Salvador Perez inches closer to Royals' all-time home run mark in 6-1 win over Padres

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Jul 18, 2026

Published in Baseball

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Royals needed another spot start on Saturday afternoon against the San Diego Padres at Kauffman Stadium.

So the club turned to veteran right-hander Randy Dobnak. The journeyman starter gave the Royals exactly what they needed — solid innings on the mound.

Dobnak allowed one run in 4 1/3 innings. He wasn’t efficient, but he did enough to limit an aggressive Padres lineup in a 6-1 victory.

In the third inning, Dobnak allowed a solo homer to San Diego star Fernando Tatis Jr. However, that would be the lone damage in his start.

Dobnak issued four walks but got some quality defensive plays behind him. Royals infielders were busy as he kept the baseball on the ground. And when he faced trouble, Dobnak found a way to navigate around danger.

It also helped that the Royals provided Dobnak with a healthy lead. In the first inning, Royals outfielder Lane Thomas hit a two-run homer.

Thomas belted a center-cut 82.1-mph knuckle curve from Padres starter Griffin Canning. Thomas drove the baseball over the left-field wall for his second homer in the last two games.

The Royals later added runs in the third and fourth innings. Jac Caglianone extended his hitting streak to nine games with an RBI double. And later, Isaac Collins recorded an RBI single while adding to the lead.

And KC put the game away in the sixth. when Royals star Salvador Perez hit a homer off Padres reliever Matt Waldron. It was a two-run shot that moved Perez slightly closer to the club’s all-time record.

Perez now sits two homers shy of matching Hall of Famer George Brett. Saturday’s blast was the 315th of his career and his 138th at Kauffman Stadium. It was Perez’s 12th homer of the season.

The Royals improved to 40-59 and won the three-game series outright. They have a chance to earn their third sweep on Sunday afternoon.

Dobnak didn’t qualify for the win as that went to teammate Daniel Lynch IV. However, Dobnak provided reasons to believe he can stick in the Royals bullpen down the stretch.

The club likes his aggressiveness in the strike zone. He primarily utilized his sinker and sweeper combination to register 45 swings and 11 whiffs, per Baseball Savant.

Meanwhile, Canning took the loss. He allowed four earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

The Padres dropped to 48-50 this season. They have lost four of their last six games dating back to the before the All-Star Break.

What’s next?

Royals lefty Noah Cameron (5-7. 4.89 ERA) will start Sunday against the Padres. He will oppose San Diego righty German Marquez (4-2, 5.18 ERA) at Kauffman Stadium. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. Central Time.