ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Jason Vargas isn’t setting a season-long goal of allowing an average of one run a start. Yet that’s where he is at after seven outings.

The major league ERA leader went seven more scoreless innings, Salvador Perez had a two-run double during a five-run eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Thursday.

Vargas (5-1) allowed three hits and dropped his ERA from 1.19 to 1.01.

“It hasn’t been done very often in this sport,” Vargas said. “It’s a nice thing to see when you’re able to have good starts and put your team in a good position to have success at the end of the game.”

It’s the lowest ERA in the majors (at least 30 innings pitched) at the end of play on May 11th since Colorado’s Ubaldo Jimenez (0.93) in 2010. The last AL pitcher to be this low was the Royals’ Zack Greinke (0.51) in 2009.

Jorge Bonifacio hit an RBI single off Diego Moreno in the decisive eighth inning before Whit Merrifield had a run-scoring single and then circled the bases when center fielder Kevin Kiermaier misplayed the hit for a three-base error.

Merrifield also homered for the Royals, who won three of four against the Rays. Kansas City had lost 13 of 16 entering the series.

Jake Odorizzi (2-2) gave up one run and four hits in six innings for the Rays. He had allowed three hits or fewer in each of his previous four starts.

Tampa Bay went 3-6 during a nine-game homestand against Miami, Toronto and the Royals. All three opponents are well under .500.

“We’ve got some guys that are having a rough time on offense, on defense, on the mound,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said.

Merrifield put the Royals up 1-0 on a solo shot in the fourth.

Vargas made two nifty defensive plays during the fifth. He fielded Kiermaier’s slow grounder down the first base line and tagged out the speedy outfielder, and also caught Derek Norris’ liner.

Rays left fielder Corey Dickerson took a home run away from Eric Hosmer in the first by reaching over the short wall by the 315-foot mark near the line and catching the drive.

Kansas City center fielder Alex Gordon took an extra-base hit away from Tim Beckham with a diving catch in the sixth. Gordon made his 932nd outfield start, but first in center.

There was no carry over one day after Perez was hit by Chris Archer’s pitch in the seventh inning of the Rays’ 12-1 win Wednesday night. Perez felt Archer was throwing at him, while Archer said there was no intent.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain got a day off after playing three games on the artificial turf at Tropicana Field.

Rays: RF Steven Souza Jr. (sore right thumb) had a cortisone shot Wednesday and missed his third consecutive game.

GOLDEN STRUGGLES

Kiermaier, a Gold Glove winner, made three errors in the series, including one Monday night that allowed Cain to score after hitting a single.

“This has been a weird four days for me,” Kiermaier said. “I never thought I’d be talking about my defense problems. I have to be better.

Kiermaier has four errors this year after making two in 2016.

“It just shows that they’re human and things like that happen,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s a tough game, man.”

WIFF CITY

Tampa Bay struck out seven times and remains on pace to set the team record for strikeouts in a season. The Rays have 374 in 37 games, an average of 10.11. The 2013 Houston Astros hold the record with 1,535, or 9.48 per game.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (2-3) and Baltimore RHP Chris Tillman (1-0) are Friday night’s starters as Kansas City opens a six-game homestand. Tillman, sidelined since March by right shoulder bursitis, went five scoreless innings against the Chicago White Sox in his season debut last Sunday.

Rays: RHP Alex Cobb (2-3) goes against Boston and reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Rick Porcello (2-4) Friday night at Fenway Park. The Red Sox right-hander had only four losses (22-4) all of last season.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ 12-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals was marred by one ugly moment.

Chris Archer pitched eight shutout innings Wednesday night and Logan Morrison, Rickie Weeks Jr., and Colby Rasmus homered for the Rays.

With Tampa Bay leading 7-0 in the seventh inning, Archer hit Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez in the left elbow with a pitch, and Perez took issue with it.

Words were exchanged, providing the emotional highlight of a game that had very few of them, at least from the Royals’ point of view.

Archer (3-1) won for the first time in five starts since April 14 to help the Rays break a three-game losing streak. He scattered five singles and walked none, and his control is one of the reasons Perez had a problem with the pitch that hit him.

“Yeah, of course he threw at me. He’s going to throw at me because I had two hits against him,” Perez said. “I think he was mad. I don’t think that’s the right way.”

“Honestly there was nothing malicious there,” Archer said. “I’ve had some great interactions with him the past. He’s a good hitter; I’m trying to pitch inside. There was no malicious intent with 96 mph.”

Asked if he understood Perez’s angry reaction, Archer said: “No.”

Morrison’s ninth homer of the season, and his fourth in seven games, came off Kansas City starter Jason Hammel with a man on in the third inning. Weeks followed with his second home run, putting the Rays up 4-0.

