CINCINNATI (AP) — A weird double play stalled the Cincinnati Reds’ offense one run short of the Kansas City Royals.

Lorenzo Cain had a tiebreaking RBI single in the second inning, Ben Zobrist had four hits, and Kansas City benefited from a Cincinnati baserunning gaffe as the Royals beat the Reds 4-3 on Wednesday night to complete a two-game sweep.

Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie left in the fifth with the 4-3 lead, the bases loaded and one out. Luke Hochevar (1-0) got Jay Bruce to pop up along the first base line. Bruce was out under the Infield Fly Rule, but Jason Bourgeois tried to score when the ball dropped, and Hochevar threw to catcher Drew Butera, who easily tagged out Bourgeois to end the inning.

Bourgeois, who was also picked off in front of back-to-back home runs, reacted to the ball landing on the infield turf.

“Bourgeois was picked off and had the miscommunication on the infield fly,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He knows the rule. He felt obliged to run when the ball landed. The umpire has to wait until he is sure someone is under it to make the call.”

Keyvius Sampson (2-2) gave up the four runs and nine hits in 3 1-3 innings. He walked two and struck out two in his fourth career start. It was the shortest of his starts.

“He was around the plate but not on the plate,” Price said. “He was in trouble when he was behind in the count. Kansas City is a team with good plate discipline. They don’t expand the strike zone.”

Ryan Madson and Kelvin Herrera each turned in one scoreless relief inning before Wade Davis pitched the ninth for his 10th save.

Zobrist had his eighth career four-hit game as the Royals completed a sweep of the four-game season series with Cincinnati. The Royals have won five straight and the Reds have lost five straight.

Zobrist and Eric Hosmer both had RBI hits in the first inning to extend hitting streaks, Zobrist to six games (13 for 23, .565 average) and Hosmer to 10 (13 for 38, .342).

Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips tied the score with back-to-back solo homers in the bottom of the inning, Votto’s 22nd and Phillips’ ninth. Phillips, who left the game in the seventh inning with inflammation in his right biceps, extended his hitting streak to 14 games.

Phillips was injured diving for a ground ball.

Cain came through with a two-run single in the second to give the Royals a 4-2 lead.

Eugenio Suarez cut the lead to 4-3 in the third with an RBI double to center field.

Guthrie lasted 4 1-3 innings, allowing seven hits and three runs with three walks, four strikeouts and a wild pitch.

The start of the game was delayed for 1 hour, 37 minutes by rain.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: INF Omar Infante was available to play Wednesday after being scratched from Tuesday’s starting lineup with back spasms. Manager Ned Yost said he would try to give Infante one more day off and use him in Boston.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (6-5, 4.03) starts the opener of Kansas City’s four-game series at Boston’s Fenway Park. The Royals are 8-2 in Duffy’s 10 starts since he came off the DL on June 24.

Reds: LHP John Lamb (0-1, 7.50) is scheduled to make his second career start when the Reds open a four-game series against the Diamondbacks on Thursday.

CLEANUP

Phillips batted fourth for the 13th time this season but first since April 26 that ended a string of 12 straight. He came into the game hitting .320 but hit his first home run from the cleanup spot off Jeremy Guthrie. Phillips has 200 or more career at-bats in three spots. He has more than 600 at-bats from the 4 hole.

1,500

Marlon Byrd grounded out as a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning. It was his 1,500th career appearance.

Hamilton on DL

CINCINNATI (AP) — The Reds placed outfielder Billy Hamilton on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained capsule in his right shoulder on Wednesday.

Hamilton was injured while trying to make a diving catch in Tuesday’s 3-1, 13-inning loss to Kansas City. Hamilton, who finished second in National League Rookie of the Year balloting last year, is batting .226 with a major league-leading 54 stolen bases.

