Bobby Witt Jr. fell one hit short of Kansas City Royals history ... for second time

The Kansas City Royals nearly pulled off a remarkable comeback against the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday afternoon. And their star shortstop nearly made history for the second time this year.

Trailing 5-0 early, the Royals offense suddenly woke up from a three-game slumber at Progressive Field. KC scored six runs to come close to shocking their AL Central rivals — in what turned into a 10-6 loss.

“There was good fight in there,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “I thought we did a lot of good things offensively.”

At least until a well-timed relay dashed the Royals’ hopes.

In the eighth inning, the Guardians wiped away the Royals’ chance at tying the game. Guardians duo Myles Straw and Andres Gimenez teamed up to throw out Royals infielder Nicky Lopez at home plate.

Lopez tried to score from first base. He sped around the bases after Royals third baseman Maikel Garcia doubled into the outfield gap. Straw played the baseball off the wall and threw a strike to Gimenez.

Next, Gimenez made a perfect throw to Guardians catcher Bo Naylor. Lopez was called out attempting to score the game-tying run.

The Royals challenged the call, to no avail. The Guardians later added three insurance runs en route to victory.

“It was a great relay,” Quatraro said. “They say baseball is a game of inches. That’s the epitome of it right there: a good slide, a good throw and a good tag. Everybody did what they could do. They beat us on that play.”

The teams combined for 30 hits in the game. Royals starter Brady Singer took the loss after pitching five innings.

Singer allowed six runs on 13 hits. He threw 59 of 92 pitches for strikes and added three strikeouts.

“I don’t think I found a groove all day,” Singer said. “I was kind of struggling throughout the whole outing. I was just trying to limit as much as I could.”

The Royals fell to 25-65 and dropped their sixth consecutive game.

Missed previous games of the series?

Game 1: Royals lineup silenced as Guardians cruise to 6-1 victory

Game 2: Royals muster two hits in 3-0 loss to Guardians

Here are more notables from Saturday’s game:

Bobby Witt Jr. nearly hits for the cycle

The Royals were mired in an offensive slump. After scoring one run in their last 31 innings, the Royals got on the scoreboard against Guardians starter Gavin Williams.

In the fifth inning, Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. snapped the offensive drought with an RBI triple into the right-field corner.

Later, Witt hit his 14th home run off Guardians reliever Eli Morgan. Witt hit an 83.8 mph slider that traveled 431 feet into the center-field seats.

“I just saw it up and was able to hit it,” Witt said.

Witt finished 3 for 5 with two RBIs in the game. He came a double shy of hitting for the cycle. He had his chance leading off the ninth, but grounded out.

In a game against the Nationals on May 26, Witt fell a triple short of the cycle. Royals Hall of Famer George Brett was the last player to pull off the feat — on July 25, 1990, against the Toronto Blue Jays.

“I was just taking the ABs (at-bats) pitch-by-pitch and taking what the pitchers are giving me,” Witt said. “I am just trying to put a good swing on the ball.”

Royals snap out of offensive skid

The Royals found their offensive rhythm late in the game. KC scored six runs from the fifth inning onward to climb back into the game. Before that, the Royals had scored one run in their previous 31 innings.

Royals tandem Maikel Garcia and Kyle Isbel hit RBI doubles. Meanwhile, Drew Waters had a sacrifice fly and Lopez hit an RBI single.

“It was a battle,” Quatraro said. “Williams is tough and he was tough on us the first couple of times through the lineup. The guys didn’t give up. They put together good at-bats and knocked him out of there.”

Williams allowed three runs in 5 2/3 innings of work. He struck out seven batters as he earned his first MLB victory.

KC’s run support was the most since the Royals scored nine runs against the Los Angeles Dodgers on July 2.

What’s next: The Royals conclude their four-game series against the Guardians. Ryan Yarbrough is slated to start against Shane Bieber.