MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — He might look more like a fullback than a baseball player. His resume might read more “suspect” than “prospect.” But Willians Astudillo has become something of a folk hero in Minnesota, and on Sunday he rewarded Twins fans for their support.

Astudillo hit a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning that gave Minnesota a 3-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Max Kepler doubled off Jason Hammel (2-13) with two outs in the Twins ninth. Astudillo then hit a drive deep to left field for his third home run of the season, touching off a raucous celebration at home plate.

The 5-foot-9 Astudillo is conservatively listed at 225 pounds, but he’s a better athlete than his frame might suggest. In two stints with the Twins this year, the 26-year-old rookie has started games at catcher, second base and third base. He played left field and center field in his major league debut at Wrigley Field. And he’s even pitched an inning.

But he’s most known for his aggressive, contact-heavy approach at the plate. In 38 plate appearances with the Twins he’s yet to draw a walk, and he’s only struck out twice. It’s a pattern that he’s followed throughout his minor league career, which has already spanned four franchises.

“I just go out there with a plan to make good contact, a good pitch, specifically a good pitch,” said Astudillo, who took a pitch in the dirt before jumping on a hanging slider from Hammel.

Twins manager Paul Molitor admitted he considered using catcher Mitch Garver to pinch-hit for Astudillo.

“I’m glad I paused,” Molitor said, “because it worked out pretty good.”

“He’s probably going to put it in play, and you hope he finds a hole. And as it turns out he hits it over the fence, so that was a bonus,” he said.

Trevor Hildenberger (4-3) got two outs to pick up the win.

Adalberto Mondesi homered for the Royals, who were held to three hits on the day. The closest they came to a rally was in the third inning, when an error and two walks filled the bases. But Hunter Dozier grounded out to end the threat.

“We had the bases loaded looking for a clutch hit, and we couldn’t get it,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Just not a lot going on offensively for us out there.”

Royals starter Ian Kennedy made his first appearance after missing two months with a strained oblique. He ended up throwing 93 pitches over six innings, allowing one run on four hits with three walks and six strikeouts.

Minnesota starter Chase De Jong made his Twins debut with four scoreless innings, walking four and striking out five. He arrived from Seattle in a trade for reliever Zach Duke on July 30.

Zack Littell followed De Jong for the Twins and gave up Mondesi’s tying home run in the sixth but was otherwise sharp, allowing just two runners in 3 1/3 innings.

FORTNITE PARTY

An estimated 300 fans arrived more than three hours before the first pitch to watch Twins reliever Trevor May show off his skills against some elite competition. But May wasn’t on the mound. He was playing the video game Fortnite, with the action being streamed on the Target Field video board.

May, an avid video game player who is a brand ambassador for a professional e-sports organization, squared off against three pro gamers in a Fortnite streaming party. Garver served as the emcee, interviewing the players and answering fans’ questions during the one-hour event.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: 3B Miguel Sano missed his fourth straight game with a lower left leg contusion.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (8-12, 4.32 ERA) takes the mound on Monday night as the Royals open a three-game series at home against the White Sox. Lucas Giolito (10-10, 5.85) will start for Chicago.

Twins: RHP Kyle Gibson (7-12, 3.74) will start for the Twins as they host the Yankees for the opener of a three-game series on Monday. New York will counter with LHP J.A. Happ (14-6, 3.90).

— Associated Press —

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Eddie Rosario homered, Ehire Adrianza had three hits and three RBI and the Minnesota Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 10-6 on Friday night to snap a five-game skid.

Trevor May (4-1), one of six Minnesota relievers, picked up the win with two shutout innings.

Salvador Perez homered and Jorge Bonifacio had three hits for the Royals, who have lost three straight after winning eight of nine.

Minnesota broke a 6-6 tie with a three-run fifth. Max Kepler and Adrianza had RBI singles against Glenn Sparkman (0-3). Rosario tacked on his team-leading 23rd home run leading off the eighth.

The Twins gave starter Stephen Gonsalves an early lead on Adrianza’s two-run single in the second, but the Royals knocked him out with a six-run outburst in the third. Gonsalves, one of Minnesota’s top pitching prospects, got through the first two innings without much trouble, but the second time through the order was a different story.

