The game turned in the second inning, and Kansas City never quite caught up. Chicago erupted for four runs in the frame, chasing Royals starter Daniel Lynch, and held on for a 6-4 win at Kauffman Stadium.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CHC | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 0 |
| KC | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 1 |
Kevin Gausman anchored the effort on the mound, working 7.0 innings and allowing 2 runs (2 earned) on 4 hits with 4 strikeouts and a walk. He kept Kansas City's lineup off balance for most of the night, and the bullpen closed it out from there, covering 2.0 innings with 2 runs allowed. Pedro Ramirez backed him up at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, 2 runs scored and an RBI.
Chicago's decisive second inning began with Pete Crow-Armstrong reaching on an infield single, with Kelly scoring and Ramirez also coming around on a throwing error by second baseman Massey that put Swanson safe at third — the go-ahead play of the game, turning a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 lead. Seiya Suzuki followed with a single to right that brought home both Swanson and Crow-Armstrong, making it 4-1. The Cubs added on later: Bregman singled home Crow-Armstrong in the seventh, and Ramirez went deep to right in the eighth for a 363-foot homer that made it 6-2.
Daniel Lynch's night ended early and it decided the game. The Royals starter lasted just 1.2 innings, charged with 4 runs on 3 hits and 2 walks, and took the loss to fall to 4-3 on the season with a 2.64 ERA. Kansas City tried to rally in the eighth, with Witt Jr. and Perez each driving in a run to cut the deficit to 6-4, but the Royals had already used Mason Black for 5.0 innings of relief and could not find enough offense to complete the comeback. Carter Jensen had homered to left in the fifth for Kansas City's second run, and Isaac Collins doubled home Jensen in the first, but it wasn't enough.
The result extended Chicago's winning streak to five games, improving the Cubs to 68-49. Kansas City dropped to 48-69, its second straight loss.