Royals rebound to earn series victory at Blue Jays

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Aug 27, 2026

Published in Baseball

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The Kansas City Royals saw their nine-game winning streak end on Wednesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays.

They turned the page quickly on Thursday.

Royals catcher Carter Jensen set the tone early. He belted a solo home run off Blue Jays starter Spencer Arrighetti to open the game. It was his fifth leadoff homer — most by a catcher since 1961 in Major League Baseball.

Jensen now has 18 home runs this season. That ties MJ Melendez for most ever by a Royals rookie catcher.

The Blue Jays failed to keep pace as the Royals earned a 13-2 victory to win the midweek series at Rogers Centre.

Jensen reached base four times. He worked three walks to set the table for the Royals’ offense on Thursday night.

The Royals scored throughout the game. In the second inning, Jac Caglianone hit a two-run single to give them a 4-0 lead.

Caglianone added two more RBIs off Blue Jays reliever Simeon Woods Richardson. He laced a 77.9 mph curveball into the right-field corner to extend the lead.

Caglianone finished 5 for 6 with six RBIs. In the ninth inning, he hit his team-leading 23rd home run off Blue Jays position player Myles Straw. The blast traveled 409 feet into the right-field seats.

The Royals knocked around Toronto’s Woods Richardson in the sixth. Vinnie Pasquantino hit a two-run homer to cap a six-run inning.

Royals starter Noah Cameron welcomed the run support. He limited the Blue Jays to two runs across six innings.

Blue Jays star George Springer hit a two-run homer off Cameron in the sixth inning. Springer connected on an 80.9-mph curveball and the ball landed just beyond Kyle Isbel’s outstretched glove in center field.

Cameron has allowed just seven earned runs in his last seven starts. The stellar run coincides with his July 24 outing against the Detroit Tigers, when he started to call his own pitches.

The Royals improved to 60-75. They have won 10 of their last 11 games and will face the Cleveland Guardians in a series that begins Friday.

The Blue Jays fell to 65-70.

Michael Massey sidelined with concussion

The Royals started Isaac Collins at second base for the first time this season. He was at the keystone position as KC loaded up on lefty batters against Arrighetti.

On Tuesday, Collins shifted to second base late in the game. He had scant prior experience there, starting one game with the Milwaukee Brewers during his rookie season.

The move was necessary. Ahead of Wednesday’s series finale, the Royals placed Michael Massey on the 7-day concussion list.

Massey hit his head in Monday’s game. He made a defensive play but landed hard on the outfield turf at Rogers Centre. The Royals took the precaution as Massey deals with concussion symptoms.

The Royals also recalled relievers Jose Cuas and Anthony Gose from Triple-A Omaha on Thursday. Meanwhile, Mason Black headed back to the minors and Beck Way returned from his rehab assignment (sore shoulder).

What’s next?

Royals right-handed starter Michael Wacha (7-8, 3.49 ERA) will start Friday night against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. He will oppose Guardians righty Tanner Bibee (5-13, 3.97), with first pitch set for 6:10 p.m. Central.