Vinnie Pasquantino homered and drove in three runs while Bobby Witt Jr. delivered four hits as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Los Angeles Angels 9-4 on Thursday night.
Michael Lorenzen (7-11) struck out a season-high nine without a walk, allowing two earned runs on five hits in 5 2/3 innings to earn the win.
Jo Adell, Nolan Schanuel, and Mike Trout went deep for the Angels. Trout’s 23rd homer of the season — and 401st of his career — was a two-run shot in the eighth that cut Kansas City’s lead to 5-4.
But the Royals put the game away with a four-run rally in the ninth, capped by Salvador Perez’s two-out, three-run double off Sam Bachman.
Mitch Farris (1-3) took the loss for Los Angeles, giving up four earned runs on five hits across five innings with five strikeouts and two walks. The Angels have now dropped 11 of their last 13 games.
Pasquantino opened the scoring with a two-run blast in the first inning, his 32nd of the season, giving him 110 RBI. He later added an RBI groundout in the third. Witt extended the lead with an RBI double in the fifth.
Adell hit his team-leading 37th homer in the second, and Schanuel’s solo drive in the sixth pulled Los Angeles within two. But Kansas City added insurance in the eighth on Adam Frazier’s pinch-hit RBI single before pulling away in the ninth.
Key Moment:
With two outs and two strikes in the ninth, Perez drilled a bases-clearing double off the center-field wall to seal the Royals’ win.
Key Stat:
The Angels struck out 13 times, raising their season total to 1,603 — tied for the fourth-most in MLB history. They remain on pace to challenge the 2023 Twins’ record of 1,654.
Up Next:
The Angels send RHP Kyle Hendricks (8-10, 4.79 ERA) to the mound Friday against Astros RHP Jason Alexander (4-2, 4.83). The Royals visit Oakland with LHP Noah Cameron (9-7, 2.90) opposing RHP Luis Morales (4-2, 3.07).
