Avila rebounds, taking a shutout into the 6th as the Royals beat Washington 6-2 to avoid a sweep

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WASHINGTON (AP) — Luinder Avila took a shutout into the sixth, and the Kansas City Royals hit four solo homers in the first three innings of a 6-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday.

Carter Jensen led off the game with a home run, and John Rave, Lane Thomas and Michael Massey also went deep as the Royals avoided a three-game sweep in Washington. Avila (2-3) allowed a run and three hits with a walk and five strikeouts.

Jensen's drive to right off Zack Littell (6-6) — his first of four hits — opened the scoring. Rave added a home run in the second. Then Thomas and Massey hit back-to-back homers in the third.

Rave tripled to lead off the sixth and scored on Isaac Collins' squeeze bunt. Bobby Witt Jr. added an RBI single later that inning.

Avila rebounded nicely after allowing eight runs in 2/3 of an inning in his previous start, a 10-8 loss to the Houston Astros. He was pulled Wednesday with two outs in the sixth and a runner on first. CJ Abrams greeted reliever Matt Strahm with an RBI double, then came home on Dylan Crews' single to make it 6-2.

The Royals won for just the second time in eight games.

Littell allowed four runs and seven hits in five innings. He has lost back-to-back starts after going seven in a row without a defeat.

Kansas City returns home to face St. Louis on Thursday night. Noah Cameron (3-4) starts for the Royals against Matthew Liberatore (3-3).

The Nationals are off Thursday before a series at Tampa Bay. Cade Cavalli (4-4) takes the mound for Washington on Friday night.

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