Kansas City Royals vs Los Angeles Angels Box Score on Jun 16, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 17, 2017

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Apparently, Lorenzo Cain does not play favorites.

The Kansas City center fielder drove in the only two runs that Los Angeles starter Jesse Chavez allowed in seven innings. Then in the top of the eighth, against Angels reliever Keynan Middleton, Cain led off with his second homer, extending the Royals' winning streak to six with a 3-1 victory.

Cain had a home run and an RBI single against Chavez, continuing the torrid pace he has been on since the start of the month. With three more hits Friday, Cain is batting .368 (21-for-57) with eight homers, 16 RBIs and 18 runs scored in June.

Likely Cain's biggest fan was Royals starter Ian Kennedy, who began the night looking for his first win of the season. Kennedy was 0-6 with five no-decisions in his 11 starts.

Kennedy was perfect through 5 2/3 innings, retiring the first 17 batters he faced until Cliff Pennington crushed a 91 mph fastball on a 3-1 count, hitting the ball into the right-field seats for his first home run of the season.

That not only ended the no-hit and shutout bids but also seemed to crack the door open for the Angels' offense, if only temporarily.

Cameron Maybin followed with a double and Kole Calhoun walked. Kennedy fell behind in the count 3-1 to Albert Pujols but got the final out of the inning on a pop to second.

Kennedy was finished after the sixth and relied on the bullpen -- Mike Minor (seventh inning), Joakim Soria (eighth) and Kelvin Herrera (ninth, 14th save) -- to finish.

Kennedy's best performance of the season before Friday came April 16 when he shut out the Angels on two hits in eight innings, only to come away with a no-decision.

Chavez had one of this best games of the season, giving up two runs while scattering nine hits in seven innings. He has been hit or miss in the majority of his 14 starts this year -- he has allowed five runs or more four times but has allowed two runs or fewer seven times, including Friday.

The Royals took a 1-0 lead on Cain's two-out homer in the third inning, marking the third consecutive game that Cain has homered.

In the fifth, the Royals got a leadoff single from Alex Gordon and a perfectly-placed hit-and-run single to right field by Whit Merrifield, moving Gordon to third. Merrifield, though, was doubled up at first base after Angels second baseman Cliff Pennington made a leaping catch of Jorge Bonifiacio's line drive.

Chavez, though, couldn't get out of the inning unscathed because Cain followed with a two-out single to right field, scoring Gordon to put Kansas City up 2-0.

Meanwhile, Kennedy cruised through the Angels' lineup, retiring the first 15 hitters and taking a perfect game into the sixth. Kennedy went to a three-ball count only twice in five innings.

NOTES: Angels RHP Cam Bedrosian, the club's closer to start the season but on the disabled list since April 22 with a strained groin, is expected to be activated from the disabled list. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said only that Bedrosian would be used in the "back end" of the bullpen, not committing him to the closer's role right away. RHP Bud Norris has pitched well in the closer's role in Bedrosian's absence, logging 11 saves with a 2.59 ERA and .200 opposing hitters batting average. ... Royals LHP Danny Duffy, out since May 30 with a strained right oblique, threw a light side session and likely will throw again Sunday. If all goes well, he could begin facing live hitters in batting practice on Tuesday. Duffy was 4-4 with a 3.54 ERA in 11 starts before the injury. ... Angels OF Eric Young Jr. was not in the starting lineup for the first time since being called up to replace injured OF Mike Trout on May 29. Scioscia, who said he was giving Young a "breather," started OF Ben Revere in Young's place. ... The Royals have committed 23 errors this season, the fewest in the majors.