Bobby Witt Jr. Hits Three Homers to Lead Royals Over Reds

Bobby Witt Jr. led the way with 3 hits and a great all-around game as… Witt, the Royals' All-Star shortstop, flexed his muscles with solo blast and lined a double to left-center field earlier in that inning before slipping an opposite-field single through the right side of infield for good measure as part of his 3-for-9 day (his average now tops all MLB at. 352.

The big play of the game came in the fourth inning, when Witt hit a 430-foot homer into foul ground on top of Great American Ballpark after smashing an elevated four-seam fastball from Reds starter Nick Martinez for his league-leading 25th homer. He wasn't finished, though: Witt also doubled and scored in the sixth inning before adding an infield single in the seventh. The Reds finally showed some respect the next inning, walking Bell intentionally to end his offensive vandalism. That opened the door for Vinnie Pasquantino, who promptly belted his team-leading 18th homer of the year to drive Witt in and extend Kansas City's advantage.

The Royals got a tremendous start from trade acquisition Michael Lorenzen (Texas). Lorenzen gave up just one run and two hits in 5 2/3 innings while recording his first victory since signing with the Royals, who collected a Votto home-run ball… of which we have no photo evidence. The contest was important since it stopped the streak of four wins with which Cincinnati arrived and helped to provide a silver lining at the beginning of Lorenzen on his new team.

Nick Martinez started and provided the Reds with six quality innings, allowing three runs on just as many hits while whiffing four. Tyler Stephenson added a run-scoring double in the sixth for one of Cincinnati's few counteroffensive blows. Unfortunately, their rallies were not enough to overcome the powerful Royals.

'Up the Reds' had started to gain momentum among Liverpool fans after their win streak, but this felt like a hindrance for them. But the defeat also demonstrates this team remains work in progress as it looks to change its identity and become a more sophisticated squad against top competition. Beyond just showing the Royals' potential, the victory also underscores why smart acquisition and the growing talent of someone like Bobby Witt Jr., matters so much.

With the series ongoing, that is what Cincinnati will attempt to do as it tries righting its season on Friday night against Kansas City (7:07 p. Many eyes will be on Cincinnati to see if it can rebound, or whether Kansas City extends the advantage behind its rookie star who's had a season trajectory that not many have.