Kansas City Royals at Cincinnati Reds: Final Score & Recap
Line Score
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KC | 1 | 2 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 15 | 0 |
| CIN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
The Story
The Kansas City Royals routed the Cincinnati Reds 13-1 at Great American Ball Park on August 17, 2024, a result that pushed the DiamondIQ model's estimate of a Cincinnati win from 47% before first pitch all the way to 0% by the final out. Kansas City scored in each of the first five innings, with a seven-run third inning serving as the decisive blow that rendered the outcome a foregone conclusion well before the middle frames.
The game's most consequential individual contributions came in the first two innings, when Dairon Blanco turned the contest decisively in Kansas City's favor. His home run off Nick Lodolo in the second inning shifted win probability by plus-8.2 percentage points, and he followed with another home run in the third inning, this one off Buck Farmer, adding another plus-5.9 points. Blanco finished as the game's top performer by a wide margin, accumulating plus-14.1% in WPA and a RE24 of plus-5.2. A Jeimer Candelario flyout off Michael Wacha in the bottom of the second represented Cincinnati's best opportunity to slow the momentum, carrying a minus-7.2% swing, but the Reds could not capitalize on runners in scoring position throughout the evening. Hunter Renfroe also contributed meaningfully, posting plus-5.3% WPA, highlighted by a third-inning walk off Lodolo worth plus-4.8 points in a rally that had already grown unmanageable for the home side.
On the mound, Michael Wacha was the central figure for Kansas City, finishing with plus-13.0% WPA to lead all pitchers. Cincinnati committed three errors across the game, compounding the damage from a Royals lineup that collected 15 hits. The model leans toward describing this as a comprehensive performance in which Kansas City's offense and starting pitching combined to eliminate any realistic path to a Reds comeback after the third inning concluded.