Royals 10, Brewers 2
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Shortstop Alcides Escobar drove in four runs and Joe Blanton threw five reliable innings in the Kansas City Royals' 10-2 victory over the reeling Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night.
Escobar broke the game open with a bases-clearing triple in a four-run eighth. His four RBIs matched a career best.
Center fielder Lorenzo Cain contributed two extra-base hits, drove in a run and walked twice. He is 5-for-12 with two home runs and five RBIs in three games against the Brewers.
Right-hander Mike Fiers (3-7) was charged with the loss, permitting six runs on eight hits, three walks, three wild pitches and two sacrifice flies in five innings.
Left fielder Shane Peterson tripled in the eighth and scored on center fielder Gerardo Parra's ground out for the final Brewers' run.
The Brewers got on the board first with second baseman Scooter Gennett's two-out second inning triple, just out of reach of diving center fielder Lorenzo Cain, scoring designated hitter Carlos Gomez, who had doubled to the right-center gap.
The Royals answered with three runs in the bottom of the second. The inning included two Mike Fiers wild pitches and walking left-fielder Alex Gordon to load the bases with nobody out. First baseman Eric Hosmer and designated hitter Kendrys Morales opened the inning with singles.
Right fielder Alex Rios' sacrifice fly tied the score at 1. Second baseman Omar Infante and shortstop Alcides Escobar stroked two-out run-producing singles to put the Royals up 3-1.
Center fielder Lorenzo Cain, who was drafted by the Brewers in 2004, tripled home third baseman Mike Moustakas in a three-run Kansas City fifth. After Hosmer walked, Morales' single to right scored Cain and moved Hosmer to third. Gordon's fly out to Parra got Hosmer home, making is 6-1.
Royals right-hander Joe Blanton, who was making his first major league start since July 22, 2013, limited the Brewers to one run and five hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked none. Right-hander Ryan Madson replaced Blanton in the sixth.
NOTES: The Royals signed their first-round draft pick RHP Ashe Russell of Cathedral High School in Indianapolis. He rejected a Texas A&M scholarship to sign. ... CF Carlos Gomez, who missed the previous two games with right leg tightness, was the designated hitter Wednesday. ... Royals LHP Danny Duffy, who is rehabbing with Triple-A Omaha, threw 65 pitches in 3 2/3 innings Wednesday. He gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits, striking out six and walking none against Iowa. ... Brewers LHP Jimmy Nelson, who will start Thursday, has never faced the Royals. RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who will oppose Nelson, has pitched only once against the Brewers, beating them April 22, 2012, at Miller Park while he was with the Colorado Rockies.