KANSAS CITY -- The type of at-bat the Royals needed to break out of an offensive lull was exactly what Jonathan India provided on Thursday.
With the tying run on third and one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, India quickly went ahead in the count 3-1 before Twins reliever Cole Sands brought it to a full count. That¡¯s when India displayed one of the big reasons the Royals acquired him to be their everyday leadoff hitter this offseason.
India fought off three straight fastballs on the inside half before Sands responded with a cutter on the outside of the plate, which India got just enough of to foul back into the screen. On the 10th pitch, India drilled an RBI single to left field for his biggest hit in a Royals uniform so far.
Bobby Witt Jr. followed with a sac fly to secure the Royals¡¯ 3-2 series-clinching victory over the Twins on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium.
¡°[India¡¯s] at-bats are really good,¡± manager Matt Quatraro said. ¡°Sands is throwing upper 90s with a cutter, and [India] stayed on a lot of pitches. He just missed a couple, just fouled them straight back, but was on everything.
¡°And to be able to come through in that spot is big for him, his confidence. Probably the first big RBI in a game-tying situation for him with us. And the guys love him, [so] for him to come through is really nice.¡±
India entered the game batting just .233 with two RBIs, but the Royals have been impressed with his professional at-bats -- and his first eight career games at third base. India¡¯s ability to battle at the plate is exactly what they are looking for at the top of the lineup, and it¡¯s what the club will need if it plans for a second consecutive playoff appearance.
¡°I wasn¡¯t hitting that great this series and just had to battle. That¡¯s the bottom line,¡± India said. ¡°That team needed me there and I came through for them.¡±
After collecting three hits in the first inning, the Royals recorded just two more over the next five going into the seventh inning. Freddy Fermin started the frame with a hit-by-pitch before Drew Waters singled to set the stage for India.
If India can get going, the Royals will find themselves in a good position to win late in games. The offense has struggled this season, scoring more than four runs just twice in 13 contests, but the club is still above .500 (7-6) despite the lack of run production.
Kansas City scored just nine runs in its four-game set against Minnesota despite taking three of four games. But that slump hasn¡¯t deterred the club¡¯s approach at the plate.
¡°That¡¯s the team we are. I feel like everybody in this lineup has a grinder mentality,¡± India said. ¡°They¡¯re going to give you a good at-bat no matter what. We just keep pushing forward. No one really gets down on themselves, no one¡¯s pushing themselves or stressing if they¡¯re doing bad or not.
Witt added: ¡°That¡¯s something that is so great about this team. Everyone¡¯s rooting for each other, everyone¡¯s trying to do their job and just trying to get things done.¡±
India also made one of the game¡¯s biggest defensive plays in the second inning. In one of his two newly established positions, India slid to his left to snag a grounder, stood up, spun and threw a dart to home plate to nab Edouard Julien trying to score the Twins¡¯ second run.
¡°That was unbelievable,¡± said Michael Wacha, who threw 5 1/3 innings of two-run ball. ¡°It would have been really easy to just knock that down and get that out at first and try to get a run later on in the game, but being able to get that out at home and keep them off the board there was huge.¡±
India broke through in a big way to cap a 5-2 homestand, but the Royals are still searching for Vinnie Pasquantino (.573 OPS) and Salvador Perez (.545) to get going offensively to aid their pitching staff, which has the third-best ERA (2.97) in the Majors.
The Royals will take any victory against a division opponent they can -- such as Tuesday¡¯s three-hit win -- since it proves the club can win games in different fashions. The team isn¡¯t content with how things are going at the plate, but it shows the Royals¡¯ capability if India, and the middle of the order, can produce the way they¡¯ve proven they know how.
¡°We kind of grinded out a win, and that¡¯s what we do,¡± Witt said. ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to do here. Maybe the bats aren¡¯t going the way we want to, and so, get things hot and then it¡¯s going to be a lot of fun.¡±