After No. 9 hitter Cam Gallagher flew out to start the third, the next five batters reached base against Gonsalves. Alex Gordon’s two-run double tied the score at 2-2, and two batters later Bonifacio singled home Gordon to end Gonsalves’ night.

Perez greeted reliever Alan Busenitz with a three-run homer into the bullpens in left-center. His 24th home run of the season gave the Royals a 6-2 lead.

The Twins sent Royals starter Heath Fillmyer to a similar fate in the bottom of the inning, knocking him out as five of the first six batters reached base. Jake Cave hit an RBI double and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 6.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Brett Phillips is day-to-day with a shoulder contusion he suffered running into the wall in Cleveland on Tuesday.

Twins: Rosario returned to the lineup after missing six games with sore quadriceps, but 3B Miguel Sano remained sidelined with a lower left leg bruise suffered on Tuesday in Houston.

UP NEXT

Royals: In the second game of the series Saturday evening, RHP Jorge Lopez (1-4, 2.24 ERA) makes his fifth start for the Royals since being acquired from Milwaukee in the Mike Moustakas deal. His last time out he held the Orioles to one run over seven innings while striking out eight in a 9-1 victory.

Twins: RHP Jose Berrios (11-10, 3.92), the Twins’ lone 2018 All-Star, will try to turn it around against the Royals. In his last seven starts he’s 1/3 with a 5.67 ERA.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Corey Kluber says the goal each time he takes the mound is to give the Cleveland Indians a chance to win, rather than getting the W himself.

The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner is doing pretty well in both departments.

Kluber became the first 18-game winner in the majors this season, striking out 10 and pitching the Indians past the Kansas City Royals 3-1 Wednesday.

“I don’t pay attention to it,” he said. “There’s going to be times things are out of your control. You might pitch fairly well and the guy on the other side pitches lights out.”

“More so than actually getting the win, it’s giving our team a chance to win. That’s what I base things on,” he said.

The Indians moved closer to their third straight AL Central title and reduced their magic number for clinching the division to nine.

Kluber (18-7) is a major reason the Indians will be playing again in October. He allowed one run and two hits in 6 2/3 innings. He was pulled after throwing 105 pitches.

Kluber has won six of his last seven decisions and is a leading candidate to be chosen the league’s best pitcher for the third time in five seasons. Luis Severino of the Yankees was set to start Wednesday night at Oakland.

“The last couple times out, seemed like he started to get the feel back. That’s fun to watch,” Indians manager Terry Francona said.

Royals manager Ned Yost watched Kluber retire the first 10 hitters before Kansas City got its only two hits of the game.

Alex Gordon lined a double on a 3-2 pitch in the fourth. Hunter Dozier struck out, but rookie Ryan O’Hearn’s long drive was over center fielder Greg Allen’s head and fell for an RBI triple.

The right-hander struck out Jorge Bonifacio to get out of the brief jam and retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced.

Cleveland used three relievers to complete the two-hitter. Brad Hand struck out the side in the ninth for his eighth save since being acquired from San Diego and 32nd this season.

The game began in sweltering conditions with the temperature at 91 degrees for the first pitch.

Brad Keller (7-6) allowed three runs — one earned — in seven-plus innings and lost for the first time since Aug. 7.

“I felt like my fastball was pretty good and I hydrated myself all last night, so once the adrenaline kicked in when I got out there, I felt pretty good the whole time,” he said.

Edwin Encarnacion’s RBI grounder broke a 1-1 tie in the fifth. Allen’s RBI single in the second gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead before Kansas City tied it.

Michael Brantley’s one-out single started the go-ahead rally. Shortstop Alcides Escobar couldn’t handle Yandy Diaz’s chopper and Brantley took third when the ball rolled into the outfield on the error. Encarnacion’s grounder put Cleveland ahead.

Jason Kipnis had a sacrifice fly and two hits.

