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Springer stays hot as Astros rout Royals

May 27, 2014 - 5:13 AM Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - George Springer had four hits and five runs scored as the Houston Astros handily defeated the Kansas City Royals, 9-2, in the first of three games at Kauffman Stadium.

Springer doubled twice, homered, and drove in three runs. Marwin Gonzalez went 4-for-5 with an RBI and Jason Castro brought in two runners as the Astros won their third straight game.

"Springer was absolutely tremendous, just line drive after line drive," Astros manager Bo Porter said.

Scott Feldman (3-2) earned the win after surrendering just two runs on eight hits in six innings of work.

Lorenzo Cain went 4-for-4 with an RBI and Alex Gordon had two hits for Kansas City, which has dropped three of its last four.

Yordano Ventura (2-5) exited the game early with lateral elbow discomfort and was tagged with the loss after giving up five runs on seven hits with three walks in 2 2/3 innings.

"In the third inning, I threw a few pitches and it started to feel a little weird," Ventura said of the elbow. "I felt something unnatural. It was a little uncomfortable, unnatural, and I decided to say something."

The Astros took a quick lead in the first. Jose Altuve singled to right before Springer and Dexter Fowler both walked to load the bases with no outs. Altuve scored on Castro's groundout to first and Springer came home on Matt Dominguez's sacrifice fly to make it a 2-0 game.

Gonzalez doubled to center and Altuve walked with two outs in the second. Springer doubled off the wall in center to bring them around and Fowler plated Springer with a single to right, giving the Astros a 5-0 lead.

Ventura was taken out of the game after manager Ned Yost and a trainer came to the mound with two outs gone in the third. Michael Mariot replaced Ventura, who will undergo an MRI on Tuesday.

Springer doubled to lead off the fourth and advanced to third on a balk. Fowler walked before Castro grounded into a double play that allowed Springer to cross home plate.

The Royals got on the board in the home half. Gordon singled with one out and was brought home two batters later on Cain's line-drive single to center.

Houston tacked on a run in both the fifth and the sixth. Alex Presley doubled with two outs in the fifth and came home on Gonzalez's single to right. Castro's single to left scored Springer from second in the sixth to make it an 8-1 game.

Billy Butler doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and Gordon singled before Salvador Perez grounded into a double play that allowed Butler to score from third.

Springer led off the eighth with a solo shot to left-center field to extend the Astros' lead to 9-2.

Game Notes

Springer has homered in four straight games. His five homers in four games mirror Lance Berkman, who accomplished the same feat in July of 2010 ... Altuve has not committed an error in a franchise-record 87 games ... Omar Infante was activated from the 15-day disabled list prior to the game and started at second base ... The Royals have lost eight straight games on Memorial Day.