KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Reds batted through the lineup during a five-run second inning, and Brandon Williamson did just enough to earn his first big league win as Cincinnati held off the struggling Kansas City Royals 5-4 on Tuesday night.
Williamson (1-0) allowed four runs, three of them earned, on seven hits over just five innings. But he left with a one-run lead, and the Reds bullpen survived some shaky moments to hand him the victory and the Royals an eighth consecutive defeat.
Daniel Duarte, brought up from Triple-A Louisville, worked the sixth inning in his first appearance for the Reds after missing 143 games to injury a year ago. Ian Gibaut loaded the bases in the seventh before Lucas Sims escaped the jam with strikeouts of Nick Pratto and Salvador Perez. Sims then breezed through the eighth before Alexis Diaz handled the ninth for his 16th save.
Jordan Lyles (0-11) allowed all five Cincinnati runs on six hits and three walks over six innings.
Bobby Witt hit a two-run homer for Kansas City. MJ Melendez and Matt Duffy also drove in runs.
The biggest reason Lyles is winless this season has been the long ball. The left-hander, who signed a two-year, $17 million deal in the offseason, had allowed at least one homer in 10 of his first 13 starts and two or more more in seven of them.
Lyles didn’t give one up Tuesday night. Instead, the Reds battered him with small ball.
Their five-run second inning began with top prospect Elly De La Cruz’s walk and ended with his strikeout, and included seven baserunners in between them. There was a double, three singles, two more walks and a fielder’s choice, along with three stolen bases, an error by Duffy and a wild pitch that allowed a run to score from third base.
Plenty of boos greeted Lyles as he walked off the mound with a 5-1 deficit.
The Royals got a run back in the second on Duffy’s double and closed within 5-4 on Witt’s two-run shot in the third. But their only other chance came in the eighth, when Gibaut loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batter, and Sims shut them down.
TRANSACTIONS
Reds: RHP Ricky Karcher was optioned to Louisville after earning the save Monday night. Duarte had his contract selected from the same club. RHP Joel Kuhnel was designated for assignment.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: INF Nick Senzel (right knee) and RHP Tony Santillan (left hamstring strain) went to Louisville to begin rehab assignments. ... OF Henry Ramos (right hip strain) came off the injured list and was optioned to Louisville.
Royals: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino (right shoulder instability) is awaiting the results of an MRI exam taken Monday. The club hopes to have them by Wednesday. ... OF Kyle Isbel (left hamstring strain) began a rehab assignment at Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.
UP NEXT
RHP Ben Lively (3-4, 4.21 ERA) faces the Royals for the first time in the finale of the three-game series. LHP Daniel Lynch (0-2, 4.41) gets the start for Kansas City as he seeks his first win since Aug. 1, 2022.