Cody Allen, the Indians’ closer until Hand was acquired, struck out two and retired all three hitters in the eighth. Oliver Perez struck out the only batter he faced and Cleveland’s pitchers combined to fan 16.

Royals right fielder Brett Phillips was out of the lineup after running full-speed into the wall chasing Jose Ramirez’s fly ball Tuesday. He was removed from the game an inning later. Phillips was diagnosed with a bruised right shoulder.

DONALDSON PLAN

Indians 3B Josh Donaldson was scheduled to play for Double-A Akron against Altoona in the first game of the best-of-five Eastern League playoffs on Wednesday. He’s on the disabled list with a strained left calf, which has prevented him from playing in a major league game since May 28.

Donaldson, acquired from Toronto on Friday, is eligible to be activated Sept. 11. It’s unclear how many minor league games he’ll play before joining the Indians.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (sore shoulder) will not pitch again this season after leaving his Tuesday start in the first inning. Duffy was on the disabled list from Aug. 13-23 with a similar injury and recently received an anti-inflammatory shot.

“The doctors said he can’t have another shot for a while, so it makes sense just to shut him down,” manager Ned Yost said.

Indians: LHP Andrew Miller (sore shoulder) is expected to throw a bullpen session on Thursday in Toronto. He’s been on the disabled list since Aug. 29.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Heath Fillmyer (2-1, 4.01 ERA) opens a three-game series Friday in Minnesota.

Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (8-3, 4.66 ERA) starts Thursday at Toronto.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — With one swing, Francisco Lindor shook the Indians from their early September slumber.

The All-Star shortstop homered leading off the first again, Mike Clevinger struck out 10 and Cleveland moved closer to its third straight AL Central title with a 9-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.

The Indians ended a three-game losing streak and reduced their magic number for clinching another division title to 10 following Minnesota’s 5-2 loss to Houston.

After a 5-1 loss Monday night, Lindor, who sets the tone for Cleveland with everything he does, talked about the team being flat and needing a spark.

He provided an early one with his sixth leadoff homer — one shy of the club record set by Grady Sizemore in 2008 — as the Indians jumped to a 3-0 lead on Danny Duffy (8-12), whose season is over because of a sore left shoulder.

“That’s one of the reasons I wanted to be a leadoff hitter,” said Lindor, who has 31 homers. “To get things going.”

Yandy Diaz hit his first major league homer and Jason Kipnis added two RBI for Cleveland, which has the most commanding lead of any first-place team in the majors.

Not only did the Royals have their season-high winning streak stopped at six, Duffy’s season came to an end rookie right fielder Brett Phillips bruised his right shoulder on a scary collision into the wall.

Duffy was on the disabled list from Aug. 13-23 with shoulder issues.

“I’m crushed about it,” Duffy said. “I get paid to pay baseball. I take pride that if you have an able body you should go. My body just said it was enough today.”

Staked to a 6-0 lead after two innings, Clevinger (11-7) allowed just three hits in six innings and remained unbeaten in his last seven starts. The right-hander, who could have a big role for the Indians in October, had a little more velocity on his fastball and struck out six of nine in one dominant stretch.

Diaz picked up an RBI on a fielder’s choice and Kipnis, who is moving from second base to center field, singled home a run in the inning before Duffy was removed after 26 pitches. The left-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in 2012.

The Indians added three runs in the second off Burch Smith on Jose Ramirez’s double, Edwin Encarnacion’s sacrifice fly and Brandon Guyer’s RBI single.

DON’T DO THAT

Lindor got hit on the right forearm in his second at-bat by Smith, but didn’t think the Royals were throwing at him.

“If he was trying to hit me, it’s OK,” Lindor said. “He hit me in the right spot. We weren’t throwing at each other, if that’s what you guys are trying to get to.”

Clevinger wasn’t so sure, and sent a warning to Kansas City.

“I think that would be very unwise of the whole Royals organization,” he said. “Especially as much as we see them and the arms we have over here. I hope not. And I think for their sake, they’d better hope not either.

The Royals also hit Rajai Davis and the Indians plunked Brian Goodwin and Adalberto Mondesi.

