Scott Barlow got Christian Walker to hit into a game-ending groundout with runners on second and third, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 on Tuesday night for just their second win in 11 games.
Brady Singer (2-1) rebounded from three poor starts and the Royals tied their season high with 14 hits. Every starter except Franmil Reyes had at least one hit for the Royals. Kansas City is 6-18, including 5-6 on the road but just 1-12 at Kauffman Stadium.
Corbin Carroll was a home run shy of the cycle for Arizona and stole two bases.
After allowing 18 runs over 16 innings in his prior three outing, Singer gave up one run and five hits in six innings and lowered his ERA ERA from 8.14 to 6.67.
Kansas City opened a 5-2 lead on Anthony Misiewicz’s run-scoring wild pitch in the eighth, but Arizona closed in the bottom half on Emmanuel Rivera’s two-run single off Aroldis Chapman.
Barlow relieved with Rivera on second and out one and struck out Gabriel Moreno and Alek Thomas.
Geraldo Perdomo doubled leading off the ninth and took third on a groundout. Carroll walked with two outs and stole second, and Barlow retired Walker for his third save.
Ryne Nelson (1-1) gave up four runs and 11 hits in five innings.
Edward Olivares hit an RBI single in the first and Nicky Lopez doubled the lead with a run-scoring single in the fourth. Walker had an RBI groundout in the bottom half, but Kansas City opened a 4-1 lead in the fifth when Michael Massey hit a run-scoring single and Reyes followed with a sacrifice fly.
