KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Hammel allowed three hits over six innings for his first win with Kansas City, Eric Hosmer sent a two-run homer splashing into the fountains behind the fence in right-center field and the Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 Friday night.
Hammel (1-3) struck out six and walked two, ending a six-start winless streak dating to Sept. 19, when he defeated Cincinnati for the Chicago Cubs. Hammel, who left the World Series champions as a free agent to sign a $16 million, two-year deal with Kansas City, failed to get out of the fourth inning in his previous two starts
Rookie Scott Alexander, Joakim Soria and Kevin Herrera combined for one-hit relief. Alexander induced three straight groundouts in the seventh, Soria struck out Brandon Guyer, Roberto Perez and Carlos Santana in the eighth, and Herrera allowed Edwin Encarnacion’s two-out double in the ninth before retiring Jose Ramirez on a groundout for his fourth save in five chances.