And even Milwaukee (third) and San Diego (fourth) are smaller markets than the Reds.
The Royals completed the sweep Sunday afternoon in rain-soaked GABP, 8-1, displaying sound fundamental baseball, something the Reds time and again fail to execute.
With their third straight loss, the Reds fell a season-worst 12 games behind the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Central. And with only 38 games remaining their wild card hopes are vanishing fast.
While the Royals play an all-round game, the Reds too often rely on home runs. They hit 10 during a three-game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals prior to Kansas City’s arrival.
Not only did the Reds hit only one home run, they scored only three runs the entire series, losing by 7-1, 13-1 and 8-1.
While outscoring the Reds 28-3, they outhit the home team 42-18.
The Royals sent right-hander Barry Singer to the mound after he gave up 10 runs and 18 hits in his previous two starts over 10 2/3 innings.
Against the Reds, he resembled former Oakland/San Francisco pitcher Barry Zito. He pitched six scoreless innings, giving up five hits, one walk and striking out six.
The Reds struck out 31 times to Kansas City’s 25, but timing was everything.
Kansas City leads baseball with a .305 average with runners in scoring position and were 5 for 10 Sunday. The Reds were 0 for 17 during the series.
There was a wild seventh inning for the Reds in which they were afforded an opportunity to come from behind.
They were down 4-0 when relief pitcher Sam Long struck out pinch-hitter Stuart Fairchild.
Santiago Espinal, who can’t seem to get a regular start despite hitting .482 in limited action since the All-Star break, singled. It was his third hit of the game.
Pinch-hitter Ty France walked on a full count. Luke Maile, starting at catcher in place of hot-hitting Tyler Stephenson, was 0 for his last 21. But Long walked him, the fourth ball coming on time violation.
Long also walked Jonathan India, forcing in a run to make it 4-1 with the bases loaded and one out.
Long was replaced by Lucas Erceg, one of Kansas City’s acquistion’s at the trade deadline. He struck out Elly De La Cruz on a dubious low pitch and struck out Spencer Steer to leave the bases loaded.
The game became unreachable in the ninth when Casey Legumina, called up Saturday from Louisville when Hunter Greene went on the injured list, gave up six hits to the first seven batters he faced in the ninth for four runs, pushing the Royals to an 8-1 lead.
Cincinnati starter Andrew Abbott continued his recent struggles, giving up four runs and six hits over five innings.
He pitched out of a two-on, two-out threat in the second, then came a 45-minute rain delay. Abbott returned to mound and the Royals immediately ambushed him in the third.
And it was smallball from a small market team. Dairon Blanco opened the inning by beating out a bunt. Then he stole second. With one out, manager David Bell decided to intentionally walk Bobby Witt Jr.
He tried that in game one Friday and the next batter, Vinnie Pasquantino hit a three-run homer. He didn’t homer this time ... just a run-scoring single to make it 1-0. Salvatore Perez lobbed a sacrifice fly to push it to 2-0.
Pasquantino began the series in a 1-for-22 slump, but was 7 for 11 with a home run, double, walk, sacrifice fly, six RBI and four runs scored.
The Royals added two more in the fifth, an inning that began with Blanco hitting a home run, his third of the series.
When the series began, Blanco had one home run and five RBI for the season. He only started the last two games and hit three homers while going 5 for 8 with eight RBI and two runs scored.
On Sunday, the Royals continued their display of fundamentals — a bunt hit, two sacrifice flies, turned a key double play and threw out Elly De La Cruz trying to steal on a pitch-out.
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