Live Updates: Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Dodgers (Game One)

The Kansas City Royals, currently standing at 40-30, will take on the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, who boast a 42-28 record, in a highly anticipated game at Dodger Stadium. With the Royals trailing the Cleveland Guardians by 5.5 games in the AL Central, every game is becoming increasingly pivotal.

The Royals will send left-hander Cole Ragans to the mound. Ragans, with a 4-4 record, a 3.08 ERA, and 98 strikeouts, has been a steady presence in Kansas City's rotation. His performance will be critical in stifling a strong Dodgers lineup.

Opposing him will be Dodgers right-hander Gavin Stone. Stone has been impressive this season, holding a 7-2 record with a 2.93 ERA and 53 strikeouts. Known for his command and ability to overpower hitters, Stone presents a formidable challenge for the Royals' offense.

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Live Updates:

FINAL — Dodgers 4, Royals 3.

Ninth Inning:

In the top of the 9th inning, Vinnie Pasquantino grounded out to second baseman Miguel Rojas, who threw to first baseman Freddie Freeman for the first out. Freddy Fermin followed with a groundout to shortstop Mookie Betts, who threw to Freeman for the second out. Nick Loftin lined out to right fielder Teoscar Hernández for the final out, securing the Dodgers' 4-3 victory over the Royals. FINAL: Dodgers 4, Royals 3.

Eighth Inning:

In the top of the eighth inning, the Dodgers made a pitching change, bringing in Daniel Hudson to replace Gavin Stone. Facing the Royals' lineup, Hudson started strong, inducing a groundout from Bobby Witt Jr. Maikel Garcia followed with a strikeout, and Kyle Isbel grounded out to end the half inning. Freddie Freeman led off with a single for Los Angeles, driving in Mookie Betts to extend the Dodgers' lead to 4-3. Dodgers 4, Royals 3.

Seventh Inning:

In the top of the seventh inning, Nick Loftin flew out to shortstop Mookie Betts for the first out. MJ Melendez followed with a fly out to center fielder Andy Pages for the second out. Drew Waters then grounded out to first baseman Freddie Freeman, ending the inning. In the bottom of the 7th inning, Teoscar Hernández walked, putting him on first base. Miguel Rojas then singled to right field. Andy Pages hit into a double play, with Bobby Witt Jr. to Nick Loftin to Freddie Freeman, getting Teoscar Hernández out at first. The inning ended with Enrique Hernández flying out to left field.

Sixth Inning:

In the sixth inning, Royals' Vinnie Pasquantino flew out to right fielder Teoscar Hernández for the first out. Next, Salvador Perez flew out to left fielder Chris Taylor for the second out. Finally, Adam Frazier struck out swinging, ending the inning with three outs. In the bottom half, things got a bit tough for Will Smith as he grounded into a double play. Bobby Witt Jr. made a quick play to Nick Loftin, who then fired the ball to Vinnie Pasquantino, getting Shohei Ohtani out at second and Will Smith out at first, ending the inning.

Fifth Inning:

MJ Melendez started the inning with a walk, putting a runner on base for the Royals. Drew Waters then flew out to right fielder Teoscar Hernández for the first out. Maikel Garcia followed with a single to left field, advancing Kyle Isbel to third base and putting runners on the corners. Isbel had reached first on a single earlier in the inning. Kyle Isbel then grounded into a force out, shortstop Mookie Betts to second baseman Miguel Rojas, with MJ Melendez out at second base. Isbel reached first, loading the bases. However, the Royals couldn't capitalize further as Bobby Witt Jr. flew out to center fielder Andy Pages, ending the inning. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Dodgers made a strong comeback. Teoscar Hernández started with a strikeout, the first out of the inning. Andy Pages then singled on a ground ball to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. Miguel Rojas followed with a two-run homer to left field, bringing in Pages and giving the Dodgers a 3-2 lead. Enrique Hernández grounded out, pitcher Cole Ragans to first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino, for the second out. Chris Taylor then hit a solo home run to left-center field, tying the game at 3-3. Mookie Betts ended the inning with a strikeout, swinging, for the third out. This tied the game as they headed into the sixth inning. Dodgers 3, Royals 3.

Fourth Inning:

In the top of the inning, the Royals started with Maikel Garcia's single to left field. Bobby Witt Jr. grounded out, advancing Garcia to second, and a wild pitch by Gavin Stone pushed Garcia to third. Vinnie Pasquantino walked, setting up Salvador Perez for a dramatic three-run homer to left field, bringing in Garcia and Pasquantino and extending the Royals' lead to 3-0. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Will Smith started for the Dodgers but quickly flew out to right fielder Drew Waters. Shohei Ohtani then sparked some hope with a sharp ground ball single to right field, but the momentum was short-lived as Freddie Freeman grounded into a force out, eliminating Ohtani at second but securing first base for himself. A wild pitch by Cole Ragans allowed Freeman to advance to second, but the inning ended there for the Dodgers. Royals 3, Dodgers 0.

Third Inning:

Kansas City tried to get something going. MJ Melendez started things off with a single, lining a hit to center field. But then he got a little too ambitious and was caught stealing second base. The Dodgers made a slick play with pitcher Gavin Stone and shortstop Mookie Betts working together to get him out. Drew Waters then flew out to Chris Taylor in left field, and Kyle Isbel grounded out sharply to Mookie Betts, who made the throw to Freddie Freeman at first. The Royals still couldn't get a run across. The Dodgers stepped up to bat. Miguel Rojas flew out to MJ Melendez in left field. Enrique Hernández struck out swinging. Then Chris Taylor grounded out, with Nick Loftin making a nice play at second to throw him out at first. However, there was an on-field delay during the inning. Despite the hiccup, the inning ended without any damage. Still no score as we head to the fourth.

Second Inning:

Kansas City was back at the plate, but the struggle continued. Salvador Perez grounded out to second baseman Miguel Rojas, who tossed it to Freddie Freeman at first. Adam Frazier hit a line drive, but it was snagged by Andy Pages in center field. Nick Loftin struck out looking, and the Royals were quickly back on defense. The Dodgers didn't fare much better. Will Smith hit a sharp fly ball that was caught by MJ Melendez in left field. Teoscar Hernández struck out swinging, and then Andy Pages popped out to Salvador Perez in foul territory behind the plate. Three more outs and we are on to the third inning.

First Inning:

The Royals didn't get off to a great start. Maikel Garcia hit a fly ball that was caught by Teoscar Hernández in right field. Then Bobby Witt Jr. popped out to Mookie Betts at shortstop. Finally, Vinnie Pasquantino's fly ball ended up in the glove of Andy Pages in center field. Three quick outs for Kansas City. The Dodgers came up to bat but couldn't do much either. Mookie Betts grounded out to shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., who made a nice throw to Vinnie Pasquantino at first. Then Shohei Ohtani did the same thing, grounding out to Witt Jr. and Pasquantino. Freddie Freeman followed suit with a groundout to Maikel Garcia at third, who also threw it to Pasquantino at first. Three groundouts in a row and the inning is over.

Pregame:

First pitch is slated for 9:10 p.m. CT

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