Kansas City Royals at New York Mets

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
KC	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	7	1
NYM	0	1	0	0	5	0	1	0	—	7	10	1

This one had a classic getaway-day feel: 1:10 PM ET first pitch at Citi Field, series knotted at a game apiece, and two rotations that have taken a beating lately sending out their best healthy arms. Michael Wacha (5-6, 3.48 ERA) got the ball for Kansas City looking to bounce back from a rough outing against the Phillies, while Sean Manaea (1-4, 4.68 ERA) tried to give the Mets a series win after his own last start against Atlanta got away from him.

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ML

Total

Royals(38-55)

LWWWL

3

+1.5-156+127o9.5+113

Mets(39-54)

WLWWL

7

-1.5+153-127u9.5-115

Best BetMets -141

Postgame

The Mets won outright 7-3, cashing the moneyline pick as New York's offense overwhelmed a Royals team missing three regulars.

Pregame

We took the Mets at -139 and it graded out fine — home field, the better recent form, and a Royals lineup still missing three regulars made this a lean worth paying for. Manaea's ugly ERA was the risk, but New York's offense papered over it easily. Kansas City just doesn't have enough healthy pieces right now to beat a mediocre Mets team on the road.

Neither team is walking into this game whole. The Royals are still without Vinnie Pasquantino, Kyle Isbel and Maikel Garcia, and their rotation has been gutted by Cole Ragans' UCL surgery and Kris Bubic's cortisone shot. The Mets, meanwhile, lost Mark Vientos mid-game after he took a pitch off the hand — the kind of injury scare that lingers over a lineup already missing Marcus Semien for another few weeks.

Michael Wacha

(5-7)·3.66 ERA

Jul 4 vs Phillies

L

6.0IP

4ER

7K

1BB

105P

07/09 Lineup

Sean Manaea

(2-5)·4.74 ERA

Jul 4 @ Braves

L

5.0IP

3ER

4K

1BB

108P

07/09 Lineup

Both clubs are scuffling in the standings — Kansas City at 38-55, New York only a game better at 39-54 — which made this feel less like a statement game and more like two teams just trying to find something to build on before the break.

Kansas City Royals

(12)

• 10-Day-ILVinnie Pasquantino (1B) — Royals manager Matt Quatraro said Thursday that Pasquantino (hand) could return from the 10-day injured list ahead of Friday's series opener versus the Orioles, Jaylon T. Thompson of The Kansas City Star reports.07/09
• 10-Day-ILKyle Isbel (CF) — Isbel will not begin a rehab assignment Tuesday as hoped after feeling soreness in his left foot while running this past weekend, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/06
• 10-Day-ILMaikel Garcia (3B) — Garcia (hand) is rehabbing in Kansas City but has yet to resume swinging a bat, and he'll be re-evaluated during the All-Star break, MLB.com reports.07/05
• bereavementStephen Kolek (SP) — The Royals placed Kolek (personal) on the Family Medical Emergency List on Saturday.07/05
• 15-Day-ILConnor Seabold (RP) — The Royals placed Seabold on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with a right lat strain.07/01
• 15-Day-ILNick Mears (RP) — Mears (shoulder) threw a bullpen Saturday, MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILKris Bubic (SP) — Bubic (elbow/shoulder) received a cortisone injection Thursday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILCole Ragans (SP) — Ragans underwent UCL repair surgery on his left elbow Wednesday, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILCarlos Estevez (RP) — Estevez (shoulder) received an injection Wednesday and will be shut down for the rest of the week before being re-evaluated, MLB.com reports.07/02
• 60-Day-ILJonathan India (2B) — no06/04
• 60-Day-ILJames McArthur (RP) — McArthur (elbow) underwent surgery Friday to help combat continued soreness and inflammation, MLB.com reports.05/25
• 60-Day-ILAlec Marsh (SP) — The Royals placed Marsh (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list Thursday.05/08

New York Mets

(9)

• Day-To-DayMark Vientos (1B) — Vientos was removed from Thursday's game against Kansas City after getting hit on the hand by a pitch, Andrew Tredinnick of The Bergen Record reports.07/09
• 10-Day-ILMarcus Semien (2B) — Semien (hip) is unlikely to return before the end of July, Tim Britton and Will Sammon of The Athletic report.07/08
• 15-Day-ILAustin Warren (RP) — MRI results on Warren's right forearm revealed no ligament damage Wednesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.07/09
• 60-Day-ILClay Holmes (SP) — Holmes (fibula) might begin a rehab assignment in the second half of July, Tim Britton of The Athletic reports.07/06
• 60-Day-ILLuis Robert Jr. (CF) — Robert (back) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.06/29
• 60-Day-ILDedniel Nunez (RP) — Nunez (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment with Single-A St. Lucie on Thursday, Michael Mayer of MetsmerizedOnline.com reports.06/25
• 60-Day-ILReed Garrett (RP) — The Mets placed Garrett (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Tuesday.05/08
• 60-Day-ILJustin Hagenman (RP) — The Mets placed Hagenman on the 60-day injured list Saturday due to a rib fracture.05/08
• 60-Day-ILTylor Megill (SP) — The Mets placed Megill (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.05/08

The Mets found it in the fifth. A quiet 1-1 game through four innings turned into a laugher when New York strung together a five-run frame that Wacha never recovered from. Kansas City got a run back in the seventh, but by then it was already 6-1 and the Royals were playing from too far behind against a Mets bullpen that didn't need to sweat the finish.

Kansas City Royals

(38-55)

Jul 8L@ Mets2-6

Jul 7W@ Mets16-12

Jul 6Wvs Phillies15-1

Jul 5Wvs Phillies5-2

Jul 5Lvs Phillies1-6

New York Mets

(39-54)

Jul 8Wvs Royals6-2

Jul 7Lvs Royals12-16

Jul 6W@ Braves7-6

Jul 5W@ Braves10-9

Jul 5L@ Braves3-14

Manaea wasn't dominant — he's not that pitcher right now — but he didn't need to be with that kind of cushion. For a Royals team that had won three of its last five coming in, the series finale was a reminder of how thin the margins are without a full lineup and a healthy rotation. The Mets take the series and the momentum heading into the next stretch.