KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jakob Junis had just served up a home run to JaCoby Jones and a base hit to Jeimer Candelario, and the Royals’ young right-hander could feel the inning starting to get away from him.

So when he turned around to watch his infield turn a timely double-play on a grounder by Jose Iglesias, Junis wheeled right back around with the kind of fist pump rare for the soft-spoken starter.

“That was a big at-bat,” Junis said. “Who knows if I would have gotten a chance to go back out.”

Junis did indeed get to go back out for the ninth, and when he mowed through Detroit’s lineup one more time, he had his first career complete game. The six-hitter allowed Kansas City to roll to a 6-2 victory to begin a midweek, two-game set between AL Central rivals Tuesday night.

Not only was it his first big league complete game, it was his first as a professional.

“That’s a goal you set out to do,” said Junis, who improved to 4-0 with a 1.74 ERA in four starts against Detroit this season. “A great feeling to accomplish that. Hopefully more to come.”

The only runs Junis (7-12) allowed came in the third, when Candelario managed a sacrifice fly, and the eighth, when Jones went deep. Otherwise, the young right-hander worked briskly and efficiently, with seven strikeouts and no walks producing his second win since May 18.

“You have confidence against certain teams. Pitchers get that,” Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire said. “You have success and that gives you confidence. You ride that.”

Junis’ three previous wins against Detroit came in April and May, when he was off to a hot start, but he struggled throughout June and landed on the disabled list with lower back inflammation. But he’s been solid in eight starts since his return, cutting down his walks and home runs.

“He wasn’t showing it, but he was very frustrated when he was going through that period. He’s not a robot,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Tonight he was pretty much in control the whole way.”

Adalberto Mondesi went deep off Matthew Boyd (8-12) to lead off the third inning, and the Royals wound up batting around. Jorge Bonifacio hit a sacrifice fly, Hunter Dozier added a two-run double and Alcides Escobar wrapped up the big inning with a two-out single that gave Kansas City a 5-1 lead.

That turned out to be plenty with Junis on the mound.

Boyd, who threw six shutout innings against the White Sox his last time out, wound up allowing five runs on seven hits and three walks in six innings. The Tigers’ right-hander dropped to 3-7 in 13 career starts against Kansas City, and he’s just 8-21 in 41 starts on the road.

“I just got away from my fastball. Hats off to Mondesi, he hit my pitch,” Boyd said. “I lost a little feel for the fastball as the inning went on and that’s what happened.”

Detroit could have used a gem from him as they opened a nine-game trip. They’ve lost four straight and five of six, their offense failing to score more than three runs in any of the defeats.

STATS AND STREAKS

Junis had the first nine-inning complete game by the Royals since Jason Vargas on June 2, 2017, against the Indians. … Royals 1B Hunter Dozier has six RBI in his last six games. He had four in his previous 35. … Tigers LF Mikie Mahtook has reached base in 13 straight games.

JONES RETURNS

Jones (right hamstring strain) was back in the lineup for the first time since hitting the DL on Aug. 13. OF Mike Gerber was optioned to Triple-A Toledo on Sunday to create a roster spot for him.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) could start Saturday against the Yankees in New York, Gardenhire said. Norris has been sharp in rehab outings at Toledo after compiling a 5.87 ERA in five appearances for Detroit before getting hurt.

Royals: OF Brian Goodwin (left groin strain) will rejoin the club when rosters expand Sept. 1, Yost said. … OF Jorge Soler (left toe fracture) will finish the season with Triple-A Omaha before he rejoins the Royals. That would mean Soler is expected back Sept. 4.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Michael Fulmer tries to build on a solid start in his return from the disabled list, when he threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings against the White Sox last Friday. The Royals counter with LHP Danny Duffy as the teams wrap up their two-game series with a matinee Wednesday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Kipnis had been mired in such a batting slump that the Indians second baseman had resorted to watching old film of himself, trying to discover what had changed in the past couple years.

