SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Jake Peavy pitched five innings, and the San Francisco Giants snapped a four-game losing streak with an 8-3 exhibition victory against the Kansas City Royals on Monday.

Brandon Crawford and Joe Panik each had two hits for the World Series champions. Adam Duvall, Juan Perez, Gregor Blanco, Brandon Belt and Panik each drove in a run.

“It’s good to see them break out a little bit,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. “There were a lot of good things today.”

Peavy, who felt ill before the game, gave up three runs and seven hits.

Omar Infante had two hits and drove in two runs for the Royals, and Salvador Perez had two hits and drove in a run.

Infante made his first spring training start at second base. He has been bothered by a tender right elbow.

“I want to be 100 percent,” he said. “I’m not quite there yet.”

Infante said he is having some difficulty with turning two and throwing to third base. He doesn’t feel any pain, but his arm strength is not where he needs it to be.

“I don’t have the power just yet,” he said. “I’m going to be playing every day to get ready for opening day.”

Kansas City’s Edinson Volquez lasted four innings, giving up four runs and seven hits. He walked four and struck out two.

STARTING TIME

Royals: Volquez was able to laugh off an otherwise lackluster performance.

“I can’t remember the last time I had a good spring training,” he said. “It’s crazy. At the same time, I did a lot of good things. I only have one or two things I need to change and I’m ready to go.”

Volquez said he threw “a lot of bad pitches.”

“I’d get ahead of them and then hang a curveball,” he said. “I have to finish them off. That’s what I will be working on in my next bullpen: on my breaking ball.”

Giants: Peavy started throwing a four-seam changeup suggested to him by Giants catcher Buster Posey, who saw Angels starter C.J. Wilson use the pitch well on Sunday.

“Having a great hitter like Buster as your catcher is awesome,” Peavy said. “He’s a special talent.”

Posey came back to Peavy after facing Wilson and asked if he could throw something like it. Peavy said he would try and used the Royals hitters as his laboratory.

“I skipped the first five in front of the plate but then it got better and I struck a guy out with it,” he said.

TRAINER’S TABLE:

Giants: OF Hunter Pence (broken bone in left forearm) is down to a smaller cast that just covers his wrist. … OF Angel Pagan (back stiffness) will play in a minor league game on Tuesday.

UP NEXT:

Royals: Kansas City has its only day off of the spring on Tuesday. It has yet to announce a starter for Wednesday.

Giants: RHP Ryan Vogelsong gets the start Tuesday night against the Cleveland Indians in Goodyear. RHP Matt Cain will pitch in a minor league game.

— Associated Press —

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) – Gerardo Parra and Khris Davis combined to drive in seven runs as the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Kansas City Royals 8-4 Wednesday.

Parra, acquired in a July 31 trade with Arizona, hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning and had a sacrifice fly in the second.

Davis contributed a two-run double in the first and added another RBI double in the fifth.

”Probably the last four or five games Parra’s played, he’s really swinging the bat well,” Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. ”Davis has been off and on. He’d have a great game and then so-so and then have a good game again. Hopefully, he’s headed in the right direction.”

Wily Peralta, who led the Brewers with 17 wins last season, allowed one run and struck out four in 3 1-3 innings. He stranded four runners, including three in scoring position, in the second and third innings.

”When those situations come up, like during the season, you have to step up and make some pitches, and I was able to do that today,” Peralta said.

Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez was roughed up for six runs on eight hits and two walks in four innings. Volquez has a 9.72 ERA in three starts, surrendering 16 hits in 8 1-3 innings.

”What happened today hopefully doesn’t happen in the regular season,” Volquez said.

Mike Moustakas homered and singled, driving in two runs for Kansas City.

After winning 10 of their first 11 games, the Royals have lost four of five.

STARTING TIME

Brewers: RHP Taylor Jungmann threw only eight strikes in 29 pitches Sunday while walking four and retiring just one of eight Texas hitters he faced. But he had a much better outing against the Royals. He tossed a scoreless seventh, giving up two hits while throwing 11 strikes in 18 pitches. ”He had a couple of balls hit hard off him, but he made some nice pitches and his stuff was really good, so I was happy to see that,” Roenicke said.

