Whatever the market made of this one beforehand, the board never saw the Royals' sixth inning coming. Kansas City scored 2 in the first, 2 more in the second, then broke it open with a 6-run sixth that turned a manageable game into a rout.
Jac Caglianone was the story of the night, going 5-for-6 with 6 RBIs and a home run. Vinnie Pasquantino added a home run and 3 RBIs of his own, and catcher C. Jensen got things started with a homer in the first inning. Toronto's lineup, by contrast, managed just 8 hits and 2 runs against a Royals pitching staff that came in without much margin for error.
This one snapped a stretch where Toronto had won its last game before this series finale, a 3-0 shutout of these same Royals. The Blue Jays are trying to hold their season together at 65-69 while dealing with a rotation that's lost Shane Bieber, Jameson Taillon and Trey Yesavage to the injured list, and now their left fielder Jonatan Clase has been moved to the 60-day IL as well. Kansas City, at 59-75, has nothing to play for in the standings, but Thursday's finale was still a reminder of how quickly a punchless offense can find one big inning against a shorthanded staff.
Both clubs are essentially playing out August banged up — Kansas City without Michael Massey, Maikel Garcia and most of its bullpen depth, Toronto trying to patch a rotation with names off the 60-day list. Neither team's problems went away with this result. The Royals just made sure, for one night in Toronto, that theirs mattered less.