ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Luke Hochevar took a shutout into the seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals got solo homers from Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas against Dan Haren in a 6-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
Albert Pujols got his first hit with Los Angeles, a double in the fourth.
Hochevar (1-0) was charged with two runs and five hits over 6 1-3 innings in his season debut. The right-hander, who was the first overall pick in the 2006 draft by the Royals and their opening- day starter last year, came in 0-3 with a with an 8.02 ERA in his four previous starts against the Angels.
Haren (0-1) gave up five runs and 11 hits over 5 1-3 innings and struck out five.
Hochevar gave up a pair of one-out singles in the seventh and was relieved by Tim Collins with a 5-0 lead. Bobby Abreu lined the left-hander's first pitch into the right field corner for an RBI double and Torii Hunter scored on a groundout by Vernon Wells.
Jonathan Broxton, who became the Royals' closer after two-time All-Star Joakim Soria had season-ending Tommy John surgery April 3, followed Collins and Greg Holland out of the bullpen and got the final three outs after inheriting a 6-2 lead. He gave up a sacrifice fly by Abreu before retiring Wells on a game-ending double play.
The Angels, who were shut out through the first five innings a major league-worst 50 times last season — have done so in each of their first two games despite the addition of three-time NL MVP Pujols. Friday night they won their opener 5-0 with a five-run eighth after getting blanked for six innings by Bruce Chen.
Pujols lined a 2-2 pitch over the head of left fielder Alex Gordon with one out in the fourth and tried to score on a single to left by Kendrys Morales. But Gordon, who won a Gold Glove last season, charged the ball and made a one-hop throw to the plate to get Pujols, whose hook slide appeared to have beaten Humberto Quintero's tag.
Haren (0-1) gave up five runs and 11 hits over 5 1-3 innings and struck out five. The three-time All-Star allowed only one home run over his first six starts of 2011, before finishing 16-10 with a 3.17 ERA.
Morales was 4 for 4 with a double in his second game with the Angels after an ankle injury in 2010.
Jeff Francoeur, playing in his 1,000th regular-season game, hit a two-run single with the bases loaded in the first. It was the fourth straight hit allowed by Haren, who minimized the damage by striking out Betancourt and Moustakas. Quintero led off the Royals' second with the first of his two doubles and scored on Lorenzo Cain's sacrifice fly.
Hosmer, who hit 19 homers as a rookie last season, led off the fifth with a drive to right field that made it 4-0. Moustakas sent a 1-0 delivery into the lower seats in the right field corner leading off the sixth. It was the first time that Moustakas and Hosmer homered in the same game since making their big league debuts five weeks apart last season.
NOTES: Pujols, who was 0 for 3 with a walk in his Angels debut, has never gone hitless in his first two games of the season. ... Francoeur's first big league game was on July 7, 2005, with Atlanta. ... Pujols grounded into a double play his first time up, something he did a career-high 29 times last season — including three on opening day. ... Quintero, the Royals' catcher, picked off Wilson to end the Angels' third.
Shares