KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Colby Rasmus hit two home runs to help make Drew Hutchison a winner in his major league debut and the Toronto Blue Jays handed the Kansas City Royals their ninth straight loss, 9-5 Saturday night.
Edwin Encarnacion also homered and drove in three runs for the Blue Jays.
Hutchison (1-0), who had never pitched above Double-A before Saturday, left after 99 pitches and 5 1-3 innings, allowing five runs and eight hits, including two homers. Hutchison became the eighth youngest starting pitcher in Blue Jays history at 21 years, 243 days.
The Royals losing skid is their longest since losing 10 in a row July 10-24, 2009.
Rasmus hit a two-run homer off Everett Teaford (0-1) in the sixth to put the Blue Jays ahead to stay, 6-5. He and Encarnacion homered off rookie reliever Kelvin Herrera in the three-run seventh. It was Rasmus’ third career multihomer game.
Left-hander Darren Oliver, who at 41 is nearly twice the age of Hutchison, entered in the sixth after Alcides Escobar’s single advanced Mike Moustakas to third. Oliver struck out Mitch Maier and retired Yuniesky Betancourt on a fly to preserve the lead. Escobar stroked four hits, matching his career high.
Royals starter Luis Mendoza faced 19 batters and 11 reached base — 10 hits and a walk — before being pulled with one out in the fourth. The Blue Jays batted around in a four-run fourth that Adam Lind started with a double. Five consecutive one-out singles by Encarnacion, Brett Lawrie, Rasmus, J.P. Arencibia and Yunel Escobar knocked Mendoza out of the game, giving the Blue Jays a 4-1 advantage. In three starts, Mendoza has allowed 24 hits, walked nine and struck out four in 13 innings.
Teaford, who had not pitched since April 13, replaced Mendoza and walked Kelly Johnson to load the bases before getting Jose Bautista to line out into an inning-ending double play.
Alex Gordon homered in the first for the Royals. Eric Hosmer, who hit into a triple play Friday, hit a two-run homer off Hutchison in the four-run fifth to give the Royals a short-lived 5-4 lead.
Maier had an RBI triple and scored on Betancourt’s single before Hosmer’s homer.