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 Moustakas beat a potential double play grounder with a head-first
slide into first base in the ninth, driving in an insurance run the
Royals would need in a 4-3 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks at
Chase Field.
"The homer obviously felt really good," said Moustakas, who drove in
all four Royals' runs. "But at the end of the game, that last run
turned out to be huge, probably the most important run for us,
especially when you have Greg Holland coming in. I watched the play
unfold and kind of dove at the last second. Just trying to do what I
can to get to first."
Moustakas, hitting with runners on the corners and one out,
initially was called out on the play before the call was reversed on
the replay to give the Royals a 4-2 lead.
"I thought I beat it in the beginning," Moustakas said. "Those plays
are tough to call, especially when a guy is diving and you don't
hear that foot step and the ball.
"That's why we have the replay, which is pretty cool."
Holland gave up a sacrifice fly to Arizona first baseman Mark Trumbo
with one out and runners on the corners in the last of the ninth
inning before getting pinch-hitter Andy Marte to strike out.
Holland has an AL-high 32 saves in 34 chances for the streaking
Royals (59-53), who have won five of six and 11 of 14 to close to
within 3 1/2 games of AL Central leading Detroit and one-half game
of the second AL wild-card spot.
Moustakas hit a two-run homer with two outs in the second inning to
open the scoring and singled in a run with two outs in the fourth to
break a 2-2 tie. All the Royals runs came with two outs.
"He had a big night," Kansas City manager Ned Yost. "The home run
was huge, but they are all big."
Kansas City right-hander Yordano Ventura (9-8) scattered eight hits
and gave up two runs in six innings, striking out eight and walking
one. He hit 99 mph on the stadium radar gun with his 101st pitch of
the game in the sixth inning.
Ventura did not have good command of his off-speed stuff, according
to Yost, but spotted his fastball well.
"I just tried to locate my fastball," said Ventura through
interpreter Bruce Chen.
Catcher Miguel Montero had three hits for the Diamondbacks (49-65),
who have lost four of their last five.
Royals right-hander Wade Davis gave up two singles but struck out
pinch-hitter Tuffy Gosewisch to get out of the eighth inning. Davis
has given up one run in his last 38 innings.
Arizona right fielder David Peralta had two hits and an RBI, and
third baseman Cliff Pennington had two hits.
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Moustakas put Kansas City up 2-0 in the second inning when he hit his 14th
homer of the season after center fielder Lorenzo Cain singled with two
outs.
Arizona tied it in the third inning. Center fielder Ender Inciarte
tripled to lead off and scored on second baseman Aaron Hill's single.
Peralta added an RBI single.
Left fielder Alex Gordon and Cain walked with two outs in the fourth
inning before Moustakas hit a soft liner to right field for a single and
a 3-2 lead.
Diamondbacks right-hander Josh Collmenter (8-6) gave up three runs and
three hits in six innings. He tied a season high with six strikeouts.
"It's all on me," Collmenter said. "The pitch he hit (Moustakas homer)
was right down the middle on a 3-1 count. He got a fastball in and just
blooped it in. That's about it."
"That was the difference, him (Ventura) getting out of jams and me
pitching myself into a jam and not getting out of it."
NOTES: Kansas City manager Ned Yost recorded his 800th victory, breaking
a tie with Oakland Bob Melvin to rank 75th among major league managers.
"Eight hundred wins are nice, but I didn't win any of them," Yost said.
"These guys in there and guys like them did." ... Arizona INF Cliff
Pennington was activated from the disabled list and started at third
base, his 12th major league appearance at the position. RHP Bo Schultz,
who pitched 4 1/3 innings of relief on Tuesday, was optioned to Triple-A
Reno to make room on the roster. The Diamondbacks now have 13 position
players and 12 pitchers. ... Arizona 1B/LF Mark Trumbo played in his
500th game Tuesday, when he had the fifth two-hit performance in his
last nine games.
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