MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have played well away from home. They’re consistently capable of winning with only a couple of runs.

If they can keep this up for the summer, they’ll probably be right there in the pennant race at the end.

Jason Vargas threw seven scoreless innings, Raul Ibanez homered in his second game for Kansas City and the Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 4-0 Wednesday.

“We’ve been running the ball out there and doing a good job of keeping our team in the ballgame, and when we’re not the boys are stepping up and keeping us in the ballgame,” Vargas said. “So we’ve got a good combo going on right now.”

Vargas (8-3) allowed four singles and two walks while striking out five, allowing only two runners from a diluted Twins lineup to reach second base. Only five of their 21 outs against him were outfield flies.

“He’s got all the pitches,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.

Mike Moustakas and Jarrod Dyson hit RBI singles in the second inning against Kevin Correia (4-10), and that was all Vargas needed. With Joe Mauer missing, placed on the disabled list before the game because of a strained muscle on his right side, the Twins didn’t cause Vargas any trouble. They were shut out for the sixth time this season and lost for the seventh time in their last nine games.

“Obviously you have to score to win,” said Correia, the league leader in losses. “It’s tough. It’s a good pitching staff they have. It’s going to happen.”

With rookie Yordano Ventura and now Danny Duffy joining the veteran trio of Vargas, James Shields and Jeremy Guthrie, who are all in the top 10 in the league in innings pitched, the Royals have a deep rotation. They’ve pitched well enough to make up for substandard seasons by several key hitters.

Vargas improved to 4-1 in his last eight starts, seven of which have counted as quality: six innings or more and three runs or less. Vargas also became the first Royals left-hander to win eight games or more before the All-Star break since Chris George in 2003.

“I thought he was splendid,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He was pretty much in complete control.”

The 42-year-old Ibanez signed Monday with the Royals, the team that first gave him a regular spot in the lineup all the way back in 2001. He had two hits and two runs in this game, including the solo shot to right field in the eighth. Ibanez was released by the Los Angeles Angels last month.

Eric Hosmer, who walked three times, added an RBI single in the ninth inning for insurance.

The Royals won their fifth straight road series. After losing eight of 12 following a 10-game winning streak, Vargas put them back on track.

“Just typical Vargas, just going out, working, throwing strikes, letting his defense work,” Hosmer said. “He really knows his game plan when he’s out there.”

Correia lowered his ERA to 4.95, the only time he’s had that mark under 5.00 since his first start of the year, after surrendering six hits and two walks in six innings while striking out three. The right-hander completed exactly six innings for the fifth consecutive turn, and he has allowed two runs or fewer in four of those starts.

But the second inning was the one that hurt, when five batters reached. He struck out Billy Butler to finish the frame with the bases loaded.

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Just when Joe Mauer was getting on a roll, pain forced an early exit.

Mauer drove in two runs before leaving with an injury, Eduardo Nunez homered and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 10-2 on Tuesday night.

Mauer extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a two-run double down the left-field line in the fourth inning, but was noticeably limping as he ran to second base. The team said he has a strained oblique muscle on his right side and will be evaluated Wednesday.

“I’ve been kind of battling this area for about a week or so, maybe a little more,” Mauer said. “I’ve been stiff and getting it loose and everything’s been fine, but today on that one swing, ball down the line, it felt like somebody hit me pretty hard right there.”

Mauer missed almost a week earlier this year with a bad back and sat out the final 39 games last season with concussion-like symptoms.

“I’ve never had this happen before, so I hope it’s a lot sooner than what guys in the past have had,” Mauer said. “I’ve been feeling pretty good and getting some results, so it’s bad timing.”

Eric Hosmer had four hits for the Royals.

Ricky Nolasco (5-6) earned his first win in five starts, allowing one run and eight hits in six innings.

Minnesota signed Nolasco to a $49 million, four-year contract in the offseason, hoping he would help a rotation that had a major league-worst 5.26 ERA last year. Nolasco has struggled, however, posting a 5.49 ERA. He pitched more than six innings just once in his past 11 starts.

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said before the game that Nolasco had a good bullpen session last weekend in hopes of improving his mechanics to get better command of his fastball to set up his breaking pitches.

Nolasco was better Tuesday, but remained far from dominant. He gave up six hits in the first three innings before settling down and retiring the Royals in order in the fourth and sixth.

