Jorge Bonifacio’s walk-off gives Royals a win over the Angels
Royals outfielder Jorge Bonifacio hit a walk-off two-run home run in an 8-7 win Thursday over a Los Angeles Angels split squad. The Royals scored five runs in the final inning in front of an announced 4,429 at Surprise Stadium.
Alex Gordon went 2-for-3 with an RBI, while Erick Mejia went 2-for-2 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Jecksson Flores went 2-for-2 with a double, a run scored and an RBI.
Richard Lovelady, Ben Lively and Scott Blewett each pitched a scoreless innings of relief.
Keller’s second outing: Brad Keller’s second start of the spring included a few more high-pressure situations — or at least what passes for pressure during spring training — than when he made short work of opposing batters last weekend.
This time the Los Angeles Angels split squad got to Keller for three runs in one inning and made him pitch out of a potential jam with a pair of runners on in another inning.
“I didn’t mean to put (runners) out there or anything like that, but it’s nice to get out of the stretch and work on some stuff out of the stretch as well,” Keller said.
He allowed three runs on three hits and two walks in three innings. All three runs came with two outs in the second.
Duffy hopes to break camp: Royals pitcher Danny Duffy expressed optimism that he still had time to break camp with the rest of the team despite having to shut down his throwing program for about a week because of shoulder tightness.
Duffy resumed throwing this week, and he said he’s felt good. The Royals are taking a cautious approach with his progression.
While frustrated with the setback, particularly coming off what he’s described as his worst season last year, Duffy understands why the club is easing him back into throwing.
“I feel like it’s green light for me to still be able to break (camp) with the team, but I’m worried about today and we’ll see where it goes,” Duffy said.
Up next: The Royals will play a pair of split-squad games on Friday. They’ll host the Cincinnati Reds at 2:05 p.m. at Surprise Stadium and play at 8:05 p.m. against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Glendale. MLB.com will have the audio broadcast from the Reds game. KCSP (610 AM) will broadcast the Dodgers game on radio.
