Kansas City Royals' Michael Massey (19) is mobbed by teammates and has a cooler of water dumped on him after hitting a walkoff single in the ninth inning of a baseball game to defeat the Washington Nationals, Sunday, May 28, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Reed Hoffmann)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Michael Massey’s single with two outs in the ninth scored MJ Melendez to cap a late rally that lifted the Kansas City Royals to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

The Royals hit homers in the seventh and eighth innings to tie the game, then pulled it out in the ninth to avoid a sweep.

Melendez reached with one out on an error by first baseman Dominic Smith and scored when Massey lined a single into right off Chad Kuhl (0-3).

Washington’s Mackenzie Gore struck out a career-high 11 over seven innings and allowed one earned run on three hits and one walk. He gave up a double to the leadoff batter, then didn’t allow another hit until the sixth inning.

But Melendez homered off him in the seventh before Edward Olivares hit a 452-foot shot off Kuhl in the eighth to tie it.

The Nationals got on the board first with an RBI double by Ildemaro Vargas that bounced off the top of the left field wall to score Smith in the fourth inning. Vargas scored on the next at-bat when Michael Chavis hit a bloop single to center field to give Washington a 2-0 lead.

In his season debut, Daniel Lynch went 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on five hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Scott Barlow (2-3) pitched a scoreless ninth inning and got the win.

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals reinstated LHP Daniel Lynch and placed LHP Josh Taylor (left shoulder impingement syndrome) on the 15-day Injured List.

UP NEXT

The Nationals send RHP Trevor Williams to the mound on the road against the Dodgers on Monday. The Royals travel to St. Louis, but haven’t announced a starter.