Royals beat Blue Jays in shortened game after umpires stopped tarp from being used

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Royals grounds crew descended on the tarp ahead of the top of the sixth inning and began rolling it onto the field Thursday.

But Blue Jays manager John Schneider emerged from the dugout and asked the umpires to delay the rain delay at Kauffman Stadium. The grounds crew pushed the tarp back into its place down the right-field line. Seconds later, they started bringing it back out when they were stopped again by the umps.

Call it tarpus interruptus.

The grounds crew was given a new task: start spreading diamond dry on an infield that was in puddles.

But seven minutes later, the umpires regained their sanity, noting the futility of covering puddles in a rain storm. The tarp was brought back and put on the field, despite Schneider’s wishes.

Thirty minutes later, with the radar still a menacing mix of green, yellow and red, the game was called and the Royals came away with a 2-1 victory. The five-inning win gave the Royals a 3-1 series victory over the Blue Jays.

It was the Royals’ third straight victory and they have a 16-10 record.

Key moment

The United States Post Office should consider making Royals catcher Salvador Perez an honorary carrier.

“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” is often associated with postal workers, but it also applies to Perez.

Perez seemed unbothered by the rain Thursday as he clubbed a two-run homer in the first inning, giving the Royals all the runs they needed in the game.

This was estimated at 404 feet.

That gave Perez 837 career RBIs, which tied him with Mike Sweeney for the fifth-most in Royals history.

Perez has also played in winter conditions. It was in the 2013 when snow forced a Royals-Rays game to be suspended.

What’s next

The Royals will open a six-day road trip Friday in Detroit. Because the NFL draft is in the Motor City, the Royals-Tigers game Friday will start at 12:10 p.m. Seth Lugo gets the start for the Royals. Reese Olson will be on the mound for the Tigers. The game will air on Bally Sports Kansas City and the MLB Network.