The Royals jumped on Cincinnati Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani, scoring four times in the opening inning Sunday, and cruised to a 10-3 victory at Goodyear Stadium.
The game
Second baseman Whit Merrifield made DeSciafani work to start the game. Merrifield belted the 10th pitch he saw for a leadoff triple, and scored on a single by shortstop Erick Mejia.
"Whit's had a great spring so far, really swinging the bat well," manager Ned Yost said. "There's just been no work-in period for him. It just seems that the first day that he got here, he was in midseason form and has consistently been really, really good no matter where we put him in the field and swinging the bat really well.