“I didn’t have too many quick innings, but it was just kind of battling and I made some pitches when I had to,” Nolasco said. “(My fastball) was better. Just trying not to do too much. It’s a step in the right direction.”

Kansas City starter James Shields (8-4) was hoping a new month would change his fortunes. It didn’t.

In his shortest outing of the season, Shields allowed nine hits and five runs — four earned — in five innings. Although he struck out five, he was constantly behind in the count, leading to a 113-pitch outing. It was his first loss since May 2, a span of 10 starts in which he had five wins and five no-decisions.

The right-hander has a 5.66 ERA in his past eight starts, and only twice has he allowed three or fewer runs.

“I actually thought I made some pretty good pitches and they just found a lot of holes today,” Shields said. “It’s definitely frustrating that I’m not getting outs. I’m not getting my job done.”

Nunez homered and Sam Fuld had a two-run single as part of a five-run sixth inning for the Twins. Minnesota scored more than five runs for just the third time in 16 games.

“We got some breaks,” Gardenhire said. “They always say it evens out, so hopefully this is the start of it evening out.”

A miscue by the Royals gave Minnesota a 2-1 lead in the third.

With Nunez on first, Chris Parmelee hit a popup to short left field with two outs. Mike Moustakas backpedaled from third base as left fielder Alex Gordon was coming in. The two nearly collided and the ball bounced off Gordon’s glove to put runners on second and third. Kendrys Morales drove in Nunez with an infield single.

“I think Gordy just thought that he wasn’t going to get there, then at the last second realized he had a chance to get there and they both get there at the same time,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

An RBI double by Parmelee scored Nunez in the first, but an RBI single by Moustakas evened the score in the second.

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Sitting in his office about 10 feet away from the Kansas City Royals’ locker room, manager Ned Yost’s voice was nearly drown out by the thunderous hip hop music blaring and the full-throated cackling from his players in the next room.

The young Royals have good reason to celebrate these days.

Alcides Escobar tied a career high with four RBIs on two doubles and Salvador Perez homered to lift the Royals to a 6-1 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Monday night.

“That’s what we need,” Perez said. “Have some fun and play the game hard.”

Danny Duffy (5-7) gave up one run and four hits while striking out three in 5 2/3 innings and Mike Moustakas had two hits for the Royals. Kansas City (43-39) has won three of four and is off to its best start since 2003.

“We’re very confident in what we have in the tank,” Duffy said. “We’ve got a great offense, great lineup. The defense is always flashing the leather. When we go out there and make pitches, it’s going to be a good night.”

Yohan Pino (0-2) gave up four runs and seven hits while also striking out three in 5 2/3 innings for the Twins. Eduardo Nunez had two hits and an RBI in his return from the disabled list for Minnesota, which has lost six of its last seven games to drop into last place in the AL Central.

“We’ve been facing some pretty decent pitching, and I don’t know if it’s pressing,” said manager Ron Gardenhire, whose Twins went 1 for 12 with runners in scoring position. “I just know we’re just not getting enough big hits right now. We’re not putting any runs on the board. A lot of pressure on our pitchers to be really good.”

The Royals entered the night 3 1/2 games behind Detroit in the division and 1 1/2 games out of the AL wild card. For a team that has been endlessly rebuilding and hasn’t made the playoffs since 1985, those are encouraging numbers as the season reaches its midpoint.

They grabbed everyone’s attention with a 10-game winning streak that vaulted them into first place in June, but had lost seven of 10 games as the bats cooled off.

The Royals signed 42-year-old Raul Ibanez on Monday, hoping he can help boost the team’s scuffling offense and give a little extra support to a solid starting rotation. Ibanez broke into the big leagues with the Royals a decade ago, but hit just .157 in 57 games for the Angels this season.

They had plenty of offense with him on the bench on Monday night.

Pino was shaky early, getting tagged for a two-run double by Escobar in the second inning and an RBI-single from Alex Gordon in the fourth to fall behind 3-0. Perez’s solo homer in the sixth ended Pino’s day and the Royals took advantage of two throwing errors by second baseman Brian Dozier in the eighth, padding their lead with Escobar’s second two-run double of the game.

“When you’re not going good, you’re not capitalizing on mistakes,” Yost said. “When you’re playing well, you do capitalize on mistakes. That’s exactly what we did tonight, which was big. Those were two big runs right there. That’s a lot of breathing room.”

