Kansas City Royals Salvador Perez circles the bases after connecting for a two run home run in the top of the fourth inning against the San Francisco Giants on Wed May 21, 2025 at Oracle Park in San Francisco (AP News photo)

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

Oracle Park

San Francisco, California

Kansas City Royals 8 (28-23)

San Francisco Giants 4 (29-21)

Win: Jonathan Bowlan (1-0)

Loss: Logan Webb (5-4)

Time: 2:39

Attendance: 29,064

By Stephen Ruderman

SAN FRANCISCO–The Royals torched Logan Webb for six runs, and their powerful bullpen shut down the Giants’ struggling offense in an 8-4 to take the series Wednesday.

The Royals took the series opener behind seven shutout innings by Kris Bubic on Monday night. Then Tuesday night, Hayden Birdsong was strong over five innings in his first start of the season, and that carried the Giants to a 3-2 win to even the series.

Wednesday, the Giants looked to take the series with their ace, Logan Webb, on the mound. On the surface, Webb was the perfect guy to have going Wednesday, but in baseball, even the best pitchers have their bad days. Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened today to Logan Webb Wednesday.

The Royals started off the game with three-straight singles off Webb to plate a run. Webb then followed that up by striking out the side. It was three base-hits followed by three strikeouts. How very Logan Webb of him.

Kansas City went with the old bullpen game, a move they could make with one of the best bullpens in the game.

Daniel Lynch IV took the ball as the opener in the bottom of the first. Matt Chapman walked with one out, and Wilmer Flores singled him over to third base with two outs. Willy Adames came up as the Giants looked for their response, but Adames flew out to end the inning.

Webb’s troubles continued in the top of the second, as the Royals once again scored a run on three straight singles. However, they would tack on an extra run this time on a sacrifice fly by Bobby Witt Jr. to make it 3-0.

Lynch walked Patrick Bailey and LaMonte Wade with two outs in the bottom of the second, and Royals Manager Matt Quatraro brought in Jonathan Bowlan to face the potential tying run in Heliot Ramos. However, Ramos grounded out to third, and the Giants wasted it.

Webb escaped another jam in the top of the third, and the Giants looked to finally get on the board in the bottom of the third. Matt Chapman would do that on his own, as he led off the inning with a home run to left field.

Jung Hoo Lee then doubled, and the Giants appeared to have a rally going. Unfortunately, Bowlan retired the next three, and it was another wasted opportunity for the Giants

Things fell apart for Webb in the top of the fourth. It started when Kyle Isbel reached on an error by Wade at first. Maikel Garcia then hit a chopper back to the mound, and Webb appeared to be ready to throw to second to get the lead runner, but he bizarrely hesitated and lobbed it over to first to barely get Isbel.

That would prove to be extremely costly for Webb, as Witt lined a double out to left-center to get the run right back and make 4-1. Webb struck out Vinnie Pasquantino, but Salvidor Perez, the longtime Royals’ catcher, and lone remaining Royal from the world series teams in 2014 and 2015, hit a two-run home run to right-center to open it up to 6-1.

Webb finished the inning, but he was done after four in what was his shortest and worst start of the season. He gave up six runs on ten hits, and he plain and simply just did not have it today.

Patrick Bailey hit his first home run of the year to center off Steven Cruz with one out in the bottom of the fourth to make it 6-2. The Giants then loaded the bases, and once again brought up the tying run to the plate in Wilmer Flores. However, it would be another wasted opportunity, as Wilmer lined out to center.

Spencer Bivens came in for the top of the fifth as the mop-up guy, and he gave up two runs over three innings. Jordan Hicks, in his second appearance out of the bullpen, threw a one, two, three, inning in the bottom of the eighth. Lefty Erik Miller then worked around two walks in a scoreless top of the ninth.

Despite the amount of wasted opportunities today, the Giants kept fighting it out every single inning. There was no reason they wouldn’t continue to do so down to their final three outs against Lucas Erceg in the bottom of the ninth.

Wade led off the inning with a line-drive base-hit off the top of the glove of Royals’ right-fielder Drew Waters. Heliot Ramos then hit a two-run home run to left-center to cut the deficit to 8-4, and suddenly, this crowd had something to cheer for. Jung Hoo Lee then walked with one out, and the crowd started getting into it.

Wilmer came up and looked to keep it going. It appeared he was going to when he hit a line drive to right, but it was right to Waters for the second out. That seemed to suck the life out of any potential comeback, as Adames struck out swinging to end it.

It is Jonathan Bowlan, who took over for the opener, Lynch, in the bottom of the second, who got the win for Kansas City. Logan Webb suffered his fourth loss of the season.

The Giants fall to 29-21, and while they lost the series, they still end up with a 5-4 homestand. The Giants swept the A’s, but lost two of three to the Diamondbacks and the Royals. Not your usual homestand.

The Giants will now hit the road for their second of three three-city road trips this season. First up, they will go to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Nationals for three starting Friday night. After D.C., the Giants will head to Detroit for three against the Tigers, and then to Miami for three against the Marlins.

Neither the Giants nor the Nationals have announced their starters for Friday night. First pitch will be at 6:45 p.m EDT. in D.C., and 3:45 p.m PDT back in San Francisco.