Kansas City Royals vs San Francisco Giants Match Player Stats On Jun 13, 2017

The Sports Xchange
Jun 14, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO -- Whit Merrifield hit a bases-clearing triple in a six-run sixth inning and left-hander Jason Vargas became the American League's second nine-game winner Tuesday night, leading the Kansas City Royals to an 8-1 victory over the San Francisco Giants in the opener of a two-game interleague series.

Merrifield and Jorge Bonifacio drove in three runs apiece in a 15-hit attack for the Royals in a matchup of teams that went head-to-head in the 2014 World Series.

San Francisco won the 2014 championship, but Tuesday's win improved the Royals' regular-season record against the Giants to 11-4.

The Royals scored seven of their eight runs off Giants starter Ty Blach (4-4), who had allowed a total of just seven runs in his previous five home starts this season.

In winning for the sixth time in its last nine road games, Kansas City led just 2-1 before busting the contest open with the six-run sixth.

Merrifield's three-run triple came after Alcides Escobar's two-run double had increased the Royals' advantage to 4-1.

Bonifacio completed the uprising with an RBI single that scored Merrifield to make it 8-1.

Vargas (9-3) coasted from there, completing seven innings during which he allowed five hits and one run. He walked one and struck out six in his 102-pitch effort.

He won his fourth straight decision, having allowed a total of five runs over that stretch. Vargas' ninth win tied him with Houston's Dallas Keuchel for the AL lead in victories.

Merrifield, Bonifacio, Escobar, Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Alex Gordon had two hits apiece for the Royals, who were visiting San Francisco for the first time since the 2014 World Series.

Escobar and Gordon each scored two runs.

Along with the seven runs, Blach gave up 10 hits in his 5 2/3 innings. He walked one and struck out four.

Buster Posey and Austin Slater had two hits apiece for the Giants, who split a pair with the Royals in Kansas City earlier this season.

Blach easily could have had a 1-2-3 third inning instead of the two runs allowed on four hits.

The Royals loaded the bases on a ground ball by Alcides Escobar that barely eluded Giants first baseman Brandon Belt, a blooper by Gordon to short right field that tipped off the glove of second baseman Aaron Hill, and a bunt by Vargas that was placed perfectly between Blach and third baseman Eduardo Nunez.

Even Bonifacio's hard-hit, two-run single could have been caught, but Blach's stab at the liner came up empty and the ball rolled into center field, scoring Escobar and Gordon, giving Kansas City a 2-1 lead.

The Giants had opened the scoring an inning earlier on the first of Posey's hits, a leadoff double, followed by Hunter Pence's infield out and Brandon Crawford's sacrifice fly.

NOTES: Royals 2B Whit Merrifield's triple was the sixth of his two-year career, his first with more than one runner on base. ... Royals manager Ned Yost announced before the game that LHP Matt Strahm will replace LHP Eric Skoglund in the starting rotation, beginning Thursday against the Los Angeles Angels. ... The Golden State Warriors' championship clinched Monday night was their third since moving west, tying the Giants for third place among San Francisco Bay Area professional teams behind the San Francisco 49ers (five) and Oakland Athletics (four). The Giants' three World Series titles in 2010, 2012 and 2014 were all won on the road. ... The Giants have not won an interleague series at home since July of 2015.