Bobby Witt Jr. hit a go-ahead double in the fifth inning, and the Kansas City bullpen shut down Toronto the rest of the way in a 3-2 victory over the Blue Jays on Tuesday night at Kauffman Stadium.
Chris Stratton (2-1) relieved Michael Wacha in the fifth and escaped a bases-loaded jam. He also pitched a scoreless sixth before John Schreiber handled the seventh, and James McArthur breezed through the eighth to help Kansas City snap a three-game losing streak.
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman (0-3) allowed three unearned runs on seven hits and a walk over 6 2/3 innings. Wacha allowed two runs on eight hits and three walks, needing 96 pitches to get through 4 1/3 innings.
Royals right-hander Alec Marsh (3-0, 3.22 ERA) takes the mound Wednesday against Blue Jays righty Yariel Rodriguez (0-0, 2.35).
Pavin Smith hit a grand slam and drove in a career-high six runs, leading the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 14-1 rout of the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night at Busch Stadium.
Christian Walker and Kevin Newman also homered for Arizona, which leads the majors with 148 runs.
Tommy Henry (1-1) pitched six effective innings for his first win in five starts this season, allowing one run on five hits with six strikeouts and one walk.
Willson Contreras homered for St. Louis, which has lost five of six.
Smith, recalled from Triple-A Reno on Friday, hit his second career grand slam in the sixth inning and added a two-run double in the fifth.
Walker broke a 1-all tie with a three-run blast off Steven Matz (1-2) in the third inning, his fourth of the season. Newman highlighted a six-run outburst in the fifth with a two-run homer, his first of the year.
Lourdes Gurriel Jr. had three hits for the defending National League champions, who pounded out 15 hits in the win.
Matz allowed seven runs on six hits over 4 1/3 innings, striking out four and walking three.
Arizona outfielder and former Cardinal Randal Grichuk recorded his 1,000th career hit on a single in the fifth.
MLB scores from Tuesday, April 23, 2024:
Cleveland 4, Boston 1
Cincinnati 8, Philadelphia 1
Pittsburgh 2, Milwaukee 1
Los Angeles Dodgers 4, Washington 1
Detroit 4, Tampa Bay 2
New York Yankees 4, Oakland 3
Atlanta 5, Miami 0
Chicago Cubs 7, Houston 2
Kansas City 3, Toronto 2
Minnesota 6, Chicago White Sox 5
Arizona 14, St. Louis 1
Seattle 4, Texas 0
Colorado 7, San Diego 4
Los Angeles Angels 7, Baltimore 4
San Francisco 5, New York Mets 1
