San Francisco Giants at Kansas City Royals

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
SF	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	1	4	4	1
KC	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	—	5	9	0

Landen Roupp takes the ball for the Giants looking to snap their skid, and Seth Lugo counters for a Royals club that's won 4 of 5 since the All-Star break. Both arms were coming off encouraging outings, setting up a pitching duel that wouldn't stay quiet for long.

Show fees

FINAL

Spread

ML

Total

Giants(42-59)

LLLLW

4

-1.5+135-125o9.5+147

Royals(42-60)

WWLWW

5

+1.5-138+122u9.5-147

Best BetGiants -121

Postgame

Missed — the Giants' offense stalled out and Kansas City's bullpen closed it, 5-4.

Pregame

We backed the Giants on the moneyline off Roupp's dominant last start and the case that Kansas City's win streak was propped up without its best player. Instead the Royals bullpen slammed the door again, extending their post-All-Star surge to 4 wins in 5 games even with Bobby Witt Jr. sidelined. San Francisco's offense couldn't solve Kansas City in the middle innings, and that's where this one got away.

Roupp was excellent his last time out, seven scoreless innings against Seattle, and Lugo wasn't far off with 6 innings and just 1 earned run against San Diego. But Kansas City's been rolling with a shorthanded lineup — Bobby Witt Jr. was placed on the 10-day IL Wednesday with lower back tightness, and Jac Caglianone sat out too. That's the MLB stolen-base leader and a key bat both missing, yet the Royals kept finding ways to win anyway.

Landen Roupp

(7-10)·4.34 ERA

Jul 17 @ Mariners

W

7.0IP

0ER

2K

3BB

97P

07/22 Lineup

Seth Lugo

(4-7)·4.41 ERA

Jul 17 vs Padres

ND

6.0IP

1ER

3K

2BB

90P

07/22 Lineup

San Francisco arrived on a 4-game skid, having already dropped the first two games of this series in Kansas City. Matt Chapman, Harrison Bader, Victor Bericoto and Jonah Cox are all out for the Giants, and Trevor McDonald just landed on the 15-day IL with an elbow strain — a rotation and lineup stretched thin heading into a stretch that badly needed a turnaround.

San Francisco Giants

(42-59)

Jul 21L@ Royals2-3

Jul 20L@ Royals3-4

Jul 19L@ Mariners3-6

Jul 19L@ Mariners3-4

Jul 18W@ Mariners7-0

Kansas City Royals

(42-60)

Jul 21Wvs Giants3-2

Jul 20Wvs Giants4-3

Jul 19Lvs Padres2-19

Jul 18Wvs Padres6-1

Jul 18Wvs Padres7-6

This one stayed scoreless into the 6th before both offenses woke up. The Giants scratched across a run, then Kansas City answered with a 5-run 7th that buried the game. San Francisco tacked on two more of its own in the frame and added a run in the 9th, but the deficit was too much to climb back from.

It's the kind of finish that fits both trends perfectly — a Royals club finding late-game answers even without its best player, and a Giants team that keeps losing close, winnable games. San Francisco's homestand against the Angels starting Friday can't come soon enough.

San Francisco Giants

(11)

• 10-Day-ILHarrison Bader (CF) — Bader (foot) is unlikely to be activated from the 10-day injured list until after the trade deadline, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.07/20
• 10-Day-ILMatt Chapman (3B) — Chapman (abdomen) has been faring well in his rehab and could be activated in time for San Francisco's upcoming homestand, which begins Friday against the Angels, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.07/20
• 10-Day-ILVictor Bericoto (RF) — The Giants placed Bericoto on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left oblique strain.07/10
• 10-Day-ILJonah Cox (CF) — Cox went 3-for-3 with a solo home run and an additional run scored in Friday's 18-3 win over the Cubs.07/08
• 15-Day-ILTrevor McDonald (SP) — The Giants placed McDonald on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow strain, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.07/21
• 15-Day-ILMatt Gage (RP) — Gage will be re-evaluated in one month after an MRI revealed a moderate left flexor strain, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.07/08
• 60-Day-ILJoel Peguero (RP) — Peguero (hamstring) threw 30 pitches during a bullpen session Monday, Evan Webeck of the California Post reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILRowan Wick (RP) — The Giants placed Wick (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Sunday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILHayden Birdsong (RP) — Birdsong underwent successful UCL reconstruction surgery on his right elbow Wednesday, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILRandy Rodriguez (RP) — The Giants placed Rodriguez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Justice delos Santos of The San Jose Mercury News reports.05/08
• 60-Day-ILJose Butto (RP) — The Giants transferred Butto (arm) to the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08

Kansas City Royals

(13)

• Day-To-DayJac Caglianone (RF) — Caglianone (shoulder) is not in the lineup for Wednesday's contest against the Giants.07/22
• 10-Day-ILKyle Isbel (CF) — Isbel (foot) went 1-for-2 with an RBI triple and a run scored with Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.07/22
• 10-Day-ILBobby Witt Jr. (SS) — Manager Matt Quatraro said that Witt, who is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants, is still feeling "pretty stiff" as he continues to manage back spasms and tightness, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.07/22
• 10-Day-ILMaikel Garcia (3B) — Garcia (hand) began swinging during the All-Star break and is set to be re-evaluated Sunday, per MLB.com.07/18
• 15-Day-ILConnor Seabold (RP) — The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.07/01
• 60-Day-ILStephen Kolek (SP) — The Royals reinstated Kolek (personal) from the family medical leave list and placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right flexor strain.07/22
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) started a throwing program Friday, per MLB.com.07/18
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (elbow/shoulder) could begin a new throwing program next week, per MLB.com.07/18
• 60-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — The Royals transferred Mears (shoulder) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday.07/14
• 60-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
• 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
• 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08