Royals were cruising vs. Pirates on Roberto Clemente Day. Then the 5th inning happened

The Kansas City Royals had chances to stamp their six-game road trip with a weekend sweep at PNC Park in Pittsburgh.

Instead, the Royals fell short 4-3 Sunday afternoon as the Pirates salvaged a victory on Roberto Clemente Day.

“We played some good baseball,” Royals second baseman Michael Massey said. “We weren’t out of any game, and we competed in every game. Some days we got the bounces, and some days we didn’t.”

The Pirates took an early lead on an RBI double by left fielder Bryan Reynolds, but the Royals countered with a sacrifice fly by first baseman Yuli Gurriel.

Pittsburgh surged forward in the middle innings. Royals starter Brady Singer allowed four runs in five innings, walking four — including three in the fifth as the Pirates took a 4-2 advantage.

Singer threw 52 of his 89 pitches for strikes. He struggled with command of his sinker, which generated just 14 swings and two whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

“It had the right movement, I just wasn’t really competitive in the (strike) zone with it,” Singer said. “I wasn’t able to get ahead with it and kind of fell behind in some counts.”

The Royals couldn’t put together a big inning. Massey and Maikel Garcia each had two hits, and Gurriel, Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. drove in runs.

“We attacked (Pirates starter Jared Jones) early,” Garcia said. “He was throwing fastball, and that was what we were looking for.”

The Pirates also got a key double play in the third inning. Outfielder Billy Cook threw out Tommy Pham as Pham attempted to score from third base.

“I think he made a great throw and he put it up the line slightly,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. You know, it made it a really awkward spot to have to slide. The catcher (Joey Bart) did a great job of getting the tag down. That was a great throw and you got to take your chance there.”

The Royals (82-68) finished their six-game road trip with a 3-3 record and host the surging Detroit Tigers on Monday.

Singer fell to 9-11 this year. The Royals are now four games behind the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the American League Central.

The Guardians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday.

Missed previous Royals coverage?

Special day: Royals reflect on Roberto Clemente’s legacy in Pittsburgh

Big win: Royals clinch winning season with road victory over Pirates

Here are more notable aspects of Sunday’s game:

Royals squander bases-loaded chances

The Royals had a few chances to break open Sunday’s game. In the second inning, KC loaded the bases against Jones. He surrendered two walks and allowed a single to Royals third baseman Paul DeJong.

Jones allowed one run but ultimately escaped the bases-loaded jam unscathed. Gurriel hit a sacrifice fly, but Garcia and Garrett Hampson struck out to end the frame.

“We needed to capitalize more,” Quatraro said. “We put a lot of pressure on them, and we drove up the pitch count early. We had baserunners in several innings and couldn’t really come up with the big hit to take the lead or break it open.”

In the sixth inning, the Royals faced the same scenario. Gurriel worked a one-out walk with the team trailing 4-2. Garcia followed with a single and pinch-hitter Kyle Isbel got aboard with a hit by pitch.

However, Pham popped up to record the second out. Witt worked a bases-loaded walk to score a run and team captain Salvador Perez flew out to end the threat.

Both chances resulted in two runs. Still, the opportunity was there for the Royals to seize control of the game in the early innings.

Kyle Isbel makes diving catch

Isbel didn’t start Sunday’s game against the Pirates. However, his late insertion didn’t stop him from making a highlight defensive play.

In the sixth inning, Isbel took away potential extra bases from Pirates third baseman Jared Triolo.

Triolo hit a line drive towards the right-field gap. Isbel sprinted over and made a diving catch to record the first out of the inning.

The spectacular catch came at a crucial juncture in the game. The Royals trailed 4-3 and faced the bottom of the order. Isbel recorded the first out, and that allowed Royals reliever Carlos Hernandez to escape with a scoreless frame.

What’s next on the KC Royals’ schedule:

The Royals return to Kauffman Stadium for a pivotal three-game series against the Detroit Tigers starting on Monday night.

Detroit remains in the American League Wild Card mix. On Sunday, the Tigers defeated the Baltimore Orioles while improving to 77-73. The club is currently two games behind the Minnesota Twins for the final Wild-Card spot.

The Royals will start right-handed starter Seth Lugo in the series opener. Lugo is 16-8 with a 2.94 ERA this season. He also leads the AL with 193 innings pitched.