For 5 2/3 innings on Wednesday night, Royals manager Ned Yost grabbed the steering wheel of a depleted bullpen and tried to navigate the car home safely.
For more than five innings, there were potholes and pitching changes and tense moments in a crucial rubber match against the New York Yankees. By the end, the bullpen ran out of gas as a Kansas City offense came up empty.
Reliever Chris Young cracked in the top of the 13th. The Royals absorbed a gutting 5-4 loss at Kauffman Stadium, losing in extra innings for the second straight night.