James Shields Dominant Again, Royals Win Late

James Shields cost arguably the top prospect in baseball and was brought to Kansas City to be the ace of the staff. So far this year, Shields has been worth everything the Royals’ sacrificed. “Big Game” James was stellar at home against an overmatched Houston lineup, but was matched by Astros’ starter, Jordan Lyles in what would turn out to be a 4-2 Royals win.

While Shields threw seven innings and gave up just two earned runs despite nine hits and three walks, Lyles also gave up two runs in seven innings, walking one and surrendering just six hits.

The Astros’ bullpen blew a 2-2 tie in the seventh when Billy Butler doubled in Eric Hosmer. The Royals would add a second run in the inning in the eighth inning and shut the door with two perfect innings from Kevin Herrera and Greg Holland, the former recording a win and the latter the save.

For both teams, it was a back and forth game with Houston jumping out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning. That lead was short lived when light-hitting Royals’ catcher, Salvador Perez, delivered just his second home run of the season to give the Royals a 2-1 edge. Houston tied the game in the seventh when Perez’s Astros’ counterpart, Jason Castro delivered an RBI double. The tie was also short-lived thanks to the loss charged to Wesley Wright.

Despite not getting the win, Shields exited Friday’s contest with a 2.81 ERA and just a 1.10 WHIP.

With the loss, the Astros continue to be the worst team in the American League, dropping to 22-40 while the Royals improve to 26-32 despite a widely underachieving season so far.