Springer slam starts Astros' surge past Royals

[June 25, 2016]  KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- George Springer needed a double in his final two plate-appearances to get the cycle.

He did not get it, grounding out in the seventh and walking in the ninth. But that is about the only thing Springer did not do Friday night.

Springer drove in five runs, four with a first-inning grand slam, and Colby Rasmus had four hits, including a solo homer in the eighth inning, as the Houston Astros crushed the Kansas City Royals 13-4 on Friday night.

Springer said he was not thinking about a cycle.

"Jose (Altuve) kept telling to swing and hit the double," Springer said. "But I would much rather have us win."

Rasmus scored three runs and had two RBIs.

"We're kind of getting it going here with Spring setting the table up top," Rasmus said. "It feels good. I'm happy for George. I'm happy for our team. We weren't missing when he (Edinson Volquez) made mistakes. He's usually a little bit effectively wild in getting you off the barrel. We were able to get him tonight."

Dallas Keuchel (4-9) picked up his first victory in five June starts. Keuchel allowed four runs on 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings, throwing 70 strikes in 98 pitches.

"It's certainly not a bad thing," Keuchel said of the 12-0 lead. "I don't think you'll ever hear a pitcher complaining about it. It does kind of take you out of the mindset of setting some consecutive hitters in a row down. I obviously wasn't sharp, but at the same time I was afforded the luxury to give up a few runs if I had to.

"All in all, it's a different mindset, but at the same time you've got to go out there and get quality major league hitters out, they are world champions and pretty good at home. This doesn't happen often."

Cheslor Cuthbert hit his sixth home run in the seventh and drove in three Royals' runs.

The Astros sent 12 men to the plate in a nine-run first inning, which Springer led off with a triple and capped off the scoring with a grand slam. It was Springer's major-league leading third grand slam this season.

The inning also included run-producing singles by Marwin Gonzalez, Rasmus, Carlos Gomez and Jason Castro. Another run scored when shortstop Alcides Escobar dropped Evan Gattis' fly-ball to shallow left.

Royals starter Volquez faced three batters in the second and retired none before being retired. Dillon Gee replaced Volquez and allowed all three runs to score, skyrocketing Volquez's ERA from 4.12 to 5.15. Springer added his fifth RBI on a ground out.

Astros right fielder George Springer (4) is congratulated by shortstop Carlos Correa (1) after scoring against the Kansas City Royals in the first inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

"I mean, it is what it is," Gee said. "I was ready to go in there when I needed to. It's a tough situation to come into, for a guy like me especially. I'm a not a big strikeout guy, so bases loaded with no outs, that's a tough situation, but, like I said, just try to do the best you can.

It was Volquez's shortest outing since Aug. 23, 2013, when with the San Diego Padres he allowed six runs in 2/3 of an innings against the Chicago Cubs.

"It's just one of those days," Volquez said. "Ever since I started pitching you're going to have just one of those days, at some point in your career. I've got probably three or four of them."

The Royals got a run in the second when Paulo Orlando tripled and scored on Cuthbert's double. In the fourth, Orlando had an infield single, moved to third on Brett Eibner's double and scored on Cuthbert's ground out.

Alcides Escobar homered on Keuchel's first pitch of the fifth, his first since Aug. 21 at Boston.

NOTES: INF Raul Mondesi will begin a rehab assignment Saturday with high-Class A Wilmington at Winston-Salem. Mondesi, the Royals' top prospect in the minors, was suspended 50 games by Major League Baseball for violating the joint drug prevention and treatment program. He will be eligible to resume his Double-A Northwest Arkansas season on July 4. ... 2B Jose Altuve singled in the first inning, extending his streak to reaching base safely to 27 games. ... Royals LF Alex Gordon, who is on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha, will probably come off the disabled list Saturday. ... The Astros are calling up 1B-DH A.J. Reed on Saturday. He hit .266 with 11 home runs in 59 games for Triple-A Fresno. ... Astros RHP Mike Fiers and Royals RHP Chris Young are the scheduled starters for Saturday.

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