Kansas City Royals catcher Drew Butera (9) has words with starting pitcher Danny Duffy (41) after Houston Astros’ Evan Gattis hit a triple in the fourth inning of a baseball game Tuesday, June 30, 2015, in Houston.
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The performance comes after Keuchel (10-3) threw a six-hit shutout in a win over the New York Yankees in his previous start. In his career, Volquez has been successful against the Astros with a 6-0 record, and a 2.09 ERA in eight starts against the AL West team.
Pat Neshek allowed one hit in the ninth after Hinch made a decision to Keuchel (10-3) had done enough after throwing 106 pitches.
McCullers put the leadoff runner on base in four of his seven innings and gave up a leadoff homer in another, but Astros manager A.J. The Kansas City Royals will try to even the series and match 45 wins when they visit the Astros for the second of a three-game set on Tuesday.
The Astros now have one more win – but five more losses – than the Royals, while in the AL East division, leader Baltimore was beaten at home by Texas but still leads a remarkably tight contest in which the top four teams are separated by just one game.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) Rookie Cody Anderson took a bid for a flawless game into the seventh inning in his second major league start, and the struggling Cleveland Indians snapped a three-game losing streak with a 7-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. KC managed eight hits but failed to draw a walk with Lorenzo Cain going 3-4 with a pair of doubles. His 8.00 K/BB, 2.60 FIP, and 2.94 xFIP would at least start to indicate that Blanton’s 1.73 ERA isn’t entirely the byproduct of good fortune, though much of that production did come in seven relief appearances. He’s 8-0 at home this season. Blanton had been a pleasant surprise in his first two starts, surrendering just two earned runs total over 11 innings while defeating the Brewers and Mariners. The fly ball sailed just out of reach of the glove of Cain, who raced up Tal’s Hill in center to grab it and instead crashed to the ground and into the padded wall after coming up short.
The galloping Gattis now has four triples this season, which leads the team.
Gattis used his wheels one more time, scoring on a wild pitch for a 3-0 lead. Rios singled to start the fifth, but McCullers still faced the minimum in that inning after Christian Colon grounded into a double play.
Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar, who was scratched from Monday’s game with a bruise on his index finger, went 1 for 4.
Danny Duffy was charged with four runs on six hits over 6 2/3 innings as the Royals dropped their second in a row following a four-game winning streak.
RED SOX 4, BLUE JAYS 3 David Ortiz and Jackie Bradley Jr. hit home runs, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched six solid innings and visiting Boston beat Toronto.
Joey Gallo contributed a three-run triple for the Rangers, who had lost 11 of 12 to the Orioles – including six straight at Camden Yards. He’ll get his wish. Lucroy entered the game mired in a 3-for-23 slump, but a series with Philadelphia, the worst team in the majors and one he has hit well over his career, was just what he needed. He walked Mike Napoli and Alejandro De Aza with the bases loaded in the first.
Anderson (1-0) didn’t allow a baserunner until there was one out in the seventh. Kendall Graveman (5-4) scattered five hits and walked three over seven scoreless innings to notch the win.
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The Royals had another scoring threat in the top of the sixth. The Astros won the last game 4-0 and Houston leads the series 2-0. Miami’s Justin Bour also homered. Mat Latos (3-5) gave up 3 runs, 2 earned, in 6 innings.
