Getz has 3 hits, Royals beat Angels 5-4

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Three hits and two RBIs were not all Chris Getz delievred in Kansas City's 5-4 victory over the Los Angeles on Saturday afternoon.

The second baseman also saved a run in the eighth with a great relay throw to the plate that cut down Alberto Callaspo, who was trying to score from second on a double by Erick Aybar that looked as if it might be caught.

Getz's play doesn't show up in the boxscore, but little things like that often spell the difference in a tight game.

"By the time I got the ball, I saw he was just rounding third base. I threw it," Getz said. "It was a decent throw but (catcher Matt) Treanor stayed in there and made a good play."

Getz drove in the go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth off Kevin Jepsen (0-1) as the Royals rallied.

Rookie Aaron Crow (1-0) pitched 1 2-3 innings for the victory, his first as a major leaguer. It was the third straight day the Angels bullpen had faltered.

Crow, from around Topeka, Kan., and a former star at Big 12 star at Missouri, has thrown three innings in this series and not allowed a run while striking out five.

"I've felt comfortable out there," Crow said. "I had a couple of balls hit hard but I was fortunate they made a great play at the plate. I got pretty lucky out there. We played great defense today."

The Angels loaded the bases with one out in the seventh but Crow came out of the bullpen and struck out Hunter on a 96 mph fastball and got Wells to ground into a forceout.

"It was awesome," he said. "It may not have looked like it, but I was nervous out there."

Jepson has had two rough outings in this series. The Angels bullpen has not looked steady in any of the three games.

"Jep is a big part of our bullpen," Angels catcher Bobby Wilson said. "He's going to be all right. I know that catching him. He'll get his stuff going right. He was in the zone. Those guys took a couple of good swings."

The Royals trailed 4-3 in the eighth when they put runners on first and second with one out. Wilson Betemit hit a sharp grounder up the middle and Aybar made a great diving stop and, on his knees, the shortstop flipped the ball to second baseman Maicer Izturis for the force. But Izturis' throw to first was high, taking away a chance at an inning-ending double play. Treanor's RBI single tied it 4-all and Getz followed with his second RBI single.

Torii Hunter, who also homered in the Angels' 4-2 victory on Thursday, hit a 3-1 pitch 437 feet over the fence in right off starter Kyle Davies for a 1-0 lead in the fourth.

With one out in the sixth, Bobby Abreu singled and Hunter walked and Vernon Wells hit an RBI single, making it 2-all. Callaspo lined an RBI single into right, bringing Kanekoa Texeira out of the bullpen.

Aybar hit a potential double-play grounder to shortstop Alcides Escobar but the throw to first was high as Wells scored the third run of the inning.

The Royals made it 4-3 with a weird sequence of pitches in the bottom of the sixth. Jeff Francoeur bailed out when Ervin Santana's pitch sailed right for his head, but the ball bounced off his bat for a foul. On the next delivery, Francis struck out but the ball sailed away from the plate and Billy Butler scored on the wild pitch.

Santana, coming off a season-best 17 wins in 2010, had given up only one hit and retired nine in a row until Francoeur and Betemit singled with one out in the fifth. After Treanor loaded the bases with a walk, Getz hit a liner that first baseman Howie Kendrick leaped high for but only managed to knock down.

One run scored, then Alcides Escobar grounded out, bringing home the second run.

Santana went 6 2-3 innings and gave up three runs on seven hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. Davies went 5 1-3 innings and allowed four runs on seven hits, with two walks and two strikeouts.

Callaspo doubled leading off the eighth but was cut down at the plate trying to score on a double by Aybar, who went to third on the throw home. But Crow worked out of trouble.

With two on and two out in the seventh, Hisanori Takahashi relieved Santana and got Alex Gordon on a called third strike.

NOTES: Following the game, the Royals staged an exhibition between their Triple-A and Double-A teams, showcasing some of the hot young prospects fans are eager to see in the big leagues. ... Kauffman Stadium has a new feature for the hearing impaired. Every announcement, including introduction of batters, appears on the ribbon board in left field.