SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Royals slugger Mike Moustakas didn’t care to get caught up in a debate concerning whether or not his latest home run landed in the waters of McCovey Cove.

With Kansas City finally finding a comfortable groove after a rocky start to the season, Moustakas is thinking big picture.

Moustakas hit his 18th home run leading off the second inning, Jorge Bonifacio and Lorenzo Cain followed with back-to-back shots in the third and the Royals beat the San Francisco Giants 7-2 on Wednesday to complete a two-game sweep.

The win was Kansas City’s fourth straight and left the Royals at 30-34 — not bad for a ballclub that was nine games under .500 one month into the season.

“We’re trending in the right direction,” Moustakas said. “We’ve been playing great baseball on this road trip and if we keep this going we’re going to be in a good spot after the end of this month.”

Moustakas, one of Kansas City’s top hitters over the past two weeks, stayed hot with his home run off former Royals pitcher Johnny Cueto (5-6) that initially appeared to land in McCovey Cove. Officials later determined that the ball landed on a walkway and bounced into the water.

It was the fifth homer in 12 games for Moustakas, who is already just four shy of his career-high.

“It’s all good, a homer’s a homer,” Moustakas said.

Bonifacio finished with two hits and three RBI, Whit Merrifield added three hits and three runs while Alcides Escobar singled three times to help Jason Hammel end an eight-game winless stretch on the road that dated to 2016.

Hammel (3-6) allowed one run over 6 2/3 innings to beat the Giants for the first time in 12 starts. The right-hander gave up eight hits, struck out four and walked one.

“He commanded the ball really well, he changed speeds, he used his slider effectively, got some big swings and misses,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “His last couple of starts, he’s really come on for us.”

Bonifacio homered in the third after Merrifield opened the inning with a bunt single. Two pitches later, Cain lined an 0-1 pitch over the fence in left-center that put the Royals up 4-0.

Cueto struggled in his first appearance against his former team since signing with San Francisco after helping Kansas City to the 2015 World Series. He allowed five runs and 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings with three walks and five strikeouts.

Kansas City has scored seven or more runs in each of its last four games, all wins.

Eduardo Nunez had two hits and an RBI for San Francisco. The Giants have lost 11 of 15.

San Francisco had two on and two outs twice but failed to score each time. Hammel fanned Brandon Crawford to end the fourth and reliever Peter Moylan got Buster Posey to ground out to end the seventh.

“The way we’re swinging, it’s a steep climb,” San Francisco manager Bruce Bochy said. “This is humbling to go through something like this. It’s a tough time for these fellows.”

WALKED OFF

Brandon Belt’s walk in the seventh inning was the first free pass issued by Hammel since May 29. It also was the last batter the right-hander faced, as Yost came scurrying out of the dugout to replace him with Moylan. Hammel hardly resisted. “I don’t ever want to say I was getting tired but that inning the pitches were up,” he said. “Probably the right move there.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Giants: 2B Joe Panik returned to the lineup after being sidelined for four games with a sprained left thumb he injured last week in Milwaukee diving for a ground ball. He went 2 for 4.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Matt Strahm (1-3, 4.05) makes his first career start Thursday in Anaheim against the Angels. Strahm has made 20 appearances out of the bullpen this season.

Giants: LHP Matt Moore (2-7, 5.28) faces the Rockies for the third time this season when the teams play at Colorado in the opener of a four-game series Thursday. Moore is winless in his previous five starts.

— Associated Press —

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Alcides Escobar hit a two-run double as part of a six-run sixth inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the San Francisco Giants 8-1 on Tuesday night.

Jorge Bonifacio drove in three runs and snapped an 0-for-13 drought, Alex Gordon added two hits and two runs, while Whit Merrifield had a bases-loaded triple to help Kansas City to a win in its first appearance at AT&T Park since the 2014 World Series.

Jason Vargas (9-3) allowed one run over seven innings to outpitch Ty Blach in a battle of left-handers. Vargas gave up five hits with six strikeouts and one walk for his fourth straight win overall and second against the Giants this season.

Buster Posey had two hits and scored San Francisco’s run. The Giants have lost 10 of 14.

Escobar, whose leadoff single in the third sparked a two-run rally, broke the game open with a bases-loaded double off Blach (4-4) in the sixth. After Gordon was intentionally walked and Vargas struck out, Merrifield lofted a fly ball that landed past sliding right fielder Hunter Pence near the foul line to put the Royals up 7-1. Bonifacio followed with an RBI single.

That was more than enough for Vargas, who pitched seven scoreless innings to beat the Giants in Kansas City on April 19.

Coming off its best offensive game of the season two days earlier, San Francisco struggled against Vargas and reliever Travis Wood. The Giants were limited to five hits and scored their only run on a sacrifice fly after Posey doubled leading off the second.

Blach allowed seven runs and 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings. He struck out four and walked one.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (right oblique strain) threw 20 pitches in a bullpen session Monday and came out of it with no lingering pain. Duffy has been out since May 29.

Giants: With a left-hander pitching, 2B Joe Panik was given an additional day off to rest his sprained left thumb. Aaron Hill started in Panik’s place.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (2-6, 5.43) pitches in the finale of this two-game series. Hammel is winless in his previous eight road starts dating to 2016.

