KANSAS CITY, MO. _ Los Angeles Angeles starter Matt Harvey keeps rebounding.
In the Angels' 7-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, Harvey tossed seven strong innings in a Kauffman Stadium that has never been kind to him.
Harvey, who entered with a 4.86 earned-run average over three career starts in Kansas City including a World Series loss in 2015, became the first Angels pitcher to last seven innings in a start this season.
Of the 27 batters he faced, only six reached base. He allowed two hits and three walks while striking out five, surrendering one run.
Through his first four starts this season, Harvey had allowed 20 earned runs and a .333 batting average. But something clicked for him in his most recent outing. He gave up only two runs and three hits, pitching around hard contact to record his second quality start of the season.
The discovery carried into Sunday.
Harvey gave up hard contact again _ only two of the 14 balls in play were hit softer than 90 mph _ but he never let the scuffling Royals put together a big inning. The most trouble Harvey got into was in the fourth, when Alex Gordon struck out but reached on a wild pitch to lead off the inning. Gordon eventually scored on a sacrifice fly.
The Angels gave Harvey plenty of cushion, jumping to a 3-0 lead in the first. With the bases loaded and one out, Albert Pujols hit a ground ball to left field for a two-run double, pushing him past Barry Bonds into third place on the all-time RBI list. Andrelton Simmons scored the third run of the inning on a ground out by Tommy La Stella.
Embattled Angels first baseman Justin Bour hit a three-run homer in the ninth to snap an 0-for-13 skid and increase the Angels' lead to 7-3.The Royals scored one run against reliever Ty Buttrey in the eighth inning and another on a wild pitch thrown by Hansel Robles in the ninth, but came no closer. With the series win over the Royals, the Angels improved to 12-17.