Rasmus hit a grand slam off reliever Peter Moylan in the eighth, the sixth slam of his career.

Everyone in the Tampa Bay lineup had at least one hit for the second straight day. Corey Dickerson had a triple and a single and scored three runs.

Hammel (1-4) gave up six earned runs and 13 hits in seven innings, dropping to 0-6 in his last seven road starts.

The Rays scored their first run on a sacrifice fly double play. With Dickerson on third base, Evan Longoria on first and one out in the first inning, Morrison hit a short fly ball that was caught by Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar. Longoria was caught too far off base and doubled up, but not until after Dickerson had tagged up and scored.

Archer threw 101 pitches, marking his 17th straight start in which he threw at least 100 pitches. It was the 20th double-digit strikeout game of his career and his first win against the Royals.

“(The Royals) have given all of us fits and have given (Archer) fits, too,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “I don’t think he did anything differently tonight. He’s in a good rhythm right now and it carries over game to game.”

FIRST HIT, RBI FOR SOLER

Jorge Soler drove in Kansas City’s only run with a ninth-inning double off reliever Jose Alvarado. It was the first hit as a Royal for Soler, who came in a Dec. 7 trade with the Chicago Cubs for reliever Wade Davis. Soler came off the DL on Saturday after having a strained left oblique. He is 1 for 16 in five games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (hamstring) has resumed throwing off a mound. … RHP Seth Maness, who underwent surgery on Aug. 18 to repair a torn UCL in his throwing elbow, had his contract purchased from Triple-A Omaha.

Rays: RF Steven Souza Jr. (sore thumb) was out of the lineup for the second consecutive game. … SS Matt Duffy (Achilles’ tendon surgery) had no soreness one day after his first rehab game with Class-A Charlotte. He had Wednesday off.

UP NEXT

Thursday’s series finale features two of the hottest pitchers in the AL. Royals LHP Jason Vargas is 4-1 with a league-leading 1.19 ERA. Rays RHP Jake Odorizzi (2-1, 2.88) has given up only eight hits in his last four starts, one of which he left after one inning with a strained hamstring.

— Associated Press —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Mike Moustakas homered in the 12th inning, and the Kansas City Royals came back from a four-run deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-6 on Tuesday night.

Moustakas connected against Diego Moreno (0-1), the eighth Tampa Bay pitcher, on a 1-2 pitch with one out. Moreno was promoted from Triple-A Durham before the game.

Kansas City right-hander Jakob Junis (1-0), recalled from Triple-A Omaha, worked out of a two-on, one-out jam in the 11th. Kelvin Herrera got three outs for his fifth save.

Salvador Perez hit a two-run homer for the Royals. The All-Star catcher went 3 for 4 and walked twice. He has six homers and 23 RBI in his last 24 games against Tampa Bay.

Logan Morrison went deep during Tampa Bay’s four-run first.

Perez hit a leadoff double in the eighth and scored on Alex Gordon’s single to tie it at 6.

Chris Young retired his first two batters in the first before Evan Longoria started a run of six straight Rays to reach base with an infield single. Morrison hit a two-run shot before Tim Beckham and Kevin Kiermaier added RBI singles.

Young, making his first start since July 5, allowed four runs, seven hits and four walks in three innings. The 37-year-old left-hander made the spot start in place of Ian Kennedy, who is on the 10-day disabled list after straining his right hamstring Thursday.

Beckham drove in his second run on a fifth-inning single off Travis Wood, who also gave up Brad Miller’s solo shot in the sixth that put Tampa Bay ahead 6-3.

Kansas City scored two runs in the seventh to pull within one. But Eric Hosmer got picked off first base by catcher Jesus Sucre to end the inning with Perez batting.

Tampa Bay’s Matt Andriese allowed three runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Rays manager Kevin Cash was ejected by third base umpire Bill Welke in the third for arguing a balk call on Andriese that allowed Jorge Bonifacio to score from third.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Scott Alexander was placed on the 10-day disabled list with a strained right hamstring.

Rays: RF Steven Souza Jr. sat out with a sore thumb, one day after getting jammed by a pitch. … SS Matt Duffy (Achilles’ tendon) started a rehab assignment with Class-A Charlotte.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (1-3) looks to end a road skid Wednesday night against the Rays. He is 0-5 in six road starts since beating Milwaukee July 22 while with the Chicago Cubs.

Rays: RHP Chris Archer (2-1) attempts to beat the Royals for the first time Wednesday night. He is 0-4 with a 5.63 ERA in five starts against them.

— Associated Press —

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — After an underwhelming past few weeks, Eric Hosmer and the Kansas City Royals relished their breakout showing Monday night.

