Runelvys Hernandez grabbed his third consecutive win to lead the Royals to a 7-1 victory over the Astros at Kauffman Stadium.
Hernandez lasted seven innings and gave up one run off one hit and three walks. He struck out six batters on Sunday to improve to 5-7 on the season. Ambiorix Burgos, Mike Wood and Mike MacDougal finished off the final two innings with one hit, no runs and three combined strikeouts.
Emil Brown gave Hernandez some breathing room in the sixth inning by turning a 2-1 lead into a 5-1 lead with a three run homer, his eighth of the season. David DeJesus, Matt Stairs and Ruben Gotay also drove in runs. Gotay was 3-for-4 with a run.
After losing to Roger Clemens and Roy Oswalt, the Royals needed the win to avoid a sweep by Houston. They’re 12-6 under manager Buddy Bell. Up next for Kansas City is a three-game series against the White Sox in Chicago, which starts tonight at 7:05.
