Michael Massey homered to ignite a four-run second inning in support of right-hander Michael Wacha, who carried a shutout into the seventh inning of the Kansas City Royals’ 7-5 win over the host Houston Astros on Monday.
The Royals, 17-4 over their past 21 games, maintained their torrid pace when five consecutive batters reached in a three-run third, establishing a 7-0 lead. Jonathan India led Kansas City with three hits, while Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Kyle Isbel had two hits apiece.
Jeremy Pena, Jose Altuve, Yainer Diaz and Jake Meyers each collected two hits for the Astros, who had won three of their previous four games.
Massey clubbed his second home run of the season leading off the top of the second to open the scoring. Astros right-hander Ryan Gusto (3-2), who stranded two runners in the first inning, seemed to find his stride by retiring Cavan Biggio and Drew Waters following the Massey home run. He did not.
Isbel smoked a two-out double to right field, and India followed with an RBI single. Witt, who scorched the ball in his first three plate appearances, followed with a run-scoring triple to right-center. Pasquantino drove home Witt for a 4-0 lead.
The Royals didn’t wait until there were two outs in the third to exact additional damage. Gusto issued one-out walks to Massey and Biggio before Waters extended the lead to 5-0 with a single to left.
Isbel walked, prompting Gusto’s exit. India produced another RBI single, this one off Tayler Scott, and Witt then drilled a sacrifice fly to center, pushing the advantage to 7-0.
Wacha (3-4) cruised through six innings despite allowing at least one baserunner in each frame. Second baseman Massey started a dazzling, inning-ending double play in the third inning to keep the shutout bid intact, smothering a grounder from Isaac Paredes before making a backhanded toss to shortstop Maikel Garcia. That snuffed a bases-loaded threat.
Meyers and Zach Dezenzo tagged Wacha with consecutive doubles to open the seventh. Wacha surrendered two runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 6 1/3 innings.
The Astros scored three runs in the eighth inning, but Royals closer Carlos Estevez recorded his 12th save with a scoreless ninth.