Giants: RHP Johnny Cueto (5-5, 4.33) faces his former team for the first time since signing with San Francisco after helping Kansas City to the 2015 World Series.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY — In 2011, Nick Pratto hit a two-out, walk-off single to center to propel Huntington Beach, Calif., to a victory over Japan in the Little League World Series championship game. On Monday night, the Royals selected Pratto with their first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in the 2017 Draft.

“Words can’t really describe it,” Pratto said. “There’s a weird feeling going through my body.”

The former Little League hero is now a 6-foot-1, 193-pound first baseman. Pratto hit .318 with seven home runs and 19 RBIs in his senior season at Huntington Beach High School, and MLB Pipeline.com ranked him as the No. 13 prospect in the Draft. He was rated as the best high school hitter in the Draft, according to Baseball America.

The Royals also selected catcher MJ Melendez with the No. 52 overall pick in the second round.

Royals general manager Dayton Moore said he doesn’t see a comparison to Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer, but that Pratto is a plus defender at first base. Moore also said Pratto can play the outfield.

“I know there were teams that were looking at him as an outfielder,” Moore said. “He’s an elite defender.”
Added Moore: “He’s a guy who can use all of the field as a hitter. He’s got power that we believe will develop. He has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He’s a proven winner.”

Pratto said he learned to settle his emotions at that Little League World Series, where his single came on a 2-0 pitch with the bases loaded. Since then, he has developed into what MLB Pipeline called “perhaps the best pure high school bat in the country.”

To watch the Draft, Pratto was surrounded by over 100 family and friends, many of whom knew him when he hit the walk-off winner. As Commissioner Rob Manfred announced his name, Pratto raised both hands, much like he did after that walk-off hit six years ago. To be drafted, Pratto said, is a similar feeling to hitting his championship-winning single. Smiling, he hugged his parents.
Said Pratto, “This is a surreal moment.”

— By Wilson Alexander / MLB.com —

SAN DIEGO (AP) — After his team hit five home runs on Saturday, Mike Moustakas was ready to keep the power surge going Sunday.

Moustakas hit two home runs and Jake Junis pitched seven-plus solid innings to help the Kansas City Royals beat the San Diego Padres 8-3.

Alex Gordon and Eric Hosmer also homered for the Royals.

“The offense gave us a big lead and Junis pitched on the attack,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He executed pitches and had a really, really good slider. He held the fort for us.”

Facing rookie Dinelson Lamet (2-2) Moustakas hit a three-run home run in the first that gave the Royals an early 4-0 advantage, and a solo homer in the eighth, his 17th this season.

“I saw it out of the hand and knew it was up and I tried to put a good swing on it, and it ended up carrying out of the yard,” Moustakas said. “It definitely wasn’t something that I was looking for, but when I saw it up I put some good wood on it.”

Gordon homered in the fourth, a solo shot, and Hosmer added a two-run homer in the fifth to put Kansas City on top 7-1.

“He’s really locked in,” Yost said of Moustakas. “He is really putting together a great season this year power-wise. He is really seeing the ball well and driving the ball to all fields with power.”

Junis (2-0), who lasted three and two-thirds innings in his previous start, allowed three runs, all on solo homers, on six hits over a career-best seven-plus innings. He struck out six and walked one.

“I felt like my off-speed was a little sharper today, and I was locating my fastball better than in previous outings,” Junis said. “I was getting ahead and staying ahead.”

Scott Alexander contributed two scoreless innings for Kansas City.

“Our bullpen has been used a lot,” Moustakas said. “For (Junis) to come out and do what he did was unbelievable. We needed that big. He saved our bullpen.”

Cory Spangenberg hit two solo home runs and Jose Pirela homered to chase Junis from the game in the eighth. Spangenberg recorded his second career two-homerun game for the Padres, who have lost seven of eight.

Lamet struggled for a second straight start after dominating in his first two. He gave up seven runs on six hits in five innings, while striking out six and walking one.

“I think more than anything today it was Lamet struggled with command,” Padres manager Andy Green said. “That’s gonna get you as long as the inning progresses.”

Phil Maton made his major league debut for San Diego on the same day he was recalled from Triple-A El Paso with a scoreless eighth.

“Going in the game just didn’t even seem real, just didn’t want to hit the first guy, that’s about the only thing that was going through my mind,” Maton said. “Once I got that first pitch out of the way everything was okay.”

QUOTABLE:

“I’m still missing mistakes; this game is hard. I just try to come in and try to figure out how to get hits every day.” Moustakas said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: OF Manuel Margot continues his recovery from a calf injury and was running in the outfield prior to Sunday’s game. Margot will likely require a rehab assignment before returning.

Royals: C Salvador Perez left the game with left-side tightness in his rib cage area. Perez is expected to start Tuesday in San Francisco.

UP NEXT:

Padres: RHP Luis Perdomo (0-3, 3.50) will make the start for San Diego on Monday, looking to rebound from his last time out in which he gave up five runs in four innings at Arizona. Perdomo opposes RHP Bronson Arroyo of the Cincinnati Reds.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (8-3, 2.18) takes the mound at San Francisco on Tuesday. Vargas has won three straight starts and faces Giants LHP Ty Blach.

— Associated Press —