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Royals score in ninth to top Angels

Jun 30, 2014 - 12:58 AM Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Omar Infante's third hit of the game, a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth inning, drove in the deciding run and gave the Kansas City Royals a 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Infante's single off Jason Grilli (0-1) brought home Alex Gordon, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the inning and reached third when Angels second baseman Howie Kendrick dropped a toss from teammate Erick Aybar on a potential double- play ball.

"I just missed it. It came off the glove," Kendrick said. "I feel bad because the pitcher did his job."

Lorenzo Cain added four hits -- three of them doubles -- and a pair of RBI to help Kansas City take the rubber match of this three-game series. Greg Holland (1-2) earned the win after striking out two during a perfect top of the ninth.

Aybar did deliver a game-tying solo homer in the sixth inning, with Kole Calhoun also going deep for the Angels as part of a 2-for-5 day at the plate.

Angels starter C.J. Wilson lasted only 3 2/3 innings, however, surrendering four runs on seven hits and issuing four walks.

Jeremy Guthrie pitched into the seventh for the Royals, getting reached for four runs -- two earned -- over 6 2/3 frames.

Guthrie entered the sixth with a 4-3 lead that Aybar erased with a line drive into the visitor's bullpen, with the blast coming two batters after Albert Pujols was thrown out by Gordon at second while failing to hustle on a shot into the left-field corner.

The Angels then loaded the bases in the seventh on a pair of singles followed by a walk to Mike Trout that signaled the end of Guthrie's afternoon. Kelvin Herrera got Pujols to fly harmlessly to center, however, to keep the contest tied.

It remained so until the ninth, with Kendrick's muffed catch on a Salvador Perez grounder setting the stage for Infante's liner that easily plated Gordon.

"They gave us one," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Wilson was given a 2-0 lead before he stepped onto the mound, with Calhoun drilling a leadoff homer on Guthrie's second pitch of the game and Aybar later lofting a fly ball that Cain and Royals center fielder Jarrod Dyson let drop between them. The miscommunication, ruled an error to Cain, enabled Trout to score from first without a throw.

Guthrie was victimized by his defense once again in the third, as Calhoun reached on a throwing error by first baseman Eric Hosmer and was eventually sent home by Josh Hamilton's two-out double for a 3-0 advantage.

Wilson worked out of a couple of early jams to help create that three-run margin, but didn't make it out of the fourth as his command deserted him.

The lefty hit Perez with a pitch in front of an Infante double and single by Danny Valencia that got Kansas City on the board, then walked Alcides Escobar to load the bases and set up Cain's game-tying two-run double to left.

Wilson later walked Billy Butler intentionally to again fill the sacks before throwing his last four pitches, all of which were balls to Gordon that allowed the Royals to claim a 4-3 edge.

Game Notes

Wilson's teams had won 14 straight games against the Royals when he pitched, with six of those being starts ... Royals manager Ned Yost successfully challenged a pair of safe calls that gave Kansas City double plays upon being overturned, once on Pujols in the third inning and another coming in the fourth ... Valencia went 2-for-2 before being replaced by Mike Moustakas at third base in the fifth inning ... Grilli was making his second appearance with Anaheim since being acquired in a trade with Pittsburgh on Friday.