His bullpen running on fumes, his roster spent after four games in three days and a cross-country trip to the West Coast, Royals manager Ned Yost sat in his office here on Monday afternoon and revealed a wish. He needed something special from starter Ian Kennedy. He needed a long outing at Safeco Field.
Nearly six hours later, Kennedy delivered, offering 6 2/3 strong innings in a 3-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners. The performance spared the bullpen a heavy workload. The gritty effort carried a team to a series-opening win on the first night of a six-game road trip.