SAN DIEGO – It was right there for the taking — twice. The Kansas City Royals just couldn’t close out the game when they had their chances.
Will Venable hit a two-run single in the 12th inning to give the Padres a 6-5 win over Kansas City on Monday night, giving San Diego its second consecutive victory in its final at-bat.
The Royals held a one-run lead on two occasions late in the game, but couldn’t close it out as they ran their season-high losing streak to five games.
“Things just aren’t going our way right now,” Kansas City first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “We have got to stick with it and things are going to change.”
Closer Greg Holland, who failed to protect a 4-3 lead in the ninth when he allowed Jedd Gyorko’s solo homer, said the Royals should still be encouraged.
“It’s a tough loss for the guys, especially having the lead twice late,” he said. “But at the end of the day, the starting pitching is throwing well and we hit the ball well (Monday night).”
San Diego also won Sunday in its final at-bat on Yonder Alonso’s slow grounder that scored Cameron Maybin with the game-winning run in the ninth inning of a 4-3 win over Arizona.
“Coming on the heels of (Sunday’s) win, it’s great,” Padres manager Bud Black said. “We are seeing subtle signs. These are the kind of games that can lift guys.”
Venable singled off Tim Collins (0-2) and over the head of right fielder Lorenzo Cain to score Chris Denorfia with the tying run and Alonso with the winning run from second base.
Denorfia led off the inning with a single off Louis Coleman before Collins came on. After a sacrifice, Alonso reached on a bloop double to left to bring up Venable.
Mike Moustakas hit an RBI single to score Salvador Perez in the 12th off Tim Stauffer (1-0) to give the Royals a brief lead.
“Any time you lose, it’s painful, it hurts, especially when you’re struggling a little bit,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said.
Gyorko’s solo homer handed Holland his first blown save in eight chances.
Hosmer homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City, which had a season-high 16 hits. Cain, who came off the disabled list before the game, had four hits.
Hosmer hit his first homer of the season, a solo shot off Nick Vincent, to put Kansas City ahead 4-3 in the seventh after Grandal tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the sixth with a three-run homer off Kansas City rookie Yordano Ventura.
Ventura had allowed just two hits in five shutout innings before giving up Grandal’s homer. The right-hander allowed five hits, did not walk a batter and struck out a career-high 10 in six innings. Ventura extended his scoreless innings streak to 18 scoreless innings before Grandal’s homer.
Ventura collected his first major league hit with a sharp single leading off the fifth. Nori Aoki followed with a single and both runners moved up on a fly out. Hosmer grounded a two-run single up the middle for a 3-0 lead.
Padres starter Eric Stults had his second tough outing as he lasted just 4 2-3 innings, allowing three runs and 11 hits. The left-hander tied a season high by allowing five runs over 2 2-3 innings — his shortest start since April 2009 — in his last start.
NOTES: Maybin left the game during the top of the seventh inning with a stomach ailment. … Cain (left groin strain) was activated from 15-day DL and INF/OF Jimmy Paredes was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. … Royals RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-2, 4.50 ERA) faces Padres LHP Robbie Erlin (1-4, 5.83) on Wednesday night.
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