Cueto Dominant As Royals Best Angels
KANSAS CITY (AP) — Salvador Perez homered to lead off a six-run second inning, Johnny Cueto won his second consecutive start for Kansas City, and the Royals rolled to a 9-4 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night.
Cueto (9-7) allowed one run and eight hits over eight innings, striking out four without a walk. The former All-Star has only allowed six runs in four starts since his trade to Kansas City, including the shutout he tossed against the Tigers in his home debut earlier this week.
Perez later had an RBI double as the Royals sent 11 batters to the plate in a 24-minute second inning. Matt Shoemaker (5-9) absorbed most of the damage for the Angels, the right-hander failing to make it through the frame in his second consecutive disastrous start.
Shoemaker had a stretch of 19 scoreless innings snapped Monday in Chicago, where the White Sox pounded him for seven runs in 5 2/3 innings. The Royals got him for six runs in 1 2/3.
Los Angeles has now dropped 11 of its last 12 road games.
Jarrod Dyson had three hits and drove in three runs for Kansas City, which pounded out seven doubles and eight extra-base hits. Ben Zobrist reached base four times, including three walks.
Luke Hochevar coughed up three runs in the ninth before finishing for Kansas City, giving Ned Yost his 900th victory as a major league manager.
Albert Pujols ended a season-high 14-game streak without a homer in the second inning for Los Angeles — his 31st of the season, and his first hit in 10 at-bats this series. But the streaking Royals wasted no time matching the run, then blowing right past it.
Perez splashed his solo shot into the fountains in left field, an estimated 429 feet from home plate, to lead off the bottom half. Alex Rios walked, Paulo Orlando doubled and Dyson drove them both in with a single. By the time Eric Hosmer added a run-scoring single and Perez an RBI double in his second at-bat of the inning, the Royals had built a 6-1 lead.
After that, Cueto was simply pumping strikes.
The right-hander with the funky assortment of deliveries scattered singles in the third and fourth innings, and hit a batter in the fifth. But he never allowed a runner to reach second base after David Murphy was easily thrown out at home in the second inning.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Angels: SS Erick Aybar (lower back) remained out of the lineup, though he did take grounders before the game. He could play Sunday. ... OF Matt Joyce, who went on the concussion list July 27, will begin a rehab assignment Sunday with Triple-A Salt Lake.
Royals: OF Alex Gordon (groin strain) ran bases before the game. There is still no word on a rehab assignment, though he could be sent out in the coming week.
UP NEXT
Angels: LHP Hector Santiago has dominated Kansas City, going 1-1 with a 1.93 ERA in five career starts. He struggled against the White Sox his last time out.
Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura tossed six shutout innings in his last start against Detroit. He matched a season-high with eight strikes, though he also walked six.
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