PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Odubel Herrera put the finishing touches on his All-Star bid.

Herrera hit a leadoff homer and drove in two runs, Jeremy Hellickson threw six sharp innings and the Philadelphia Phillies beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 Friday night for their fourth straight win.

Herrera is batting .306 with nine homers and an .835 OPS. He’s a strong candidate to represent the Phillies at the Midsummer Classic in San Diego.

“If that happens, great,” Herrera said through an interpreter. “If it doesn’t, I just want to help my team win.”

Asked if he feels he deserves to go, Herrera answered himself: “For sure.”

Hellickson (6-6) allowed one run and five hits in six innings, striking out six. He was 0-9 in his previous 15 starts against AL opponents.

“The biggest key was just quality strike one,” Hellickson said. “They’re aggressive, but they don’t strike out a lot, so just making that first pitch down and just trying to keep them off-balance as much as I could.”

Royals starter Ian Kennedy (6-7) gave up three runs in five innings.

Kendrys Morales hit a two-run homer off David Hernandez in the eighth before the right-hander settled down to retire the next three batters. Jeanmar Gomez finished for his 22nd save in 24 tries.

“He’s swinging the bat really well right now,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Morales, who is 13 for his last 20. “He gave us an opportunity to try to tie the game.”

Back home after sweeping the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Phillies snapped a seven-game home losing streak.

A video review helped Philadelphia take a 2-1 lead in the third.

Herrera walked with one out, stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Salvador Perez. After Peter Bourjos struck out looking, Cody Asche walked. Perez then picked Asche off first, but the Phillies challenged and the call was overturned. Maikel Franco followed with an RBI single.

Asche ripped an RBI double to right in the fifth to put the Phillies ahead 3-1. Herrera’s RBI single in the sixth made it 4-1.

Herrera gave the Phillies a 1-0 lead on his ninth homer and first leading off.

Alcides Escobar hit a double and scored on Cheslor Cuthbert’s single to tie it at 1 in the second.

STANDINGS

The defending World Series champion Royals fell seven games behind Cleveland in the AL Central. The Phillies finished the first half 36-45. They were 24-17 at one point.

STREAKING

Escobar has a 12-game hitting streak. The shortstop has started all 79 games this season. … Phillies OF Peter Bourjos extended his hitting streak to 10 with an infield single. … Phillies 1B Tommy Joseph struck out as a pinch-hitter and is hitless in his last 14 at-bats with six strikeouts.

K ZONE

Kennedy has struck out 19 of the last 48 batters he’s faced in the past two starts. He fanned eight Phillies.

“I felt I wasn’t getting on top of the ball,” he said. “It was a constant grind.”

UP NEXT

LHP Danny Duffy (3-1, 3.24 ERA) goes for the Royals while RHP Aaron Nola (5-7, 4.45) pitches for the Phillies. Duffy threw a career-best eight innings in his last start. Nola has failed to pitch four innings in four straight starts.

— Associated Press —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Alcides Escobar hit a go-ahead RBI double just inside the right-field line in the 12th inning and the Kansas City Royals outlasted the St. Louis Cardinals 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Escobar drove in the first run of the game with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the eighth. His fly to shallow right off Seth Maness (0-2) fell just in front of Stephen Piscotty, whose homer leading off the 10th tied it at 2.

Chien-Ming Wang (5-0) worked two scoreless innings for Kansas City, which survived blown saves by Wade Davis and Joakim Soria, stranded 19 runners and used all of its bench players. The Royals are 39-50 in the I-70 interleague series but 14-12 at 11-year-old Busch Stadium.

Whit Merrifield put Kansas City ahead in the 10th when a potential double-play grounder was booted by second baseman Matt Carpenter and Merrifield got an RBI. He also doubled with one out in the 12th.

Jhonny Peralta’s two-out single tied it at 1 in the ninth against Davis, the second blown save in 20 chances for the Royals closer.

Edinson Volquez worked 6 2-3 innings of six-hit ball in a strong bounce-back effort for Kansas City. He gave up 11 earned runs in one inning his last start.

Carlos Martinez allowed eight hits in six-plus scoreless innings for St. Louis, just 15-22 at home. The three-time defending NL Central champions were 55-26 at home last season.

Martinez has allowed two earned runs in 28 1-3 innings in his last four starts.

NICE D

Kendrys Morales made his first start in the outfield since 2008 a non-issue, tracking down Carpenter’s drive to the wall in right field in the third. Plus, he had three hits.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain (left hamstring) was placed on the 15-day DL. The team is optimistic he’ll back right after the All-Star break.

Cardinals: SS Aledmys Diaz (right eye) was the lone bench player not used. He’s missed two games but could be back soon after getting a positive checkup from the team ophthalmologist.

