two-run jack in the eighth inning that flipped the lead to Kansas City’s way at the time.
After the Pirates tied it again in the top of the ninth, the Royals responded again in the bottom of the frame with runners on first and second before Caglianone stepped to the plate. He hit a towering fly ball to right field to move Garcia up to third, setting up Loftin’s heroics.
“It’s a relief,” Loftin said. "It's what we do every single day -- we try to win ballgames. When [the ball] falls, scoring that run, it’s a relief knowing that I worked really hard today, we put together some good at-bats, [starter Seth] Lugo pitched his butt off, and the bullpen did what they had to do. It all came to fruition."
Both Loftin and Caglianone, two young hitters trying to establish themselves in the big leagues, have experienced tough stretches lately. Before Caglianone stepped to the plate Tuesday night, he was in an 0-for-9 skid and had just three hits in his last 52 at-bats. Loftin entered Tuesday hitting .188 with a .595 OPS across 86 plate appearances.
The Royals believe both players are key pieces of their present and future, and have encouraged them to stay the course and trust the process.
Tuesday showed how quickly things can turn.
One could feel the elation from Caglianone and the Royals’ dugout when he connected with Mitch Keller’s changeup, sending a missile out to right-center field. Caglianone’s free and easy left-handed swing produced an exit velocity of 114.1 mph, with the ball traveling a Statcast-projected 421 feet at a 19-degree launch angle -- about as line drive as it gets for a home run.
“Wow, a barrel,” Caglianone joked when asked what he was thinking when he rounded the bases. Self-deprecating, sure, but reveals just how tough it’s been for MLB’s No. 9 prospect in his first month of the big leagues.
“It’s been a grind for him,” manager Matt Quatraro said pregame Tuesday. “He’s struggled. This is probably the first time he’s struggled like this in his life, and he’s doing it on the biggest stage. But I think our comfort in calling him up was because we believe that he can handle this kind of thing. Clearly, we would have liked for him to get off to a better start, for his own sake and that of the team, but I don’t think we’re worried about him being able to deal with this and come out the other side.”
Caglianone has the protection of older teammates surrounding him at all times, many of whom have been through this before. Loftin falls into that category, even with this year being his first prolonged opportunity in the big leagues. It hasn’t been easy, but Loftin’s trying to focus on the work and the process rather than the results.
And it’s started to turn for him lately. He smoked four balls in Monday’s win, all over 103 mph, and finally saw one go over the fence in the eighth inning.
Tuesday brought another homer and the game-winning hit.
As Loftin’s luck changes, his process will remain the same.
“It’s easier said than done for sure, trusting the process,” Loftin said. “But at the end of the day, you’re going to find wins in failure. … It’s a round ball, it’s a round bat, they tell you to square it up. At the end of the day, you can swing at the best pitches you can, put the best swing you can, and you can have good luck or bad luck. You just kind of find the wins in the failures.”