Chris Young, Luke Hochevar dominate in 6-1 Royals victory over Padres

It took a member of the bullpen to slow the succession of unsightly pitching performances from the Royals starting rotation. In his first Cactus League start as a Royal, Chris Young logged three innings of one-run baseball in a 6-1 victory over San Diego.

Young limited the Padres to two hits and a walk. He gave up a run in the second inning when he balked with outfielder Justin Upton at third base. Young struck out three.

The team also saw perhaps the best outing of Luke Hochevar’s spring. Firing 93-mph sinkers, he powered through a scoreless inning. He fanned catcher Derek Norris with a curveball and whiffed second baseman Jedd Gyorko with a fastball.

Kendrys Morales tied the game with an RBI double in the fourth inning. He plated Eric Hosmer. Hosmer smashed a two-run double in the fifth inning to pull Kansas City ahead. His hit followed an RBI single by Lorenzo Cain. The Royals added two runs in the ninth.

Ryan Madson contributed another scoreless frame. His Cactus League ERA fell to 1.80. Louis Coleman struck out Matt Kemp, Justin Upton and Derek Norris to complete his outing.

This story was originally published March 20, 2015 at 11:59 PM with the headline "Chris Young, Luke Hochevar dominate in 6-1 Royals victory over Padres."