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Drayage Brokersin Kansas City, MO

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Because a drayage load can mean a few different things, confusion among carriers is common. Many carriers link drayage with going into a port, but that isn't always true. While all drayage loads typically originate from a port of entry, there are often several legs of a drayage journey before a container turns up at its final stop. Legs of a drayage load may include:

Why Are Drayage Companies in Kansas City, MO So Important?

You may be thinking, what's so important about drayage? It's such a small step in the container storage transport process. In reality, it's an integral piece needed in the logistics industry and a crucial part of U.S. supply chain management.

To truly understand the importance of drayage, let's use flowers as an example. Most cut flower shipments enter the market from areas in South America until they end up at Dutch auction houses. Once there, wholesalers purchase flowers in bulk and send those products to retail outlets worldwide. Because flowers are perishable, they typically need to be refrigerated and are often shipped in reefer containers. These refrigerated vessels must maintain a certain temp to prevent loss.

Drayage companies like RelyEx allow flower shippers to send their products from Argentinian ports to airports in the Netherlands with peace of mind because their products are protected. The only way to accomplish this feat is with the help of swift, meticulous port drayage services. Drayage companies allow flower shippers to send their products from Argentinian ports to airports in the Netherlands with peace of mind, because their products are protected. The only way to accomplish this feat is with the help of swift, meticulous port drayage services.

If port drayage is compromised, it can cause delays and even fines. You know the packages you get delivered to your front door from apps like Amazon? Without drayage and drayage brokers, one or two-day shipping times wouldn't even be possible.

As a multi-billion-dollar industry in the U.S. alone, it seems like drayage shipping issues shouldn't exist. But the fact is inefficiencies and congestion are still major problems at ports. Whether it's a lack of carriers, absent chassis, or overburdened terminals, delays lead to missed deadlines, lost revenue, and worse.

But anytime challenges exist, so too do innovative solutions.

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RelyEx Solves Problems

At RelyEx, we like to consider ourselves problem solvers. The nature of the container drayage industry presents new challenges every day, but we're firm believers that there's a solution to every hurdle we encounter. And while some drayage businesses implement a reactive approach, RelyEx customers choose us for our proactive mindset. We take pride in solving your company's drayage challenges to help you avoid frustrating fees, missed expectations, and delayed shipments. We strive to make every transaction successful and streamlined by partnering with shippers who prioritize transparent, prompt, and accurate communication.

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RelyEx Has a Unique Vantage Point

RelyEx approaches your business from the customer's perspective - a unique approach that helps us provide high-quality, effective drayage services. We've been in the customers' shoes, know their pain points, and because of that, provide first-hand solutions to stressful supply chain issues. With over 30 years of collective knowledge, our team excels in:

  • Inventory Management
  • Logistics
  • Purchasing
  • Finance

Our varied, high-level drayage shipping experience helps us achieve our overarching goal: expertly managing your freight movement needs. That way, you can direct your time and focus on growing the core aspects of your business while we handle the heavy lifting. Throw in proactive planning to avoid bottleneck situations and strong communication for transparent customer relations, and you can see why so many companies trust RelyEx.

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RelyEx Nurtures Strong Carrier Relationships

When it comes to shipping logistics, it only takes one mistake by a mediocre worker to disrupt your business. That's why, at RelyEx, we pride ourselves on forming and nurturing relationships with carriers who match our standards of care. Our founding partner started his career transporting freight for companies as an on-demand carrier. He uses that knowledge to maximize the resources of our carriers so that our customer's expectations aren't just met - they're exceeded.

Based in the port city of Kansas City, RelyEx has a keen understanding of the challenges of managing the inbound and outbound flow of containers. Our team of container drayage experts provides your business with unique solutions to nuanced shipping problems, minimizing demurrage and ensuring the successful delivery of your freight.

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Customers choose RelyEx because:

  • We are a reliable drayage logistics partner that manages your freight from beginning to end
  • We have a rare industry vantage point with 30+ years of client-side experience
  • We foster and fortify the strongest vendor relations
  • We take a proactive approach to problem-solving, not a reactive approach
Let us know how we can help.
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Container Services Kansas City, MO

Your Drayage Shipments Managed from Start to Finish

Some drayage brokers don't care how customers feel about their service as long as they sign a contract and get paid. As a solutions-oriented team, RelyEx takes the opposite approach. We're motivated by the opportunity to overachieve for our customers and to provide them with the best logistics experience possible. With professional experience as carriers and shippers ourselves, we know the roadblocks and challenges you're facing. We excel at mapping out the best plans of action to solve those problems. But that's just the start.

