Astros Power Their Way Past Royals 9-3

What a difference a month makes. When the Royals first faced the Houston Astros, they left Houston with a three game sweep. Now, the tables have been turned, and the Royals have been swept at home, losing 9-3 this afternoon.

The game started out as badly as possible for the Royals. After Jose Altuve reached on an error, George Springer continued to show what an actual power hitting prospect should look like at the major league level, sending starter Danny Duffy‘s offering over the center field wall for a two run home run.

The hits came on coming for the Astros. Houston loaded the bases with two outs in the second, bringing up Dexter Fowler. Fowler dropped a base hit to right, plating two runs to give the Astros a 4-0 lead. Carlos Corporan had an RBI double in the third to give extend the lead to 5-0 before the Royals even had a chance to cycle through their lineup.

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Kansas City finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth. With two outs, Eric Hosmer and Alcides Escobar hit back to back doubles, as the Royals finally put a run on the board against Astros starter Jarred Cosart. As unlikely as it may be for the Royals to put six runs on the board given the way their offense has performed, the was a glimmer of hope.

That hope was quickly extinguished by Chris Carter. Leading off the fifth, Carter hit a home run to left to give the Astros a five run lead once again. While Kansas City was able to get an unearned run in the bottom of the inning, Carter blasted a three run home run deep to left, giving the Astros a 9-2 lead and putting the final nail in the coffin.

Brett Hayes hit his first home run of the year in the bottom of the seventh, providing the final run in the Royals 9-3 defeat. Duffy took the loss, giving up six runs, five earned, on seven hits and five walks in 4+ innings. Aside from Hayes getting his first two hits of the season, there really were not any positives from this series. Hopefully, with the Blue Jays coming to town, the Royals can get back into the win column.