He finally noticed a subtle, almost imperceptible difference in his hand position, so he rolled up a magazine and began mimicking his old swing in his hotel room. And while it felt a bit odd, and looked just as goofy, Kipnis nevertheless went to sleep feeling as if something had finally clicked.

Did it ever.

Kipnis proceeded to club four hits and drive in four runs Sunday, the big shot an inside-the-park homer in the ninth inning, to lead Cleveland’s 12-5 rout of the Kansas City Royals.

“Obviously every day I’ve been working to snap out of it. It’s been ugly to watch and worse to go out there,” said Kipnis, who is still hitting just .223 this season. “I came in with better spirits and said, `Let’s see where it goes from here.”

Kipnis nearly went 5 for 5, but a baserunning mix-up by Melky Cabrera on his flyball in the second resulted in a fielder’s choice. Kipnis later had a pair of singles and a double before the homer.

“He swung the bat very well,” Indians manager Terry Francona said, “and I’ll tell you what, what a lift that would give us. He’s showed flashes, but if he could get hot, what a lift it would be.”

Shane Bieber (8-2) allowed four runs for Cleveland — on homers by Whit Merrifield, Salvador Perez and Lucas Duda. He departed after allowing six hits and striking out seven in 5 1/3 innings, but it was still enough for the AL Central-leading Indians to improve to 10-1 when facing a series sweep.

Right-hander Jorge Lopez (0-4) allowed five runs, all in the fourth inning, on five hits and three walks for Kansas City. He was lifted after throwing 79 pitches in just four innings.

“You give a chance to your guys when you go deep in a game and I couldn’t do it today. I need to get better for sure,” Lopez said. “We’ll see about going forward from this start.”

The Royals, who had snapped their own five-game skid Friday night, looked as if they’d keep their momentum going when Merrifield took Bieber deep to left field leading off the game.

It was his fifth career leadoff homer and second this year.

But the Indians answered with their big fourth inning, when six consecutive batters reached on four hits and a pair of walks. And after Perez went deep in the bottom half, the Indians added two more runs on Francisco Lindor’s two-out single in the sixth to add to their cushion.

Edwin Encarnacion continued the offensive outburst — which came after the Indians were held to one run on five hits on Saturday night — when he took Royals reliever Jake Newberry deep in the eighth.

“It’s been a tough trip for a lot of guys, but they’re going to be OK,” Francona said. “We needed to find a way today, whether it was ugly or whatever, and we did that.”

O’HEARN IN LF

Royals 1B/DH Ryan O’Hearn got the start in left field, the first time he’s played the outfield in the big leagues. O’Hearn played 13 games there at Triple-A Omaha this season, and manager Ned Yost said the move was designed to “find a way to keep his bat in there.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: RHP Cody Anderson (Tommy John surgery) struck out two in a scoreless inning Saturday night for the club’s Arizona League team. It was his first game since September 2016. “No red flags or anything,” Francona said. … OF Brandon Guyer is getting a couple days off after getting hit where the foot meets the ankle, or as Francona called it, the “fankle.”

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) threw 60 pitches last Friday without any problems and expects to make a rehab start Wednesday, Yost said. … OF Jorge Soler (fractured left toe) will begin a rehab assignment in the next couple of days, but even then he is unlikely to play in the outfield. “I don’t think so,” Yost said. “DH him some, give him some at-bats, make sure he’s ready to go for spring training, which he will be.”

UP NEXT

The Indians and Royals will both take Monday off before beginning their next series. Cleveland is back home to face Minnesota with Carlos Carrasco (15-7, 3.55 ERA) on the mound, and Kansas City begins a five-game trip to Detroit and Baltimore with Jakob Junis (6-12, 4.70 ERA) getting the first start.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Rookie Heath Fillmyer pitched six strong innings, Lucas Duda homered and the Kansas City Royals beat Corey Kluber and the Cleveland Indians 7-1 on Saturday night.

Fillmyer (2-1) limited the AL Central leaders to three hits and two walks, striking out three, as the Indians lost their fourth straight, matching their longest skid of the season.

