If ever D.J. Carrasco wanted and impressive outing on the mound, it was Tuesday night. The Hayward, Ca. native had about 30 friends and members of his family in attendance, as the Royals topped the Giants in San Francisco 8-1. He gave his cheering section something to cheer about, throwing a complete-game five hitter.
Carrasco got into trouble in the first inning when Jason Ellison led off with a double. J.T. Snow drove in a run with a single to put San Francisco on the board and cut Kansas City’s lead to 2-1. Carrasco was almost untouchable after that, retiring 16 in a row and 20 of the next 21 batters he faced.
Meanwhile, the Royals four, five and six spots in the lineup knocked Giants’ starter Kirk Rueter out of the game. Emil Brown, Terrence Long and Tony Graffanino were a combined 6-of-13 with six RBI’s and a home run. Brown and Long drove in runs in the first inning with a single and a fielder’s choice.
In the second inning Graffanino hit a solo home run and Brown, capped the second of two runs in the third inning with a sacrifice fly. After Mike Sweeney’s RBI single in the fifth, Long drove in Sweeney with a single. Graffanino struck again with an RBI single in the seventh inning.
With the win, the Royals improved to 5-2 under manager Buddy Bell.
