The Los Angeles Dodgers erased an early deficit and hung on late for a 6-4 win over the Kansas City Royals. Kyle Farmer hit a go-ahead home run in the sixth inning, but it was Edwin Rios’ two-run single in the seventh that proved to be the difference.
With the Dodgers leading 6-2 in the eighth, Adam Liberatore surrendered a two-run homer to Royals Minor Leaguer Anderson Miller. Liberatore went into his appearance having retired all nine batters faced in Spring Training, including four by strike out.
Before the Dodgers handed the ball to their bullpen, Kenta Maeda was penciled to go four innings in his third start. But he labored in the first and could only make it through three frames.
Maeda surrendered a leadoff home run to Whit Merrifield and issued a walk before recording his first out. As his pitch count began to sore, Maeda benefitted from inducing Tyler Collins into an inning-ending double play.
He was much more efficient in the second, though faced trouble in the third inning. Nick Dini and Merrifield combined for back-to-back singles with one out. Maeda worked the high-wire act by inducing a force out and his second double play of the game.
Overall, Maeda allowed the one run on three hits and had four strikeouts in three innings of work. His lone run of support came on a Chase Utley check-swing that flared an RBI single into shallow left field, tying the game in the third.
After the Royals jumped ahead on Drew Butera’s solo home run in the fifth, Utley scored a run on Andrew Toles’ game-tying base hit in the bottom half of the inning.
Heading into the game, Tony Cingrani and Kenley Jansen were each scheduled to make their respective Cactus League debuts. But only Cingrani pitched, tossing a scoreless sixth inning that included a pickoff after walking Lucas Duda.