Royals: RHP Jason Frasor gave up one hit and struck out one in a scoreless sixth. Frasor has not allowed a run in five appearances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: Adam Lind played first base for the first time after being limited to three games as a DH because of back issues that have bothered him since 2011. ”I got through today,” Lind said. ”I feel good, which is always the main thing. No setbacks. I’ve made progress every day. The thing about it is that it pops up. You never know. It can happen closing a toilet seat or shaving. Anything when I bend over, that’s the problem, not the recovery. It’s just been a cycle of different type of rehabs and different methods to try to recover. ”

Royals: LF Alex Gordon went 3 for 6 with a double and a home run in a minor league intrasquad game Tuesday. He is recovering from right wrist surgery in December and has not yet played in a Cactus League game.

ROYALS TRIM A DOZEN

Two former first-round picks, OF Bubba Starling and 3B Hunter Dozier, along with shortstop prospect Raul Mondesi were among 12 players sent to minor league camp by the Royals. They optioned RHP Aaron Brooks, INF Orlando Calixte and OFs Lane Adams and Jorge Bonifacio to Triple-A Omaha. Kansas City also assigned RHPs Brian Broderick and Casey Coleman, LHPs Buddy Baumann and Joe Paterson, and 1B Matt Fields to minor league camp.

MAJOR LEAGUERS IN MINORS

Royals RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who skipped a start because of a stomach virus, will pitch in a minor league game Friday. RHP Yordano Ventura will start in a minor league game Saturday instead of pitching against the White Sox, who open the season in Kansas City.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Mike Fiers starts Thursday against the Giants.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas, who has given up 10 hits in five innings, will start Thursday against the Rockies.

— Associated Press —

MESA, Ariz. (AP) — Jason Hammel threw four scoreless innings and Anthony Rizzo reached base three times on Tuesday as the Chicago Cubs beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3.

Hammel came in with a 10.80 ERA in his previous two outings over five innings, but had good downward action and fastball command against the Royals.

The right-hander allowed two hits and struck out three in his longest outing of the spring after he allowed nine hits and walked three in his previous two appearances.

“It’s spring training coming together,” Hammel said. “As long as you don’t get frustrated and beat yourself up the first couple weeks of spring and expect results because you are still somewhat getting into shape, you’ll be OK. Things felt like it clicked today.”

Royals starter Danny Duffy was nearly as good, other than a tough third inning in which he hit a batter and walked two, including Starlin Castro to force in the first run of the game.

“I was pretty happy with everything,” he said. “There are things you have to get ready for in the season. It might be a pitch to certain kind of hitter or whatever it maybe. I’m trying to control the front and back of the plate this year.”

Rizzo was hit by a pitch and singled twice, including a RBI shot to right-center off Royals reliever Wade Davis in the fifth.

Lorenzo Cain two doubles, including one that drove in a run in the sixth, and Omar Infante had two singles in three at-bats for the Royals, while Lane Adams came off the bench to hit his first home run of the spring.

“Cain is really swinging the bat well,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s on everything right now.”

STARTING TIME

Royals: Duffy created a jam in the third inning with wildness after getting two quick outs. He walked Dexter Fowler, gave up a single to Chris Denorfia, hit Anthony Rizzo with a pitch to load the bases and forced in a run when he walked Castro.

“He did a great job of limiting the damage after the bases loaded giving up one,” Yost said.

Cubs: Hammel gave up one hit in each of the first two innings, but followed it up by facing the minimum in the third and fourth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Infante was the designated hitter again. He has yet to play in the field during the Cactus League because of a sore right elbow.

“He’s extending it and he’s progressing,” said Ned Yost, who hopes Infante plays at least 10 games in the field. “We’ll just have to keep checking on how he’s doing and when he’ll be ready.”

Cubs: Third base prospect Kris Bryant tested his right shoulder — throwing from 90 feet — and came through feeling good.

“It definitely felt better than the last couple of days,” he said. “I’ll be out there pretty soon. We’ve made some really good progress with it. It’s a normal thing. If this was the season I’d definitely be playing through it.”

