ANAHEIM, Calif. The Royals snapped a four-game losing slide, avoided being swept in a three-game series and slayed the left-handed dragon of the Angels pitching staff who had dominated them whenever he took the mound.
Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez had two hits apiece and Hunter Dozier drove in two runs as the Royals won 5-1 over the Los Angeles Angels in front of an announced 43,329 at Angel Stadium on Sunday afternoon. The Royals matched their scoring output from the previous two games combined and defeated Angels starter Tyler Skaggs.
Pitcher Danny Duffy, who grew up in Lompoc, Calif., gave the Royals a quality start for the third time in his five starts this season. He allowed just one run on five hits and three walks in six innings. He also struck out five and hit one batter.
The Royals have now won in each of Duffys last three starts.
Skaggs came into the game having posted the best career ERA of any major-league pitcher (minimum of 20 innings) against the Royals. The left-hander had allowed just one earned run in 26 innings against the Royals, and he extended that stretch of dominance through the first two innings on Sunday.
The Royals pieced together a three-run third inning with two of the runs scoring with two outs. Whit Merrifields one-out walk kick-started things, and Lopez added a single.
Then Mondesis looping fly ball dropped in front of right fielder Kole Calhoun, and it bounced away from him and allowed Merrifield to score. After Alex Gordon struck out for the second out of the inning, Dozier roped a two-run double into the right-center field gap.
The Angels got into the scoring column in the fourth after Duffy hit Calhoun with a pitch and Kevan Smiths drive into left-center got past the full-extension dive of Gordon in pursuit from left field. Smiths RBI double gave the Angels their first run and marked the first hit off Duffy by anyone not named Mike Trout.
After an infield single put runners on the corners and held the potential for a big inning, Duffy got a pop-out and a ground ball to end the inning with the Royals up 3-1.
Chris Owings, who has struggled mightily at the plate all season, tacked on the fourth run with an RBI single, driving in Gordon. Owings hadnt had an RBI since April 20, against the New York Yankees.
Owings single signaled the end of the day for Skaggs. He allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and two walks, and he also struck out seven in 5 2/3 innings.
Scott Barlow, Jake Diekman and Ian Kennedy each tossed scoreless innings out of the bullpen.
The Royals tacked on another run in the top of the ninth when Gordon got hit with the bases loaded, extending his club record to 108 times hit by a pitch, to force in Billy Hamilton as the fifth run.
