Witt, Velázquez and Massey each homer for KC Royals in victory over Houston Astros

The Kansas City Royals stood tall against the defending World Series champion Houston Astros on Friday night.

The Royals battered the Astros with three home runs en route to a 4-2 victory at Kauffman Stadium. Bobby Witt Jr., Nelson Velázquez and Michael Massey each went deep for KC in the series opener.

“Every one of those runs were vital,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said.

And they helped create a special night for the Royals.

KC generated enough runs to aid their beleaguered bullpen that was pressed into early duty. Royals relievers were tasked to cover seven innings after veteran starter Zack Greinke exited after two frames.

“It was a tough couple of innings,” Greinke said. “I got out of them both, that was nice. Game was great after that.”

Royals relievers shut down a potent Astros lineup. Angel Zerpa covered four innings and allowed one run. Meanwhile, relievers Collin Snider, Carlos Hernandez and Taylor Clarke maintained a late lead.

The Astros recorded seven hits on the night. Houston stars Yordan Alvarez and Jose Abreu accounted for the lone runs.

The Royals countered with the long ball.

Witt moved closer to the iconic 30-30 club with his 29th home run this season. Massey hit his third homer in consecutive games.

“It’s very special but I’m not trying to set it at 30,” Witt said of his historic pursuit. “Just got to keep going and don’t really want to set numbers for goals. Because once you achieve them, you don’t know where to go after that. So, you got to take it day-by-day.”

Zerpa improved to 2-3 this season. Meanwhile, Astros starter Cristian Javier dropped to 9-4 with the loss. Javier allowed three runs (two earned) in five innings of work.

KC moved to 47-101 on the season with their third straight victory.

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Here are more notables from Friday’s game:

Angel Zerpa shines in relief

The Royals turned to their bullpen early against the Astros. It was a short outing for Greinke as he worked two scoreless innings.

KC called upon Zerpa in the third inning. Zerpa responded by allowing one run in four relief frames. He surrendered two hits and struck out five batters.

In the sixth inning, Zerpa worked out of potential trouble. The Astros were threatening after scoring a run in the frame. Houston had two runners aboard with Abreu at the plate.

“It was extremely important to get them down,” Zerpa said through a translator. “I didn’t start so good with attacking the (strike) zone. Once Salvy started putting signs down to attack hitters, it worked out.”

However, Zerpa avoided further disaster. He struck out Abreu after a seven-pitch at-bat. Later, Astros outfielder Michael Brantley grounded out.

“Zerpa battled,” Quatraro said. “Abreu is a really good hitter as is Brantley. To get both of those guys out to end the inning was probably the key point in the game.”

Zerpa escaped with limited damage and picked up his second win of the season.

Nelson Velázquez homers on Roberto Clemente Day

MLB legend Roberto Clemente holds a special place in baseball history.

The late Puerto Rican superstar made a significant impact on and off the field. His humanitarian efforts also inspired many around the globe. On Friday, the MLB paid tribute with their annual Roberto Clemente Day.

Velázquez honored his fellow countryman in a special way. He was one of three Royals to wear his iconic No. 21 jersey.

In the fourth inning, Velázquez hit his 13th home run of the season. He drilled a 92.7 mph fastball of Javier. The blast traveled 440 feet over the center-field wall.

“Honestly, it means the world to me,” Velázquez said. “It’s my first time I’ve hit a home run on Roberto Clemente Day.”

Velázquez has hit 10 homers since his Aug. 10 promotion from Triple-A Omaha.

What’s next: The Royals continue their three-game series against the Astros. Cole Ragans will start against Houston hurler J.P. France on Saturday night.