It took until there were two outs in the eighth, but the Kansas City Royals finally found an offensive spark to get past Miami, defeating the Marlins 5-1 on Wednesday afternoon at Kauffman Stadium.

The Royals had struck out eight times, including twice with two outs and runners in scoring position, to give the NL East’s fifth-place squad hope that pitching would carry the day. That would change when Bobby Witt Junior belted a triple with two outs in the eighth, then tied the game on Vinnie Pasquantino’s single. Salvador Perez brought in pinch runner Dairon Blanco with a double to take the lead. Singles by Nick Loftin and Freddy Fermin added to the score, as the Royals scored at least five runs in an inning for the tenth time at home this season.

The late offensive burst turned Brady Singer’s solid start into a no-decision, as the Marlins’ two-out RBI single in the second was the only other score of the game. Singer allowed that run on five hits and one walk while striking out five. Angel Zerpa came in for Singer with one out in the eighth and was credited with the win.

The Royals picked up some crucial momentum with the win, now sitting nine games behind Cleveland in the AL Central as the Guardians make their way to The K for a critical four-game series beginning Thursday.  Pregame on KMMO begins at 6:30 p.m., with first pitch at 7:10 p.m.