Cincinnati also selected the contract of right-hander Sam LeCure, recalled outfielder Brennan Boesch from Triple-A Louisville, optioned right-hander Dylan Axelrod to Louisville and transferred righty Nate Adcock to the 60-day DL.

LeCure has spent the entire season with Louisville after being a surprise cut during spring training. He spent most of the previous five seasons with the Reds.

Boesch opened the season with the Reds and played in 32 games before he was optioned to Triple-A on June 16.

 

Royals 4, Reds 3

Kansas City AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

A.Escobar ss 3 2 1 0 2 0 .271

Zobrist 2b 5 2 4 1 0 1 .292

L.Cain cf 5 0 1 2 0 1 .311

Hosmer 1b 3 0 1 1 2 1 .318

Moustakas 3b 5 0 1 0 0 1 .270

Rios rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 .232

Butera c 4 0 0 0 0 2 .188

Guthrie p 3 0 1 0 0 0 .250

Hochevar p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

a-Orlando ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .241

Madson p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

K.Herrera p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

W.Davis p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

J.Dyson lf 4 0 1 0 0 1 .261

Totals 37 4 11 4 4 7

 

Cincinnati AB R H BI BB SO Avg.

Bourgeois cf 3 1 1 0 2 0 .213

Suarez ss 4 0 2 1 1 1 .297

Votto 1b 5 1 1 1 0 2 .306

Phillips 2b 3 1 2 1 0 0 .286

De Jesus Jr. 2b 0 0 0 0 1 0 .257

Bruce rf 4 0 0 0 0 0 .240

Frazier 3b 3 0 1 0 1 1 .257

Barnhart c 4 0 1 0 0 2 .258

Schumaker lf 3 0 0 0 0 2 .203

LeCure p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

Ju.Diaz p 0 0 0 0 0 0 —

b-Byrd ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 .237

Sampson p 1 0 0 0 0 1 .000

Villarreal p 1 0 0 0 0 0 .000

Boesch lf 2 0 1 0 0 1 .138

Totals 34 3 9 3 5 10

 

Kansas City 220 000 000 — 4 11 0

Cincinnati 201 000 000 — 3 9 0

 

a-flied out for Hochevar in the 7th. b-grounded out for Ju.Diaz in the 9th.

LOB—Kansas City 10, Cincinnati 9. 2B—Zobrist 2 (25), Suarez (13). HR—Votto (22), off Guthrie; Phillips (9), off Guthrie. RBIs—Zobrist (46), L.Cain 2 (54), Hosmer (72), Suarez (31), Votto (59), Phillips (44).

Runners left in scoring position—Kansas City 4 (Butera, J.Dyson, Rios 2); Cincinnati 5 (Bruce 2, Villarreal, Barnhart, Votto). RISP—Kansas City 2 for 8; Cincinnati 1 for 10.

Runners moved up—L.Cain 2, Votto.

DP—Kansas City 1 (Hochevar, Butera).

 

Kansas City IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Guthrie 4 1-3 7 3 3 3 4 111 5.65

Hochevar W, 1-0 1 2-3 0 0 0 0 2 21 3.41

Madson H, 14 1 0 0 0 0 2 13 2.32

K.Herrera H, 17 1 1 0 0 1 1 14 1.95

W.Davis S, 10-11 1 1 0 0 1 1 21 1.09

 

Cincinnati IP H R ER BB SO NP ERA

Sampson L, 2-2 3 1-3 9 4 4 2 2 95 4.43

Villarreal 2 2-3 2 0 0 1 3 48 3.16

LeCure 2 0 0 0 0 2 23 0.00

Ju.Diaz 1 0 0 0 1 0 12 4.12

 

Inherited runners-scored—Hochevar 3-0, Villarreal 2-0. IBB—off Villarreal (Hosmer). WP—Guthrie.

Umpires—Home, Chris Conroy; First, Gabe Morales; Second, Eric Cooper; Third, Mark Carlson.

T—3:38. A—18,078 (42,319).