CRASH TEST

Phillips was fortunate he wasn’t more seriously hurt after banging hard into the wall in the second inning.

Breaking back on Ramirez’s drive, Phillips just missed making a catch before barreling full-speed into the wall. His torso twisted awkwardly and he crumpled onto the warning track. His teammates and a trainer rushed to Phillips, who got to his feet and remained in the game after being examined.

Phillips was removed the next inning. He had a sling on his arm following the game.

Manager Ned Yost did not provide any further details on Phillips’ injury.

MOVING TIME

Kipnis isn’t thrilled about having to change positions, but he’s willing to do it as long as Josh Donaldson is healthy.

The Indians acquired Donaldson — the 2015 AL MVP — in a trade with Toronto, and once activated from the disabled list, he’ll take over at third with Ramirez going to second and Kipnis heading to the outfield.

Kipnis did the same thing a year ago.

“Does it take a little wind out of my sails?” he said. “A little bit. But not enough to get me to stop working, stop competing.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (sprained left thumb) was out of the lineup for the sixth straight game. The six-time All-Star was injured Aug. 28.

Indians: LHP Andrew Miller is expected to throw a bullpen session on Thursday in Toronto as he recovers from shoulder soreness that landed him on the disabled list. Miller has been on the DL three times this season, but the reliever isn’t concerned about his latest issue which he has previously dealt with in spring training. The former All-Star left-hander has also been out with hamstring and knee injuries.

UP NEXT

Corey Kluber tries to become the majors’ first 18-game winner as the Indians conclude their three-game series with the Royals, who will start Brad Keller.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Francisco Lindor believes the Cleveland Indians need a spark.

Lindor homered in the ninth inning of Cleveland’s 5-1 loss Monday to the Kansas City Royals, who extended their winning streak to a season-high six games.

The Indians have lost three straight but still lead the American League Central by 14 games. Their magic number to clinch the division was trimmed to 12 after Minnesota’s loss to Houston.

“Our energy is down,” Lindor said. “I don’t [know] why. Personally, my energy is down. We’re at that point in the season where guys are dragging their feet a little. We have to go back to playing the Tribe Way and not taking any pitch for granted. We’ll be fine.”

EDITOR’S PICKS

Indians’ Donaldson back on DL with calf injury
Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam in Triple-A on Monday, soon after the Cleveland Indians put the new arrival on the disabled list to give him more time to rehab a calf injury in the minor leagues.

Jakob Junis allowed two hits in seven shutout innings and Ryan O’Hearn homered twice for Kansas City, which also has won eight of nine.

“It’s no fluke,” O’Hearn said. “Guys are going out, trying to win every day. Everyone is playing really well.”

Junis (8-12) gave up a two-out single to Lindor in the third and a leadoff single to Yonder Alonso in the fifth. The right-hander hit a batter, walked none, struck out six and retired his last nine hitters.

Junis was 0-2 with a 9.82 ERA in his first two starts against the Indians this season.

“Being in the division, these teams see my slider a lot,” he said. “Using my heater more was definitely the difference.”

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Brian Flynn pitched a scoreless eighth and Wily Peralta began the ninth with a 5-0 lead. Lindor homered with one out, Michael Brantley singled, and Peralta walked Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion on eight pitches.

Left-hander Tim Hill relieved, and pinch hitter Yandy Diaz hit a hard grounder that second baseman Whit Merrifield turned into a game-ending double play. Hill recorded his second save.

“That was a great play by Whit, a great play,” manager Ned Yost said. “That’s why you bring Timmy in, to get a ground ball.”

Lindor has 30 homers this season. He joins Ramirez, who has 37 home runs, as the first pair of switch-hitting teammates in major league history to each have 30 or more homers in a season.

O’Hearn had the first multihomer game of his career. He led off the fourth with a home run and hit a two-run drive in the sixth. Jorge Bonifacio and Hunter Dozier hit solo homers.

Adam Plutko (4-5) gave up three homers and allowed four runs in six innings. The right-hander had a career-high eight strikeouts.

