KC Royals Get Excellent Start From Joe Blanton in 10-2 Victory

Joe Blanton gave the KC Royals five innings of one-run ball in his first major league start in over a year as the Royals took game one of a three game set against the Brewers.

Milwaukee opened up the scoring in the 2nd on a Scooter Gennett triple, which drove in Carlos Gomez to give the Brewers a 1-0 lead.

However, the Royals fired right back in the bottom half of the inning, with two singles and a walk to load the bases.

After Salvador Perez popped out to third for the first out, Alex Rios brought Eric Hosmer home from third on a sacrifice fly to make it a 1-1 game.

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Omar Infante then responded with an infield single to bring in Kendrys Morales, before Alcides Escobar jumped on the first pitch of his at-bat, singling to right field to score Alex Gordon and making it a 3-1 game.

The Royals tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the 5th, first on a Lorenzo Cain triple, driving in Mike Moustakas, and making it a 4-1 game.

After an Eric Hosmer walked and a mound visit, Morales went after the first pitch he saw, singling to right and driving in Cain to put the Royals up 5-1.

Hosmer moved to third on the single before being driven in on a Gordon sac fly, and giving Blanton a 5-run cushion at 6-1.

The Brewers added one run in the 8th off of Franklin Morales, but the Royals responded with four in the bottom half of the inning on a base-clearing triple by Escobar and an RBI groundout by Moustakas.

The Brewers went quietly in the ninth to give the Royals a 10-2 win and improving them to 37-25 on the season.

Notables: 

• Joe Blanton gave the Royals five quality innings, striking out four while giving up just one run, in his first major league start since July 22, 2013, while registering his first win since July 4, 2013.
• Lorenzo Cain tripled in the 5th, as well as doubling in the 7th giving him five extra base hits in his last four games. From May 16-June 12, Cain only managed three extra-base hits
• The Royals finished the game with 12 hits, the third consecutive game in which Kansas City recorded 10 or more hits.

Next: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Kansas City Royals, Thursday, June 18, 7:10 p.m., at Kauffman Stadium; RHP Jimmy Nelson (3-7, 4.60 ERA) vs. RHP Jeremy Guthrie (4-4, 5.79 ERA)

Next: Kansas City Royals Memorial: Dick Howser