Recap: Kansas City vs. Seattle
Sports Network | September 16, 2008
Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - John Buck drove in two runs on a pair of hits and the Kansas City Royals defeated the Seattle Mariners by a 6-3 margin in the second contest of a four-game series from Kauffman Stadium.
Buck, Ryan Shealy and David DeJesus each hit a home run for the Royals, who have won five straight and six of their last seven. Brandon Duckworth (3-1) held the Mariners to just two runs on five hits with a pair of walks and as many strikeouts through six frames to get the win.
Jose Lopez was 3-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored while Jeremy Reed had two RBI for the M's, who have dropped six straight and seven of their last eight. Brandon Morrow (2-4) was reached for six runs on eight hits and a pair of walks in four-plus innings in taking the loss.
Buck started KC off with a home run to left in the third but Lopez countered for the M's with a jack to left in the fourth. The Royals then forged ahead with a run in the home half. Alex Gordon and Kila Ka'aihue drew a pair of two- out walks and Buck stroked an RBI single between third and short for a 2-1 lead.
A four-run fifth put KC on the road to victory. DeJesus led off the frame by drilling a home run over the wall in right-center, and Alberto Callaspo tripled to right and scored on a single from Mike Aviles. Shealy followed with a two-run homer to deep center to cap the inning.
Seattle put a run on the board in the sixth to make it 6-2. Yuniesky Betancourt doubled leading off, moved to third on a Lopez single and crossed home on a sacrifice fly from Reed.
Leo Nunez and John Bale helped bridge the gap to the ninth with a scoreless inning apiece and Ramon Ramirez entered to pitch the ninth. Lopez smacked a double and Reed laced an RBI single back through the middle to cut the deficit to three. Joakim Soria came on to record the final three outs in succession for his 39th save of the season.
Kansas City has won five of its seven matchups with the Mariners this season including four of the five tests played at Kauffman Stadium...On Wednesday, Seattle's Ryan Rowland-Smith (4-2) will square off against KC's Gil Meche (11-11)...Seattle is now winless through the first six games of an 11-game road trip...Royals outfielder Jose Guillen was a late scratch on Tuesday. No reason was given.
