With lineup of regulars, Royals beat Dodgers 3-1 in front of record crowd

The lineup card was tacked to the wall of the clubhouse Tuesday afternoon, a full five hours before the Royals were scheduled to take the field against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Surprise Stadium.

For the first time this spring, the order was familiar, the lineup brimming with regulars. After three weeks of easing his starters into action, Royals manager Ned Yost offered a glimpse of April. He penciled shortstop Alcides Escobar into the leadoff spot. Escobar was followed by third baseman Mike Moustakas and the expected heart of the Royals’ lineup: Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer, Kendrys Morales, Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez. For the first time all spring, those seven shared space in the same batting order.

The lineup yielded immediate results, too, producing a 3-1 victory over the Dodgers on a cool evening in Arizona. On a night in which the Royals set an attendance record at Surprise Stadium — the official number was 11,781 — the team posted one of its cleanest performances of the spring.

Perez blasted a solo home run to left field. Morales finished 2 for 3 with a double and a run scored. Second baseman Omar Infante, who started again and batted ninth, capped a two-run burst in the second inning with an RBI single.

The offense offered a healthy cushion for right-hander Chris Young, who held the Dodgers hitless for 4 1/3 innings while making his fourth start of the spring. Young, 37, began the spring as a favorite to land one of the Royals’ final rotation spots. He burnished his credentials during the past week, recording solid outings in back-to-back starts.

“He was awesome,” Yost said.

Six days after holding the Chicago Cubs scoreless for four innings, Young flummoxed the Dodgers with a heavy dosage of 89-mph fastball and disappearing sliders. Utilizing his vaunted “Invisiball,” Young racked up five strikeouts in his first two innings. He left with one out in the top of the fifth, after issuing his third walk. He was tagged with one run allowed when Los Angeles’ Rico Noel doubled off reliever Scott Alexander.

“I wasn’t as sharp as I’d like to be,” Young said. “I threw some really good pitches, but my fastball command wasn’t quite as sharp. But overall, the results were good and something to build on.”

When the night began, Young was on a leash of close to 75 pitches. When he walked the Dodgers’ Rob Segedin with one out in the fifth, he had thrown 78 and not allowed a hit. Moments later, Yost emerged from the dugout and paced toward the mound. Young stood at attention, armed with a one-liner.

“I said: ‘C.Y., you’ve exceeded your pitch count and (pitching coach Dave Eiland) is getting a little nervous,’ ” Yost said. “And he said, ‘Well, does Dave know that I’m throwing a no-hitter?’ ”

Standing at his locker, Young smiled when the story was brought up. In truth, he said, he could have been sharper on Tuesday. His fastball location was erratic at times. He lived on a devastating slider and some timely execution.

“The slider was good,” Young said. “And I threw some good fastballs when I needed to, but my slider was really good. It allowed me to keep them off balance, and then I felt like my fastball had some decent life, so I got some pop-ups and kind of jam shots.”

The regulars

For the first time, the bulk of the Royals’ likely regular-season lineup was on display. Among the first seven hitters, only shortstop Alcides Escobar (.156 this spring) didn’t register a hit. First baseman Eric Hosmer is now batting .394 this spring after stroking his fourth double. Center fielder Lorenzo Cain finished 1 for 3 and is batting .355.

The arms

Scott Alexander replaced Young and allowed one inherited runner to score in 1 2/3 innings. Kelvin Herrera and Danny Duffy recorded scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth. The Royals improved to 11-13 in the Cactus League.

Position battles

Outfielder Travis Snider, a non-roster invitee, earned the start in right field and finished 0 for 3. He is batting .179 this spring. Outfielder Reymond Fuentes, a candidate to earn a roster spot as a reserve, replaced Cain in center field and had a hit in his only at-bat. He is batting .387 this spring.

Up next

The Royals will return to action against the Cleveland Indians at 3:05 p.m. Central Wednesday in Goodyear, Ariz.

Saturday’s summary

Royals 3, Dodgers 1

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E: Moustakas (1). LOB: Los Angeles 7, Kansas City 5. 2B: A.Verdugo (1), Noel (1), Hosmer (4), C.Decker (3), K.Morales (2). HR: S.Perez (3).

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WP: Liberatore, Alexander. Balk: A.Wood. Umpires: Home, Tom Woodring; First, Todd Tichenor; Second, Quinn Wolcott; Third, Tripp Gibson. Time: 2:33. Att: 11,781.

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This story was originally published March 22, 2016 at 10:50 PM with the headline "With lineup of regulars, Royals beat Dodgers 3-1 in front of record crowd."