Our tracking experts monitor and manage every aspect of your drayage shipment from booking to delivery, 24/7. Once booked, we look for the availability of your containers hourly once they're at port. When they arrive, our team acts quickly to access your storage containers when they're available.

Plus, RelyEx ensures your company's requirements are met by the carrier during loading and delivery and provide necessary documentation as fast as possible. With real-time tracking updates and access to our customer service professionals, your team has complete visibility throughout the shipping process.

We Source Top-Notch Operators at the Best Prices

Over the years, RelyEx has built a strong network of drayage carriers, transloading locations, and container storage spaces to provide you with the best possible options to match your drayage service needs. We know that searching for quality service presents an added layer of complexity and stress to our customers. That's why we work hard to take that off your plate by connecting you with our reliable shipping partners.

With a background moving freight as an on-demand carrier, our founding partner understands how to maximize the resources and equipment of our carriers to match your needs.

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We Make Transparent, Timely Communication a Priority

Like other industries, the global logistics space is complex. Mistakes will be made, and problems will happen. With those truths in mind, RelyEx has built its reputation as problem solvers. Unlike other drayage companies, we don't shy away from this industry's complexities because we take pride in solving problems. Even better, we aim to do what's needed to avoid those problems altogether.

As your logistics partner, we will provide your company with accurate, transparent, and prompt communication. If there are unexpected issues, we'll notify you immediately and will provide several options to remedy the problem. We even offer custom reporting for large clients who need at-the-moment updates and quick access to shipment documentation.

We Have Robust Project Management Experience

Why let the unpredictability of your industry dictate your success? With a background working in manufacturing, our founders are familiar with the demands of managing production schedules and sales orders. That experience makes it abundantly clear to us that every business and industry is different. If you struggle with seasonal surges or other factors, our team supports your business with a mapped-out plan and schedule, so you stay ahead of the game.

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Paperwork Errors

Typically, shippers need four specific documents to clear shipments through customs: A Bill of Lading (or BOL), a commercial invoice, a packing list, and an arrival notice. Seasoned drayage brokers like RelyEx are used to preparing these documents, but new shippers tend to miss this step due to inexperience.

Payment Delays

If a shipper only pays for part of their shipment, a vessel operator may refuse to release their freight until their bill is fully paid. Payment delays lead to cargo detention at the port of entry, which triggers demurrage charges.

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Documents Received Too Late

Paperwork is needed when you're shipping goods with a drayage company. When documents like the Certificate of Origin or Bill of Lading arrive at their destination late, you can expect demurrage fees. RelyEx avoids this situation entirely by being proactive when submitting paperwork.

Additional causes for demurrage fees can include:

  • Damaged Container Storage
  • Custom Released Containers
  • Storage Containers Are Too Heavy

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RelyEx:

The Supply Chain Partner You Can Count On

At RelyEx, we know first-hand how stressful supply chain problems can be for business owners. Though drayage shipping might seem minor on the surface, it affects every stage of your shipping process. And when inevitable hurdles manifest, RelyEx propels you over the proverbial roadblocks with a proactive mindset and a passion for challenging projects. We believe that all problems have a solution, and our unique vantage point allows us to provide first-hand solutions to customers in a wide array of industries.

When it comes to your business, don't settle for anything less than RelyEx. Contact our office today to learn more about how we make your shipping experience streamlined and stress-free.

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Latest News in Kansas City, MO

A royal for every Mariner in Seattle’s 6-5 win over Kansas City

You’d think being a princess would come with some sort of authority, or at least a little soft power. But Princess Peach is among the most bureaucratically inept characters who isn’t purposefully satirical. I don’t mean to victim-blame here, but how does she keep not only getting kidnapped but also having to rely on a plumber to rescue her? How about reforming your national security apparatus? It really should be within the control of a pitcher as powerful as Luis Castillo to carve through a lineup with a team wRC+ of 87, b...

You’d think being a princess would come with some sort of authority, or at least a little soft power. But Princess Peach is among the most bureaucratically inept characters who isn’t purposefully satirical. I don’t mean to victim-blame here, but how does she keep not only getting kidnapped but also having to rely on a plumber to rescue her? How about reforming your national security apparatus? It really should be within the control of a pitcher as powerful as Luis Castillo to carve through a lineup with a team wRC+ of 87, but he kept getting hit hard, allowing four runs and only getting six whiffs on his 99 pitches. Still, just like Mario bails out Peach, the Mariners’ lineup bailed out Castillo.

