The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff couldn’t contain the Kansas City Royals lineup and fell by a final score of 14-8 at Camelback Ranch. Rich Hill’s third start of the spring was one to forget as he only managed to record one out.
Hill struggled right out of the gate, allowing a leadoff single to Jon Jay. He proceeded to strike out Alex Gordon but the wheels then fell off following a Jorge Soler double that put a pair of runners in scoring position.
Lucas Duda delivered a two-run single and the Royals would tack on three more runs when Ryan O’Hearn slugged his second home run of the spring. Hill then gave up back-to-back hits to Cam Gallagher and Ryan Goins to push another run across the plate for the Royals.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts came with the hook for Hill, who yielded seven hits — four of them for extra bases — and six runs. He retired just one of eight batters.
Hill threw just 35 pitches in the contest and saw his Spring Training ERA rise to 8.59 as a result of the Royals’ offensive outburst. Up to this point, Hill had enjoyed a solid spring — a vast contrast from the previous two years.
Cesar Ramos returned for the second inning where his troubles continued. After retiring Duda, Cheslor Cuthbert pulled a single into left field. O’Hearn followed suit with his second home run in as many innings — giving him five RBI in the early going.
Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen made his 2018 Cactus League debut in the third inning, where he tossed a perfect frame, recording one strikeout and needing just 13 pitches to complete his first relief appearance.
Likewise, right-hander Josh Fields made his spring debut in the following inning. He, too, retired all three batters faced.
Jason Hammel took the mound for Kansas City in what was his third start of Cactus League play. He immediately faced traffic on the base paths, as Andrew Toles led off the bottom half of the first with a double down the right-field line.
With Corey Seager at the plate, Toles advanced to third for his first stolen base of the spring. Seager drove him in with a productive groundout to shortstop. Hammel then hit Joc Pederson with a pitch to put a runner on first.
Still with just one out in the inning, Yasmani Grandal cleared the bases on his fourth home run of the spring, which trimmed the Royals’ lead to 6-3. Hammel was later tabbed with his fourth earned run after yielding a leadoff home run to Seager in the third inning.
Despite walking Pederson and allowing a single to Kiké Hernandez, he escaped with no further damage after getting Chase Utley to ground into an inning-ending double play.
Adam Liberatore wasn’t at his best, as he entered the game for the Dodgers in the sixth inning. The southpaw allowed consecutive hits to Michael Saunders and Duda before striking out Cody Asche for the first out.
Frank Schwindel stepped up to the plate and cashed in with his third home run of the spring, extending the Royals’ lead to 11-4. Shea Spitzbarth entered in the ninth and promptly surrendered back-to-back home runs, one of which was Schwindel’s second of the game.
A double and single later led to the Royals scoring a third run in the inning on a forceout. Had their pitchers been able to keep the game close, the Dodgers’ rally in the bottom of the ninth might have made more of an impact.
Edwin Rios led off the inning with a home run, Gavin Lux scored on a groundout after hitting a triple, Yusniel Diaz hit an RBI double, and Alex Verdugo had an RBI single before the Royals could finish out the game.
