Salvador Perez and Kris Bubic propel Royals to critical win over Marlins

Jaylon Thompson, The Kansas City Star on Jul 20, 2025

Published in Baseball

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After a slow start following the All-Star break, the Kansas City Royals found themselves in an untenable situation against the Miami Marlins.

The Royals were staring down the barrel of a series sweep on the road. Their upcoming slate was no easier, with the Chicago Cubs awaiting to finish a six-game road trip. Kansas City needed positive momentum and Sunday’s game was as close to a must-win as possible.

And the Royals got it done.

The club dispatched the Marlins 7-4 at LoanDepot Park behind clutch hitting throughout the lineup. Jac Caglianone and Jonathan India each provided two-run doubles and Salvador Perez capped the victory with a solo homer.

“Salvy is incredible,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro told local reporters in Miami. “What he has done for his career and what he is doing right now, he is a Hall of Famer. And when he gets going in the middle of our order, that’s an enormous spark for us.”

Perez has hit six home runs in his last 10 games. His latest traveled 369 feet over the left-field wall.

The Royals finished 4 for 12 with runners in scoring position. They knocked around Marlins starter Janson Junk across five innings. He allowed six runs, including three apiece in the fourth and fifth innings.

Things were a lot smoother for Royals starter Kris Bubic. The 2025 All-Star shut down the Marlins across five innings. He allowed three hits and registered two strikeouts before handing the game over to the Royals’ bullpen.

“Getting those early runs, it’s always nice to pitch with a good lead like that,” Bubic said postgame, via FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City. “Good to give us to innings there and the bullpen wrapped it up.”

A relief quartet of Steven Cruz, Taylor Clarke, Sam Long and Andrew Hoffmann finished the game on the mound, but not before the Marlins (46-52) scored four runs against Hoffman in the ninth and created a save situation.

Kansas City turned to All-Star closer Carlos Estévez to shut the door. He retired Liam Hicks to secure his 26th save of the season.

“We don’t want to bring him in, but we know he is going to be ready,” Quatraro said. “It’s why we have him, to put out fires like that. We are comfortable bringing him in high-leverage situations. We didn’t want it to get to that point, clearly, but that’s the way the game unfolded.”

The Royals (48-52) salvaged a series victory in Miami and are five games behind the Boston Red Sox for the final American League wild-card spot.

Harvey continues progression

The Royals could get some bullpen reinforcements soon. On Sunday, the club announced right-handed reliever Hunter Harvey will continue his rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Per MLB.com reporter Anne Rogers, Harvey is set to throw around 20 pitches against the Tulsa Drillers at ONEOK Field.

Harvey hasn’t pitched since April 7 against the Minnesota Twins. He is currently on the 60-day injured list with a right teres major strain.

What’s ahead

The Royals now head to Wrigley Field for a three-game series against the Cubs. Kansas City will start left-hander Noah Cameron on Monday and righty Seth Lugo on Wednesday.

There is some uncertainty surrounding Tuesday’s starter. The Royals could decide to throw a bullpen game or call up another option from Triple-A Omaha.

Royals manager Matt Quatraro will evaluate the bullpen’s availability before announcing a decision.

The Royals have two starting pitchers — Cole Ragans and Michael Lorenzen — on the injured list. Ragans has a left rotator cuff strain and Lorenzen is dealing with a left oblique strain.

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