It’s not great, but it gets the job done just fine and at bargain prices.

You’re looking for a dominant performance? Look no further than Ty France. France came into the evening with a 244 wRC+ against the Royals, and he somehow bumped that number up tonight. He’s now the best visiting hitter in the history of Kauffman Stadium with at least 30 ABs, going 18 for 33. He reached all five times tonight, including three walks. Talk about a Kansas City BBQ.

When Jack and Liz are trying to get Tracy’s wife out of their hair in a mid-series episode of 30 Rock, it dawns on them to give her a reality show. Eventually we actually got to see two full episodes of the show within a show, Queen of Jordan, even as Angie was never a regular character on 30 Rock itself. But they were my favorite episodes even if they weren’t the best. We haven’t seen Sam Haggerty much this year, but when we have, I’ve always been so excited. He showed why tonight, reaching twice as a pinch hitter. It’s his way till payday.

Slept through all the important parts of the story.

Princess Leia is a diplomat (Good Vibes Only!) and a warrior. Where Leia is able to command a space force and pick up a phaser herself from time to time, Geno wields a cannon of an arm, making three good plays in a row tonight. He mimed putting his arm back in its holster after the third play, a strong throw to nab the speedy Bobby Witt, Jr.

Gold Glover Eugenio Suárez sounds pretty nice... just sayin'... pic.twitter.com/MSWABQ7BlQ

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 17, 2023

And of course, there’s the iconic hair.

Queens is home to the New York Mets, who came into the year with enormous expectations, but have flopped. Still, they’re not without their moments, like when Pete Alonso hit four home runs over a three game period. Teo had a rough game again today like most of the season, going 0 for 3 and leaving five runners on base all by himself. But he did pick up an important RBI on a sac fly in the eighth.

In Aretha’s biggest hit, she demands a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T. For the second night in a row, Speier pitched a scoreless inning against the team that put him on waivers. Sock it to him.

Prince was scheduled to perform the Halftime Show for Super Bowl XLI. The story goes that as it rained that day, he was warned about the impact it would have on his performance. His response was to ask, “Can you make it rain harder?” And the result was an unquestioned top 5 halftime show. What I’m saying is that Prince was a guy who knew how to put on a show. You know that’s our J-Rod, who opened the game tonight with a double, part of a four-hit night with two RBIs.

Two innings, two hits for @JRODshow44 pic.twitter.com/rUbM7iT3hY

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 17, 2023

King George VI was called the Accidental King. The second son, he wasn’t supposed to become king and never expected to be, but when his brother David abdicated in order to marry a divorcee, he stepped up and helped lead the Allies to victory in World War II. Dylan Moore was supposed to pinch hit for Josh Rojas tonight in order to get the matchup advantage after KC brought in a lefty reliever. But when Cabby was picked off before a pitch was thrown, it was too late to undo having put DMo in the game. Facing a northpaw to lead off the next inning, he reached on an error. He really wasn’t supposed to be on base. But he ended up being exactly the right man for the moment, as his baserunning helped him score from third on a very shallow sac fly, just barely evading Salvador Perez’s tag at the plate. It was the run that put the Mariners up for good, and the key moment of the game, earning him tonight’s Sun Hat Award.

Louis XIX was the King of France for literally 20 minutes. Nothing of consequence happened during his reign.

The main character of A League of Their Own was the Peaches’ star player who had a knack for spectacular moments. A catcher and power hitter, she hit some real bombs.

Don't blink! pic.twitter.com/T8tzhjnwY9

— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) August 17, 2023

Will Smith’s titular character from the 90s family sitcom spent his early years in West Philadelphia until he famously got into one little fight and his mom got scared. After moving in with his ultra-rich aunt and uncle, he was a fish out of water. Similarly, José Caballero is a bit of an odd fit for a regular MLB player, having spent most of his minor-league career as an org guy rather than a capital p prospect. But just like the Fresh Prince, he forged his own path. As Smith turned his school uniform jacket inside out, Cabby is getting on base with slap hitting and getting hit by pitches, and then he wreaks havoc once on base, having stolen his 20th base tonight. But for as cool as he made it look, Smith’s character was still just a kid with a lot to learn; so too was Cabby overly aggressive on the bases and got caught for the third out of an inning twice.