UP NEXT

Royals: Chris Young (2-7, 6.54) is coming off his shortest start since Sept. 1, 2014, allowing seven runs in 2 1-3 innings in a loss to Houston. He’s given up a major league-high 21 homers, with at least one in all 11 starts plus he’s 0-5 with a 9.70 ERA in five road starts.

Cardinals: Mike Leake (5-5, 4.25) lasted just 3 1-3 innings his last start, allowing five runs at Seattle. He’s 16-7 with a 3.49 ERA in 38 June starts.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ian Kennedy knew Kansas City needed a long outing, and he delivered.

Kennedy struck out 11 over seven innings, Kendrys Morales hit two home runs and the Royals snapped the Houston Astros’ seven-game winning streak with a 6-1 victory Sunday.

After Royals starters Edinson Volquez and Chris Young were roughed up in blowout losses in the first two games of this series, lasting a total of 3 1/3 innings, Kennedy allowed one run and three hits with one walk.

“Last night I passed him after the game and he said, `You need for me to go nine?” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I said, `No, just give me a strong seven.’ And that’s exactly what he did. That’s a real good hitting team over there and to hold them to three hits, seven strong innings, he just pitched tremendous and gave us an opportunity to let things sort out in that bullpen.”

Kennedy (6-6) struck out his final four batters and finished one shy of matching his career best in strikeouts.

“Every time out you try to do that,” Kennedy said. “It doesn’t happen every time, obviously, unless you’re (Clayton) Kershaw or guys like him that just go out and punch everybody else out and go seven or eight innings every single time.

“That’s kind of what pitching is, make everything look like a fastball. My curveball today was better than it has been. I was staying on top of it. It was a little bit better than normal. I was just throwing fastball, curveball for the most part of the game. My slider when I needed it was down and had some good break. I threw it in some good counts.”

Morales connected for a solo drive in the fourth and seventh. Cheslor Cuthbert hit a two-run shot against Doug Fister (8-4) during Kansas City’s five-run seventh.

“It really happened fast,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “It takes a little bit away from how good Doug was for most of the game and leaves a bad taste in his mouth, I’m sure.”

Lorenzo Cain had three of the Royals’ 13 hits.

Fister, who was 7-0 in his previous 10 starts, lost for the first time since April 25. He gave up four runs and eight hits in 6 2/3 innings, including three home runs.

“In a big league ballgame, most times it comes down to two or three pitches,” Fister said. “Ian made those pitches today. I didn’t.”

Evan Gattis hit a leadoff homer in the sixth for Houston.

Astros star Jose Altuve singled in the fourth to extend his streak of reaching base safely to 29 straight games, matching his career high set last year and the longest active streak in the majors.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Kris Medlen, who is on the disabled list with rotator cuff inflammation, threw 4 2/3 innings for Triple-A Omaha on Saturday, allowing an unearned run and two hits. “He’s probably not ready,” Yost said. “He’s throwing the ball good. We need to get him built up, need to get him some consistency. He really took a good step yesterday in terms of his command. But, as to need, we’ve got him slated for more (rehab) starts.”

UP NEXT

Astros: RHP Collin McHugh, who starts Monday at Los Angeles, is 4-2 with 2.82 ERA in eight career starts against the Angels.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy, who starts Monday against the Cardinals, is 3-3 with a 3.10 ERA in 13 appearances against National League clubs. St. Louis will counter with RHP Adam Wainwright.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Altuve went 4 for 5, including a home run and two doubles, and the Houston Astros extended their winning streak to seven with a 13-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Altuve drove in three runs and scored three runs. He is hitting .417 with a .484 on-base percentage while reaching base in 27 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the major leagues.

Marwin Gonzalez, Altuve and Carlos Correa, the Astros’ two-three-four hitters, combined to go 8 for 15 with seven RBI, six runs and two homers. Altuve and Correa hit consecutive homers in a seven-run second.

Houston has won 22 of 30 to move a season-best three games above .500 (39-36). The Astros are on their longest winning streak since taking 10 in a row from June 14-23 last year.

Kansas City catcher Drew Butera took the mound to get the final three outs of the ninth, his fourth big league pitching appearance and the first by a Royals position player since outfielder Mitch Maier against Cleveland on April 15, 2012. Butera gave up Jason Castro’s RBI double, retired George Springer on a foulout, struck out Marwin Gonzalez on a 91 mph offering and got Danny Worth on a groundout.

Michael Feliz (5-1) won despite allowing two runs and three hits in 1 2/3 innings. Astros starter Mike Fiers, staked to a 9-1 lead in the fourth, was removed after 4 1/3 innings. He gave up three runs, nine hits and three walks and also a hit batter.

Chris Young (2-7) yielded seven runs, seven hits and four walks in 2 1/3 innings, raising his ERA to 6.54. He has allowed a major league-leading 21 homers in 53 2/3 innings — including at least one homer in all 11 starts.

