Jeremy Pena, Astros claim series from Royals

Jeremy Pena finished 4-for-4 with a tie-breaking single in the eighth inning to help the host Houston Astros claim a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals in the rubber match of the three-game series on Wednesday.

Pena snapped a 3-3 tie with his single to left off Royals closer Carlos Estevez, driving home Mauricio Dubon. Dubon's double scored pinch runner Chas McCormick from first base and chased Royals right-hander Michael Lorenzen (3-4). Dubon went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles.

Astros closer Josh Hader earned his 10th save by working around a two-out walk to Bobby Witt Jr. Left-hander Bryan King (1-0) earned the win in relief.

The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the second inning against Astros left-hander Colton Gordon, who was making his major league debut. Maikel Garcia blasted a leadoff home run to left for his fifth homer, before the Royals strung together three consecutive two-out hits, with Jonathan India plating Hunter Renfroe with a double to left.

Lorenzen produced an efficient outing until the Astros rallied in the eighth.

Lorenzen faced the minimum through three innings, courtesy of catcher Salvador Perez, who caught Pena as he attempted to swipe second, as Jose Altuve struck out in the bottom of the first. Two innings later, Dubon rolled into an inning-ending double play that erased Zach Dezenzo.

After Pena singled leading off the fourth, Lorenzen induced another double-play grounder, this one from Altuve, to clear the bases. But Paredes clubbed his second home run in as many games, drilling a first-pitch fastball to left for his sixth homer this season.

The Royals immediately answered the Astros' tally in the top of the fifth when Garcia greeted reliever Shawn Dubin with a run-scoring double that ricocheted off second base and bounded into shallow left field, scoring Vinnie Pasquantino and lifting the Royals to a 3-1 advantage.

Lorenzen seemed poised to protect that two-run cushion after he retired the Astros in order in the fifth. He surrendered back-to-back doubles to Dubon and Pena in the sixth as the Astros closed to within a run once again, but retired the side in order in the seventh.

--Field Level Media