The Los Angeles Dodgers handed the Kansas City Royals a 10-4 loss at Surprise Stadium on Wednesday in spring training play. Despite Luca Tresh's 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI effort at the plate, the Royals could not overcome a sizable deficit. Aaron Sanchez worked 3.0 innings on the mound, allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits. The Dodgers out-hit the Royals 11-9 on the day. The loss is a minor bump as the Royals continue fine-tuning ahead of Opening Day. The exhibition season is about preparation, and today provided the kind of reps the coaching staff needs to see.
Key Performers
Luca Tresh was the offensive highlight at the plate, going 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBI. His power was on full display throughout the game. The Royals will be hoping for more of the same as the spring continues.
Kevin Newman also contributed, going 2-for-4 with an RBI, Starling Marte chipped in, going 2-for-2 with a double, and Tyler Gentry added to the attack, going 1-for-1. The Royals showed flashes of offense but could not piece together the big inning they needed.
On the other side of the diamond, Seby Zavala led the Dodgers offense with a 1-for-1 with a home run and four RBI day. Dalton Rushing also contributed, going 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI. Jack Suwinski added a 1-for-4 with a home run and an RBI effort as well. The Dodgers offense proved to be too much for the Royals pitching staff to contain on this particular day.
On the Mound
Aaron Sanchez got the start, battling through his outing, working 3.0 innings while allowing 3 earned runs on 5 hits with four strikeouts. He threw 54 pitches in the outing. The coaching staff will review his performance as they continue mapping out the pitching plan for the regular season.
The bullpen combined for 5.3 innings of work, allowing 6 earned runs while striking out nine. The Royals continue to sort through their relief options as they build their Opening Day bullpen. Every inning pitched in the spring is an opportunity for pitchers to make their case for a spot on the roster when the games start counting.
Among the relievers, Bailey Falter stood out with 3.0 innings of scoreless work, striking out five. It was an impressive showing that could factor into roster decisions.
How It Happened
Dodgers got on the board first with two runs in the second inning. Dodgers plated a run in the third. The Royals answered with two runs in the fourth. The Royals tacked on a run in the fifth. The Royals pushed across a run in the seventh. Dodgers struck back with a run in the eighth. Dodgers added six runs in the ninth. The Dodgers were able to score in four separate innings, keeping the pressure on throughout the contest. Dodgers out-hit the Royals 11-9, with 1 error committed between the two clubs. A crowd of 10,996 was on hand to take in the action.
Looking Ahead
Despite the result, the Royals will take the lessons learned from this game and move forward. Spring training is about preparation and evaluation, not wins and losses, and the coaching staff gained valuable information about the roster today. There is still time to make adjustments before the regular season begins, and games like this one are part of that process.