Game Of Thrones’ hero/villain possessed a nuclear grade weapon relative to her rivals, and she wasn’t afraid to use it. Where she had her multiple dragons, Matt Brash has his 100-mph heater and two breaking balls. But Daenerys spent much of the series unable to actually take the Iron Throne, and her dragons caused a lot of damage when they weren’t used judiciously. So too does Matt Brash tend not to be as dominant as someone with his weapons ought to make him. Usually, it’s been when he can’t land it in the zone, but tonight it was a home run from someone named Nelson Velázquez. It was still a nasty pitch, but the damage hurt, bringing the Royals to within one before Brash finished them off for his third save.

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Nine Things To Do In KC This Weekend, August 17-20

Here are nine great things to do in KC this weekend, August 17-20, including: performances from The Wallflowers, Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks and Incubus.KC Wine Co. Sunflower FestKC Wine Co. in Olathe is ready to rep the Sunflower State with pride as they eagerly await the stunning blooms this summer, giving guests the opportunity for close-up pictures and family-fun activities when they host the KC Sunflower Festi...

Here are nine great things to do in KC this weekend, August 17-20, including: performances from The Wallflowers, Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks and Incubus.

KC Wine Co. Sunflower Fest

KC Wine Co. in Olathe is ready to rep the Sunflower State with pride as they eagerly await the stunning blooms this summer, giving guests the opportunity for close-up pictures and family-fun activities when they host the KC Sunflower Festival for three consecutive weekends this August. The boutique winery invites visitors to celebrate Kansas agriculture while enjoying all the fun the farm has to offer—access to the sunflower field, photo opps, lawn games, a giant slide and live music, along with wine, cider, beer and festival food available for purchase.

Weekends during August 11–27. KC Pumpkin Patch.

Grand Horizons

Grand Horizons is a funny and touching play by Bess Wohl and directed by Dennis D. Hennessy. This 2020 Tony Award nominee for Best Play depicts the surprisingly amicable and hilarious end of Nancy and Bill’s fifty-year marriage and the fallout it causes within their family and retirement community.

August 16–20, 23–28, 31–September 3. City Stage in Union Station.

Hembree

KC-based indie rockers Hembree are playing at KC’s favorite rooftop in support of their second album, It’s A Dream!. Possessing a funky loose rhythm and emotional lyrics, the album is full of fun summer anthemsand there’s no better way to celebrate the last weekends of summer than with a cocktail and panoramic city views.

August 17. 7 pm. Percheron.

The Wallflowers

Rock band The Wallflowers is best known as being fronted by singer-songwriter, instrumentalist and legend Bob Dylan’s son, Jakob Dylan. After a few sporadic albums over the last thirty-plus years and an ever-changing rotation of non-Dylan band members, the timelessness of hit “One Headlight” endures.

August 17. 8 pm. Uptown Theater.

End of Summer Flower Festival

Colonial Gardens is hosting an end-of-summer celebration for families and friends. Falling on the same day as National Honey Bee Day, this End of Summer Flower Festival celebrates the beauty of nature with family-friendly activities like flower and apple picking, opportunities to feed the alpacas, an orchard tour aboard a military vehicle, and local foods from Joker B’s BBQ and Martin City Brewing Company and a Flower Crowns & Hats Workshop.

August 19. 10 am—3 pm. Colonial Gardens.

Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks

The Piano Man himself Billy Joel is joining fellow music legend and Fleetwood Mac member Stevie Nicks for a stadium tour. The seemingly at-odds duo will meld Joel’s New York pop on hits like “Uptown Girl” with Nicks’ croony, West Coast hippy songs like “Landslide” for an unforgettable night with two of the most influential musicians of all time.

August 19. 7 pm. GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Lil Durk

Chicago-native rapper, singer and songwriter Lil Durk has quickly made a name for himself in recent years after being featured on songs by big names like Drake and DJ Khaled. He’s making a stop in KC with uber-popular rappers Kodak Black, NLE Choppa and DD Osama in support of his star-studded newest album, Almost Healed.

August 19. 7 pm. T-Mobile Center.

Incubus

California-based Incubus has everything we needed from a rock band in the late nineties: a skinny, long-haired frontman in Brandon Boyd, care-free, beach-dude vibes and a radio hit in “Drive.” Now, without a new album or radio hit in recent years, the band is back touring, seemingly with the motto of their 2011 album titled If Not Now, When?

August 19. 7:30 pm. Azura Amphitheater.

