Soler’s three hits, three RBIs lead Royals over Pirates 9-6

<p>PITTSBURGH &mdash; Jorge Soler had two doubles among his three hits and drove in three runs to lead Kansas City over the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 on Wednesday night and improve the Royals’ record to a major league-best 15-8.</p>
<p>Soler’s doubles sparked three-run rallies in the first and sixth innings, the latter stretching the lead to 9-5.</p>
<p>Kansas City won for the sixth time in seven games.</p>
<p>Salvador Pérez also had three of Kansas City’s 12 hits. Hunter Dozier hit a two-run triple and Andrew Benintendi added a two-run double. </p>
<p>Erik Gonzalez and Jacob Stallings his back-to-back home runs for the Pirates, who had won three in a row.</p>
<p>Staked to a 6-0 lead, Kansas City starter Mike Minor lasted just 4 1/3 innings and gave up five runs –- four earned –- six hits and three walks.</p>
<p>Kyle Zimmer (2-0) got the last two outs of the fifth, and Josh Staumont retired four straight batters for third save.</p>
<p>Mitch Keller (1-3) walked five in 2 1/3 innings, allowed four runs and needed 83 pitches to get seven outs. Keller has 13 walks in 18 2/3 innings over five starts.</p>
<p>After Soler doubled in the game’s first run, Dozier hit a two-run triple to the 410-foot mark in left-center field.</p>
<p>A bases-loaded walk to Michael A. Taylor in the third inning and consecutive RBI singles by Pérez and Soler in the fourth extended the lead to 6-0.</p>
<p>Gonzalez hit a 453-foot shot to the bleachers in left-center. Stallings caught a break when the ball popped out of Taylor’s glove when the center fielder banged into the top of the fence while trying to make a catch.</p>
<p>Todd Frazier’s first hit with the Pirates, a two-run double in the fifth, cut the gap to 6-5. The two-time All-Star had been 0 for 14 since being called up from the alternate training site last week.</p>
<p>SENT DOWN</p>
<p>The Pirates reassigned OF Dustin Fowler, who was designated for assignment last week, to their alternate training site after he cleared waivers. He hit .171 in 18 games.</p>
<p>TRAINER’S ROOM</p>
<p>Prates: The team has no timetable yet for when 3B Ke’Bryan Hayes (left wrist stain) might resume swinging. … RHP Michael Feliz (cracked right middle fingernail) threw his first bullpen Wednesday since being injured. … RHP Chad Kuhl (right shoulder discomfort) has started playing catch.</p>
<p>UP NEXT</p>
<p>Royals: RHP Brady Singer (1-2, 2.95 ERA) faces RHP Michael Pineda (1-1, 2.42) on Friday in Minnesota. Singer notched his first win of the season in his last start, holding Detroit to one run in seven innings.</p>
<p>Pirates: RHP JT Brubaker (2-1, 2.01) opposing St. Louis RHP John Gant (1-2, 2.25) on Friday. Brubaker had a tough-luck loss his last time out against the Twins when he allowed two runs in seven innings.</p>
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