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Raul Ibanez’s first opportunity to be an everyday major league player came with the Kansas City Royals.

Returning to the Royals more than a decade later, his hope is for another experience: postseason play.

The Royals signed the 42-year-old Ibanez Monday, nine days after he was released by the Los Angeles Angels.

”It’s been in the works for a while. I was really excited about the opportunity to come here. I like the makeup of the club, and I like the possibilities. They’re endless,” Ibanez said in Minnesota before the Royals played the Twins. ”There’s a great opportunity to do some special things here.”

The Royals entered Monday 3 1/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central and 1 1/2 games out of a wild-card spot. Manager Ned Yost said he’ll probably play Ibanez in the outfield, at first base and as the designated hitter.

”He’s what we call a professional hitter,” Yost said. ”So we think he’s going to be a big addition to our team.”
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Ibanez, the second-oldest active player in the majors behind Cleveland’s Jason Giambi, who is on the disabled list, batted just .157 in 57 games for the Angels. Though 10 of his 26 hits were for extra bases, he said his balance was ”totally off” at the plate.

”I’m just going to be myself and try to help this team any way I can,” Ibanez said.

This is his fifth team since 2011. Ibanez hit 29 home runs just last year for Seattle, the team that he broke in with in 1996. He didn’t regularly crack the lineup until joining the Royals in 2001, and in 2002 he had his breakout year with a .294 batting average, 37 doubles, 24 home runs and 103 RBIs in 137 games.

”I have some very fond memories of the city. My son was born in Kansas City. Nothing would please me more than to be part of something that hasn’t been done here in a long time, and that’s getting into the postseason,” Ibanez said. ”I’ve been in from the other side, and when you’re playing against them you look at that team and you realize how far the organization has come and how much progress they’ve made.”

The Royals made several moves Monday. Ibanez and infielder Christian Colon were added to the roster, and infielder Pedro Ciriaco and outfielder Justin Maxwell were designated for assignment.

Colon was recalled from Triple-A. The fourth overall pick in the 2010 draft was batting .296 with 48 runs, 14 doubles and 14 steals in 74 games for Omaha. Yost said Colon will play second base, shortstop and third base.

Kansas City also traded left-hander Donnie Joseph to the Miami Marlins for cash. He was designated for assignment on June 24.

The 26-year-old Joseph pitched in one game for Kansas City this season, getting two outs on June 16 in Detroit. The Royals got him during the 2012 season in a trade that sent reliever Jonathan Broxton to Cincinnati.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A misplay gave Omar Infante the chance to deliver another big hit against the Los Angeles Angels.

Infante came through again, singling home the winning run with one out in the ninth inning that lifted the Kansas City Royals over the Angels 5-4 Sunday.

Alex Gordon was hit by a pitch with one out in the Kansas City ninth. Salvador Perez followed with a grounder to shortstop Erick Aybar, but his throw glanced off second baseman Howie Kendrick’s glove and sent Gordon to third. Infante followed with his single.

Perez thought the inning was over when he hit his grounder.

“Double play. Yes, sir,” Perez said. “I don’t how know he missed it. It’s going to happen.”

Royals starting pitcher Jeremy Guthrie was in the trainer’s room icing his arm when he saw Kendrick’s misplay on television.

“With disbelief and elation,” Guthrie said.

Kendrick could not believe it, either.

“I peeked too soon,” he said. “It was a good feed. It just came off my glove. It happens sometimes. I feel bad because the pitcher did his job. I’ve dropped balls before, but I don’t remember dropping one like that. I came out of it too soon.”

“I took my head out of the play. I had time,” he said. “Perez is not a fast baserunner. I had time and the throw was right there. I looked too soon and didn’t follow the ball into the glove. It opened the game up for them.”

Lorenzo Cain hit three doubles for the Royals, finishing with four hits and two RBIs.

Infante, whose grand slam Friday night helped beat the Angels, finished with three hits, including a double. His winning single came against Los Angeles newcomer Jason Grilli (0-3). Pittsburgh traded its former closer to the Angels on Friday.

“I know he throws a slider for the first pitch and I was waiting for that pitch,” Infante said. “Because I saw that the first pitch to Billy (Butler) was a slider, too. In that situation you have to look for a certain pitch, a fastball or a slider, and that’s why I made good contact on that pitch. It was a tough game today, a nice win for us.”

