Stephen Kolek shuts down Astros to help Royals avoid sweep

Stephen Kolek allowed five hits over 7 1/3 stellar innings and Maikel Garcia had three hits with three RBIs, as the Kansas City Royals avoided a series sweep by the visiting Houston Astros with their 4-0 victory Sunday.

After Royals starters allowed a combined 12 runs over five innings in losing the first two games of this set, Kolek (4-1) hardly allowed the Astros to threaten, while additionally yielding a walk and striking out four to help the hosts end a four-game skid.

Houston recorded 18 runs and eight homers between Friday and Saturday to secure its first winning series at Kansas City since 2022, but managed four singles and a double Sunday.

The Astros had won each of the previous five starts made by Spencer Arrighetti (7-2), who allowed all the Royals' runs plus eight hits and struck seven with one walk over six innings.

The Royals got to Arrighetti in the first, when Bobby Witt Jr. singled for the first of his two hits, and stole second. He then came home on Garcia's two-out single to left field.

Kolek, meanwhile, allowed a double by Brice Matthews to lead off the third inning, but he was left stranded at second base. In the bottom of that frame, the Royals broke things open with three runs.

Arrighetti walked Isaac Collins, who went to second on Carter Jensen's single and scored via a Jac Caglianone hit to right field. Garcia then chopped the ball out of the reach of third baseman Raynel Delgado which rolled down the left-field line for a double that scored two.

Kolek allowed back-to-back singles to open the seventh, but got Joey Loperfido to fly out to left before beginning a 1-4-3 double play on Cam Smith's comebacker to end the frame.

Houston again put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth, ending Kolek's day, but Steven Cruz retired the next two batters.

Daniel Lynch IV retired the side in order in the ninth.

The Royals announced on Sunday that first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino could miss up to six weeks with a hand injury sustained Saturday.

--Field Level Media