Eric Hosmer Rips Four Hits In Win For Kansas City Royals
By Joel Wagler
Kansas City Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer (35) Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Hosmer still doesn’t have a home run but he did produce 4 hits for James Shields and the Kansas City Royals (10-9) in the 8-2 win over the Cleveland Indians (9-11) Tuesday night. The Royals have been struggling on offense all season but they set a 2014 high for runs scored with 8 in this game.
On the Mound
James Shields continues to do what the Royals need him to do. On Tuesday, he lasted 6 innings, giving up 2 runs (1 unearned), 6 hits, and a walk. He struck out 9 on the evening. He lowered his ERA to 1.91 on the season, and evened his record at 2-2.
Danny Duffy continues to be very strong out of the bullpen. He pitched 2 scoreless innings, Aaron Crow finished out the the game. Neither pitcher has allowed an earned run of their own this season.
At the Plate
Mike Moustakas really got things going with a 3-run bomb in the 4th inning. The Royals were scoreless against Danny Salazar through 3, but they pounded him in the 4th and 5th innings, chasing him from the game. Moustakas’ home run was the most key individual hit but he was unable to follow it up with any more hits. Still, it is nice to see some pop form Moose’s bat.
Eric Hosmer had a big night. He hasn’t provided much spark from the number three spot, but in this contest, he went 4-5 with 2 doubles, 3 runs scored, and a RBI. Billy Butler continues to slowly pull his average up, though he still hasn’t homered either. Butler went 2-4 with a walk, a double, a run, and a RBI.
Alcides Escobar continues to shine offensively. He went 2-4 with a run scored,and another walk. He is hitting .317 on the year.
This and That
Among American League starters, James Shields is 4th in strikeouts with 35 and 10th in the ERA at 1.91.
The Royals are second in the AL with a 3.14 ERA. Oakland is first with a 2.67 ERA. No other team is under 3.54.
The Royals are 10-0 when scoring 4 or more runs, and 0-9 when scoring 3 or less. The 10-0 mark is the best in the AL.
I wonder if C.C. Lee is the love child of C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee from their days together in Cleveland?
The Royals scored 3 runs against the Indians’ bullpen, 1 more than they had scored against relievers in the last 7 games, covering 21.2 innings.
Kansas City Royals starting pitcher James Shields (33) Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
KC Kingdom Player of the Game
Co- Players of the Game in this one. Shields 1 earned run and 9 strikeouts shut down the Indians, and Eric Hosmer helped out his pitchers with a big night at the plate. Honorable mention goes to Mike Moustakas for his big home run.
- Salvador Perez
- Jason Vargas – 4
- Alex Gordon – 3
- Bruce Chen
- James Shields-3
- Yordano Ventura – 2
- Mike Moustakas
- Danny Duffy
- Omar Infante
- Mike Moustakas
- Alcides Escobar – 2
- Eric Hosmer
The Indians
Danny Salazar fell to 0-3 with a 7.85 ERA. It seems he might need a stint in AAA.
Carlos Santana went 0-4, dropping his average to .136, and his Slugging Percentage to .212. It seems the Royals aren’t the only team with slumping stars.
Up Next
Jason Vargas (2-0, 1.24 ERA) tries to maintain his early season excellence as he faces the Indians’ ace, Justin Masterson (0-0, 4.98 ERA), who is still looking for his first 2014 victory. Vargas has only walked 6 batters in 29 innings , and will have to maintain this control against the Indians today. First pitch is slated for 6:05.
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nori Aoki RF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .271 | .709 |
| Omar Infante 2B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .290 | .729 |
| Eric Hosmer 1B | 5 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .311 | .754 |
| Billy Butler DH | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .217 | .538 |
| Justin Maxwell PR-DH | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .472 |
| Alex Gordon LF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .292 | .778 |
| Salvador Perez C | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .211 | .601 |
| Mike Moustakas 3B | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .138 | .531 |
| Alcides Escobar SS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .317 | .828 |
| Jarrod Dyson CF | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .167 | .397 |
| Team Totals | 38 | 8 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 7 | .342 | .958 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
2B: E Hosmer 2 (6, 1 off C Lee, 1 off D Salazar); B Butler (2, off D Salazar); A Gordon (8, off S Atchison).
HR: M Moustakas (3, off D Salazar; 4th inn, 2 on, 2 outs to Deep RF Line).
TB: E Hosmer 6; M Moustakas 4; B Butler 3; A Gordon 2; A Escobar 2; N Aoki; O Infante; J Dyson.
GIDP: J Dyson (1).
RBI: M Moustakas 3 (9); A Gordon 2 (11); B Butler (6); E Hosmer (6); J Dyson (1).
2-out RBI: M Moustakas 3; J Dyson.
Team LOB: 9.
With RISP: 4 for 15.
Fielding
E: O Infante (1).
Baserunning
SB: A Escobar (3, 2nd base off D Salazar/Y Gomes).
CS: N Aoki (3, 2nd base by C Lee/Y Gomes).
| Batting | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | BA | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Bourn CF | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .192 | .442 |
| Nick Swisher 1B | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .213 | .634 |
| Jason Kipnis 2B | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .229 | .775 |
| Carlos Santana 3B | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .136 | .525 |
| Michael Brantley LF | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .293 | .876 |
| Asdrubal Cabrera SS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .205 | .626 |
| David Murphy RF | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .288 | .840 |
| Yan Gomes C | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .267 | .768 |
| Lonnie Chisenhall DH | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .417 | 1.045 |
| Team Totals | 37 | 2 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 11 | .243 | .579 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
2B: Y Gomes (3, off J Shields); N Swisher (4, off D Duffy).
HBP: L Chisenhall (1, by J Shields).
TB: Y Gomes 3; N Swisher 3; M Bourn 2; M Brantley 2; D Murphy.
RBI: Y Gomes (7); M Bourn (1).
2-out RBI: M Bourn; Y Gomes.
Team LOB: 10.
With RISP: 2 for 9.
Fielding
DP: 1. A Cabrera-N Swisher.
E: Y Gomes (6).
Baserunning
SB: M Brantley (3, 2nd base off J Shields/S Perez).
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Shields, W (2-2) | 6 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 1.91 | 106 | 65 |
| Danny Duffy | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0.00 | 38 | 25 |
| Aaron Crow | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 15 | 10 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 1.00 | 159 | 100 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
| Pitching | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | ERA | Pit | Str |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Danny Salazar, L (0-3) | 4.1 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 7.85 | 89 | 52 |
| Josh Outman | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1.17 | 24 | 11 |
| C.C. Lee | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3.38 | 29 | 19 |
| Scott Atchison | 0.2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 21 | 14 |
| Bryan Shaw | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 | 7 | 4 |
| Team Totals | 9 | 13 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 7.00 | 170 | 100 |
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Balks: None.
WP: J Outman (1).
HBP: J Shields (3; L Chisenhall).
IBB: None.
Pickoffs: None.
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