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Headed into the bottom of the 4th last night, the Royals were down 7-1 and faced being nine games under .500. Since then, they scored 15 of the series’ 20 runs, including seven tonight in a 7-5 win.
The win means, at the very least, a split of the current four-game set against the MLB-best Astros and clinches a season series win against the Major League Baseball team from Houston.
As they did last night, the Astros jumped out in front with a solo home run from Brian McCann in the 2nd, but the Royals responded in the bottom half with two runs on a Cheslor Cuthbert double and an Alcides Escobar single (!!).
Lorenzo Cain followed suit with a solo home run of his own in the 3rd to put the Royals up 3-1.
McCann proved to be a thorn in Jason Vargas’ side, singling in a run in the 4th to bring the Astros back to within a run.
Aside from McCann, Vargas was serviceable, giving up just two runs in his five innings of work, while striking out five Astros.
Meanwhile, slated Astros starter Dallas Keuchel was scratched from his start due to an illness.
Dallas Keuchel has been scratched due to illness. Dayan Diaz will get the start tonight.
— Houston Astros (@astros) June 8, 2017
Dayan Diaz replaced him, giving up the first three runs of the game, before being removed in the third inning for our old friend Tony Sipp.
Sipp surrendered the next two runs, via another Escobar RBI single (!!!!!) and a Ramon Torres RBI double, which just happened to be his first career major league hit.
The Royals weren’t quite done, this time making Michael Feliz their victim, on a Cuthbert two-out, two-run single to put the Royals up 7-2.
In total, the Royals scored runs in four consecutive innings.
The Astros also weren’t done. McCann started things off in the 8th with a single and was later driven on a Jake Marisnick two-out single.
George Springer followed with a walk, leading to Ned Yost removing Scott Alexander in favor of Joakim Soria, who inherited a bases loaded jam.
It looked like Soria had gotten out of the jam when he induced a ground ball from Josh Reddick, but Escobar booted it and two Astros scored after the ball trickled into shallow center field.
The Royals still carried a 7-5 lead into the 9th and although another McCann hit brought the tying run to the plate, the struggling Kelvin Herrera was able to get Yuli Gurriel swinging to end the game.
Up Next: Royals v. Astros, Thursday, June 8, 2017, 7:15 P.M. CDT. RHP Jason Hammel (2-6, 5.93 ERA) v. Lance McCullers Jr. (6-1, 2.71 ERA)