Kansas City pounded out 14 hits, nine against Kluber (16-7), who went 5 1/3 innings, allowing five runs with two walks and six strikeouts.

Duda hit his 12th homer this season and the 150th of his career in the sixth, a solo shot to right-center field. Two batters later, Hunter Dozier drove in Jorge Bonifacio with a single to put the Royals ahead 5-1 and drive Kluber from the game.

Duda had three hits and scored twice, while Ryan O’Hearn drove in three runs. Prior to 2018, Duda was 3 for 36 in his career against the Indians, but he has eight extra-base hits in 11 games against Cleveland this year, batting .275 (11 for 40).

Cleveland scored its only run in the second when Fillmyer balked to bring in Yonder Alonso, who had moved to third on the first of Melky Cabrera’s two doubles. Three relievers completed the five-hitter.

In the third, Adalberto Mondesi singled, stole second without a throw and scored on Whit Merrifield’s hit to right. The stolen base was the first against Kluber in 250 1/3 innings.

O’Hearn’s double scored Salvador Perez and Duda to give the Royals a 3-1 lead in the fourth.

Merrifield doubled to bring Mondesi in the seventh, and O’Hearn’s eighth-inning single brought in Duda, who had doubled to lead off the inning.

Kluber had his five-game win streak against the Royals snapped, and Kansas City’s five runs were its most against him since June 15, 2016, when the Royals last beat the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner.

UP NEXT

Seeking their first series sweep in more than a month, the last-place Royals send Jorge Lopez (0-2, 3.99 ERA) to the mound for his third start since being acquired in the trade that sent Mike Moustakas to the Brewers. Shane Bieber (7-2, 4.36) starts for Cleveland.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Ryan O’Hearn and Hunter Dozier hit back-to-back home runs leading off the ninth inning against Cleveland closer Cody Allen to lift the Kansas City Royals over the Indians 5-4 on Friday night.

After a broken water pipe near the outfield fountains led to a half-hour delay in the fourth, the Royals and Indians put on a splashy finish.

Cleveland’s Yonder Alonso hit his second homer of the game in the eighth, a two-run shot for a 4-3 lead. Alonso also had a solo shot in the fourth, moments before the right field warning track flooded.

O’Hearn and Dozier then rescued Kansas City from a sixth straight loss with their homers off Allen (4-5). O’Hearn, a rookie first baseman, tied it with a blast into the left field bullpen, and Dozier followed with a wall-scraper to right-center field.

Allen has blown four saves this season and let his ERA rise to 4.50. Wily Peralta (1-0) got the victory for Kansas City, which had just been swept over four games by Tampa Bay.

Royals All-Star catcher Salvador Perez promised a wheelchair-bound fan, Colin Couch, that he would hit a home run after meeting him on the field before the game, according to the team’s Twitter page and broadcaster Steve Physioc.

After Whit Merrifield opened the game with a walk and Alex Gordon followed with a single, Perez made good on the promise by smashing a 454-foot, opposite-field home run — the longest home run for the Royals this season — into Kauffman Stadium’s iconic right field fountains.

A pipe burst near those fountains a few innings later, delaying the game for 30 minutes. Water began leaking onto the field with two outs in the top of the fourth. Relievers in the Royals’ bullpen yelled to alert stadium and game officials to the problem, triggering the stoppage.

As maintenance personnel worked to stop the flow of water, more than a dozen grounds crew members armed with squeegees wicked water from the warning track as it poured from under the fence. They created a sandbag barrier to keep standing water from reaching the outfield grass.

Rookie right-hander Brad Keller shrugged off the unusual delay, which came after Yan Gomes’ double, and struck out Greg Allen to get of the inning with the lead.

