Kansas City had its own subtraction to manage. Bobby Witt Jr. was out of the lineup again with back tightness that's been nagging him for over a week, pushing Nick Loftin and the rest of a thin infield to pick up the slack against a Giants team that had won two of its last five.
The Royals didn't need a huge night to win it. They scratched across a run in the 3rd, then broke it open with two more in the 6th, and that was enough of a cushion to hold off a Giants offense that didn't get on the board until a two-run 5th. San Francisco out-hit Kansas City's error column but not the scoreboard, falling 3-2 and dropping a fourth straight game.
The losing streak is the real problem for the Giants right now. Two of those losses came against Seattle by multiple runs, and the outfield picture isn't helping — Harrison Bader, Victor Bericoto and Jonah Cox are all shelved, and Matt Chapman still hasn't been activated off his abdomen rehab. Kansas City isn't exactly whole either, with Witt banged up and the rotation gutted by long-term arm injuries to Cole Ragans, Kris Bubic and Alec Marsh, but the Royals have found enough offense lately to win 3 of their last 5, including a 19-run explosion against San Diego.
Neither of these clubs is playing for October, but nights like this — a taut, low-scoring grind decided in the middle innings — are a reminder that even bad baseball can be tense baseball. San Francisco heads into its next homestand banged up and searching for length behind a rotation that just lost another piece.