The Royals got on the board in the first inning with an RBI double from Matt Stairs and an RBI single from Terrence Long. In the fourth inning, the Royals and Indians were tied 3-3 when Ruben Gotay drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Mike Sweeney drove in Castillo with an infield single.
Things were going well for Royals’ starter Danny Bautista, who held on to that 5-3 lead until the sixth inning, when the Indians tied it up with an RBI single from Coco Crisp and a sacrifice fly from Victor Martinez. Bautista was chased in the sixth inning. Four relievers pitched the final 3 2/3 innings, with Mike MacDougal working the ninth for his first win of the season. MacDougal allowed a hit, but struck out three for the victory.
Castillo, whose only other game-winning base hit came in 1997 with the Mets, was 3-for-4 with three runs one RBI and a stolen base. The Royals open a two-game set with the Twins in Minnesota Wednesday night. Jose Lima will look for his first win of the season against Johan Santana who is 3-0. First pitch is at 7:10.
