MJ Melendez had a double and a two-home run and the Kansas City Royals defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 9-5 on Monday night for their first win of the season.
Bo Bichette hit the first homer of the season for the Blue Jays, who have lost three straight after winning on Opening Day.
Royals starter Brady Singer (1-0) allowed one run, two hits and three walks and struck out three in five innings.
His counterpart, Jose Berrios (0-1), allowed eight runs, nine hits and two walks while striking out seven in 5 2/3 innings.
The Royals, who were coming off a three-game sweep at the hands of the Minnesota Twins, scored three runs in the first inning and never looked back.
Melendez led off with a double to right and scored on Bobby Witt Jr.’s one-out single. Michael Massey’s single put runners at the corners. Kyle Isbel followed with an RBI single, and the third run scored on Hunter Dozier’s soft groundout to shortstop.
The Blue Jays could not score in the second despite Alejandro Kirk’s walk and the first of two doubles by Matt Chapman.
Kansas City added four runs in the fourth. Dozier and Jackie Bradley Jr. singled, setting up Nicky Lopez’s two-run triple. Vinnie Pasquantino later doubled in a run and Witt hit an RBI single. Witt was out trying to advance to third when the throw toward the plate hit the mound.
Toronto loaded the bases in the fifth with none out, but scored only once. Brandon Belt walked, Chapman doubled again and Cavan Biggio walked. Belt scored when Kevin Kiermaier grounded into a double play.
Ryan Yarbrough replaced Singer to start the sixth and pitched around a single and a walk.
In the bottom of the inning, Lopez walked against Berrios, and Melendez greeted Zach Pop with a bomb to right-center field.
In the seventh, Yarbrough allowed consecutive one-out singles to Biggio, Kiemaier and George Springer to score one run. Bichette singled to load the bases. Jose Cuas replaced Yarbrough but walked Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to force in a run.
Dylan Coleman came on in the eight for the Royals and allowed one run on a walk to Chapman, a single by Biggio and a wild pitch.
Taylor Clarke allowed Bichette’s leadoff homer in the top of the ninth.
–Field Level Media
