 struck out Omar Infante, but Moustakas came on to pinch hit and guided a single through the left side to knot it 6-all. Alcides Escobar kept the line moving with a single to center, and Cain fell behind 0-2 before ripping a liner into the gap in left-center to keep the Royals from losing for the seventh time in eight games.'' These guys are tough to put away. They don't strike out much,'' Papelbon said. ''They pride themselves on not striking out. They use their speed and they took that game from us.'' Chien-Ming Wang (1-0) earned the win with a scoreless ninth inning.'' Those are the kinds of wins that help you get going. It's been a rough week for us,'' Royals manager Ned Yost said. ''These guys have the character that they'll keep fighting.'' Anthony Rendon and Daniel Murphy hit early homers, and Jayson Werth hit one late for Washington. The Nationals coaxed across three runs in the sixth inning, giving them what looked like an insurmountable lead against the sluggish Kansas City offense. Luke Hochevar allowed those three runs in his only inning of work, the reliever following another subpar outing by Chris Young. He lasted 4 2/3 innings to put a massive burden on his bullpen. After falling behind on Rendon's homer in the first, the Royals answered with three runs in the third inning. Escobar tied the game with his RBI single, and hot-hitting Hosmer's two-out, two-run jab through the right side of the infield gave Kansas City a 3-1 lead. Murphy went deep in the fourth inning before Washington continued its rally in the sixth, but the Royals hung around long enough to deliver their second walk-off win of the season. The result? Two clubs on wildly different trajectories changed directions. The Nationals began their 10-game road trip with a three-game sweep in St. Louis, and were an inning away from being perfect at the midway point. Meanwhile, the Royals (14-12) avoided dropping back to .500 after a hot start to the defense of their World Series championship.'' I don't know what to say,'' Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. ''Tanner pitched a great game. We got some hitting, some home runs. Their speed got us. That's what they do. That's what they do in this ballpark. They certainly know how to come back. I've seen them come back many, many times. Boy, that's real tough.'' NATIONALS VISIT HALLSeveral members of the Nationals, including NL MVP Bryce Harper, spent the morning visiting the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. Harper called it ''an honor and pleasure'' to visit the museum and its president, Bob Kendrick. The museum is a popular spot for visiting teams to spend time in Kansas City. HARPER INKS WITH UAUnder Armour announced Tuesday that Harper had signed a multiyear extension with the company, likely one of the largest endorsement deals in the majors. Harper has endorsed the brand the last five years. His new line of baseball cleats, ''Harper One,'' will be available in July. TRAINER'S ROOMMoustakas got the night off from the field after aggravating a thumb injury in Seattle over the weekend. ''It blew up in Seattle,'' manager Ned Yost said. ''It's just a day-by-day thing. We'll see how he feels tomorrow. Yesterday it was really swollen.'' UP NEXTThe series concludes Wednesday when Nationals RHP Stephen Strasburg, 4-0 for the first time in his career, takes on Royals RHP Kris Medlen. The afternoon game is ''School Day at the K.''
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Time: 08:15 P.M. EST Venue: Kauffman Stadium
While the Washington Nationals have yet to lose on what figured to be a daunting road trip, the Kansas City Royals' offensive struggles continue to highlight their current rough stretch. With Tanner Roark trying to extend his 15-inning scoreless streak, the Nationals look to stay undefeated at the halfway point of their 10-game trek Tuesday night against the reeling Royals. Washington (18-7) totaled three runs while being swept by Philadelphia in a three-game set before embarking on this trip. The Nationals scored 17 times in sweeping the first stop for three in St. Louis, then managed enough runs in Monday's 2-0 win at Kansas City (13-12).'' It usually takes you a little while to get going,'' said Washington manager Dusty Baker, whose team concludes the trip with four at Wrigley Field." We have to keep rolling." Washington's offense came in the first inning on a RBI double from Ryan Zimmerman and a run-scoring groundout by Daniel Murphy. Bryce Harper snapped an 0-for-16 slump with a single in the sixth, then was thrown out trying to steal. Murphy, who recorded his 1,000th hit, is among the major league leaders with a .382 average. He had three hits Monday after going 3 for 20 with seven strikeouts against the Royals in the World Series for the New York Mets. Roark (2-2, 2.03 ERA) has not allowed a run in three of his five starts, including the last two during which he's given up two hits over seven innings in each." I was using all four pitches on righties and lefties, keeping them off balance," Roark told MLB's official website after receiving a no-decision in Thursday's 3-0 loss to Philadelphia." That's the name of the game." Making his first start against the Royals, the right-hander is 2-0 with a 1.89 ERA in his last three interleague starts. None of that would seem to bode well for Kansas City, which has been blanked in three of four games and totaled 11 runs while going 7 of 49 with runners in scoring position to lose six of the last seven.'' We're not firing on all cylinders offensively,'' manager Ned Yost said. ''We've got guys that are struggling right now, guys that are proven players, guys that have tremendous track records and they're going to break out of it here real soon.'' Alex Gordon is mired in a 1-for-15 slump over five games. Salvador Perez is 2 for 18 in his last five. Eric Hosmer, however, is batting .358 while hitting safely in 20 of 21 contests." We've been up and down," Hosmer said. "We've still got some guys who haven't got hot yet. Once those guys get hot, we know how tough we can be. We're not worried." For the fourth time this season, Kansas City's Chris Young (1-4, 6.12) failed to complete six innings Wednesday. He lasted 5 1/3 and all three runs he allowed came on two homers in a 4-2 loss to the Los Angeles Angels. The right-hander has yielded six home runs in 25-plus innings.'' Physically, I felt great," Young said after his latest outing. "I felt like I pitched better than my results." Young, who turns 37 later this month, last faced the Nationals in July 2012. Harper is 4 for 8 with a homer against him.
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