KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Garrett Mitchell matched a career high for RBIs with a two-run double and a three-run homer in the first three innings alone, and the Milwaukee Brewers held on to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Saturday in the opener of their doubleheader.
Chad Patrick (1-0) scattered four hits and three walks over five scoreless innings for the Brewers. Aaron Ashby and Abner Uribe took over and handed a three-run lead to All-Star closer Trevor Megill, whose two-out walk to Bobby Witt Jr. in the ninth brought the tying run to the plate.
Megill struck out Vinnie Pasquantino with a 98 mph fastball to end the game, much to the delight of the resident “rally tortoise” hanging out in the Milwaukee clubhouse these days.
Mitchell did all of his damage against Luinder Avila (0-1), who made his first major league start for Kansas City after pitching out of the bullpen as a rookie last season. He allowed all five runs on eight hits and two walks in three-plus innings.
Avila was recalled from Triple-A Omaha to start Friday night in place of Michael Wacha, who was scratched because of an illness. That game wound up getting postponed 90 minutes before first pitch because of an approaching storm, setting up the doubleheader.
Mitchell, who had driven in five runs total during a 5-1 season-opening homestand, picked up two RBIs with his two-out double in the first. Two innings later, Mitchell hit Avila’s two-out pitch an estimated 420 feet to right-center to give Milwaukee a 5-0 lead.
The Royals had a runner cut down at the plate in the second inning and stranded two more at third before Lane Thomas’ RBI single in the seventh. Witt made it 5-2 with his hard-hit single before the Brewers bullpen got out of the inning.
Kansas City’s own relief crew wound up pitching six innings of two-hit ball.
Up next
The nightcap of the doubleheader featured the original Saturday afternoon matchups. RHP Brandon Sproat (0-0, 21.00 ERA) was on the mound for Milwaukee while RHP Seth Lugo (1-0, 0.00) got the start for Kansas City.
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