Home plate umpire Ramon DeJesus ejected Royals bench coach Dale Sveum during Brantley’s at-bat leading off the eighth inning. It was Sveum’s 16th career ejection — 10 as a manager, five as an assistant coach and once as a player.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) threw a simulated game. Kennedy hasn’t pitched since July 10 at Minnesota. … RF Jorge Soler (left toe fracture) took some swings against Kennedy during the simulated game. … RHP Jesse Hahn underwent surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow a few weeks ago. It was not a reconstruction, commonly known as Tommy John surgery, but Hahn is expected to be sidelined at least six months. He suffered the UCL strain in March and had worked his way back to Triple-A through the rehab process, which started last month, before the surgery.

Indians: LHP Andrew Miller (right knee inflammation) returned Aug. 3 from the 60-day disabled list, but he’s only appeared in nine games during the last three weeks. Indians manager Terry Francona said Friday that the priority is using Miller in situations when a win is on the line. When he’s not available, it taxes the bullpen — which is down to seven pitchers, including two situational arms. Relief will come when the rosters expand Sept. 1. … RHP Nick Goody has been sidelined with right elbow inflammation since May 3. He will have season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his elbow “sometime next week,” but the ulnar collateral ligament is intact, Francona said. … RHP Cody Anderson pitched off the mound in Arizona for the first time since having Tommy John surgery in March 2017.

UP NEXT

Two-time Cy Young Award winner RHP Corey Kluber (16-6) gets the nod for the Indians in the second game of a three-game series. He is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two previous starts this season against the Royals, who send rookie RHP Heath Filmyer (1-1) for the 6:15 p.m. first pitch.

— Associated Press —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay reached its high-water mark of 2018 by just putting the ball in play.

A throwing error on Kevin Kiermaier’s bases-loaded grounder in the bottom of the ninth inning helped the Rays complete their first season sweep of an American League opponent with a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Thursday night.

“A win is a win,” Kiermaier said. “We’ll take it any way possible.”

Tampa Bay swept the four-game series and finished 7-0 against the lowly Royals this year. The only other season sweep in team history that included multiple series was a four-game wipeout of the Marlins in 2013.

Jake Bauers drew a leadoff walk from Brian Flynn (4-4) in the ninth and went to third on C.J. Cron’s single.

After Joey Wendle grounded out and Willy Adames was intentionally walked to load the bases, Kiermaier grounded a 3-2 pitch to first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, who made a wild toss to the plate.

“We always say, `Put the pressure on the defense,” Kiermaier explained. “Anytime you put the ball in play, you at least give yourself a chance.”

Sergio Romo (3-3) worked a perfect ninth and the Rays improved to a season-high six games over .500 (67-61) with their fifth consecutive victory. It is Tampa Bay’s sixth winning streak of at least five games this year.

Kansas City, which has lost five in a row and 17 of 21, fell a franchise-record 52 games under .500 at 38-90 and was eliminated from the playoff race.

“We wanted to salvage one at the end of the series,” Flynn said. “You don’t want to be the guy that comes in here and gives that one up.”

The Rays tied it at 3 when Matt Duffy scored from second on bad throw to first by second baseman Whit Merrifield on a potential double-play grounder hit by Cron.

Tampa Bay appeared to go up 4-3 later in the seventh on Kiermaier’s grounder, but the run was taken away after a replay review determined Adames made an illegal slide at second base. The call was changed to an inning-ending double play.

“There were a lot of odd things that took place in that game,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Alex Gordon had an RBI single in a two-run fifth against Tampa Bay starter Tyler Glasnow that put the Royals ahead 3-2.

Adames hit a run-scoring infield single against Danny Duffy during a two-run third.

Duffy, making his first start in 12 days due to a left shoulder injury, allowed two runs and six hits over five innings.

“The last start I felt really bad,” Duffy said. “This start I felt really good.”

Lucas Duda drove in a run with a first-inning single and had a potential two-run extra-base hit taken away with two outs in the third on a leaping catch by Rays right fielder Carlos Gomez.

Glasnow allowed three runs, five hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out eight.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: INF Adalberto Mondesi (hamstring) was out of the lineup. … RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique) will throw a simulated game Friday. … OF Jorge Bonifacio (lower back stiffness) missed his third straight game.

