By MATT PIKE
After a nearly hour long delay to start the game, the Kansas City Royals avoided a sweep by the Arizona Diamondbacks, thanks to home runs by Bobby Witt Jr and Carter Jensen, winning 5-2 at Kauffman Stadium.
It was the third straight series in which the Royals won the final game to avoid a sweep. In the second inning, Kansas City started the scoring with an unearned run after John Rave and Kyle Isbel recorded two-out singles. Rave stole third base and Diamondbacks catcher James McCann's throw went into left field, allowing Rave to score. In the third inning, Jensen hit a solo home run to extend the lead putting Kansas City ahead 2-0.
Jensen's home run, his 23rd of the season, put him in second place in Royals history for home runs by a rookie trailing only Bob Hamelin who hit 24 in the 1994 season. The Diamondbacks answered quickly in the fourth inning as Nolan Arenado hit a 430-foot solo home run leading off the inning and Arizona then tied the game in the fifth inning on a two-out RBI single by Ketel Marte, scoring Jordan Lawlar.
In the bottom half of the fifth inning, Witt Jr put the Royals back ahead with a three run home run, providing the last runs Kansas City needed for the win, bringing home Isaac Collins and Jensen. Daniel Lynch picked up his first win since moving into the starting rotation in early August, moving to 5-5 on the season, allowing two runs on four hits in five innings while striking out three and walking two. Nate Pearson earned his fourth save.
At the plate, Witt Jr was 2-for-4 with the home run and three RBIs. Jensen was 1-for-3 with a home run and an RBI, also walking once. Rave was 1-for-3 with a run scored and his sixth stolen base of the season.
Kansas City is off on Thursday and wil travel to face the Boston Red Sox on Friday. Seth Lugo (6-8, 5.04 ERA, 119Ks) is set to start for the Royals against Sonny Gray (17-4, 2.69 ERA, 135Ks) for the Red Sox in the opener. First pitch is at 6:10pm, pregame will air at 5:30pm on Friday on KFEQ (680AM/95.3FM).
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