GETTING BACK INTO IT

Royals left fielder Alex Gordon, who had right wrist surgery in the offseason, played in minor intrasquad game and went 3 for 6 with a double and home run.

“That’s great news,” Yost said.

IN SEARCH OF AN ORDER

Maddon said he will settle on a regular-season lineup close to the final 10 games, but Tuesday’s order against the Royals had a regular-season look to it with no one with a number in the 60s or higher.

He said one position he is really interested in settling is the No. 2 spot in the lineup.

“The two hole is like a mystery,” he said. “At the end of the day, it’s about feeding the RBI guys, who has the knack to drive in points,” Maddon said. “You would think on the surface guys like (Anthony) Rizzo, (Jorge) Soler and (Kris) Bryant would be classical RBI guys.”

UP NEXT

Cubs: Travel to Camelback Ranch as right-hander Jake Arrieta makes his third start of the spring against Brandon McCarthy and the Dodgers.

Royals: face Milwaukee at Surprise.

— Associated Press —

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Yordano Ventura gave up four runs in the first two innings, but the Kansas City Royals rallied to beat the Cleveland Indians 6-5 Monday.

Ventura gave up hits to the first four batters, with Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana contributing RBI singles in a three-run first. The right-hander allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk in three innings. He struck out five. Ventura has a 10.29 ERA in three starts.

“I’m happy with my fastball, but they squared some up,” Ventura said through a translator.

Ventura’s fastball reached 100 mph on radar guns.

“Good stuff, got his pitch count (69) where we wanted it.” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s still refining his fastball command.”

Indians right-hander Shaun Marcum, who was limited to 17 1/3 innings in the minors last season while recovering from shoulder surgery, threw three scoreless innings, allowing two hits.

“As far as my arm, it’s night and day to where I was last year,” Marcum said. “I feel like I’m headed in right direction right now. I’ve still got to continue to build up arm strength, pitch count, endurance, mechanically in the pen.”

With Gavin Floyd set to have elbow surgery, Marcum is competing for a spot in Cleveland’s rotation. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2013.

Matt Fields hit a two-run homer and Christian Colon had a two-run single for the Royals.

STARTING TIME

Indians: Marcum, who has an out clause near the end of March if not put on the big league roster, acknowledged he is “definitely” pitching for other clubs in spring training. “But the main thing is I want to pitch for these guys,” Marcum said. “They gave me the opportunity last year to come in and do my rehab. I want to show them that I can get people out in the big leagues still. I still feel like I’ve got a lot left in my arm. I definitely don’t want to end my career how it went in New York.”

He was 1-10 with a 5.29 ERA in 2013 with the Mets before surgery.

Royals: RHP Luke Hochevar, who had reconstructive elbow surgery last March, tossed a spotless seventh. “He is less than a year out from surgery so it’s pretty darn encouraging,” Yost said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: RHP Gavin Floyd will undergo surgery Tuesday to repair a fractured bone in his right elbow. … INF Mike Aviles is nursing a tender right shoulder.

Royals: LF Alex Gordon, who is recovering from December right wrist surgery, faced pitchers for the first time in batting practice Monday. “It went well,” Gordon said. “I’m not worried about results. I haven’t seen a pitch since October. I’m trying to get that rhythm back.”

ROYALS SIGN FURCAL

The Royals signed shortstop Rafael Furcal, 37, to a minor league contract as he rehabs a torn hamstring. Furcal was limited to nine games last year with Miami because of hamstring injuries. He missed 2013 after elbow surgery. He has a .281 batting average in 14 years in the majors.

HALL OF FAME HELP

RHPs Bret Saberhagen and Dennis Leonard, OF Willie Wilson and 1B John Mayberry, who are all in the Royals Hall of Fame, are assisting in camp. “They told me not to screw up too many minor league pitchers,” joked Saberhagen, a two-time AL Cy Young award winner.

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Corey Kluber will make his second start Tuesday against the Reds.

Royals: Rookie LHP Brandon Finnegan is scheduled to go three innings Tuesday against the Cubs.

— Associated Press —