KANSAS CITY, Mo. — — Nelson Velázquez continued a late-season tear for Kansas City with a three-run homer, Angel Zerpa shut down Cleveland in relief of Zack Greinke and the Royals rolled to a 6-2 victory Wednesday for a three-game sweep of the Guardians.
Zerpa (3-3) got the final out of the fourth inning and allowed three hits the rest of the way. He struck out four without a walk in the latest impressive performance by the Royals bullpen, which has been responsible for the team’s last eight wins.
Velázquez has 12 homers in 33 games since arriving in Kansas City, and 11 of those have been in Kauffman Stadium, where deep alleys and a 410-foot center field wall make it one of the most difficult ballparks in baseball to go yard.
Bobby Witt Jr. and Edward Oliveras also drove in runs to send the Royals out on their final road trip having won six of their past seven games.
The Royals are expected to hire longtime Braves scout Brian Bridges as their new scouting director, though they have yet to make an official announcement. The move comes after new White Sox general manager Chris Getz hired Royals senior advisor Gene Watson and could be the start of several changes to the Royals front office.
The Royals have not announced a starter for the opener of their trip Friday night in Houston.