Yordano Ventura holds Down Rangers in Royals Win

Yordano Ventura

. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sportsr

The Kansas City Royals won behind Yordano Ventura‘s 6 strong innings, notching a 6-3 victory over the Rangers in Texas Friday night. The Royals took the lead with a 3-run 2nd inning, that wiped out a 1-0 Texas lead after they scored in their opening frame against Ventura.

Ventura shut them down over the next 5 innings, while the Royals opened a 5-1 lead. it is the 3rd time in a row that the Royals have bounced back from having a winning streak snapped with a victory the next game.

The win puts Kansas City back to 15 games over .500 at 71-56. The Royals appear they will gain a 2.5 game lead over Detroit in the A.L. Central, with the Tigers trailing Minnesota 14-5 in the 6th inning.

On the Mound

Yordano Ventura pitched a strong 6.0 innings, allowing 4 hits, 3 walks, and 1 earned run with 6 strikeouts. Ventura left the game leading 5-1. Ventura earned his 10th win of the season (10-9).

Francisley Bueno entered in the 7th and gave up 2 consecutive doubles to allow a run, then retired Shin-Soo Choo on a ground ball before giving way to Kelvin Herrera. Overall, Bueno allowed 2 hits and 2 earned run in .1 innings, but did allow an inherited baserunner to score.

Herrera opened the inning by hitting Elvis Andrus, then got a grounder from Alex Rios that allowed the runner on 3rd to score. Herrera finished the inning by getting a fly ball from Adrian Beltre. Herrera pitched a clean .2 innings.

Greg Holland earned his 40th save with a scoreless 9th, despite allowing a walk.

At the Plate

Billy Butler opened the scoring with a solo home run in the 2nd inning (8). The Royals plated 2 more runs in the inning after Josh Willingham got hit by a pitch followed by 3 consecutive singles from Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain, and Alcides Escobar.

The Royals added a 4th run on a solo home run (14) to center by Josh Willingham leading off the 4th

Lorenzo Cain manufactured a run in the 7th with a leadoff double, steal of 3rd (19), and scored on an error on Nori Aoki‘s ground ball.

The Royals final run came in the 9th when Salvador Perez beat out a potential double play to allow Jarrod Dyson to score from 3rd.

Lorenzo Cain went 3 for 4 with 2 singles, a double, 1 run scored and 1 RBI. Cain also added his 19th stolen base of the year.

Mike Moustakas had a 2-hit game, going 2 for 4 with a single, double, and 1 run scored.

This and That

Nori Aoki apparently lost count of the outs in the 2nd inning. With men on 1st and 2nd and 1 out, Aoki made what was clearly a sacrifice bunt—a strange move with two outs and the platoon advantage against a right-handed pitcher. Though he did move up the base-runner, he might have given up what could have been a big inning with 3 runs already across the plate.

Ned Yost keeps trying to give the Yellow Brick Road of Herrera, Wade Davis, and Greg Holland a rest, but the 2nd line relievers keep giving up runs and turning them into save situations. Tonight, it was Bueno that turned a comfortable 5-1 cushion into a narrow 5-3 edge.

Kelvin Herrera has not allowed an earned run in 22.0 innings.

Wade Davis hasn’t allowed a run in 22.2 innings, and hasn’t allowed a home run this season.

KC Kingdom Player of the Game

Our nod goes to Yordano Ventura for his 6.0 innings while allowing 1 earned run.

Yordano Ventura holds down Rangers in Royals Win

By John Viril | Aug 22, 2014