Houston Astros manager AJ Hinch watched his team load the bases in front of hot-hitting Evan Gattis [url=http://www.sanfrancisco49ersteamonline.com/reuben-foster-jersey]Reuben Foster 49ers Jersey[/url] , and all he wanted was the big designated hitter to send a drive to the outfield and keep the line moving.

Hinch had to settle for one that cleared the fence.

Cleared the bases, too.

Gattis crushed a go-ahead grand slam in the sixth inning Friday night, Alex Bregman and Carlos Correa also went deep, and the Astros rolled past the Kansas City Royals 7-3 for their ninth straight win.

”We’re shaking hands after a lot of his at-bats,” Hinch said of Gattis, who has five homers in the first eight games of the Astros’ road trip. ”When guys are hot, there’s a ton of energy and a ton of fun.”

Charlie Morton (8-1) overcame another bout of wildness, at one point walking three straight batters, to last six innings for Houston. He allowed four hits and four walks while striking out nine.

Brad Peacock, Tony Sipp and Collin McHugh each contributed a scoreless inning in relief to wrap up the Astros’ latest win. All but one during their streak has come away from Minute Maid Park.

”I think our guys are just methodically going through their days,” Hinch said. ”This is a long road trip and it’s a lot more fun when you’re winning.”

The Royals, meanwhile, have lost four straight and 10 of 11.

Jakob Junis (5-7) served up all three Houston homers [url=http://www.packerscheapstore.com/jaire-alexander-jersey-cheap]Jaire Alexander Youth Jersey[/url] , getting tagged for six runs on seven hits and a walk. It was his fourth straight loss, his last win coming against the New York Yankees on May 18.

”We were putting some really good swings on it. We were hitting some balls hard,” Morton said with a grin. ”Really, I was just waiting for the dam to break.”

The Royals gave Junis some support early, jumping ahead 2-0 in the third on a two-out double by Mike Moustakas. It was a buoying at-bat considering the meek-hitting Kansas City lineup managed a single run in getting swept by Cincinnati during a two-game set this week.

It appeared the lead might stand, too, the way Junis breezed through the first three innings.

Bregman changed all that with his ninth homer of the season, a shot that just skirted the left-field foul pole. Correa added his 455-foot home run two batters later to tie the game.

Morton’s wildness allowed the Royals to regain the lead in the fifth, but Junis coughed it back up in the sixth. He gave up three straight one-out singles to load the bases for Gattis, whose soaring, 405-foot grand slam was the second of his career and third by the Astros this season.

It was also the second slam permitted by the Royals in their last two games.

”I was hoping we would get either a flyout or a mishit. I didn’t think I left it right over the plate,” Junis said. ”I thought it was up and away. He just put a good swing on it.”

ASTROS MOVES

Houston recalled 3B Tyler White from Triple-A Fresno and placed LHP Reymin Guduan on the paternity leave list. White was hitting .338 with 13 homers and a .444 on-base percentage, the second-highest in all of Triple-A. Guduan can miss no more than three games while on the paternity list.

ROYALS MOVES

Kansas City selected the contract of RHP Brandon Maurer from Triple-A Omaha and optioned RHP Jason Adam to the same club. Maurer was 0-2 with a 12.46 ERA for the Royals before he was sent outright to the minor league club on May 3. He’s worked 11 straight scoreless appearances at Omaha.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros RHP Joe Smith (elbow inflammation) rejoined the team [url=http://www.bearsauthorizedshops.com/authentic-customized]Authentic Customized Bears Jerseys[/url] , and Hinch said the reliever is ”pain free and the next step is to initiate a throwing program.” That could happen by the end of the weekend.

Royals OF Jorge Soler left after stumbling out of the batter’s box in the sixth. He was taken for X-rays that revealed a broken left foot. ”It will be awhile when your feet are hurt,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”They’re going to give it a CT scan or whatever. We’ll have a better idea. X-rays showed a positive break. We don’t think it’s a surgical thing right now. The CT scan will give us more of a look.”

UP NEXT

Struggling LHP Dallas Keuchel (3-8, 4.45 ERA) starts for the Astros and LHP Danny Duffy (3-6, 5.28) gets the nod for the Royals for a Saturday matinee with temperatures expected to approach triple digits.

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With 17 career starts in three seasons, Los Angeles Rams inside linebacker Ramik Wilson might not look like a grizzled veteran.

However, at a position where the second and third-most experienced players have combined for six career starts and the other three are rookies, the 25-year-old Wilson certainly qualifies.

”We have a lot of youth at that position. We have a lot of guys, other than Mark Barron, that haven’t been starters before. To be able to get (Ramik) in free agency was great,” linebackers coach Joe Barry said.

The Rams needed to add experience after trading starting linebacker Alec Ogletree to the New York Giants. Cory Littleton had started five games in two seasons while backing up Barron, but would get the first chance to replace Ogletree at middle linebacker. Bryce Hager’s only start came in Week 17 last season when the Rams rested players ahead of their home playoff game.

Wilson fit the bill after starting 11 games and recording 61 tackles for Kansas City in 2016, but saw his playing time reduced last season after the Chiefs traded for former second-round draft pick Reggie Ragland. When the Chiefs did not tender a contract to Wilson, he agreed to terms on a one-year contract with the Rams in March weeks after they agreed to trade Ogletree.

The opportunity to play for defensive coordinator Wade Phillips was something Wilson could not pass up [url=http://www.authenticskansascitychiefs.com/cheap-armani-watts-jersey]Armani Watts Jersey Elite[/url] , especially with the chance to move back to his more natural position playing on the weak side.

”It just made perfect sense,” Wilson said. ”I can run to the ball and I can flow. I can make plays. I can do what I’m supposed to do.”

Barry liked Wilson coming out of college at Georgia, and his subsequent experience as both a starter and backup for the Chiefs made Wilson even more appealing.

”As an NFL player, you’ve got to prepare subtly different if you’re the guy as the starter compared to if you’re the backup. He’s been in both roles, so I think that means a lot,” Barry said.

Wilson’s ability to adjust was evident during OTAs. With Barron sitting out because of injuries, Wilson was paired with Littleton as part of the first-team defense. The two quickly meshed, and the partnership seems to have only grown as Wilson and Littleton continued to work together early in training camp, with Barron being worked back in cautiously.

Barry could not take credit for the chemistry Wilson and Littleton have displayed.

”When two guys go out and they take over 200 snaps together in OTAs, they are going to build a rapport together. It just happens naturally,” Barry said.

Despite the inexperience of the group, Wilson likes how they are progressing. How the linebackers perform might determine whether the play of the Rams defense matches the hysteria created by signing defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh and trading for cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peter in the offseason, and Wilson has not seen anything to indicate the inside linebackers are not ready for the challenge.

”They are right along and they are ready to go [url=http://www.thecowboysfootballauthentic.com/jihad-ward-jersey-authentic]Youth Jihad Ward Jersey[/url] , the whole room,” Wilson said. ”We’ve got a lot of expectations, but we know we’ve got the talent. We’re just putting in the work each day now and taking it one day at a time. That’s all we are going to do, and the results will show at the end of the day.”

NOTES: Rams head coach Sean McVay said Saturday there was no update regarding All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald’s holdout, but they have been in contact via telephone. ”I spoke with him in the last day or so, and we’re just checking in, seeing how he’s doing,” McVay said.

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