Soler, Alberto star in Royals’ 6-1 win over Rockies

Jorge Soler hit his fourth homer of the spring, Hanser Alberto went 3 for 3 and Jackson Kowar threw three scoreless innings as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Colorado Rockies 6-1 on Sunday at Surprise Stadium.

Soler’s solo home run in the fifth, a mammoth shot that landed on the walkway beyond the lawn seating in left-center field, was the latest highlight in what’s been a strong spring for the 2019 AL home run champion. He also doubled in the third.

Alberto, a non-roster invitee who has made a strong case for an Opening Day roster spot by posting a .421 batting average and 1.026 OPS this spring, scored the Royals’ first two runs of the game. He doubled in the second then scored on a Cam Gallagher sacrifice fly, and he singled in the fourth before Gallagher drove him in again with an RBI double. Alberto’s perfect day at the plate continued in the fifth, when he hit an RBI single to drive in Ryan O’Hearn.

Kansas City’s offense remained productive in the sixth inning when Carlos Santana singled to bring home Kyle Isbel, then Jarrod Dyson drove in Santana with a triple — the 36-year-old outfielder’s most impressive moment this spring after rejoining the Royals on a one-year deal midway through camp.

As great as the Royals were at the plate on Sunday, they were equally impressive on the mound, where six pitchers combined to allow one run on eight hits and one walk. Kowar, a 2018 first-rounder, started and tossed three shutout frames, striking out two while yielding three hits and no free passes. Josh Staumont and Jesse Hahn threw back-to-back scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth.

Scott Barlow was able to keep the shutout going but had a challenging outing, loading the bases with one out before striking out Colorado’s Connor Joe. Ervin Santana relieved Barlow and was able to get out of a two-out, bases-loaded jam, then the 38-year-old right-hander stayed in the game and tossed a scoreless seventh. He gave up a solo homer to Josh Fuentes in the eighth for the Rockies’ only run before giving way to Jake Newberry, who finished the game by throwing 1 1/3 scoreless frames.

The Royals are back in action on Monday against the Padres at Surprise Stadium. Mike Minor, who allowed six runs (four earned) over 3 1/3 innings in his most recent outing, will make his fourth start of the spring.