“A lot of guys had some good nights,” Hosmer said. “We needed a night like this.”

Nate Karns struck out 10 while pitching into the seventh inning, Hosmer had three hits and the Royals busted out of an offensive slump to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 7-3.

Kansas City matched its best run output of the year and set a season high with 13 hits. Drew Butera homered and drove in his first two runs of the season, helping the Royals win for the fourth time in 17 games. Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Salvador Perez and Whit Merrifield each had two hits for Kansas City, and Hosmer also stole two bases.

“Maybe this is the start of something good,” Butera said. “It felt exactly like our brand of baseball — grind out at-bats, get on base, put some pressure on the pitcher and the defense.”

Karns (2-2) completed 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs, six hits and two walks while matching his career high in strikeouts.

Blake Snell (0-3) allowed four runs and 10 hits over five innings for Tampa Bay. He failed to get an out in the sixth inning for the 10th time in his last 11 starts.

“The pitch count got driven up there again. I’m not sure I have the answer or any of us have an answer,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “We know what needs to take place, but we don’t know exactly (how to do it). We’ve got a lot of people trying to help him now.”

Butera led off the third inning with his homer, the first of five straight hits in a three-run inning. Butera drove in another run with a single in the sixth.

Brad Miller singled in Corey Dickerson for the Rays in the first inning, but Karns pitched shutout ball from then until the seventh. He struck out three straight following Colby Rasmus’ triple in the second, then got a strikeout and a double-play grounder with the bases loaded in the third.

“Those were pretty big innings for him,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Rays right fielder Steven Souza Jr. left the game early with a sore thumb after getting jammed with a pitch.

TROPICANA BREEZE

The Rays struck out 16 times, marking the 22nd time in 34 games they have struck out 10 or more times in a game. They came into the game with a major league leading 330 strikeouts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Ian Kennedy told Yost that his strained right hamstring is improving, but no timetable is set on Kennedy’s return.
Rays: SS Matt Duffy, coming back from Achilles tendon surgery, will start a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday night with Class A Charlotte. … C Wilson Ramos, on the 60-day disabled list due to right knee surgery, ran the arc behind the infield dirt. He is also doing limited catching drills.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Chris Young, who last pitched in a three-inning relief appearance on May 2, will make his first start of the season Tuesday night against the Rays.

Rays: RHP Matt Andriese (2-1) has gone seven innings in consecutive starts entering his outing Tuesday night against the Royals. Prior to this stretch, he had a streak of 18 straight starts of six innings or fewer.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Clevinger had no apprehension turning over a one-run lead in the sixth inning to the Cleveland bullpen.

Clevinger and four relievers combined for a one-hitter as the Indians beat the Kansas City Royals 1-0 Sunday.

Carlos Santana had three hits, including an RBI single in the fifth that followed Yan Gomes’ double for the game’s only run.

“We’re not hitting on all cylinders,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “But it’s a heck of a lot better to win 1-0 instead of losing 1-0.”

Clevinger (1-0), making his first start in place of the injured Corey Kluber, gave up a double to Salvador Perez with one out in the fourth for the Royals’ hit. He walked four and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings, and was removed after throwing 91 pitches.

“A lot of worry,” Clevinger said and laughed about the Indians’ bullpen holding the lead. “Once the ball is handed off to the bullpen, I knew we were in safe hands.”

Boone Logan came on and walked Eric Hosmer, before Bryan Shaw replaced him and struck out all four batters he faced. Andrew Miller pitched a perfect eighth — keeping his ERA at 0.00 over 15 2/3 innings this season — and Cody Allen got the last three outs, getting Brandon Moss on a fly ball with two runners on for his ninth save in nine chances.

“I made it a little interesting in the ninth,” Allen said.

The last time the Royals were limited to one hit was Sept. 25, 2015 against the Indians.

Danny Duffy (2-3), who had given up 12 runs and 19 hits over 9 2/3 innings in losing his previous two starts, held the Indians to one run and six hits over 6 2/3 innings.

“Right now we’re going through a scuffle,” Duffy said. “We’re going through a patch. It stinks in the moment, but we know we’re the only ones who can pick ourselves up and dust ourselves off.”

Perez’s double in the fourth followed a walk to Eric Hosmer, but Clevinger struck out Jorge Soler and Jorge Bonifacio to strand the runners.

“Obviously, the intensity is a little higher there,” Clevinger said. “But don’t get out of myself, stay within myself, stay with what I can control, what I can do.”

In the ninth, Allen hit Lorenzo Cain with a pitch to open the inning. He then got Hosmer on a fly ball and struck out Perez before walking Jorge Soler. Pinch hitter Moss flied out to center to end the game.

