Escobar sparks pesky attack vs. King Felix
Shortstop goes 3-for-4 as Royals spray 9 hits vs. Seattle ace
SEATTLE -- Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar doesn't think there's any point in having an exact plan against someone as gifted as Seattle's Felix Hernandez.
"It wouldn't matter," Escobar said. "He throws everything -- sinker, fastball, slider, change. You can't guess. You just look for a pitch in a spot, whatever it is."
And Escobar found that spot as he delivered three hits off Hernandez to help the Royals to a 4-1 win over Seattle on Monday night.
"And two of them were on bad pitches," Escobar said with a smile. "Yeah, they were out of the zone -- the one to right and the one up the middle. I just swung trying to make something happen and it worked."
Escobar's third hit was a single up the middle that chased in Jarrod Dyson, who had singled with two outs and stolen second. That put the Royals up 4-1 in the seventh and led to Hernandez being pulled from the game.
"It's always nice to get that three-run lead," manager Ned Yost said. "With our bullpen, it just gives them that extra bit of cushion. Big run there."
Escobar knew it, too.
"It was important to come out and get this first game," Escobar said. "He's a tough pitcher. You just try to get in play and we did tonight."