Soulja Boy

Ask any millennial: Soulja Boy’s music takes us back to a simpler time where choreographed dances accompanied most songs and one-hit wonders could play on the airwaves or at a middle school dance with equal success. Although Soulja Boy hasn’t had hits like he did in the mid-aughts, he knows we need him now more than ever. He’s coming to KC with support from S.O.D. Money Gang.

August 20. 9 pm. The Truman.

France saves Mariners in 10th on wild night of 'scrappy baseball'

KANSAS CITY -- Ty France finally looks as locked in as ever in a season where he’s long been looking for his swing, and the Mariners couldn’t have used it at a better time than when his fourth hit of the night lifted the club to a 10-8 victory in the 10th inning on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.France ripped the go-ahead single on a first-...

KANSAS CITY -- Ty France finally looks as locked in as ever in a season where he’s long been looking for his swing, and the Mariners couldn’t have used it at a better time than when his fourth hit of the night lifted the club to a 10-8 victory in the 10th inning on Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium.

France ripped the go-ahead single on a first-pitch sweeper from Royals reliever Tucker Davidson, who’d just struck out Eugenio Suárez to put a bases-loaded opportunity in peril. The up-the-middle knock was textbook of Seattle’s first baseman when at his best -- hunting the precise pitch he connected with, staying on time and landing it just out of the defender’s reach.

“It's just kind of the group we are,” France said. “We kind of just have to play scrappy baseball.”

That moment salvaged a night where the Mariners blew a 7-0 lead after crushing four homers in the fourth inning alone, only to watch the last-place Royals spoil what was shaping up to be a runaway win with a late rally for the second straight night.

And again, a bullpen that’s been among MLB’s best was at the center of the late-innings drama.

Andrés Muñoz surrendered three unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth that tied the game while struggling to find the plate and serving as a victim of a few costly defensive miscues behind him.

Josh Rojas’ throwing error allowed leadoff man Nelson Velázquez to reach, then Muñoz walked Samad Taylor and Bobby Witt Jr. to set up Salvador Perez for a game-tying RBI knock that sent the game to extras. In between, Rojas couldn’t convert a double play that extended the rally.

But in the end, the Mariners avoided what would’ve tied a season-long losing streak at four games.

“They've bailed us out all year, so tonight was big,” France said of the bullpen. “I think more times than not, they're going to pick us up, so we really needed to do that for them.”

Muñoz, who hadn’t pitched since Sunday’s balk-impacted outing that led to a loss, threw a season-high 42 pitches and experienced a 1.4 mph velocity downtick on his fastball, which limited him to just three swings and misses and led to seven balls in play from the nine batters he faced.

Muñoz was summoned for a five-out save attempt after Justin Topa surrendered consecutive singles in the eighth. And after Matt Brash’s two-run ninth inning in Monday’s walk-off loss, Seattle’s two highest-leverage relievers tasked with filling the role vacated by Paul Sewald have blown saves in consecutive games.

“I think the biggest thing that we're learning, and they're learning as you go through these things, is emotions run high. ... We haven't been able to finish hitters off,” manager Scott Servais said. “Getting good chases out of the zone and whatnot, we've struggled with that, and that's about execution.”

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Tuesday’s game was saved by an offense that continues to exhibit the late-innings magic they’d been seeking and also generated production early.

Beyond France, Teoscar Hernández finished with a career-high-tying five hits -- also a season high for the Mariners -- and all of his contact was loud. He crushed an 111.5 mph opposite-field homer in the fourth, a 106.3 mph double in the seventh, a 98.8 mph single in the fifth and a 99 mph single in the second.

“I've been thinking about it because I've been swinging and missing a lot,” Hernández said. “Early in the season, I had a lot of strikeouts, and I think for me it's time to cut that down and just try to put the ball more in play.”

Tuesday marked just the third time in franchise history that the Mariners hit four homers in one inning, the others being May 2, 2002, against the White Sox (the Mike Cameron and Bret Boone game) and Sept. 21, 1996, against Oakland.

France has now homered thrice in his past 10 games, which followed a 34-game streak without leaving the yard. But he’s looked much more like himself over the past few weeks, with a slash line of .339/.427/.559 (.986 OPS) over 17 games dating back to July 28.

Suárez has now homered three times this month after hitting that many over his previous 20 games. In this stretch, he’s regained the team RBI lead with 76.

And Rojas, who began his Mariners tenure 0-for-14, made his trident debut to cap the rally, one night after he ripped a game-tying hit with two outs in the ninth.

