Jose Suarez threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings and Shohei Ohtani and Max Stassi homered to lift the visiting Los Angeles Angels to a 6-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday.
Suarez, who pitched more than five innings for just the second time this season, gave up three hits, struck out three and walked one while making 78 pitches. Los Angeles’ Luis Rengifo had two hits and two RBIs, and Magneuris Sierra added two hits.
Angels relievers Jose Quijada and Elvis Peguero combined to limit the Royals to two hits over the final 3 2/3 innings to help the Angels win for just the fourth time in 19 games so far this month.
Ohtani’s homer with one out in the third inning off Royals starter Angel Zerpa gave the Angels a 1-0 lead. It was Ohtani’s 21st homer of the season but just his fourth long ball in July.
Ohtani, who hit 46 homers last season, is on pace for 36 homers this season.
It was the only run Zerpa allowed going into the fifth, but after giving up hits to the first two batters of the inning, he tweaked his right knee on a pitch to Michael Stefanic and had to leave the game.
Phil Gosselin, who began the inning with a single, later scored on a two-out wild pitch by Amir Garrett to put the Angels up 2-0, the run charged to Zerpa.
In four-plus innings, Zerpa (2-1) yielded two runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk. He struck out one.
The score stayed 2-0 until the seventh when the Angels added three runs, the first two scoring on a double by Rengifo. Jo Adell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in the third run of the inning and give the Angels a 5-0 lead.
Stassi homered in the ninth inning off Joel Payamps to produce the final run of the game.
The Royals managed just five hits, all singles, as their three-game winning streak ended. The Angels won for the second time in three games. The teams will play the rubber game of three-game series on Wednesday.
–Field Level Media