Troy Melton pitched decently in a losing effort against the Royals on Friday night, surrendering three runs (two earned) on six hits across his 5 2/3 innings of work.

Melton struck out three batters in the ballgame while issuing three walks. The Royals scratched out an unearned run against him in the fourth inning, then Melton served up solo homers to Kyle Isbel in the fifth and Vinnie Pasquantino in the sixth. The 25-year-old righty got nine whiffs on 94 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of only 20 percent. He’ll look to get back in the win column as he carries a spectacular 1.60 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and a 76/28 K/BB ratio (90 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Rays.