M’s cough up another 9th-inning lead, but Ty France delivers in 10th

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The official save goes to Mariners reliever Tayler Saucedo, the first of his big-league career, after he pitched a scoreless 10th inning to preserve a tense 10-8 victory over the Royals on Tuesday night.An unofficial save ought to go to Ty France, whose two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th staved off what would have been the Mariners’ most humiliating loss of the season.The Mariners had built a 7-0 lead against one of the worst teams in baseball, after all.Going forward, though, t...

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The official save goes to Mariners reliever Tayler Saucedo, the first of his big-league career, after he pitched a scoreless 10th inning to preserve a tense 10-8 victory over the Royals on Tuesday night.

An unofficial save ought to go to Ty France, whose two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th staved off what would have been the Mariners’ most humiliating loss of the season.

The Mariners had built a 7-0 lead against one of the worst teams in baseball, after all.

Going forward, though, the larger question lingers: Who will the Mariners turn to for their next save opportunity?

For the second night in a row, the Mariners coughed up a ninth-inning lead. On Monday, Matt Brash couldn’t hold a one-run lead in a 7-6 loss to the Royals in the series opener.

On Tuesday, the Mariners’ other young flame-thrower, Andres Munoz, couldn’t close out a three-run lead after being asked to record the first five-out save of his career.

Two weeks after sending veteran closer Paul Sewald to Arizona in a trade-deadline deal, the Mariners suddenly have a ninth-inning conundrum.

Are they asking too much for from their two young relievers?

“They’re the best guys we have [in the bullpen],” manager Scott Servais said. “… We need to get better. You go through these lulls, so to speak. You learn from it and move forward. The stuff’s still really good. We just need to execute better in [those] spots.”

Munoz, who missed two months early in the season with a shoulder injury, hadn’t been asked to record more than three outs in any game this season. But after being called on to get the final two outs of the eighth — stranding two runners on base — Munoz was back out to pitch the bottom of the ninth.

The inning got off to an inauspicious start when a throw from second baseman Josh Rojas pulled France off first base.

With one out, Munoz walked light-hitting Samad Taylor to bring the tying run to the plate.

Maikel Garcia grounded out on a chopper up the middle. Rojas tried to turn a double play, but Taylor slid in just ahead of the force at second.

With two outs, that brought up Bobby Witt Jr., whose fifth-inning grand slam off Mariners rookie starter Emerson Hancock had brought the Royals within 7-5.

Witt fouled off the first 3-2 pitch, a slider, and then walked on the seventh pitch from Munoz, a sinker that missed well inside.

Michael Massey followed with a sharp single up the middle to drive in two runs, cutting the Mariners’ lead to 8-7.

Salvador Perez, on a 1-2 pitch, hit a 98-mph fastball near the top of the zone for a single to left field. That scored Witt from second to tie the score at 8-8.

Munoz faced nine batters, throwing a career-high 42 pitches (26 strikes) to record five outs.

All three of the runs he allowed in the ninth were unearned.

It’s the second time this season that the Mariners have blown a 7-0 lead. They also did it in a 14-9 loss April 11 at the Chicago Cubs.

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The Mariners had one of the biggest collapses in franchise history in their previous trip to Kansas City, blowing a nine-run lead in a 13-12 loss Sept. 25, a stunning letdown that was surely lingering in the back of their minds in a similar situation Tuesday night.

“Kauffman Stadium has its challenges for us, for sure,” Servais said, adding, “I joked around with our team afterward: We can screw some [stuff] up, but we don’t give up.”

Saucedo, continuing his breakthrough season at age 30, retired all three batters he faced in the 10th for his first save, and the Mariners (64-55) snapped a three-game losing skid to remain two games back of Toronto for the American League’s final wild-card spot.

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“That was pretty cool, pretty special, to do it in a Mariners uniform,” said Saucedo, a Tahoma High School product. “At the end of the day, I still have a job to do, no matter what inning it is.”

The Mariners offense, quiet for much of the previous three days while playing without leadoff hitter J.P. Crawford (concussion), broke through with seven runs on four home runs in the fourth inning.

France went 4 for 6 to continue his productive August, driving in Cade Marlowe and Jose Caballero for the winning runs after hitting up the middle a first-pitch sweeper from Royals reliever Tucker Davidson.

Teoscar Hernandez was a triple shy of the cycle, matching his career high with five hits. Hernandez had, for much of the season, been the MLB leader in strikeouts (he’s now third on that list). He said he’s made a point to make more contact, and that approach is paying off.

