The Kansas City Royals scored five runs in the ninth inning to rally from a two-run deficit and post an 11-8 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif.
Backup catcher Matt Thaiss hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Angels an 8-6 lead, one of four homers by the Angels in the game. Hunter Renfroe hit two and Mike Trout hit one.
The Royals, however, rallied in the ninth against Angels reliever Jose Quijada (0-1), tagging the left-hander with his first blown save and loss of the season.
The Royals appeared to tie the game at 8-8 on Kyle Isbel’s two-run homer, but it was overturned after a replay review showed the ball hit the yellow line atop the right field fence.
The Royals, though, tied the game anyway when Edward Olivares followed with an RBI single. Kansas City took the lead later in the inning when MJ Melendez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, and it tacked on two more runs on a two-out single by Hunter Dozier.
Royals reliever Jose Cuas (1-0) got the victory. Scott Barlow pitched the bottom of the ninth for his second save.
The Royals scored first, pushing across a run in the third inning against Angels starter Tyler Anderson. Dozier led off the inning with a single and scored later in the frame on a two-out single by Bobby Witt Jr.
The Angels got the run back in their half of the third against Royals starter Zack Greinke on an RBI single by Trout, tying the game at 1-1.
The Royals regained the lead at 3-1 in the fourth on an RBI double by Matt Duffy and an RBI triple by Melendez. Renfroe’s first homer of the game in the bottom of the fourth cut the Angels’ deficit to 3-2, and Trout’s two-run homer in the fifth gave the Angels their first lead of the night at 4-3.
The Royals scored three times in the sixth inning, aided by two infield singles, a hit batter and an error by first baseman Gio Urshela to take a 6-4 lead, but the Angels battled back.
Renfroe’s second homer of the night and an RBI single by shortstop Zach Neto tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth.
–Field Level Media