Kansas City took two of three from Cleveland at Kaufmann Stadium last month, and Junis made certain that trend continued. He retired the first eight batters before hitting Greg Allen with a pitch in the third. Lindor sent Allen to third with a single, but the inning ended with an out on the bases.

Lindor broke for second and was caught in a rundown when catcher Cam Gallagher threw to shortstop Adalberto Mondesi. The rundown continued until Allen finally broke for home, and Merrifield threw to Gallagher, who applied the tag.

NICE DEBUT

Josh Donaldson hit a grand slam in Triple-A on Monday after the Indians placed him on the disabled list to give him more time to rehab a calf injury in the minor leagues. Donaldson, playing for Columbus, also walked and lined out against Toledo. Donaldson, acquired from Toronto on Friday, will work out with the Indians on Tuesday and continue his rehab assignment for Double-A Akron in the Eastern League playoffs this week.

“That was good,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “It sounded like everything else went well, too, and he made all the plays.”

HEAR THE BUZZ

The Cleveland National Air Show, held at a nearby airport, ended Monday. Players and fans turned their attention to jets that flew around the ballpark in the early innings.

FEEL THE HEAT

Temperatures for the three-game series will be near 90 degrees each day, a stark contrast from the first time the Royals were in town. The game-time temperature of 32 degrees on April 8 set a Progressive Field record.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (sprained left thumb) sat out his fifth straight game, but Yost said he is improving and remains day-to-day. The six-time All-Star last played on Aug. 28 against Detroit.

UP NEXT

Royals LHP Danny Duffy (8-11, 4.72 ERA) takes on Indians RHP Mike Clevinger (10-7, 3.17 ERA) in the second game of the series. Clevinger has made three starts against Kansas City this season, going 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Meibrys Viloria trotted into the dugout after the sixth inning Sunday, and Royals manager Ned Yost told his recently recalled rookie catcher to help get pitcher Jorge Lopez through one more inning.

So when Viloria headed to the bench after the seventh, that task successfully complete, he plopped down and began to relax. Puzzled, Yost looked at him and asked, “What are you doing?”

“You said,” Viloria replied, “get him through one more inning.”

Yost didn’t mean Viloria’s day was done, though. And when he went to bat in the eighth, Viloria came through with his first big league hit, a two-run double that put a nice cap on a game Lopez and the Royals dominated. The 9-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles wrapped up a three-game sweep of the only team in the majors with a worse record than Kansas City’s own.

“It feels great,” said Lopez, who allowed Jonathan Villar’s home run in the first inning but little else while striking out a career-high eight. “The defense was good and the offense has been hot.”

As for Viloria, the kid behind the plate who had just arrived from Class-A Wilmington?

“That kid’s something special,” Lopez said. “Communication, the game plan, we were right on it.”

It was the first win for Lopez, who was part of the late-July deal with Milwaukee for third baseman Mike Moustakas, since Sept. 29, 2015, when he was still with the Brewers.

“That’s why he was so well-thought-of and sought-after in trade,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “The things David (Hess) has done when he’s successful, that young man did today.”

Alcides Escobar also had three hits and an RBI as Kansas City piled up 14 hits, its sixth straight game with at least 10 and the longest such streak since June 24-29, 2016.

Most of the damage came against Hess (3-9), who allowed five runs on nine hits and a trio of errors — all of which came after the Baltimore pitcher’s own mistakes during a dreadful third inning.

The first error came with nobody out, when Hess threw the ball away trying to pick Merrifield off first base. Then, with two down, Hess tried to chase Jorge Bonifacio back to second and the ball squirreled away again. Bonifacio headed for third and second baseman Breyvic Valera tried to throw him out there, but the ball bounced away for yet another error that allowed Bonifacio to score.

“The toughest thing is giving them extra bases and extra outs to work with,” Hess said. “That’s something that I’ve prided myself on throughout the minor leagues and up here as well. I’ve been able to field my position well and do what we need to do to keep guys honest out there.

“I mean, they beat me at that today,” he said. “It’s something that we’re going to learn from.”

