In one month, Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar shed the label that dogged him throughout a pitiable 2013 campaign. Worst hitter in baseball? He’s been the team’s best hitter through the season’s first 26 games.
When he arrived in Surprise, Arizona, this spring, Escobar pledged to atone, to be more patient at the plate, to showcase the talents that still captivated team officials. No longer would he serve as an offensive black hole. If the claim sounded dubious in February, it sounds less so in May, which the Royals streaked into on Wednesday night with a 4-2 victory over the Blue Jays.
“We’re continuing to win — that’s nice,” Escobar said. “When you win, everybody feels good. Everybody is happy. Everybody wants to play hard.”
Escobar notched the signature hit, a two-run double in the seventh inning, of the team’s fourth victory in five games. He slashed a 92-mph fastball from Toronto starter Drew Hutchinson down the third-base line. His hit trickled into the left-field corner, long enough for catcher Salvador Perez to chug home from first base as an insurance run.
It was Escobar’s eighth double of the season — he managed only 20 of those in 2013. Escobar exited Wednesday’s game in a rare position. He leads his team with a .761 on-base plus slugging percentage, a testament to his revival and the ongoing malaise infecting his teammates.
Yet the Royals (14-12) continue to score enough to emerge victorious for the fourth time in five games. They are now 14-0 when plating four runs in a game. Eric Hosmer doubled twice and drove in a pair of runs to supply some early tallies. The output helped the team survive a shaky performance from rookie starter Yordano Ventura and a sixth-inning mishap from relievers Danny Duffy and Aaron Crow.
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