KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Even after a lengthy replay, Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire still thinks the call was wrong.

No worry. When he was ejected for arguing the play in the third inning Tuesday night, it gave him a nice vantage point — a flat-screen TV and a comfy chair in the clubhouse — to see Kyle Gibson shut down the Kansas City Royals for seven innings in a tense 2-1 victory.

The play in question was Chris Parmelee’s sinking liner to left field that Alex Gordon appeared to trap while sliding. The umpires ruled it a catch, though, likely saving a run. Gardenhire quickly challenged it, only to be incensed when a review of 3 minutes, 31 seconds let it stand.

A nose-to-nose confrontation with plate umpire Ted Barrett resulted in him getting tossed.

“Honestly, I know you’re not supposed to go out there. I just wanted to find out how that happened,” Gardenhire said. “That’s the part a lot of managers are trying to figure out, what did they see? I know they don’t want it to go any longer, but it’s gone on long enough.

“I was just looking for an explanation. He threw me out really quick. He was really hot.”

Gibson was hot in an entirely different way.

He allowed a single by Alcides Escobar in the third inning and another by Nori Aoki in the sixth over seven dazzling innings. Gibson (9-8) was at his best his last inning, too, setting down the Royals in order in the seventh on four seemingly effortless pitches.

“I had a great view for it,” Gardenhire said with a smile.

Casey Fien worked the eighth before Glen Perkins ran into trouble in the ninth, giving up a leadoff double to Omar Infante and an RBI single to Eric Hosmer. Perkins bounced back to get three straight pop outs and record his 26th save of the season.

“The loss is frustrating in general. It doesn’t matter how it is,” the Royals’ Billy Butler said. “It’s not fun to lose, especially in a 2-1 game like that. We should have put up more runs.”

Josh Willingham hit a sacrifice fly in the third inning and Brian Dozier provided a run-scoring single in the fifth off James Shields (9-6), who battled command all night. He threw 124 pitches — two shy of his career high — while walking four in only six innings.

Gibson, who was shelled by Tampa Bay his last time out, has made a habit of rebounding back from ugly outings. He followed a miserable performance against the Angels with a strong one against Texas, and a lousy start against the Yankees with six shutout innings against Seattle.

“I don’t know what it was tonight,” he said. “I just had a lot of confidence.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson and Jim Rice didn’t do it. Neither did Mark McGwire, Albert Pujols, Jim Thome, Barry Bonds nor any other opposing slugger who played at Kansas City.

Carlos Santana hit five home runs in a series at spacious Kauffman Stadium, connecting for two more shots Sunday and leading the Cleveland Indians over the Royals 10-3.

Santana tied a team record for homers in a series, finishing off this four-game set with a pair of two-run shots. He has homered in three straight games, and has hit six home runs in six games.

“I know I’m hot, but I’m taking the same approach,” Santana said. “This can happen in this game when a player gets focused. It’s a help to the team.”

Santana and the Indians ended a four-game losing skid and stopped the Royals’ five-game winning streak.

Santana went 3 for 3 and reached base in all five plate appearances, including drawing his major league-leading 72nd walk. The switch-hitter homered in a four-run fifth inning and hit another drive in the ninth for his fifth career multihomer game and his second of the series.

“It was pretty impressive to watch,” teammate Mike Aviles said. “Everybody knows how big he can be. He was able to drive some balls out of the park consistently from both sides.”

“Watching him all season, he has an unbelievable eye. I know his average isn’t where he wants it to be, but he got off to a slow start. But even through his struggles early in the year, he was able to find ways to get on base. You knew with a guy like him it was only a matter of time before he got back on pace.”

In his past six games, Santana is 14 for 23, including three doubles and 10 RBIs.

“He’s hot as a firecracker,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s hitting home runs right-handed. He’s hitting home runs left-handed.”

Ryan Raburn and Yan Gomes also homered for the Indians, who had lost six straight at Kauffman Stadium.

Danny Salazar (3-4) gave up three runs and seven hits over seven innings. He walked none and struck out seven.

Bruce Chen (2-3) allowed up six runs and eight hits in five-plus innings.

Nick Swisher hit an RBI single in the Indians seventh to end an 0-for-21 streak.

Billy Butler had three hits for the Royals, including an RBI double. He had homered in his previous two games, but Santana equaled Butler’s season home run total in the series.

“Santana has got a lot of pop,” Butler said. “He’s in one of those zones. A lot of guys get hot, but don’t hit four homers in a series. Five, sorry, I missed one. It just shows you how impressive it is. He’s very talented, a very strong guy.”

Santana is the first player to hit five home runs in a series since Hunter Pence for San Francisco against the Dodgers last September.

Santana tied an Indians record for most home runs in a series. The others were Hal Trosky (1934), Joe Carter (1989), Albert Belle (1995), Matt Williams (1997) and Travis Hafner (2004). Hafner did it in two-game series against the Angels.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Billy Butler homered for the second straight game and the Kansas City Royals overcame a five-run deficit to beat Cleveland 7-5 Saturday night for their fifth straight win.

A day after his pinch-hit, two-run homer in the eighth inning beat Cleveland, Butler connected for a tiebreaking shot in the fifth. It was 5-all when he tagged Nick Hagadone for a drive over the Royals’ bullpen in left field.

Carlos Santana hit his third homer in two games for Cleveland, which has lost six of seven.

Jeremy Guthrie (6-9) won despite giving up five runs on 10 hits and two walks in 5 2/3 innings. Greg Holland, the fourth Kansas City reliever, got his 27th save in 29 chances.

Zach McAllister (3-6) couldn’t hold a 5-0 lead. He gave up a single to Salvador Perez to start the fifth and was replaced by Hagadone.

Guthrie had lost his previous three starts. He has an 8.44 ERA in three starts this season against the Indians.

The Indians scored five times in the second. Santana led off with a home run and Jason Kipnis broke an 0-for-11 rut with a two-run double.

Santana is 12 for 25 with six RBIs in his last six games.

McAllister, just brought up from Triple-A Columbus after going 5-0 with a 2.23 ERA, faced 22 batters and 10 reached base. After starting the season 3-0, he is 0-6 in nine starts.

Omar Infante had an RBI grounder in the third and the Royals tied it with four more in fourth. Nori Aoki hit a two-run triple with two outs and scored on a passed ball to tie it.

— Associated Press —