KANSAS CITY, Mo. _ The best team in baseball arrived at Kauffman Stadium on Monday, a youthful brigade of athleticism, exuberance and former top draft picks. The evening was not designed to be an homage to everything the Royals once were _ save for a menacing offense that piles up home runs _ but the Houston Astros can channel that vibe. They can do a lot of things.
They are young. They are homegrown. They are complemented by a handful of veteran pieces. And they are barreling toward an American League West championship and another postseason appearance.
Two years ago, of course, it was the Royals who fit that description, who sprinted out of the gates during the season's first half and rode the momentum to a second straight pennant, dispatching an upstart version of these Astros in the process. In 2017, the Astros' homegrown core remains an ascendant club. In contrast, the Royals just look ... well, older.
The latest evidence came on Monday, as the Royals dropped a 7-3 decision at Kauffman Stadium. As the two teams convened a four-game series, starter Ian Kennedy served as the Astros' latest punching bag, surrendering four runs in five innings and dropping to 0-6 following a dismal run in his last five starts. The Royals (24-32) fell to 3-4 on the homestand and eight games under .500, still treading water after a disastrous May. The Astros held on for their 11th straight victory, matching the third longest winning streak in club history.
The decisive blow came from the bat of Astros catcher Brian McCann, who jumped a first-pitch fastball from Kennedy in the top of the fourth. The blast traveled 419 feet onto the porch in right field. It offered a 4-0 lead and represented Houston's 30th homer in its last 13 games.
The Royals struck back in the bottom of the fourth, scoring once on a bloop single to left from Brandon Moss and again on a perfectly executed two-out bunt from Alcides Escobar. But the worst offense in baseball, by runs and most metrics, was undone by a feeble moment in the sixth and missed opportunities in the late innings.
And then the bullpen wobbled anyway. Whit Merrifield lost his 19-game hitting streak following an 0-for-5 night. The Royals will send rookie right-hander Jake Junis into the maw on Tuesday night.
In the sixth, the Royals had put two runners on when Eric Hosmer opened the inning with a single and Salvador Perez followed with an infield single that ended up in right field when third baseman Marwin Gonzalez misfired on a throw to second base. With runners at the corners and nobody out, Astros manager A.J. Hinch pulled starter Mike Fiers, turning the game to left-handed reliever Reymin Guduan. Mike Moustakas would line out to third base before Brandon Moss and Alcides Escobar struck out to end the inning.
Rookie Jorge Bonifacio drilled his eighth homer of the year in the seventh, slicing the Houston lead to 4-3. But Moss would strike out against with the tying run in scoring position in the eighth, eliciting a collection of boos from the Kauffman Stadium crowd. Moments later, the Astros broke the game open with a three-run shot from first baseman Yuli Gurriel off Kelvin Herrera in the top of the ninth.
In moments, another attack. The Astros, of course, have been doing this against everyone. They arrived in Kansas City this week with the best record in the major leagues and an offense that had ran roughshod over opponents for the last week and a half. In a 10-game winning streak, they had put up 82 runs and allowed just 36. In a three-game sweep in Minnesota, they piled up 40 runs on the Twins' pitching staff, including 28 against the relief corps. Across 57 games, Houston had hit a league-leading 90 homers while averaging 5.47 runs per game, nearly two runs per game higher than their opponents on Monday night.
This was before the game.
On a warm night at Kauffman Stadium, they flexed their muscles again. They clubbed two homers, totaling 10 hits. They looked like the best team in baseball.
