Moustakas, Young carry Royals to 4–2 victory in series opener
KANSAS CITY, MO | APRIL 22, 2016
The moose was loose. The tall man walked tall.
The Royals won 4–2 in the first of a three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles, fueled by strong performances by third baseman Mike Moustakas and Chris Young, the game’s starting pitcher.
Moustakas went 3–4, knocking in three runs and hitting his team-leading sixth home run, a drive to center. This helped raise his average to .290 on the year. Royals manager Ned Yost had nothing but positive comments about Moustakas after the game.
“Moose is swinging the bat pretty good, but he’s been swinging the bat pretty good all year. He’s been hitting a lot of line drives for outs,” Yost said. “He just feels real good right now and is swinging the bat really, really well.”
Moustakas got the game started early, as his aforementioned home run came in his first at bat, on the third pitch of the game thrown by Orioles starter Yovani Gallardo. The 426-foot shot plated two runs for Kansas City, as shortstop Alcides Escobar led off the game with an infield single.
The inning didn’t end there for the Royals. Designated hitter Kendrys Morales doubled in outfielder Lorenzo Cain three batters later, extending the lead to 3–0 before being stranded at third.
Moustakas was back at it in the next frame, as he hit a two-out double to score Escobar again, who had reached on a walk this time around. He would also lead off the fifth inning with a double down the left field line, but wasn’t able to score.
On the other side of the game for Kansas City, starting pitcher Chris Young shined. He tossed six innings, allowing only two runs over four hits in that time. He also notched 10 strikeouts, a career-high.
Young’s performance stood out to many, as he had entered the game 0–3 on the season. His ERA dropped to a still-high 6.41 following Friday’s game, a sign of how poorly he had started the season.
Yost, however, was not surprised by Young’s impressive showing.
“I told him yesterday I’m going to get here early and get a good seat for your first win,” he said. “I figured he was due to pitch a great game, and he did.”
The Orioles offense didn’t pick up until midway through the game. After Young stranded DH Pedro Alvarez at second with a pair of back-to-back strikeouts in the third, the O’s got to him in the fourth, as shortstop J.J. Hardy knocked in outfielder Mark Trumbo, who had doubled in the previous at-bat.
Young wouldn’t allow another baserunner for the rest of the game, excluding a home-run hit by All-Star third baseman Manny Machado in the 6th. He picked up four extra strikeouts over his final two innings.
When asked if Young was perhaps more motivated for tonight’s game due to his lackluster start to the season, Yost defended his pitcher.
“Chris Young steps on that mound with the same amount of pride every single night. Doesn’t matter how well he’s throwing, how well we’re doing, he’s just a dogged competitor, and every time he steps on that mound, he’s gonna give it everything that he has,” he said.
After Young exited to a raucous ovation, the bullpen trio of Luke Hochevar, Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis took care of business, only allowing one hit, which came at the start of the 7th. Davis secured his seventh save on the year by closing out the game.
The Royals advance to 11–5 with the win, and now have a home record of 7–2. The Orioles fall to 10–5. Both teams remain in first place in their respective divisions.
The teams will square off for the second game of the series Saturday night, with a first-pitch time of 6:15 PM CST. Kris Medlen takes the hill for Kansas City, and Vance Worley is currently scheduled to pitch for Baltimore, although he did throw in Friday’s game, so his status was uncertain at time of publication.