“The last couple weeks, I’ve been hitting the ball really hard, getting more contact,” he said. “That’s something that I’ve been trying to do lately. I’m just trying to get on base for the guy behind me.”

For just the third time in franchise history, the Mariners hit four homers in an inning.

The last time it happened was May 2, 2002, when Bret Boone and Mike Cameron went back-to-back twice in the first inning at the Chicago White Sox. (Cameron homered four times that day.)

Alex Rodriguez, Ken Griffey Jr., Edgar Martinez and Paul Sorrento all homered in the third inning against Oakland on Sept. 21, 1996, in the Kingdome.

Eugenio Suarez ambushed the first pitch from Royals starter Jordan Lyles in the fourth inning for a 409-foot homer to left field. It was Suarez’s 17th homer of the season and team-leading 75th RBI, and it gave the Mariners a 1-0 lead.

Two pitches later, France belted one even farther in the same direction, his 10th of the season and third in the past 10 games. (He was robbed of another homer by Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins in the ninth inning Sunday.)

It was a 437-foot blast that ranks as France’s longest homer of the season and third-longest of his career. (He hit one 442 feet in 2021.)

After Lyles walked Cal Raleigh, Hernandez hit a 111.5-mph laser just over the wall in right-center, a two-run homer to make it 4-0. It was Hernandez’s 18th of the season.

Rojas then hit his first homer for the Mariners since the trade from Arizona two weeks ago, and his first overall this season. It was a 380-foot no-doubter out to right field, extending the Mariners’ lead to 7-0.

Hancock, in his second MLB start, was solid through four scoreless innings.

But he got in trouble in a bizarre fifth inning, and surrendered five runs (all earned), on nine hits with no walks and one strikeout.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that the Mariners previously hit four home runs during one inning in 2002, not 2022 as originally reported.

BOX SCORE

Adam Jude: ajude@seattletimes.com; on Twitter: @A_Jude. Adam Jude covers the Mariners and other teams for The Seattle Times.

Take a look inside the Sobela Ocean Aquarium, KC Zoo’s new ‘jewel’ opening soon

After more than 10 years in the planning, the new $77 million, Sobela Ocean Aquarium is set to open on Friday, Sept. 1, at ...

After more than 10 years in the planning, the new $77 million, Sobela Ocean Aquarium is set to open on Friday, Sept. 1, at Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium.

The aquarium, located in a new four-story building across from Helzberg Penguin Plaza, will have more than 8,000 animals. There will be 200 species including moray eels, four sand tiger sharks, a brown shark, a giant Pacific octopus and a sea turtle. The animals in the exhibits represent life across six ocean zones and 34 habitats that tell the story of how the ocean currents connect animals across the world.

“My background comes from an aquatic realm, so even though I’m a zoo director who loves all the animals in here, my heart goes back to the aquatic,” said Sean Putney, executive director and CEO of the Kansas City Zoo, which recently announced a name change to the Kansas City Zoo & Aquarium.

“I’m extremely excited,” he said. “We’ve been talking about this project for about 10 years and we’ve been on and off again, and it’s exciting now to see it finally come to fruition.”

Putney said multiple fish and invertebrates are bred in aquariums and in zoos across the country and many of the species on display at Sobela have come from other institutions, while some fish have been flown to the United States from Australia.

“We put out the call a long time ago that we’d be interested in bringing some of those animals here,” said Putney, who has been with the zoo for 16 years. “The sand tigers were at the Georgia Aquarium.”

Now four of the sleek sand tiger sharks have a home in Kansas City.

A green sea turtle, which is a species classified as endangered, was trucked in a van to Kansas City from Florida by zoo staff. Named Tortellini, the sea turtle was found floating near Spring Hill, Florida, in 2020.

“There are sea turtles that are hit by boats and get injuries on a yearly basis,” said Putney. “And at some point in time that happened to her and so her intestines aren’t making her food go through her system quick enough.

“They’re herbivores, they eat grasses and algae, and they get a lot of gas,” he added.

Tortellini has a buoyancy issue that the zoo staff is working to address.

“She can’t dive and stay down and so that’s the reason why she wouldn’t do well in the wild,” said Putney. “We’ll have a backpack that will have a weight on it that will help to make her neutrally buoyant so she can live like a real turtle and explore the entire exhibit,” he said.

Tortellini was deemed non-releasable by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

“It’s nice that she’s able to live out the rest of her life and not have to be considered for euthanasia,” said Putney.

“I think each one of these tanks is unique and will be exciting to different people,” said Putney.

