Angels continue mastery of Royals
May 31, 2010
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP)—There were no late-game heroics, no wild celebrations.Just a methodical performance by Ervin Santana(notes), rare production from the bottomof the lineup and another win over Kansas City.
After a winning-but-tumulutuous weekend, this was just what the Los AngelesAngels needed.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim&… AP – May 31, 3:12 pm EDT LAA-KC Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init(); Series at a Glance LA Angels 7 Kansas City 1 Mon, May 31 – Final LA Angels at Kansas City Tue, Jun 1 – 8:10 pm ET LA Angels at Kansas City Wed, Jun 2 – 8:10 pm ET
Santana pitched seven strong innings, the bottom three hitters combined forsix hits and the Angels avoided any drama by roughing up Luke Hochevar(notes) early onthe way to a 7-1 win over the Royals on Monday.
“Right now we’re just trying to focus,” said Santana, 21-1 since 2008 whenlasting seven innings. “We know that everything will be OK, so we’re justtrying to get everybody together.”
Los Angeles won its previous two games in dramatic fashion, getting awinning grand slam from Kendry Morales(notes) against Seattle on Saturday, a three-rungame-ender by Kendrick on Sunday.
The Angels were a bit more subdued following Kendrick’s winner, waiting onthe grass to congratulate him after watching Morales, the team’s home run andRBI leader, break his leg during the previous day’s at-the-plate swarming.
Handshakes and high-fives were all the Angels needed against Kansas City, ateam they’ve beaten 10 of the last 11 times.
Mike Napoli(notes) hit a two-run homer, Juan Rivera(notes) and Maicer Izturis(notes) each hadsolo shots off Hochevar (5-3), and Howie Kendrick(notes) had two RBIs to help LosAngeles kick off a season-long 14-game road trip with its fifth win in sixgames. Napoli, Kendrick and Michael Ryan(notes), the Nos. 7-9 hitters, went a combined6 for 10.
“I’m not asking them to be Superman, just get into their normal game,”Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “There’s been a lot of guys who haven’t beenmaybe as crisp as they can be and we got contributions from a lot of them.”
The Royals didn’t put up much of a fight, going 1 for 8 with runners inscoring position and striking out 11 times to lose for the sixth time in ninegames. Kansas City has scored two runs in three games after a season-high 20-hitoutburst against Boston Friday night.
Santana (5-3) had something to do with it.
The right-hander had a shaky start to the season, but has been superb overthe past month or so, allowing six earned runs with 28 strikeouts in 29 innings.
Santana limited the damage of seven hits against the Royals, allowing arun-scoring double by Jason Kendall(notes) in the fifth inning and little else to winhis fourth straight start. He struck out six.
“His slider, I don’t know if you’d call it devastating, but it was justshort of devastating,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.
Hochevar had also been on a roll, pitching eight strong innings againstTexas to back up a complete-game win over Cleveland.
This time, he just put the Royals in a hole.
Rivera ended an 0-for-21 slump in the second inning off the right-hander,lifting a 2-0, down-the-middle fastball over the Angels bullpen in left for asolo homer, his seventh. Kendrick made it 2-0 with a run-scoring double twobatters later and the Angels kept chipping away at Hochevar.
Izturis added a slicing solo shot in the third inning that dinged off thefoul pole in left, Erick Aybar(notes) had a run-scoring double in the fifth andKendrick added an RBI single in the sixth to make it 5-1.
Hochevar gave up five runs on nine hits in seven innings. He had allowed twohomers in his previous 60 innings.
“What’s on my mind is making quality pitches, down in the zone,” Hochevarsaid. “When you get the ball up, that’s what happens.”
Napoli sealed it in the eighth inning with his eighth homer, a two-run shotoff Victor Marte(notes) for his third hit.
NOTES: Scioscia said Morales’ broken leg is still too swollen for surgeryand he hopes to have a definitive answer in the next week or so. … Royals DHJose Guillen(notes) broke an 0-for-15 skid with a single off Scot Shields(notes) in the ninthinning. He had struck out his previous eight at-bats at Kauffman Stadium. … Agrounds crew member made a nifty tackle from behind after a fan ran out onto thefield during the seventh-inning stretch.