STATS AND STREAKS

The Royals have won five straight, all in come-from-behind fashion, their best stretch since July 19-28, 2017. … Merrifield reached base for a career-best 22nd straight game. He also stole his 30th base, matching Seattle’s Dee Gordon for the AL lead. … The Orioles were swept for the third time in four series. … Baltimore has lost seven straight road games.

FIRST PITCH

Royals vice president Mike Swanson threw out the ceremonial first pitch to honor his 40 years in baseball. Swanson’s mother, Betty, spent nearly four decades working for the Royals and Chiefs, while her son has worked for the Rockies, Padres and Diamondbacks along with his time in Kansas City.

CLOSER CONCERNS

Showalter said he will try several options in the closer role after Mychael Givens blew another save Saturday night. “You’ve got to get people out, and pitch when you’re asked and take advantage of the opportunity,” Showalter said, “including Mike and some other guys.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Pedro Araujo (right elbow strain) will not pitch again this season. He’s been on the DL since June 11. “He’s going to be fine, I think, for next year,” Showalter said, “but I don’t think he’ll pitch in September. I don’t see any of the feedback that fits that scenario.”

Royals: OF Jorge Soler (fractured left toe) experienced a setback in his rehab and will likely shut down for the remainder of the season, Yost said. Soler went on the DL on June 16, when he was hitting .265 with nine homers and 28 RBI.

UP NEXT

The Orioles head to Seattle for three games beginning Monday night, when LHP Josh Rogers (1-0, 5.40 ERA) is on the mound. The Royals begin a trip to Cleveland and Minnesota with RHP Jakob Junis (7-12, 4.53) taking the hill against the Indians on Monday night.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield had never hit a game-ending home run — not in middle school, high school, college or as a pro — so he tried to admire his shot into the seats Saturday night.

The only problem? First base coach Mitch Maier wasn’t sure it was gone.

“I heard him yell, `Run! Run! Run!” Merrifield said, so he took off running.

His two-run shot with one out in the ninth inning was plenty deep, though, landing in the outfield seats and giving the Kansas City Royals a back-and-forth 5-4 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.

“I’m going to have to get Mitch back for that,” Merrifield said with a smile.

The Orioles took the lead in the top of the ninth, when Trey Mancini homered to lead off and Tim Beckham added a two-run double for his fourth hit of the night. But when Mychael Givens (0-7) came on to close things out, he promptly walked Brett Phillips on four pitches to start the inning.

Cam Gallagher sacrificed Phillips to second, and Merrifield cracked a 0-2 pitch an estimated 415 feet to left field, giving the young Royals their sixth win in seven games this homestand.

It’s their best seven-game stretch since July 2017, and includes the first two games in this three-game series between the worst two teams in the major leagues.

“I think it gives us confidence,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “When your players have confidence, it gives us confidence too. You can see it in their faces that they continue to gain confidence.”

The Royals’ Jason Hammel squandered another solid start by Heath Fillmyer, though that’s hardly new. The 24-year-old Fillmyer allowed two runs on nine hits and a walk over seven innings, striking out six, yet was stuck with his sixth no-decision in his last eight starts.

Jake Newberry (1-0) wound up earning his first big league win in relief.

“Pretty cool,” he said, “to get it on a walk-off homer.”

The Orioles took an early lead on John Andreoli’s sacrifice fly and Beckham’s homer on a 3-1 pitch from Fillmyer. But the Royals answered in the bottom of the fourth when Phillips hit his second homer of the season — the 35th allowed by Dylan Bundy, tying an Orioles single-season record.

Kansas City pulled even in the sixth on Brian Goodwin’s base hit, then took the lead when Rosell Herrera shrugged off a 3-for-31 slump with an RBI single.

The game went back-and-forth one more time after that.

“It’s just closing. There’s pressure in different situations. There’s finality in that inning,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said of their fateful ninth. “It’s a great job if you’re good at it.”

BUNDY IS BETTER

Bundy wound up allowing three runs on eight hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. He also struck out eight in his best performance in about three weeks. “Yeah, I thought so too,” he said. “Still got room to improve, obviously, but the breaking pitches were a little bit sharper.”

