Royals’ Vinnie Pasquantino drives in 5 as Kansas City extends winning streak to 6

The Kansas City Royals are the hottest team in Major League Baseball.

And they have earned that title.

On Wednesday, the Royals beat the Houston Astros 11-2 at Kauffman Stadium. Kansas City improved to 8-4 and stretched its winning streak to six games.

Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino led the charge. Pasquantino, who was mired in an early-season slump, broke out in a big way. He finished 3-for-3 with a career-high five RBIs.

He hit a two-run double in the third inning to give the Royals the lead. He did one better in his next at-bat, belting his first home run of the season.

“Obviously, the first week and a half wasn’t what I wanted statistically, but you know, tonight felt good,” Pasquantino said.

The Royals fed off his production. KC scored seven runs in the third inning.

The Astros fell to 4-9 this season. Houston registered two runs against Royals starter Seth Lugo and finished 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

“We really feel Vinnie is a really quality major-league hitter,” Royals manager Matt Quatraro said. “He played in 10 games prior to tonight and that’s a really, really small sample. He’s done it at this level before and we know he is going to continue to do it.”

Lugo picked up his second win of the year. The Royals will look to sweep the Astros on Wednesday afternoon behind starting pitcher Brady Singer.

Missed previous games of the series?

Game 1: Salvador Perez hits walk-off single as Royals win 5th consecutive game

Also: How Royals crafted different ways to win during 5-game streak

Take a look back at Wednesday evening’s game:

Royals bat around in 3rd inning

The Royals found an early groove against Astros starter Spencer Arrighetti, a 24-year-old right-hander making his major-league debut.

Arrighetti, the Astros’ top pitching prospect, began his big-league career with two early strikeouts. He looked solid through two scoreless innings.

However, his MLB debut ended on a sour note. In the third inning, he ran into trouble against the Royals’ hot lineup. He surrendered seven earned runs and six hits that inning as the Royals took a 7-0 lead.

“I feel like we had a pretty good game plan,” Pasquantino said. “It may not have looked like it the first time through, but that’s just how it goes. ... I thought we battled tonight and did a good job off of him.”

The Royals batted around, sending 11 hitters to the plate. And they scored in a variety of ways.

Kyle Isbel singled to start the inning. He later scored on Pasquantino’s two-run double, Pasquantino’s first extra-base hit this season.

Moments later, Nelson Velazquez added to the lead. He laced a two-run single that scored Pasquantino and Royals captain Salvador Perez.

KC newcomer Hunter Renfroe capped the scoring outburst with a two-run double.

Four Royals recorded RBIs in the third inning. Arrighetti worked three innings in his debut start and tossed 79 pitches.

“I’m not sure it was an adjustment,” Quatraro said of facing Arrighetti. “Just getting use to seeing the lower release. It’s a unique profile with a lower release and plus extension. A big breaking ball. I think maybe just getting to see that a few times was helpful.”

Seth Lugo records 3rd quality start

Lugo produced another solid effort against the Astros. The veteran relied primarily on his defense as he matriculated through the Houston lineup.

Lugo allowed seven hits and two runs in six innings. It was his third quality start of the season.

The Astros recorded eight ground-outs and five fly-balls against Lugo. He induced 42 swings and five whiffs, striking out two and walking two on 90 pitches.

“I know when they put the ball in play, we have a good chance of making a good play, especially in the infield,” Lugo said. “My goal, especially after guys get on, just work on getting ground balls.”

In the fourth inning, Lugo ran into minor trouble. He surrendered consecutive doubles to Alex Bregman and Yainer Diaz, resulting in a run. Later, Jose Abreu hit a sacrifice fly that drove home Diaz.

The Astros recorded nine hits Wednesday.

“I think getting through the heart of the lineup and retiring them was really big tonight,” Lugo said.

The Royals lead the majors with nine quality starts this season. KC’s starting pitchers have a combined 1.97 ERA in 12 starts thus far.

Next on the KC Royals’ schedule

The Royals conclude their three-game home series against the Astros on Thursday afternoon.

Brady Singer will make his third start of the season, facing off against Hunter Brown. First pitch is set for 1:10 p.m. Central Time at Kauffman Stadium.