Royals All-Star left fielder Alex Gordon entered play on Tuesday with a .262 average and 33 RBIs. By the time the Royals ended the night with the second win over the Tampa Bay Rays, Gordon bumped his RBI total to 39 and raised his batting average to .280. He went 7-for-9 with six RBIs as the Royals won the night cap 7-1. Gordon drove in four in the second game.
“He can get a hit and then all of the sudden be hotter than a firecracker for a week, 10 days, two weeks,” said manager Ned Yost. “He had a big big day for us…carried us offensively.”
Gordon singled home Jarrod Dyson in the fifth after he singled and stole second. That tied the game at 1-1. In the four-run sixth inning, Gordon singled home Alcides Escobar after this bases clearing double. Dyson and Escobar scored again the eighth when Gordon doubled.
Gordon was moved to the No. 2 spot in the batting order, replacing Final Vote candidate Mike Moustakas, who is on the bereavement/family emergency list. He also took a pitch off the hand in the first game.
“That’s always scary when you get hit in the hand,” Gordon said. “You hear stories about how bad it can be. But it’s just really bruised, but fine.”