MINOR LEAGUE DEAL

The Royals announced a two-year extension with Idaho Falls to remain their rookie-level farm club in the Pioneer League. Eleven current members of the big league club played for the Chukars.

ROYALS MOVES

The Royals, who traded C Drew Butera to Colorado on Friday, recalled C Meibrys Viloria from Class-A Wilmington. C Salvador Perez has been dealing with a sprained thumb, and Cam Gallagher is the only other catcher on the 40-man roster. Viloria was hitting .260 with six homers at Wilmington.

ORIOLES MOVES

Baltimore recalled INF Breyvic Valera from Triple-A Norfolk, and he’ll join the club in time for Sunday’s game. Valera appeared in one game with the Orioles last month, going 1 for 4, after arriving as part of the July 18 trade of Manny Machado to the Dodgers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: OF/DH Mark Trumbo (right knee inflammation) will have arthroscopic surgery in Baltimore, manager Buck Showalter said. It is expected to take place Thursday or Friday.

Royals: LHP Eric Skoglund (sprained UCL) was due to make a rehab start with Triple-A Omaha on Saturday night. Skoglund (1-5, 6.70 ERA) has been out since late May.

UP NEXT

RHP Jorge Lopez (0-3, 7.90 ERA), part of a late-July trade with Milwaukee, tries again for his first win for the Royals when he faces Orioles RHP David Hess (3-8, 5.08) in the series finale Sunday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brad Keller kept up his recent pitching surge with another strong outing.

Keller gave up a home run to the first batter of the game — Cedric Mullins — but quickly settled in to pitch eight strong innings in the Kansas City Royals’ 9-2 win over the Baltimore Royals in a matchup of the teams with the worst records in the majors.

“Every time he takes the mound, you expect him to keep you in the ballgame,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He just did what he does so well. He keeps the ball on the ground and did a nice job doing that.”

Keller (7-5) gave up two runs and four hits with two walks and four strikeouts to improve to 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA in his last four starts.

“I was just trying to get in a groove and throw strikes,” he said. “I just made a mistake (to Mullins). You’ve got a long game after that. You’ve got to flush it and lock it back in.

Ryan O’Hearn homered among his three hits and drove in four runs, Whit Merrifield scored three runs, and Hunter Dozier and Cam Gallagher also went deep to help the Royals win for the fifth time in six games on their current homestand.

“They’re not exactly household names yet, O’Hearn, Dozier and Gallagher,” Yost said. “But they’re doing okay. You watch Dozier who looks totally comfortable now. O’Hearn has always been a guy with a lot of confidence that he can hit. It’s nice to see Cam get off to a good start too.”

With the scored tied 1-1 in the fourth, Andrew Cashner (4-13) gave up a sacrifice fly to Merrifield after loading the bases on two walks and a single. Dozier led off the fifth inning with a 423-foot home run to left field to make it 3-1.

“(Cashner) was having trouble gripping his breaking ball,” Baltimore manager Buck Showalter said. “He never really got a feel for it. He’d throw a couple and it’s just hard to go through that many hitters, especially lefthanders, without a feel for a breaking ball. I think the last home run is the one that’s going to stick with him. He could have come out of that with three runs, not being able to do the things he normally does.”

The Orioles pulled within a run in the sixth when Mullins led off with a double just beyond the reach of Dozier at third, advanced to third on a fly ball and scored on Trey Mancini’s sacrifice fly to the wall in right.

The Royals answered in the bottom of the inning as Gallagher hit his first home run of the season, ending Cashner’s night.

“I think he was trying to get it out over the plate but it backed up on him,” said Gallagher, who was recalled from Triple-A Omaha Friday after the Royals traded catcher Drew Butera to the Colorado Rockies. “He just left it middle-in and I was able to get a good swing on it.”

Cashner, who has given up a career-high 21 homers, allowed four runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out one.

“That was probably some of the worst stuff I’ve carried into a game,” Cashner said. “My sinker was not there tonight. (My) offspeed pitches were not there. (I) didn’t really command anything for a strike.”

