The Pirates defeated the Royals 4-1 in their regular-season meeting on Friday night. It was a straightforward result that reflected the flow of the evening rather than any dramatic turning points. The home side took control early and never looked back.
These were two sides in very different rhythms. The Pirates had been scoring freely, winning 8-5 against the Royals just the day before, then beating the Brewers 7-4 before that. The Royals were finding things harder, losing 5-8 to the Pirates on Wednesday and dropping 2-6 to the Astros in between. By then, you could see which way the momentum was running.
and here's the thing — we had the Royals winning this one, 57 per cent confidence. The market had overreacted to the Pirates' recent form, or so we thought. The match went another way entirely. The Royals never got going, while the Pirates played the second half a man up in terms of tempo.
to be fair, the Pirates' attack has been genuine lately. Five runs in that 8-5 win, four against the Cubs, and now another four here. The Royals defence is staring at the drop in confidence, having lost four of their last five before this one. They'll need to find something quickly.
The Pirates are building something tangible. Three wins in five, including two against the Royals already this week. The Royals, meanwhile, have dropped five straight and will be weighing up a move — not necessarily in transfers, but in how they approach things. Things came to a head on Friday.
