ROYALS SWEEP ASTROS
Hunter Brown's early exit sets tone as Royals sweep Astros
Apr 11, 2024, 4:52 pm
Hunter Brown couldn't get out of the first inning. Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images.
Bobby Witt Jr. had four hits, including two home runs, and five RBIs and the Kansas City Royals used a nine-run first inning to defeat the Houston Astros 13-3 Thursday to complete a three-game sweep and extend their winning streak to seven games.
Vinnie Pasquantino, who came into Wednesday's game hitting .108 with no RBIs, was 3-for-5 with three RBIs and now is hitting .222 with eight RBIs.
The Royals completed a perfect seven-game homestand against the White Sox and Astros. It's just the third time in franchise history they've played at least seven games on a homestand without a loss. The other two: seven games in 1988 and eight games in 1985, the year they won their first World Series.
Brady Singer (2-0) allowed one run and five hits in five innings.
Hunter Brown (0-2) got only two outs, but allowed nine runs and 11 hits.
The Royals sent 15 men to the plate in the first inning, tying a club record with 11 hits in the inning (also set in 1986 and 2006). It was the second straight game they've batted around in an inning, sending 11 men to the plate in a seven-run inning Wednesday night.
Maikel Garcia (two singles), Witt (a single and a homer) and Pasquantino (two singles) each had two hits and two RBIs in the first inning. Everyone in the starting lineup had at least one hit in the inning except Kyle Isbel.
The Astros had baserunners in nearly every inning, but got only a solo home run in the fourth from Yainer Diaz and a pair of runs in the sixth, snapping a 19 1/3-inning scoreless streak by the Royals bullpen.
TRAINING ROOM
Astros: RHP Justin Verlander is scheduled for another rehab start this weekend prior to his potential return to the rotation. He's been on the injured list with a right shoulder issue. ... Manager Joe Espada said LHP Framber Valdez averted the worst-case scenario with elbow soreness that put him on the IL on Monday. “The soreness is pretty much all gone,” Espada said. “Now it’s time to let him play catch in the next few days and get him built up.”
UP NEXT
Astros: return to Houston for a six-game homestand against Texas and Atlanta. RHP J.P. Franco (0-1, 4.78 ERA) will take the mound Friday against RHP Dane Dunning (1-1, 4.15 ERA) for Texas.
Royals: go on a six-game road trip to New York and Chicago. RHP Michael Wacha (1-0, 2.25 ERA) will start Friday against the Mets' RHP Luis Severino (0-1, 3.60 ERA).
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Hunter Brown had eight strikeouts in six innings to remain one of the hottest pitchers in baseball, helping the Houston Astros beat the Oakland Athletics 8-1 on Wednesday.
Chas McCormick homered for the first time in more than a month and Jose Altuve had three hits and two RBIs as the Astros bounced back to win the last game of the series after losing the first two in likely their final regular-season trip to the Coliseum.
The game was played before 14,978 fans, the third-largest crowd at the Coliseum this season.
Seth Brown had three hits for the A’s. Oakland had won five of six.
Hunter Brown (9-6) pitched around traffic in every inning he worked but limited the damage while winning for the eighth time in his last nine starts. The right-hander struck out the side twice and allowed eight hits with one walk.
During his strong stretch, Brown has lowered his ERA from 6.18 to 4.00.
Bryan Abreu, Taylor Scott and Bryan King retired three batters each to finish the game.
Lawrence Butler and Miguel Andujar got Oakland going early with back-to-back doubles in the first inning. Andujar was later thrown out by Astros shortstop Jeremy Peña trying to score on a grounder.
Houston tied it in the second after Jon Singleton reached on a two-base fielding error by Seth Brown at first base, then scored on Alutve’s single to left field. Altuve tried to stretch the hit into a double but was thrown out by Andujar.
Peña added an RBI single that deflected off Oakland pitcher JP Sears’ foot and bounced into left field in the sixth.
Altuve and Alex Bregman each doubled in a run as part of a four-run seventh.
Smoked down the line. 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/tLM7LxTLi9
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 24, 2024
Sears (7-8), unbeaten in his three previous starts this month, allowed eight runs (seven earned) and nine hits in six innings.
The A’s put two on with two outs in the seventh before Astros center fielder Jake Meyers made a tumbling catch on Brent Rooker’s short flyball to end the inning.
UP NEXT
Astros: Had not announced a scheduled starting pitcher for Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Minute Maid Park.
Athletics: The team plans to activate RHP Ross Stripling (1-9, 5.82 ERA) off the injured list to start Thursday’s series opener against the Angels. Stripling has been on a rehab assignment recovering from a strained right elbow.