Rays: OF Tommy Pham (dislocated right ring finger) felt soreness hitting off a tee but could play this weekend.

ROAD TRIP

Former Royals George Brett, Mike Sweeney, Bret Saberhagan and Reggie Sanders will visit U.S. troops at four locations in the Middle East next month as part of a USO trip. The group will watch a Sept. 11 telecast with members of the Missouri National Guard’s 35th Combat Aviation Brigade.

NUMBERS GAME

Merrifield had three hits, extending his hitting streak to 12 games. … Rays LF Mallex Smith went 3 for 5 and has multiple hits in seven of his last eight games. … The Royals have been swept 15 times this season. . Tampa Bay has played 52 one-run games, most in the majors. The Rays are 24-28 in those games.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Brad Keller (6-5) will face Cleveland RHP Mike Clevinger (9-7) on Friday night.

Rays: Will go with a bullpen day, including LHP Jalen Beeks (2-1), against Boston RHP Hector Velazquez (7-1) on Friday night.

— Associated Press —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — It took Brandon Lowe 20 at-bats to get his first major league hit last week, so the Tampa Bay rookie wasn’t about to let an 0-for-9 stretch bother him.

Lowe came through with a two-out, two-run single in the first inning Wednesday night, and the Rays went on to a 6-3 win over the Kansas City Royals.

“You get up to the big leagues and you feel that you have to go out and prove yourself,” said Lowe, one of six Rays to produce two hits each in the club’s fourth straight win. “I’ve been really stressing, trying to prove I belong here. Yesterday I was able to take a step back and relax and it worked out for the better.”

Lowe is hitting .135 after 11 games, but he feels the worst might be over.

“All you want to be able to do is help the team win,” he said. “I was searching, racking my brain and stressing out. Today I came in a little early, got in the cage and told myself to relax and don’t stress, trust your skills.”

Lowe and Mallex Smith drove in two runs each, and the Rays moved five games over .500 for the first time since July 2017. They had 14 hits, none of them with two outs.

“A lot of good offensive numbers tonight that we kind of needed,” manager Kevin Cash said.

Lowe’s two-run single came off Jakob Junis after hits by Michael Perez and Carlos Gomez.

Junis (6-12) allowed four runs on nine hits in 5 2/3 innings, striking out five. Only two of the runs were earned.

“He’s been consistently sharp, especially the last four outings,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I expect him to go out and make starts like this, give us a chance to win like he did.”

Whit Merrifield led off the fourth with his ninth home run, the Royals’ first hit of the game, extending his hitting streak to 11 games.

Hunter Dozier added a two-run homer in the eighth, the second of the game off Yonny Chirinos. Dozier’s sixth homer of the season came on his 27th birthday.

Ryan O’Hearn had his first first multi-hit game for the Royals with three of their seven hits, but Rosell Herrera was thrown out at the plate for the game’s final out after O’Hearn’s third hit.

Rays opener Ryne Stanek pitched two hitless innings before Chirinos (2-5) took over. Chirinos gave up three runs on four hits while striking out four in five innings.

Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 18th save in 25 opportunities.

The loss clinched a sixth straight series loss for the Royals, who have lost 16 of 20 games overall and all six games against Tampa Bay this season.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

Kevin Kiermaier, who had two hits and a walk, is hitting .357 in his last eight games, noteworthy mostly because he was batting .175 before that. “I’ve been pressing this whole year, trying to make up for all my lost time and all my (lack of) performance in one swing,” the Rays center fielder said. “I’ve been trying to kill the ball all year and hit the ball 700 feet, and that’s how I get myself out. You learn from things like this — being hurt and not playing the way you want to. It’s a learning experience and now I’m instituting those experiences into my approach.”

GETTING A BREAK

Rays rookie 1B Jake Bauers, mired in a 1-for-33 slide, was out of the lineup. “He’s been pressing, there’s no denying it,” Cash said. “He’s frustrated with himself.” Bauers entered Wednesday hitting .209 with nine homers and 34 RBI in 66 games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Jorge Bonifacio, scratched from Tuesday’s lineup with lower back stiffness, was on the bench again Wednesday, but available, Yost said.

