PHOENIX (AP) — Billy Butler had a three-run homer among his four hits, Nori Aoki hit a grand slam and the Kansas City Royals gave Danny Duffy some rare run support by bashing the Arizona Diamondbacks 12-2 on Tuesday night.

Kansas City battered Wade Miley (7-8) from the start, scoring 10 runs off him by the fifth inning. Salvador Perez had the first big blow with a three-run homer in the third inning and Butler added another three-run shot during Kansas City’s eight-run fifth. Aoki capped the big inning with his first career grand slam.

The Royals had 10 of their 15 hits by the fifth inning and had a season-high in runs, allowing Duffy (6-10) to cruise to his first win since June 30.

Perez had three hits.

The Royals have mostly struggled when Duffy has pitched this season, producing 2.34 runs of support, lowest in the majors among pitchers with at least 100 innings. The left-hander had allowed a run or less in 11 of 16 starts, yet was 4-5 in those, including four straight losses.

That changed in a big way against the Diamondbacks and Miley.

Arizona’s left-hander had been sharp over his previous six starts, going 4-1 with a 2.45 ERA, including 6 2/3 scoreless innings his last outing.

The Royals hit Miley hard early, starting with Perez’s 13th homer in the third inning. Butler added his own three-run shot in the fifth and, after a pair of wild pitches by Miley, Aoki put the capper on the big inning with his first career grand slam on the first pitch by reliever Bo Schultz.

Miley allowed nine hits and walked three.

Duffy gave up a run-scoring single to Mark Trumbo in the first inning, but little else in five innings. He allowed three hits and struck out seven to end a five-start winless streak.

— Associated Press —

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — James Shields pitched quite a gem for Kansas City. It certainly helped that Oakland abandoned its usual patient approach at the plate.

Shields pitched eight sharp innings for his first win in nearly a month, and the Royals beat the Athletics 4-2 on Sunday.

“This team was a free-hacking team today, which is not really their game,” Shields said. “They have a bunch of hitters over there that were being aggressive and I was able to execute my pitches early in the count.”

Shields retired his first 15 batters before Josh Reddick hit a leadoff homer in the sixth. Alberto Callaspo then had a one-out single before Sam Fuld lined into a double play.

The 32-year-old Shields (10-6) allowed two runs and four hits. He walked none for the fifth time this season.

“You watch the way that he’s pitching, it’s like, `OK boys, let’s just give him a couple runs and he’ll take it from there,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. “A good indicator for him was he was managing his pitch count.”

Shields threw 102 pitches while helping the Royals to their ninth win in 12 games.

“As far as I’m concerned we can match up with anyone, any team, any starting rotation,” Shields said. “As long as we go toe to toe with those guys we’re going to be in every game.”

Reddick homered twice, getting to Shields again in the eighth.

The A’s have the best record in baseball at 67-43, but have sputtered offensively since trading cleanup hitter Yoenis Cespedes to Boston on Thursday in a deal for ace Jon Lester. They lead the stacked AL West by one game over the Los Angeles Angels, who beat Tampa Bay 7-5 on Sunday.

Oakland was without injured leadoff hitter Coco Crisp, though it hardly mattered the way Shields was pitching.

Shields allowed only three balls out of the infield through the first five innings. One of them was a deep fly to center by Josh Donaldson in the first, the closest Oakland came to getting a man on base before Reddick’s home run.

“We just haven’t been our best offensively here,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Shields was using all his pitches, going to the change, to the cutter, and he had good command.”

Shields got his first win since he beat his former team, Tampa Bay, on July 7. Greg Holland pitched the ninth for his AL-leading 31st save.

Nori Aoki’s RBI single in the fifth gave Kansas City a 1-0 lead. Omar Infante followed with a two-run double and later scored on a single by Salvador Perez.

All the runs came against Scott Kazmir (12-4).

Reddick has four home runs since coming off the disabled list July 22. It’s the sixth multihomer game of his career and second this season.

— Associated Press —