KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ When you haven't eaten in days, any morsel of nourishment can feel like a Wagyu steak. When you haven't scored more than three runs in nine games, any dose of offense can feel like an onslaught.
The Royals put four runs on the board Saturday night, and for a night, they could feel like kings again, scoring a 4-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays at Kauffman Stadium.
The victory evened the three-game series at a game apiece and ended an anemic stretch of offense that was nearing all-time status. The Royals had not scored more than three runs in a game since scoring seven against the Los Angeles Angels on July 27. On Saturday, they pushed across their fourth run in the bottom of the sixth, on an RBI triple from rookie Raul Mondesi.
Eric Hosmer provided the biggest hit of the night, lining a two-out, two-run single into center field in the bottom of the fifth. The single capped a three-run rally and paved the way for starter Danny Duffy, 8-1, to claim his eighth win of the year.
Five days earlier, Duffy had crafted the best performance of his career in a 3-0 victory at Tampa Bay. He had struck out a franchise-record 16 hitters while allowing one hit over eight innings. He took a no-hitter into the bottom of the eighth in that game against the Rays.
On Saturday, Duffy lacked the unhittable dominance that he flashed at Tropicana Field. But he did resemble the nascent ace of the last two months.
He allowed two runs and five hits over 6 2/3 innings pitched. He finished with six strikeouts and two walks while throwing 92 pitches. He lowered his ERA by percentage points _ to 2.97 _ while pushing his career high in strikeouts to 132 on the season. He rebounded after an early mistake in the top of the first.
One day after bookending a Royals loss with two homers, Blue Jays second baseman Devon Travis opened the first inning with a solo blast to left field. The homer came on a Duffy breaking ball that flattened out across the top of the zone. Travis, who entered the weekend with seven homers, notched his second leadoff homer in two days and his third solo shot of the series.
Four innings later, Travis would best Duffy again, lining a two-out RBI single into right field. The hit scored Kevin Pillar from second base and stretched the Blue Jays' lead to 2-0. And perhaps it stuck in the brain of Royals manager Ned Yost.
In the top of the seventh, Duffy was set to face Travis again with two outs and a man on base. This time, Yost emerged from the dugout and summoned reliever Peter Moylan, who excels against right-handed hitters. Moylan struck out Travis on five pitches, ending the inning, and returned for the top of the eighth.
Moylan worked a scoreless eighth, setting the stage for reliever Kelvin Herrera in the ninth. And the Royals picked up a needed home victory.
