Key keywords: Atlanta Braves, Kansas City Royals, 2024 MLB Regular Season, Braves first 2024 loss, Braves undefeated streak end, Royals opening series win, Zack Greinke, Brian Snitker, Kauffman Stadium, MLB Opening Weekend After cruising to two straight dominant wins to kick off their 2024 campaign, the Atlanta Braves suffered their first defeat of the season on Sunday afternoon, falling 4-1 to the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium to wrap up their three-game opening series. The loss brings an end to the Braves’ short undefeated run, though they still leave Kansas City with a 2-1 series win, a positive start to their defense of the National League East title and their 2024 World Series title push. The Royals leaned on veteran right-hander Zack Greinke to shut down the Braves’ stacked offensive lineup, with the 40-year-old future Hall of Famer tossing six strong innings, allowing just one earned run on three hits while striking out five batters. Greinke mixed his signature slow off-speed pitches perfectly to keep Braves hitters off balance, holding stars like Ronald Acuña Jr. and Matt Olson to a combined 0-for-7 mark at the plate during his outing. Braves hitters finished the game with just 5 total hits, their lowest single-game total since last September. The game remained tight through the first six innings, with the Braves holding a 1-0 lead thanks to a second-inning RBI single from third baseman Austin Riley. But the Royals’ offense broke through in the bottom of the seventh, tagging Braves reliever A.J. Minter for three runs on four hits, including a two-run double from All-Star catcher Salvador Pérez that put Kansas City ahead for good. The Royals added an insurance run in the eighth inning off reliever Joe Jiménez to seal the win, marking their first victory of the 2024 season after dropping the first two games of the series by a combined 14-3 margin. Braves manager Brian Snitker downplayed the loss in his postgame press conference, noting that it is impossible to go undefeated across a 162-game regular season. “We came here to win the series, and we did that,” Snitker told reporters. “Our guys fought hard all weekend, and this one just didn’t go our way. Greinke pitched an incredible game, you have to give him credit. We’ll get back to work tomorrow and get ready for our home opener against the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday.” The Braves will return to Truist Park for their first home stand of the season, while the Royals will stay at Kauffman Stadium to host the Baltimore Orioles for a three-game set starting Monday.