A big first inning boosted the Kansas City Royals past the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 on Saturday night, spoiling the return of Julio Urias.
With a series of soft hits, the Royals sent nine batters to the plate in the first, forcing 35 pitches in the frame from Urias (5-5) in his return from the 15-day Injured List. He missed six weeks with a left hamstring strain.
Salvador Perez snapped an 0-for-20 skid with a bloop hit to score Maikel Garcia, who doubled to start the frame.
Edward Olivares popped a sacrifice fly to second baseman Miguel Vargas in shallow center field, and Samad Taylor added another sacrifice fly before Drew Waters capped the scoring with a two-run bloop single for a 5-0 lead.
It was Kansas City’s biggest inning since scoring five in the seventh of a 12-10 loss to Washington on May 26.
The Dodgers responded quickly, plating three in the second, highlighted by Yonny Hernandez’s RBI double, with Mookie Betts adding a sacrifice fly and Freddie Freeman an RBI single.
Daniel Lynch (2-3) pitched through traffic each of the first three innings, allowing five hits and three walks, but stranded five runners while holding onto a 5-3 lead through five innings. He allowed five hits and three walks, striking out four.
After Garcia and Bobby Witt Jr. singled to start the second inning, Urias retired five of the next six batters to complete three innings, allowing five runs on six hits, walking two and striking out two.
The Royals added a seventh-inning insurance run on Witt’s sacrifice fly, scoring Dairon Blanco, who reached via error then stole two bases.
The Dodgers cut the deficit to 6-4 with three consecutive one-out singles in the eighth, but Scott Barlow induced Freeman to ground out with the bases loaded, ending the threat.
Barlow worked a hitless ninth for his 10th save.
Due to rain, the game was delayed 1 hour, 25 minutes at the start.
The clubs will meet in the rubber game Sunday afternoon as the Dodgers complete a six-game road trip and the Royals finish a six-game homestand.
–Field Level Media