Combined with Edinson Volquez’s poor outing Friday, Royals starters allowed 18 earned runs in 3 1/3 innings over two nights, a 48.60 ERA.

A.J. Reed, the Astros top position player prospect, walked twice, scored two runs and had a sacrifice fly in his big league debut.

Alex Gordon, who missed 30 games with a broken right wrist, returned to the Kansas City lineup with a home run and double.

Lorenzo Cain, Kendrys Morales and Cheslor Cuthbert each had two hits and drove in a run for the Royals, who have lost four straight.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: Valbuena, who exited the game Friday in the second inning with lower back tightness, was back in the lineup and doubled twice.

Royals: Rookie OF Brett Eibner, who hit .297 with a .514 slugging percentage in 11 games, was optioned to Triple-A Omaha. . RHP Kris Medlen (rotator cuff inflammation) gave up one unearned run and two hits in 4 2/3 innings in a rehab start Saturday for Triple-A Omaha at Nashville. He struck out five and walked one.

UP NEXT

RHP Doug Fister (8-3), Houston’s scheduled starter Sunday, allowed six runs and nine hits in 5 2/3 innings in an April 14 loss to the Royals. Kansas City starter Ian Kennedy (5-6) has given up 10 home runs in his first four June starts.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — George Springer was more than just a tablesetter as the Houston Astros’ leadoff hitter.

Springer hit a grand slam and a triple in Houston’s nine-run first inning against Edinson Volquez, and the Astros routed the Kansas City Royals 13-4 on Friday night. Springer, who finished with five RBI, tops the majors with three grand slams this season.

“That’s not really something you’re really thinking about,” Springer said of his grand slam and triple in the Astros’ big first. “I was just hoping we could come out of here with a good win to start off the trip.”

Colby Rasmus had four hits, including a homer in the eighth, scored three runs and drove in two. Marwin Gonzalez, Carlos Gomez, Jason Castro and Rasmus all had RBI singles in the first off Volquez (7-7), who retired only three of the 15 batters he faced with 12 scoring, ballooning his ERA more than a full run to 5.15.

He gave up 12 runs, 11 earned, and eight hits and walked three. Rasmus scored the other run on Alcides Escobar’s error.

“The whole story of the game is the first couple of innings and the quality of at-bats we put up,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “We did a lot of things right that first inning and took advantage of a mistake, a lot of singles and a big hit by George obviously to separate the game. We did a good job of tacking on run after run after run.”

The last time the Astros scored nine in the first inning was July 10, 2003, against Cincinnati. The Royals last allowed nine or more in the first on Sept. 23, 2006, when Detroit scored 10.

The huge lead made it easy for Dallas Keuchel, the 2015 American League Cy Young Award winner, to pick up only his second victory since April 15 and first since May 28.

“I’ll take it,” Keuchel said. “I’m not complaining. My job was to go out there and fill up the zone. I’m not very happy with the stat line, but that game calls for that type of scenario, which is exactly what I did.”

Keuchel (4-9) gave up four runs and 11 hits, including home runs to Escobar and Cheslor Cuthbert. Escobar’s homer was his first since Aug. 21.

Volquez was removed in the second when he walked Carlos Correa and Gomez, sandwiched around Rasmus’ single to load the bases without getting an out. All three wound up scoring off reliever Dillon Gee, but the runs were charged to Volquez.

“He just wasn’t very good,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Volquez. “He gave up the triple, I’m thinking, `OK, give up the one run and we’ll be all right’ and then, boom, next thing it’s three, then it’s five, then it’s nine. So, it was just one of those nights where really nothing was working for him.”

ASTROS PROMOTE REED

After the game, Hinch said the Astros are bringing up 1B A.J. Reed, one of the team’s top prospects, from Triple-A Fresno, where he has hit .372 in his past 10 games to raise his average to .266 with 11 home runs. Hinch said Reed would DH Saturday. They optioned OF Tony Kemp to Fresno.

MONDESI RETURNING

IF Raul Mondesi, who became the first player to make his major league debut in the World Series when he struck out as a pinch hitter in Game 3 at Citi Field, will begin a rehab assignment Saturday with Single-A Wilmington. Mondesi, the Royals’ top prospect, was suspended 50 games on May 10 after testing positive for Clenbuterol, a performance-enhancing drug. He is scheduled to return July 4 to Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Astros: 3B Luis Valbuena left after one inning with left lower back tightness.

Royals: LF Alex Gordon (broken right wrist) played in his fifth rehab game Friday with Triple-A Omaha and is close to coming off the disabled list. “Alex is doing fine,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We’ll re-evaluate after tonight. We’ll be anxious to get him back.”

UP NEXT

Astros: RHP Mike Fiers (5-3) is 0-2 with a 7.36 ERA in two career starts against the Royals.

Royals: RHP Chris Young (2-6) leads the majors with 19 home runs allowed.

— Associated Press —