Witt Homers as Royals Beat Diamondbacks 5-2

Bobby Witt Jr. just wrecked Arizona's night with one swing in the fifth. Witt launched a tiebreaking three-run homer and the Kansas City Royals beat the Diamondbacks 5-2 on Wednesday at Kauffman Stadium, avoiding a sweep after a 50-minute rain delay to start the game, per Reuters Field Level Media and ESPN.

Witt finished 2-for-4. The blast was his 18th homer of the season. Kansas City (65-82) salvaged the finale of a 3-6 homestand. Arizona (78-69) saw a four-game winning streak snap and slipped a half-game behind San Diego in the NL wild-card scramble.

Rain, early runs, then Witt's answer

The game finally started after the delay. John Rave scored in the second when catcher James McCann threw wildly on a steal of third. Carter Jensen made it 2-0 in the third, crushing a Zac Gallen slider for his 23rd homer. Nolan Arenado answered with a fourth-inning solo shot, his 23rd, and Ketel Marte's two-out single in the fifth tied it at 2-2 after Jordan Lawlar had reached.

Mike Soroka, activated Wednesday from a right-arm IL stint, inherited the mess. Isaac Collins singled. Jensen walked. Witt turned on a first-pitch sinker and cleared the left-field wall. Three-run shot. 5-2 Royals. The inning ended with the lead that would hold.

Bullpen locked it down

Daniel Lynch IV (5-5) earned the win with two runs allowed over five innings. Jose Cuas, Anthony Gose, Craig Kimbrel, and Nate Pearson (four saves) then stacked four scoreless frames. Arizona stranded nine and went 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position. Gallen, back from elbow inflammation, lasted 3 1/3 innings and allowed two runs (one earned).

It was the third straight series in which Kansas City won the finale to avoid a sweep. Witt remains the engine even in a counting-stats year that has been quieter than usual. One pitch from Soroka, and the whole series flipped.

For Royals fans, Wednesday was the reminder that Witt can still author the headline whenever the moment arrives. A rain delay, an early lead, a tie, then a three-run laser. Arizona's streak is over. Kansas City walks out of the homestand with one night worth keeping. Elsewhere in the league the boards were loud with Acuna's 200-200 chase and Arozarena going deep, but in Kansas City the story was simple: Witt cleared the wall, and the Royals won 5-2.

Witt's season counting numbers have been quieter than the highlight reels fans remember, but the swing still travels when he gets a mistake middle-in. Soroka's first pitch after the walk was that mistake. Collins and Jensen set the table. Witt finished the inning. For a club fighting through a rough record, nights like this are how you keep September from feeling empty. One delayed start, one early lead, one tie, and one swing that decided it.