“We’re not scoring,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We’re striking out way too many times.”

BEES REMOVED

A swarm of bees were discovered in Kauffman Stadium upper deck Sunday morning. Jeff Diekmann, a member of the tarp crew and a beekeeper, helped remove the bees unharmed.

BACKSTAGE PASSES

Royals players Hosmer, Moss, Travis Wood, Whit Merrifield and Drew Butera attended a Garth Brooks concert Saturday night in Kanas City. They had backstage passes and met the country singer crooner after the show.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: LF Michael Brantley left in the fourth inning with a right ankle sprain. Lonnie Chisenhall replaced him. Francona said it is “not a dreaded high ankle sprain” and is optimistic Brantley will not miss more than a day or two.

UP NEXT

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer, who is 1-2 with a 7.31 ERA in three road starts, is the probable Monday at Toronto.

Royals: RHP Nathan Karns will start Tuesday at Tampa Bay in the opener of a four-game series.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Derek Holland hitched up the heavy, gaudy wrestling belt strapped around his waist and flashed the kind of smile any world champion would wear after having their arm raised in the ring.

It was fitting, too, the way the White Sox left-hander pinned down the Royals on Thursday.

Holland scattered three hits while pitching into the seventh inning, and Jose Abreu and Matt Davidson went deep, helping Chicago to a 8-3 win over Kansas City and a split of their four-game set.

“It’s about time I earned this,” Holland said of the belt, which is awarded by Melky Cabrera and a bunch of other White Sox teammates to the game MVP. “It’s hard to get it.”

Holland (3-2) has deserved it on several occasions: He’s allowed two earned runs or fewer in his first six outings this season. In this one, he struck out seven with only one walk before exiting with two outs in the seventh, and only one of the two runs charged to him was earned.

“Listen, he came to spring training and everyone was asking what we expected of him,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “He’s doing exactly what we expected of him.”

Meanwhile, Royals counterpart Ian Kennedy was going through a double-dose of misfortune.

First, the right-hander surrendered five runs on six hits and a walk in his first truly shaky start of the season. Then, Kennedy (0-3) was forced to leave with one out in the fifth after feeling a pinch in his right hamstring — an MRI exam during the game revealed a Grade 1 strain.

“Walking I don’t feel it, just the pitching motion and doing everything else,” Kennedy said. “It’s one of those things we’ll see how it feels tomorrow. It stinks.”

Asked whether Kennedy was headed for the disabled list, manager Ned Yost replied: “”I don’t know. We’re discussing our options right now.”

Kennedy struggled from the onset, giving up a one-out single to Cabrera and a 427-foot homer to Abreu in the first. Davidson added his solo shot into the fountains in left in the second.

In the fourth, Kennedy was victimized by an error, hit a batter and committed a balk before giving up back-to-back hits. He also walked a batter as the White Sox pushed two more runs across.

“I was missing my spots. I was all over the place,” Kennedy said. “It was just a bad day.”

Five runs were more than enough for Holland, who retired the first 10 batters he faced.

Mixing a fastball and sinker, Holland kept the punchless Royals guessing all the afternoon, silencing a Kauffman Stadium crowd filled with kids out for “School Day at the K.” He only allowed two doubles before the seventh inning, when the Royals finally managed to coax two runs across.

The White Sox had already tacked on two of their own in the seventh off the Kansas City bullpen.

STATS AND STREAKS

Abreu also homered in his final at-bat Wednesday night. … White Sox reliever Anthony Swarzak has retired 13 straight and 31 of his last 32 batters. … Kennedy has received five runs of support in his six starts. … The Royals have committed eight errors in their last 12 games. They had just one in the first 15 games. … The Royals lost a challenge for the first time in seven tries this season.

RECORD-SETTING WELT

Royals OF Alex Gordon was plunked by a pitch with one out in the seventh, the 79th time he’s been hit by a pitch. That set a franchise record that Gordon had shared with Mike Macfarlane.

SCRATCH AND SNIFF

White Sox 3B Todd Frazier was a late scratch due to back stiffness, though the timing of the move — right before first pitch — had some on social media sniffing about trades. Frazier has been linked to the Red Sox, who are in desperate need of help at the position.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox RHP Nate Jones went on the 10-day DL with elbow inflammation and LHP David Holmberg’s contract was purchased from Triple-A Charlotte before the game. GM Rick Hahn said he believes Jones will be able to pitch again in a couple weeks. To make roster space for Holmberg, the White Sox transferred LHP Carlos Rodon to the 60-day DL. He’s been out with left biceps bursitis.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Miguel Gonzalez starts the series opener at Baltimore on Friday night.

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel gets the nod to open a three-game set with Cleveland on Friday night.

— Associated Press —