By Hal McCoy
Those were not the 2015 World Series champion Kansas City Royals on the Great American Ball Park playing field the last three days.
The Cincinnati Reds just made them look like the 2015 World Series winners instead of a team 15 games under .500.
The Reds wasted another top-shelf pitching performance from Chase Burns because their offense was as dormant and dead as Tyrannosaurus Rex.
And there also was The Tony Santillan Factor.
The Royals applied a 5-2 win over the Reds Wednesday night and took the series two games to one.
Burns gave up a walk and a home run to Vinnie Pasquantino in the first inning, then nothing more.
He pitched six innings and gave up those two runs, one walk and struck out nine. It was his eighth straight game of giving up two or fewer runs.
The performance came after illness pushed Burns’ start back two days from his scheduled start Monday.
“Like D.J (pitching coach Derek Johnson) said, he looked a little sluggish even when he was warming up,” said Reds manager Tito Francona.
“And it showed in the first inning, but after he gave up the home run that took the sluggish away. He was (ticked) and then he was really good.”
When Burns walked the second batter and the third one hit a home run, it was evident Burns was burned up about it,out of sorts.
“Yeah, after walking Bobby (Witt Jr.) and giving up the bomb (to Pasquantino), that definitely (ticked) me off,” he said. “I just can’t walk somebody like that then miss my spot.
“That kinda (ticked) me off and helped me the rest of the game,” he said, indicating that those two hitters grabbed his attention and his focus the rest of th way.
But the Reds were helpless against Kansas City starter Steven Kolek. Blake Dunn rocketed a two-run home run in the fifth inning to tie it, 2-2.
And that was it. Nothing more.
Asked if the offensive blahs is due to Elly De La Cruz’s absence and if the team is trying too hard, trying to do too much, Francona said, “The offense is harder for us than we want it to be sometimes.
“Having Elly is great, but I don’t think it is because he is not in there,” he added.
It remained anchored at 2-2 until the ninth inning and the much-battered Santillian took the mound.
At the time, both teams were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position.
Santillan’s first pitch to Jac Caglianone was ripped into right field for a single.
The Royals went smallball at this point and had Isaac Collins bunt pinch-runner Tyler Tolbert to second base.
Michael Murphy battled Santillan for 10 pitches and the 10th pitch was belted into center field to score Tolbert.
It was 3-2 and still reachable for the Reds against Kansas City’s highly suspect bullpen. But the next batter, Nick Loftin, crushed a two-run home run and it was 5-2.
Santillan has give up seven home runs in his last 11 appearances.
“It’s location. . .and it may be different at different times,” said Francona, trying to explain the Santillan phenomenon.
“Against the right-hand hitter (Loftin’s home run), he didn’t locate his fastball where he wanted to,” Francona added. “The other day it was the same thing with a right-handed hitter. And at times his breaking ball has been in and out.”
With the bullpen depleted by injuries and populated by a gaggle of Triple-A plug-ins, Francona realizes that Santillan has to find the method that made him successful last season.
“We’re at the point where we need some stability,” said Francona. “And he’s the guy, so we’re gonna have to figure it out. Do we pick out spots with him? We tried to do that before, but with everybody going down it has been a little more difficult.”
Both teams stranded eight and the Reds were 0 for 5 with runners in scoring position. Kansas City also stranded eight and was 1 for 5 with runners in scoring position — Massey’s tie-breaking ninth-inning single.
After Kansas City scored three in the top of the ninth, Spencer Steer doubled to open the bottom of the ninth and continued his getting on base streak to 22 games.
Will Benson struck out and Francona sent Edwin Arroyo up to pinch-hit for Tyler Stephenson. At that point, Arroyo was 1 for 6 with four strikeouts.
He was called out on a full count and has struck out five times in seven at bats for his just-started MLB career.
Francona then sent just-recalled Noelvi Marte to pinch-hit for Matt McLain (3-for-34). Marte was called up from Triple-A Louisville and TJ Friedl was optioned to the Bats.
Marte also worked a full count, but he walked to put two on with two outs.
Could Blake Dunn do it again, or a least tie it. His walk-of single in the 10th inning won Tuesday’s game. A home runs would tie this game.
Dunn flied meekly to center field to end it and the Reds continue to find themselves in last place in the National League Central
They are seven games behind the division-leading Milwaukee Brewers and one game behind the fourth-place Chicago Cubs.