PHOENIX — The Kansas Royals had given Danny Duffy almost no run support over his previous four starts and little all season, so they were anxious give him something, anything against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Ten runs on three swings did the trick nicely.
Billy Butler had a three-run homer among his four hits, Nori Aoki hit a grand slam and the Royals gave Duffy some rare run support by bashing the Diamondbacks 12-2 on Tuesday night.
Salvador Perez had the first big blow with a three-run homer in the third inning and Butler added another three-run shot during Kansas City’s eight-run fifth. Aoki capped the big inning with his first career slam, marking the first time the Royals had a grand slam and three-run homer in the same inning.
The Royals have mostly struggled when Duffy has pitched this season, producing 2.34 runs of support, lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 100 innings. The left-hander had allowed a run or less in 11 of 16 starts, yet was 4-5 in those, including four straight losses.