Rays: OF Tommy Pham said he hopes to be back Friday after dislocating his right ring finger on a head-first dive back to first base on Tuesday. “It feels fine other than the swelling,” Pham said.

UP NEXT

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow (1-3, 4.10 ERA) will make his fifth start for the Rays in the season series finale Thursday night. Glasnow took his first loss Saturday at Boston, going 6 2/3 innings after a second inning in which he gave up three walks and four runs. Left-hander Danny Duffy (7-11, 4.90) will start for Kansas City. He hasn’t started since Aug. 11 because of a left shoulder impingement.

— Associated Press —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Blake Snell added to a run of top-notch pitching by the Tampa Bay Rays.

The All-Star left-hander helped Tampa Bay match a team record with 27 consecutive shutout innings, and the Rays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Tuesday night.

“This pitching staff, I think, is very, very talented,” Snell said. “I’m not surprised. Guys can pitch, they come in compete and work every day.”

The scoreless stretch ended when Snell (15-5) allowed a fifth-inning solo homer to Ryan O’Hearn.

Snell struck out 11 and gave up four hits in six innings. The left-hander has 13 straight home starts of allowing one earned run or fewer, which is longest stretch in the majors since 1913, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

“I like being at home, I don’t like going on planes or buses,” Snell said with a smile. “I don’t know what it is. I feel very comfortable here.”

Tampa Bay has a 1.89 ERA over the last 11 games.

“We’re doing it with a lot of young pitchers,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “Blake did his thing. Another dominating performance. I like where Blake’s going.”

Since returning from a stint on the disabled list for left shoulder fatigue Aug. 4th, Snell is 3-0 and has given up two earned runs over 20 innings in four starts.

“He’s not an All-Star by accident,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

O’Hearn has five homers in 14 career games for the Royals, who dropped to 50 games (38-88) under .500.

Tampa Bay’s Tommy Pham had three hits, an RBI and a walk but left in the eighth after dislocating his right ring finger diving back to first base on a pickoff attempt. He’s day to day.

“I thought I broke it,” Pham said. “My finger was pointed the other direction. Got lucky.”

Willy Adames had three hits and put the Rays up 1-0 on a homer off an overhanging catwalk in the second that left fielder Alex Gordon nearly made a diving catch on. The effort would have been in vain if Gordon caught it because Tropicana Field ground rules state a ball hitting that catwalk is an automatic home run.

Gordon was OK after going over the short wall down the left-field line trying to catch Brandon Lowe’s fifth-inning foul ball.

Joey Wendle made it 3-0 with a two-run triple off Glenn Sparkman (0-2) during the fourth.

Sparkman gave up three runs and seven hits over four innings in his second career start.

Sergio Romo pitched the ninth for his 17th save, working out of a two-on, one-out jam.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Yost said LHP Danny Duffy, placed on the 10-day DL on Aug. 13th, is “pretty much on track” to start Thursday night. … RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) could start a minor league rehab assignment next week. … OF Jorge Bonifacio was a late scratch with lower back tightness.

Rays: 3B Matt Duffy, hitting .202 over his previous 25 games, was rested. Duffy was limited to three minor league games in 2017 following Achilles tendon surgery. “We’re getting to the dog days of the season, that’s something I’ve got to recognize,” Cash said. … LHP Vidal Nuno (right hamstring) allowed three hits in three scoreless innings for Class A Charlotte.

RARE COMPANY

Snell joined Hall of Famer Bob Gibson (1968) as the only pitchers since 1920 with at least 160 strikeouts and fewer than 35 runs allowed through 24 starts, according to Stats LLC.

UP NEXT

Royals RHP Jakob Junis (6-11) will face Rays reliever Ryne Stanek (1-3) in a bullpen game Wednesday night. Junis is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA in two appearances against Tampa Bay.

— Associated Press —