The aquarium houses 650,000 gallons of water in total divided between the 34 aquarium exhibits, with the largest exhibit using 350,000 gallons.

“We have anything from pipefish and seahorses to five different types of jellies (jellyfish),” he added. “We’ll have octopus, giant Pacific octopus, and we have more eels in a couple of different tanks.”

Sea creatures now calling Kansas City home include Banner, a 55-pound, six-foot-long green moray eel, who came to Kansas City from the Oregon Coast Aquarium.

Two sea otters, who were rescued as stranded pups and deemed non-releasable to the wild, were re-homed from the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, to Sobela Ocean Aquarium.

“They were abandoned by their mothers and couldn’t be returned to the wild,“ said Putney, who added the pair of otters arrived in Kansas City last week and will be ambassador animals. “They’re pretty expensive to feed, but they’re doing very well,” said Putney.

“We have an orange lobster, that apparently that color morph is one in 30 million,” said Putney.

The aquarium will be a permanent home for “Larry Lombardi,” the rare, orange lobster who was spotted at the Tops Market in Hamburg, New York. The market reached out to a local aquarium to find the lobster a permanent home, so now Larry calls Kansas City home.

“Everybody who’s come through so far, you know, we’ve had a few little sneak peeks, they’ve all enjoyed it,” said Putney, who has been in current position with the zoo for the past 19 months.

“I’m really proud of it and I know the staff is really proud of it,” he added. “I think it’s another jewel to the zoo and a feather in the cap of the entire city.”

In addition to the local visitors, Putney said the aquarium will a attract regional and national visitors and he said the zoo could potentially see an increase in visitors by about 200,00 to 300,00 people a year.

In addition to the aquarium, two hands-on touch pools will be available for sensory experience.

“Everybody wants to touch and what better way to get excited about the animals that they’re seeing is by touching them, “ said Putney. “So we’ll have a couple of different places for kids of all ages to explore.”

Two teams of zoo professionals have been assembled to provide care and maintenance of the aquariums and new species.

The aquarium care team will oversee nutrition and feeding, aquarium cleaning, and monitoring of water chemistry as well as behavioral observations.

According to the zoo’s aquarium team, the thickness of the acrylic aquarium windows varies depending on the size of the exhibit. The thinnest windows are less than an inch thick, while the windows on the largest exhibit is approximately 11 inches thick and weigh nearly 33,000 pounds.

A life support team ensures water quality meets industry standards to maintain a healthy aquatic environment. This team will maintain specialized equipment which includes a state-of-the-art water filtration system with more than five miles of pipes.

This system keeps the 650,000 gallons of water clean and the sea creatures healthy. In an aquatic environment, diseases and parasites can easily spread, so each of the 8,000 new aquatic residents will have undergone a quarantine period before they are released into specific habitat, says Putney.

The aquarium also plans to participate with other institutions in areas of conservation, including sea otters and endangered sea corals conservation. The zoo staff is also putting together an educational curriculum focusing on aquatics that will go out to schools in Jackson and Clay counties, part of the city’s zoological district.

“It’s not just about the animals,” Putney said. “The animals are embedded in the curriculum that includes math and science and and grammar. We’ve basically created this curriculum to be included in what they’re already learning about.”

In May, the zoo unveiled the name, Sobela Ocean Aquarium, which was chosen by donors Barnett and Shirley Helzberg.

The couple honored their grandchildren, Sawyer, Oliver, Benton, Elias, Leo, Amelia and Arthur, by creating an an acronym using the first initial from each grandchild’s name to create Sobela.

“They’re one of our biggest supporters and it was our way of giving back to them, letting them choose the name of the aquarium,” said Putney.

How to see KC Zoo’s new aquarium

Beginning on Sept. 1, opening day for the aquarium, the zoo will be requiring visitors to have a free timed reservation for entry to the aquarium. Reservations can be made online at Kansas City Zoo tickets and pricing beginning Wednesday, Aug. 16.

“So even though there’s not an added expense to come in to the aquarium, we want to make sure the experience is a good one and we don’t want to have real long lines,” said Putney.

Time ticketing will help with the flow of visitors through the building. Initially, reservations will be available for Sept. 1-15, then zoo staff will do assessments and make adjustments as necessary.

“Even though, I said my background is in aquatics, I consider this just the next huge step for the zoo,” said Putney. “We have lots of cool things to come, and I’m excited about that as well.”

This story was originally published August 15, 2023, 5:30 AM.

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