Royals pull away in Victory over Astros

Ian Kennedy #31 of the Kansas City Royals congratulates Kendrys Morales #25 after Morales hit a home run in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Kauffman Stadium on June 26, 2016 in Kansas City, Missouri.

(June 26, 2016 - Source: Ed Zurga/Getty Images North America)

The Kansas City Royals pull away in the seventh inning to beat the Houston Astros 6-1 and avoid a series sweep.

1B Kendrys Morales put the Royals up 1-0 with a solo home run in the fourth inning. C Evan Gattis tied the game with a leadoff homer in the sixth.

In the seventh inning, Kansas City pulled away in style. Kendrys Morales hit his second home run of the game to lead off the inning.

With one out, SS Alcides Escobar singled and 3B Cheslor Cuthbert drove him in with a two-run homer.

LF Alex Gordon singled with two outs and CF Lorenzo Cain doubled to put two runners in scoring position for the Royals. DH Eric Hosmer followed with a double, driving home Alex Gordon and Lorenzo Cain for the final score of 6-1.

Houston’s SP Doug Fister (8-4) pitched 6.2 innings, allowing 8 hits and 4 earned runs while striking out 6. He now has a 3.36 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP on the season.

Kansas City’s Ian Kennedy (6-6) worked 7 innings, giving up 3 hits, 1 walk and 1 earned run while fanning 11. His ERA and WHIP improved to 3.96 and 1.18, respectively.

Kendrys Morales went 2-for-4 with 2 runs, 2 HR and 2 RBI. He is batting .231 this season and has 27 runs, 10 HR and 35 RBI.

The Houston Astros (39-37) continue their road trip with a three-game series at the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (32-44) from Monday to Wednesday.

The Kansas City Royals (39-35) host the St. Louis Cardinals (39-35) for a two-game series on Monday and Tuesday.