The Royals took two out of three from the Angels over the weekend, including an 8-3 win over the defending A.L. West champs on Sunday afternoon. Brian Anderson, who at one point was sent to the minors in 2004, opened 2005 with a six inning performance and a victory. Anderson was tagged by Vladimir Guerrero, who hit a two-run homer in the fourth inning. Then in the seventh, Orlando Cabrera tripled in Juan Rivera. That was it for Anderson, who was relieved by Nate Field.
Field, Jamie Cerda and Mike MacDougal shut Los Angeles down the rest of the way, by combining for one hit, no walks, no runs and three strikeouts. MacDougal pitched the final five batters, putting them all down in order.
Offensively, it was second baseman Ruben Gotay who led the way for Kansas City. He went 4-for-5 with three RBI’s and a home run. His two-run shot in the second inning capped a four-run rally and gave the Royals a 5-0 lead. His RBI single in the eighth was the final run of the game. Mike Sweeney was 3-for-4 with two runs batted in, while Emil Brown hit his second home run of the season.
The Royals are 3-3, along with three other teams in the A.L. Central, and trail the White Sox by a game. Kansas City will send Runelvys Hernandez to the mound in their home opener Monday afternoon against Seattle. The Mariners will start Ryan Franklin.
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