Royals drop third consecutive game with 12-6 loss to Rockies

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Aug 1, 2026

Published in Baseball

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DENVER — The Kansas City Royals are limping towards the end of their 10-game road trip.

On Saturday, the Royals dropped their third consecutive game with a 12-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field.

The loss compounds a rough stretch for the club. The Royals were walked off twice against the Minnesota Twins in the previous series and limited to one run on Friday night against the Rockies.

And Saturday’s game went sideways in a hurry. After taking a 4-0 lead, Royals starter Luinder Avila was blitzed by a six-run frame.

Avila couldn’t escape the third inning. He began the frame by walking Rockies second baseman Willi Castro. And during the sequence, it appeared that Avila slipped while throwing a pitch to the plate.

The Royals training staff checked on him. Avila stayed in the game after a quick discussion with Royals manager Matt Quatraro.

However, Avila wasn’t as effective afterward. The Rockies batted around in the inning as Kyle Karros, TJ Rumfield and Hunter Goodman did major damage.

Avila faced Karros with the bases loaded. And the Colorado third baseman bested him with a two-run single. From there, Rumfield added an RBI single, and Goodman provided the major blow with a three-run homer.

Goodman hit two homers in the game. He now has six multi-homer games this season — which is the most by a Rockies player since Carlos Gonzalez in 2015.

Avila was charged with six earned runs in the loss. He completed 2 2/3 innings while registering four hits, three walks and two strikeouts.

The Royals offense was silenced after the third inning.

KC knocked around Rockies right-handed starter Ryan Feltner early behind Issac Collins’ leadoff triple in the second inning. Collins scored on Michael Massey’s sacrifice fly that gave the Royals a 1-0 lead.

From there, Jac Caglianone and Salvador Perez hit consecutive homers. Caglianone belted a two-run homer off Felter to extend the lead. And Perez hit his 319th career homer over the center-field wall.

That gave the Royals a 4-0 lead. But the Rockies dominated from there and built a 12-4 lead. The Royals did get two runs in the ninth, including a solo home run from John Rave.

With the victory, the Rockies improved to 44-67 while winning the weekend series outright.

The Royals (46-66) dropped to 20 games below the .500 mark. The club also recorded a losing road trip with the loss.

Lane Thomas traded

The Royals made a significant trade during the game. Outfielder Lane Thomas was dealt to the Atlanta Braves in a package deal.

Thomas was moved alongside left-hander Bailey Falter for two minor league prospects. The Royals acquired left-handed pitcher Carter Holton and right-handed pitcher Lucas Braun.

Holton posted a 4.32 ERA this season. He will be assigned to Single-A Columbia. Meanwhile, Braun was the Braves’ No. 8 prospect, per MLB.com.

Braun is expected to start in Triple-A Omaha. He owns a 3.53 ERA in 19 outings (17 starts) across two minor league levels.

During the game, the Royals pulled Thomas prior to the bottom of the fourth inning. He was seen receiving hugs and handshakes from teammates and the coaching staff.

What’s next?

Royals right-hander Seth Lugo (4-6, 4.22 ERA) will start in Sunday’s finale against the Rockies. He will oppose left-hander Kyle Freeland (2-10, 7.34 ERA) with first pitch set for 2:10 p.m. Central Time.