Royals 4, Reds 3 - Early runs push Kansas City past Cincinnati

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Brandon Phillips whacked a solo dinger, had a two for three evening, and continued his recent hot streak for the Cincinnati Reds.  Unfortunately, he also exited the game with soreness in his right triceps, which ain't ever a harbinger of milk and cookies.

Regardless, BP had the kind of night that's worthy of a JNMHSotG trophy in a late August game in a season that's not going anywhere, and for that he should be saluted.  Here's to hoping his arm injury isn't anything with which we should be terribly concerned.

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Joey Votto, who dingered; Eugenio Suarez, who had a two-hit evening that featured a double and a walk; Pedro Villarreal, who tossed 2.2 innings of scoreless relief; Sam LeCure, who threw a pair of spotless innings in his first big league appearance of 2015; and Jason Bourgeois, who singled, scored, and walked twice, but also chipped in with two awful baserunning mistakes;

Key Plays

• Kansas City got off to a blazing start against Keyvius Sampson, unfortunately.  Alcides Escobar led off with a walk - which haunted - and he scored a batter later when Ben Zobrist bonked a double to RF.  A productive out move Zoby to 3B, and he then scored on a single from Eric Hosmer.  Reds trailed, 2-0.
• Votto is a Red, though, and that worked in Cincinnati's favor when he bashed a solo dinger in the Bottom of the 1st.  Phillips followed with one of his own off the top of the wall down the LF line, and the back to back dingers tied things up, 2-2.
• The Royals added a pair of runs again in the Top of the 2nd, each of which came after Sampson had already recorded a pair of outs.  Escobar singled, Zobrist doubled, and both scored when Lorenzo Cain smacked a single to CF.  Reds trailed, 4-2.
• Cincinnati got a single run back in the Bottom of the 3rd when Suarez doubled in Bourgeois - who had walked - but that served as the rest of either team's offense for the evening, and that was that.  Reds lost, 4-3.