Greg Holland (1-2) struck out two in the ninth.

Kole Calhoun led off the game with a home run against Jeremy Guthrie. The Angels added another run in the first on Cain’s error in right field, and Los Angeles took a 3-0 lead into the fourth after a two-base throwing error by Eric Hosmer.

Albert Pujols opened the Angels sixth with a hit to left field and tried to stretch it into a double. He jogged into second with his left thigh bothering him and was thrown out by Alcides Escobar.

“It’s one of those glands that kind of grabbed something,” Pujols said. “It’s fine. They’re not too concerned about it. I don’t feel it when I’m hitting. The first time I felt it was when I was running. It’s been a couple of days. It grabbed me a little. I took some swings and I didn’t want to come out. If I get on base then they would pinch-run for me. It didn’t bother me to hit.”

Aybar homered later in the inning to make it 4-all.

After the Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the seventh, Kelvin Herrera was summoned to face Pujols and retired him on a fly ball.

The Royals won challenges in the third and fifth inning and both resulted in double plays being converted.

Cain’s two-run double highlighted a four-run fourth off C.J. Wilson.

Wilson faced 22 batters and 12 reached base seven hits, four walks and a hit batter in 3 2/3 innings. Angels starting pitchers combined for only 11 2/3 innings in the three-game series to create a work overload for the bullpen.

“It’s very frustrating,” Wilson said. “You make a lot of close pitches and just miss. I’m not going to lay it in there and let guys tee off on you.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Neither rain nor the Kansas City Royals could stop the Los Angeles Angels from winning again.

Albert Pujols and David Freese combined to drive in five runs as the Angels beat the Royals 6-2 on Saturday for their seventh victory in eight games.

There were two rain delays with the second after the fourth inning lasting 3:58. The game didn’t end until nearly 7 hours after it started.

“We had a lot of waiting in between a baseball game,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said.

The official game time was 2:48, while the rain delays totaled 4:06.

“It’s a waiting game,” said Eric Hosmer, who had one of the six Royals hits and scored a run. “You basically hang out. We heard it was going to be a couple of hours. It wasn’t one of those things where we were thinking it could start any minute, so we had a little heads up. It’s all part of the grind of the season. There are going to be days like that. It’s what we all sign up for.”

Pujols, who has 14 RBIs in his past 13 games, singled home runs in the third and sixth innings. Freese, who had three hits, drove in three runs, two in the four-run sixth and the other in fourth. He has six RBIs in his past seven games, after driving in only three in his previous 26 games.

“It was nice to come out and get some runs after the rain,” Freese said. “It was almost like starting a new game so it was nice to get some runs, and nice to get the win.”

Kole Calhoun added three hits, scored two runs and drove in one. The Angels’ four-run sixth included four hits, two walks and three stolen bases.

Rookie right-hander Mike Morin (2-1), who went to high school at a Kansas City suburb, allowed two runs on two hits over two innings to pick up the victory.

“It was cool,” Morin said. “Scioscia told me I was going to get the ball and I had all my family and friends here. They were probably the only ones left after the rain delay. It’s been a great weekend. I’ll never forget it. It was just fortunate that I could be in there to get the win in front of them.”

Angels left-hander Hector Santiago was not allowed to come back out after the second delay. He pitched four scoreless innings, giving up four hits.

“Somebody sent me a message and asked me `did you make a witch angry?” said Santiago, who needed to pitch one more inning to claim his first victory of the season and losing his first seven decisions. “It seems like everything that can have an effect on me getting a win has happened. But I gave four scoreless innings and gave us a chance to win, and the team got the win, so that’s what I care about.”

Royals rookie Yordano Ventura (5-7) took the loss, yielding two runs on seven hits over four innings.

“I felt like I was in command of the strike zone, but unfortunately the rain got to me and I couldn’t go back out,” Ventura said with Royals catching coach Pedro Grifol acting as his interpreter. “I prepared to pitch today and I wanted to go back out, but there was no way I could go back after that long rain delay.”

Veteran left-hander Bruce Chen, who had not pitched since April 24 and going on the disabled list with a bulging disc, replaced Ventura after the game resumed. He allowed four runs on four hits, all in the sixth, walked two and struck out eight over five innings.

Jason Grilli made his Angels’ debut after being acquired in a Friday trade with the Pirates and worked a perfect eighth, striking out one.

— Associated Press —