O’Hearn added a two-run single off Yefry Ramirez later in the sixth to push Kansas City’s lead to 6-2. Dozier’s RBI single in the eighth drove in Merrifield for his third run scored of the game, and O’Hearn added a two-run homer off Ryan Meisinger to cap the scoring.

TRANSACTIONS

Orioles: OF Joey Rickard was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk. … RHP Jhan Marinez was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list (right hamstring strain). He cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Norfolk. … OF Craig Gentry was designated for assignment.

Royals: Butera was traded to the Colorado Rockies for LHP Jerry Vasto, who was assigned to Triple-A Omaha. … OF Brian Goodwin was reinstated from the 10-day disabled list.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: OF Mullins, who missed Wednesday’s game with a hip injury, was back in the lineup in the leadoff spot. “I’m feeling good,” he said prior to Friday’s game. “I’m excited to get back out. I’ve been with the trainers; we’ve had some intense treatment going on, but I feel really good.”

Royals: C Salvador Perez was held out of the lineup for precautionary reasons with a mild strain of his left thumb. Perez, who missed Wednesday’s game against Detroit, hurt the thumb on Tuesday when he lost his grip on the bat during a swing against the Tigers. Manager Ned Yost said Perez could have caught Friday, but swinging would be difficult. Perez was replaced in the lineup by Gallagher.

UP NEXT

Orioles RHP Dylan Bundy (7-13, 5.37 ERA) will face another Royals rookie pitcher as RHP Heath Fillmyer (2-1, 4.21) takes the mound for Kansas City. Fillmyer will make his first career start against the Orioles. Bundy is 1-1 with a 5.87 ERA all-time against Kansas City, including one start this year May 8 in Baltimore, in which he gave up seven earned runs without recording an out.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adalberto Mondesi hit a two-run homer and finished with four RBI, Danny Duffy allowed two hits over six innings and the Kansas City Royals routed the Detroit Tigers 9-2 on Wednesday to sweep their two-game series.

Duffy (8-11) gave up both hits and his only run in the first inning, when Mikie Mahtook drove in Jose Iglesias with a two-out single. The left-hander labored through the frame but breezed the rest of the way, striking out six while working around a trio of walks.

Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer and Brett Phillips had a pair of RBI as the Royals pounded Tigers starter Michael Fulmer (3-10) in his second outing off the disabled list.

Fulmer, who tossed 4 2/3 shutout innings against the White Sox last week, allowed seven runs on eight hits before he was chased with two outs in the fourth. Fulmer is winless in his last seven starts, losing five of them, since beating the Twins on June 14.

Mahtook also homered off Wily Peralta in the ninth for Detroit.

Mondesi began Kansas City’s onslaught with his homer in the second, his second in as many days. Gordon went deep in the third, and the Royals added on with two triple and two doubles in the fourth.

Seven of the eight hits Fulmer allowed went for extra bases.

The Royals kept tacking on runs against the Detroit bullpen, sending the Tigers to their fifth consecutive loss. They’ve now lost 26 of their last 32 on the road.

Much like Fulmer, Duffy had been struggling much of the past month, going winless in three starts around a stint on the DL. But he was in complete control after the first inning, the only runners he allowed coming on a pair of walks and an error by third baseman Hunter Dozier.

Duffy’s performance was rather unexpected, too. He’d lost three straight to the Tigers, including two rough outings earlier this season, and was 3-8 with a 6.01 ERA in day games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Iglesias left in the fourth inning with a lower abdomen strain. He singled in the first inning and flied out to center field in the third. Jim Adducci replaced him in the lineup.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (left oblique strain) was scheduled to make his first rehab start at Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday night. … OF Bubba Starling, a former first-round pick, will begin his rehab stint after a dislocated finger at rookie-level Idaho Falls.

UP NEXT

The Tigers head to New York on Thursday night with LHP Francisco Liriano (3-9, 4.82 ERA) facing Yankees LHP J.A. Happ (15-6, 3.80) in the opener of a four-game set. The Royals get the day off before facing Baltimore on Friday night in a matchup of the two worst teams in the majors.

— Associated Press —

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 —