Max Stassi and the Angels turned Jackson Kowar‘s major league debut into a Royal nightmare.
Stassi homered and drove in three runs as Los Angeles defeated Kansas City 8-3 on Monday night for its ninth victory in 13 games.
The Angels catcher, who finished with three hits, has a .318 batting average in 16 games this season. He is 7 for 15 with two home runs and five RBI since returning last Tuesday from a concussion.
Stassi had an RBI single off Kowar (0-1) during a four-run first inning and hit a two-run, opposite-field shot to right-center in the fifth.
It was only the fourth time in Stassi’s nine-year career that he had three or more hits in a game.
Kowar, the 33rd overall pick in the 2018 amateur draft, was 5-0 with an 0.85 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 31 2/3 innings at Triple-A Omaha. But the touted prospect faced only seven batters and threw three wild pitches in his big league debut before being lifted after two-thirds of an inning.
Kansas City LHP Kris Bubic (1-0, 2.12 ERA) gets the start for KC tonight at 8:35.
First place Chicago leads second place Cleveland by 4 games, the third place Royals are 6 1/2 back.