Ian Kennedy shines as Arizona Diamondbacks defeat Kansas City Royals 3-2 – MLB Update
The Arizona Diamondbacks continued their winning momentum as the Diamondbacks defeat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 in the second game of the three game series at the Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri on June 22.
It was Ian Kennedy’s accurate pitching which proved to be the difference between both sides. Kennedy leaked just one run against eight hits in the six innings that he pitched in. He struck-out four batters of the Royals at an ERA of 2.90 taking his season’s
tally to 89 and his career tally just four away from 300. He threw with tremendous force, managing 79 strikes of the total 110 pitches. Kennedy’s win-loss record for the season now stands at 8-2.
He was well complimented by relief pitchers Micah Owings and David Hernandez with Owings holding his first game of the season and Hernandez his tenth. The second run for the Royals came off Owings who conceded just two hits in the 20 pitches he threw. The
ever reliable J. J. Putz contributed his part as the closer, saving his 19th game of the season.
Kennedy’s team-mate Justin Upton, praising Kennedy’s performance said that he should be on the pitching staff for the All-Star game on July 12. Agreeing with a not so healthy batting performance, he said “We didn't give him much run support tonight, but
he made it enough. He's been very impressive. He's definitely been huge for us."
Kansas’ starting pitcher, Jeff Francis, on the contrary, yet again failed to impress, losing his eighth game of the season with only three wins recorded. His seven innings pitched conceded three runs at a high ERA of 4.76. Aaron Crow did his bit as a relief
pitcher for the Royals, conceding an ERA of just 1.26 without conceding any hits but that proved to be a bit late in the day as the Diamondbacks had scored one better already.
The scoring for the game opened in the third innings with the Royals scoring courtesy of Chris Getz. The Arizonian side struck back in the fifth innings with all three runs coming in same inning. Wily Mo Pena, continuing his form from the last game scored
the first for D-backs before Miguel Montero and Xavier Nady added one each to take the score at a decisive 3-1 at the end of the fifth.
Kennedy contained the scoring in the sixth before Getz managed to score his second run for the game and bring the score to 3-2. The Royals’ batters failed to make a mark on the night, barring Getz. No other batsman was able to score a run.
With the third game of the series set for Thursday, June 23, the D-backs will go all-out to complete a Royals’ whitewash and improve their record to 42-34.
It will be interesting to see how the Royals, seeking honour, come out in the game. A 31-43 record for the season and a spirit to improve it should be enough motivation for the game.
Tags: