KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez wanted to go nine innings, but had to settle for a victory against his old team and a standing ovation.

He did pitch effectively into the eighth and Mike Moustakas hit a three-run homer to lead the Kansas City Royals over the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-1 on Wednesday night.

Volquez (9-5), who won 13 games last season for the Pirates, picked up his first victory since June 26. He allowed one run on eight hits, while walking one and striking out eight.

“I wanted a complete game,” Volquez said. “I get two easy outs in the eighth and then give up singles to (Andrew) McCutchen and (Starling) Marte. I was hoping to stay in the game, but the skipper came out and I said, `oh man.’ Ned (Yost) said see all those people in the stands, they’re going to give you a standing ovation.’ I said, all right, I’ll take that.”

Moustakas homered with two out in the eighth with Alex Rios and Jarrod Dyson aboard. Moustakas drove the 3-0 offering from right-hander Charlie Morton into the Royals’ bullpen.

“His eyes lit up when he saw the go ahead and swing sign,” Yost said.

Morton said the pitch was right where he “wanted it.”

“He was obviously looking in,” Morton said. “It was right up on his hands. “He was cheating in, I guess.”

Dyson’s bunt single scored Omar Infante with the first run of the inning.

Morton (6-4) allowed five runs on seven hits, two of them home runs, walked one, hit two batters and struck out four. He is 1/3 in his past five starts, inflating his ERA from 1.62 to 4.59.

Eric Hosmer hit his ninth home run, matching his 2014 total, in the fourth for the other Kansas City run. Hosmer went 101 at-bats since his previous homer on June 19.

Neil Walker’s sacrifice fly in the third scored Jaff Decker for the only Pittsburgh run.

The Pirates went 0 for 6 with runners in scoring position off Volquez. Opponents are hitting just .186 off Volquez with runners in scoring position.

“We pushed him four different innings with two runners on,” Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. “He’s shown up well this year on batting average against with runners in scoring position. We saw more of that tonight. One inning we lined out twice. We just had poor aim.”

The Pirates have lost five of six since the All-Star break. The Royals have won six of eight and top the American League with 57 victories.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: C Francisco Cervelli missed his second straight game with a right wrist contusion, but manager Clint Hurdle said he would likely return to the lineup Thursday.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas, who left after 26 pitches with elbow pain Tuesday, has a torn ligament that will require season-ending Tommy John surgery. RHP Yordano Ventura, who was optioned Tuesday to Triple-A Omaha, was recalled and will start Sunday against the Astros.

UP NEXT:

Pirates: LHP Francisco Liriano, who was scratched from a Saturday start at Milwaukee with a stiff neck, will start Thursday against the Nationals.

Royals: RHP Chris Young will start Thursday at St. Louis, a makeup game from a June 14 rainout. Young threw six scoreless innings on May 20 to beat the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals have placed left-hander Jason Vargas on the disabled list with a torn ligament in his elbow, an injury that typically requires season-ending Tommy John surgery.

Vargas left his start against Pittsburgh on Tuesday night after throwing just 26 pitches. He had an MRI on Wednesday that revealed the extent of the injury.

The Royals filled his spot in the rotation by recalling Yordano Ventura. The hard-throwing right-hander had been sent to Triple-A Omaha just a day earlier to work on his inconsistency and rebuild some confidence after a string of poor starts.

Vargas, who is 5-2 with a 3.98 ERA, was instrumental in the Royals’ run to the World Series a year ago. He went 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA in three postseason starts.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jarrod Dyson hit a two-run single in the eighth inning to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Tuesday night.

Dyson scored later in the inning on Alcides Escobar’s single to put the Royals up 3-0, and they won for the 11th time in 14 games.

Wade Davis (6-1) struck out Andrew McCutchen swinging to end the eighth with two Pirates on base to pick up the victory.

Greg Holland survived a shaky ninth, allowing a run on four hits and a walk, but struck out Gregory Polanco with the bases loaded for his 21st save in 24 opportunities.

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole (13-4), who leads the majors in victories, was charged with all three runs and five hits in 7 1/3 innings.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Yordano Ventura is going back to the minors to try to regain his form from his strong rookie season.

The Royals optioned Ventura to Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday after a string of ineffective outings for the opening-day pitcher.

”A lot of times it’s good for players to take a step back, so they can take three or four steps forward,” manager Ned Yost said.

The 24-year-old Ventura, who can run his fastball into triple digits, is 4-7 with a 5.19 ERA in 14 starts this year. He spent nearly a month on the disabled list with inflammation of his ulnar nerve.

Yost acknowledged Ventura is probably feeling some frustration.

”He knows what he’s capable of doing,” Yost said. ”He feels like with his performance a little bit that he’s letting everybody down, which is not the case. Everybody believes in him 100 percent.”

Left-hander Jason Vargas came off the disabled list and got the start Tuesday night against Pittsburgh. Vargas had been sidelined by a left flexor strain.

Ventura gave up six runs and 10 hits in four-plus innings in Monday night’s 10-7 loss to the Pirates. He is 1-3 with a 9.00 ERA in his last four starts.

After going 14-10 with a 3.20 ERA last year and throwing seven scoreless innings to beat San Francisco in Game 6 of the World Series, the Royals signed Ventura to a $23 million, five-year contract at the end of spring training.

”Everybody still knows if we make it back to the World Series he’s going to be a big reason why,” Yost said. ”So just going down and having success for a week or two or three or four or whatever it may be, is going to help him in the long run.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Ishikawa had three extra-base hits and drove in four runs as the Pittsburgh Pirates outslugged the Kansas City Royals 10-7 Monday night.

Ishikawa, who was 1 for 13 with one RBI in nine games since the Pirates claimed him on waivers July 5, hit a two-run double in a four-run second. He homered in the fifth with Jung Ho Kang aboard.

A.J. Burnett (8-3) won despite giving up a season-high five earned runs and 11 hits — including two homers — in his initial start since his first career trip to the All-Star Game. The 38-year-old right-hander pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the second.

The Royals cut the deficit to 8-7 in the seventh and chased Burnett. Mike Moustakas homered leading off the inning. Eric Hosmer had an RBI triple for his third hit and scored on Kendrys Morales’ groundout.

Pittsburgh answered with Neil Walker’s two-run triple in the eighth off Luke Hochevar.

Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his 30th save in 31 opportunities. He has converted a franchise-record 28 consecutive saves.

Starling Marte had three hits, one of three Pirates with multihit games. Ishikawa doubled twice.

Morales, who hit a two-run homer off the right-field foul pole in the fifth, tops the American League with 65 RBI.

Royals right-hander Yordano Ventura (4-7) was pulled in the fifth. He gave up six runs on 11 hits and a walk.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Pirates: SS Jordy Mercer (sprained left knee ligament) went on the disabled list and is expected to miss six weeks. . C Francisco Cervelli left in the seventh with discomfort in his right wrist.

Royals: RHP Kris Medlen, who had his second Tommy John surgery in March 2014, was activated after six rehab starts in the minors. He made his Royals debut, giving up four runs and four hits in 3 1/3 innings.

UP NEXT

Pirates: RHP Gerrit Cole looks for his major league-leading 14th victory Tuesday night. He is 8-1 with a 2.23 ERA in his past 10 starts.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas will come off the disabled list and make his first start since June 8.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — There is no big secret to Danny Duffy’s July success. No mechanical adjustments. Nothing like that at all.

The Kansas City Royals play great defense, and Duffy is putting his fielders to work.

Duffy took a shutout into the ninth inning in the longest outing of his career, and surging Kansas City beat Chris Sale and the Chicago White Sox 4-1 on Sunday.

“We needed him to stand up today big time, and he did,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Duffy (4-4) was replaced by Joe Blanton after Tyler Saladino led off the ninth with his first career homer. The left-hander allowed six hits, struck out four and walked one while improving to 2-0 with a 1.33 ERA in three starts this month.

“I’m finally starting to learn that when you have the best defense in the league behind you, all you’ve got to do is execute,” Duffy said.

Lorenzo Cain and Paulo Orlando homered as Kansas City (55-35) moved a season-high 20 games above .500. Blanton got three outs for his first career save in his 278th major league game.

Helped by their stellar defense — shortstop Alcides Escobar, second baseman Omar Infante and first baseman Eric Hosmer each made a couple of solid plays in the series finale — the AL Central leaders took three of four from the White Sox and have won 11 of 14 overall.

“I was sitting there at the end of the game trying to decide which was more impressive, Danny’s outing or our defense today,” Yost said. “It’s a tough call.”

Chicago (42-48) lost for the fourth time in five games, making it more likely that general manager Rick Hahn will look to sell ahead of the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline. The White Sox are last in the Central, with major league-leading St. Louis coming to town for a two-game set beginning on Tuesday night.

“We’re going to play on Tuesday,” manager Robin Ventura said of possible changes. “I know everybody wants to talk about it but we’re going to play as hard as we can against St. Louis.”

Sale (8-5) was tagged for a season-high 11 hits in 6 1/3 innings in his first start since July 11. The All-Star lefty gave up four runs, struck out six and walked one.

Sale allowed five hits in the first three innings, but Hosmer’s RBI single in the first accounted for Kansas City’s only run before Cain hit a leadoff drive in the sixth for his 10th homer. Alex Rios reached on a one-out single in the seventh before Orlando connected for his fourth homer.

“This is not a good team to leave fastballs over the plate to,” Sale said. “They take advantage of every opportunity you give them and that’s what happens.”

Cain also had a tiebreaking homer in the 13th inning of Kansas City’s 7-6 victory on Saturday. The All-Star center fielder went 1 for 4 and is batting .473 (26 for 55) with four homers and 12 RBI in his last 14 games.

STEPPING UP

Blanton, a starter for most of his career, was pressed into action in the ninth after Kansas City split a doubleheader on Friday, and then used seven relievers on Saturday.

The right-hander had allowed at least one run in each of his previous five outings, but he struck out Abreu and Cabrera before Avisail Garcia bounced out to end the game.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Kris Medlen will come off the disabled list on Monday, taking another step in his comeback from his second major elbow surgery. Medlen, who last pitched in the majors in 2013 with Atlanta, will join Kansas City’s bullpen for the start of a three-game series against Pittsburgh. “He’s going to be a long guy, but these things always seem to work themselves out, so I envision him long term being a starter,” Yost said.

White Sox: Reliever Matt Albers was activated from the 15-day disabled list and pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He broke his right pinkie finger during a brawl with the Royals on April 23. INF Conor Gillaspie was designated for assignment to make room on the roster.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (4-6, 4.73 ERA) makes his second start since coming off the disabled list when the Royals host Pittsburgh on Monday night. RHP A.J. Burnett (7-3, 2.11 ERA) goes for the Pirates.

White Sox: Following an off day, the White Sox host St. Louis on Tuesday night, with LHP Carlos Rodon (3-2, 3.80 ERA) starting against the Cardinals.

— Associated Press —