Nick Creegan
KANSAS
CITY -- The Royals carried a woeful 6-18 record at home into their game Sunday against
the struggling Oakland Athletics, but Royals fans were able to witness the kind
of timely hitting and solid pitching they had longed to see at Kauffman Stadium
this season.
Before the game, Eric Hosmer had
cautioned fans not to worry. All the Royals had to do was get a couple of
players hot, Hosmer said.
“Our best baseball is yet to come, and
we’ll have a good chance to get this thing rolling,” he said. “Someone is due
to get hot.”
The “someone”
happened to be Eric Hosmer.
His
solo homer in the bottom of the second inning was all the runs right-hander
Vincent Mazzaro and three Royals relievers needed to pin a 2-0 loss on the A’s.
Hosmer’s
homer was a laser shot to deep center, and it was one of his two hits on the
day. His first was all the runs Mazzaro (2-0), a spot starter whom the Royals
recalled May 25 from Triple-A Omaha, would need.
“Vinnie
threw the ball extremely well, and he never gave in,” manager Ned Yost said. “I
thought he looked great, and he did a nice job today keeping his name in the
hat.”
But
in the top of the first, Yost had to wonder if the spot start would be the last
start for Mazzaro.
He
loaded the bases with two outs. Facing Brandon Inge, who already had a pair of
grand slams this season, Mazzaro appeared to be in deep trouble. He wiggled out
of this mess, striking out Inge and stranding three base runners.
From there, Mazzaro
was flawless; he held the A’s, a team he pitched for in 2009 and 2010,
scoreless on four hits over the six innings he worked.
The Royals didn’t
just rely on Mazzaro’s arm and Hosmer’s big bat, however, in beating Oakland.
They got some nice glove work along the way, picked up an insurance run in the
fifth and saw three relievers produce shutout work down the stretch.
With A’s runners on
second and third in the top of the fifth, Josh Reddick lofted a foul fly to
left field.
“When
Reddick hit the ball, I thought it was going to be in the stands,” Yost said. “Alex
Gordon didn’t give up on the play.”
Gordon raced toward the
stands and made the catch. Adam Rosales, who was on third, then tried to test
Gordon’s arm. Rosales lost.
Gordon’s throw easily
retired Rosales at the plate to preserve Mazzaro’s 1-0 lead.
In the bottom half of
the fifth, the lead grew.
Jarrard Dyson opened
the inning with a single off A’s starter Tommy Milone (6-5), whose performance
was a match for Mazzaro’s. Dyson then stole second. He scored on Johnny
Giavotella’s RBI single to center.
Two
relievers turned over that 2-0 lead to closer Jonathan Broxton, who finished
the shutout and picked up a save with a scoreless ninth.
