Morales' 13th-inning homer gives Royals win over Braves
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Kendrys Morales blasted a two-run homer to straightaway center with two out in the 13th inning as the Kansas City Royals outlasted the Atlanta Braves 4-2 Sunday.
Morales’ home run was off Jason Grilli and was the only batter Grilli faced. Eric O’Flaherty (0-3), who gave up a hit to Alcides Escobar to lead off the inning, took the loss. It was Escobar’s fourth hit, equaling his career high. He also scored two runs and drove in another.
Chien-Ming Wang (2-0) claimed the victory. He was the ninth Royals pitcher, a club record for a single game.
Wade Davis was trusted with a 2-0 lead in the ninth, but the Royals closer failed to hold it, blowing his first save in nine chances this season. Davis gave up two runs on three hits and a walk.
Mallex Smith and Erick Aybar, who did not enter the game until the seventh inning as a pinch runner, stroked RBI singles to send the game into extra innings.
With Kris Medlen on the disabled list with rotator-cuff inflammation, left-hander Danny Duffy made his first start after 16 relief appearances for Kansas City. Duffy yielded a single to Nick Markakis to lead off the game, but then retired the next eight batters, striking out five.
Duffy walked Markakis and Gordon Beckham with two outs in the third before retiring Freddie Freeman on a ground ball. He was removed after three scoreless innings and 48 pitches.
Peter Moylan, who was just promoted from Triple-A Omaha, worked a flawless fourth, but committed a fielding error on Chase d'Arnaud's bunt to leadoff the fifth. Left-hander Brian Flynn was summoned from the bullpen. After Smith's sacrifice bunt and Daniel Castro's ground out advanced d'Arnaud to third, Flynn struck out Markakis to end the inning.
The Royals got a run in the first, when Escobar led off with a double and scored on Eric Hosmer's one-out single off Matt Wisler. Hosmer has hit safely in 31 of his past 33 games.
The Royals made it 2-0 in the eighth when Jarrod Dyson doubled to begin the inning and scored on Escobar's single, his third hit.
Escobar started the third with a single and stole second base, where he was stranded.
After Markakis' single to lead off the game, the Braves did not get another hit until Tyler Flowers and Jeff Francoeur had back-to-back singles off Luke Hochevar with two outs in the sixth. Ender Inciarte looked at a called third strike to end the inning.
The Royals threatened in the sixth when Hosmer doubled with one out, but Inciarte threw him out at the plate when third base coach Mike Jirschele waved him home on Salvador Perez's two-out single to left.
The Orioles missed an opportunity to score in the seventh, which d'Arnaud opened with a double off Joakim Soria. Smith attempted to advance him with a bunt, but instead popped it up foul to Perez. Pinch hitter Kelly Johnson rolled a grounder to shortstop Escobar, who threw out d'Arnaud when d'Arnaud attempted to take third on the play. Markakis' grounder to Escobar ended the inning.
NOTES: Royals Hall of Famer George Brett celebrated his 63rd birthday. ... In a salute to the Negro Leagues and the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in Kansas City, the Royals wore replica Monarchs uniforms, while the Braves wore road gray uniforms with Atlanta block lettering on the front inspired by the 1938 Atlanta Black Crackers. ... Royals 3B Mike Moustakas, who is on the disabled list with a fractured left thumb, took flip swings in the cage. ... Atlanta starting pitchers have a 2.89 ERA in the previous 13 games, the third lowest ERA in that span. ... The Braves continue this trip with four games at Pittsburgh, where RHP Williams Perez will start Monday. The Pirates will counter with LHP Jonathon Niese. ... The Red Sox come to Kauffman Stadium for a three-game set. Red Sox RHP Rick Porcello and Royals RHP Yordano Ventura are the Monday starters.