Billy Butler’s pinch-hit blast lifts Royals past Indians

Billy Butler didn’t knock off a season’s worth of frustration with one swing, but Friday’s two-run homer in the eighth-inning to break a tie and send the Royals to a 6-4 victory over the Indians made an entire clubhouse smile.

Manager Ned Yost, who had benched Butler for the second time in three games, saw some hard work finally pay off.

“Everybody knows Billy’s been struggling, so this has to be a big boost for his confidence, to come off the bench and win a game like that,” Yost said.

Fellow veterans like Raul Ibanez have seen enough of Butler over the years to know his capabilities.

“He’s a great hitter, and he came up big,” Ibanez said. “It’s a great sign.”

And Butler himself, slogging through the worst of his seven full major-league seasons, battling his swing, his approach and unable to fully understand how, in what should be a big year, he’s hitting 30 points below his career average with a measly three home runs on the year entering Friday.

“The production hasn’t been there,” Butler said. “Over my career it’s there, but this game is about what have you done for me lately.”

In this case, the answer is punctuated with an exclamation point.

The Royals had lost a three-run lead and were tied 4-4 when Butler was summoned by Yost to pinch-hit for Ibanez and face left-hander Nick Hagadone with one out in the eighth.

Indians manager Terry Francona countered with righty John Axford.

As Axford warmed up, Butler chatted with hitting coach Dale Sveum about Axford’s tendencies. Whatever was learned, Butler put to immediate use, turning on a 1-0 pitch and hitting the ball so squarely that he didn’t feel the contact.

But Butler knew it was gone. After the swing, he watched it fly for a few steps before engaging the home run trot.

“I saw it good,” Butler said. “Some days you do as a pinch-hitter, some days you don’t. It’s not an easy thing. I’ve fouled the ball off just as many times as I’ve squared it up. It’s a good feeling.”

The Royals felt good about this one most of the night. Starter Yordano Ventura delivered a solid bounce-back performance after his season-worst start at Boston on Sunday, when he surrendered six runs and struck out none in 41/3 innings.

Friday, Ventura struck out seven in 61/3. He couldn’t fool Carlos Santana, who tagged him for two home runs, but Ventura started the seventh with a 4-3 lead.

Then he got unlucky. A throwing error, a single, a sacrifice and a sacrifice fly to no-man’s land between second baseman Omar Infante and right fielder Lorenzo Cain led to the Indians’ run that tied the game.

“The most important thing is getting ahead in the count,” Ventura said through interpreter Bruce Chen. “In between starts, I worked a lot on throwing my off-speed pitches for strikes.”

Ventura not only wasn’t in line for the victory, a rare Royals power night was on the verge of being wasted.

Salvador Perez rocked his 12th home run of the season to lead off the second inning, a pull shot line drive into the left field bullpen that allowed him to match Mike Moustakas for the team lead.

The lead lasted just a few moments.

Moustakas walloped a Josh Tomlin offering over the wall in right. The Royals had back-to-back dingers for the second time this season. The first occurred against the Indians, and it also happened to be Perez and Moustakas.

The Royals lost that game, however. They won this one because the hitting didn’t stop there.

In the fourth, Ibanez dropped a soft liner inside the right field line. The ball bounced on the dirt and caromed around the curved wall. Outfielder David Murphy appeared to play the ball too cautiously, not grabbing it until Ibanez had decided on a triple.

Ibanez beat the throw, and the ball skipped past third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall and got caught under the railing, allowing Ibanez to score.

In the process, Ibanez made team history, becoming, at age 42 the oldest Royal to hit a triple. Bob Boone, at 41, had held that distinction.

But in the end, the hitting hero came off the bench, and Butler hopes the blast is the start of something big.

“By no means am I having a good year,” Butler said. “I’ve been grinding and putting in my work, and don’t have much to show for it. It’s good to have a result here and there.”

This story was originally published July 25, 2014 at 10:25 PM with the headline "Billy Butler’s pinch-hit blast lifts Royals past Indians."