Josh Hamilton is starting to warm up along with the weather.

Hamilton started the Angels’ comeback when he homered leading off the seventh inning, and Los Angeles beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 Sunday for its eighth straight win.

Los Angeles trailed 2-0 before Hamilton homered on the first pitch of the seventh from Wade Davis (3-4), giving the former AL MVP home runs in consecutive games for only the third time since signing with the Angels during the offseason. Hamilton has five RBIs in his past five games after driving in five in his previous 39.

”It’s good to see him driving him the ball,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ”He started things off. His power is important to us no doubt.”

The Angels were unable to get into their dugout until about 90 minutes before the game because bees swarmed into it. A beekeeper was summoned to solve the problem.

Jerome Williams (4-1) then allowed two runs and seven hits in six innings for the Angels, on their longest winning streak since taking eight straight from May 22-29 last year. When they play at the Freeway Series rival Dodgers on Monday, they can stretch a winning streak to nine for the first time since August 2004.

Kansas City has lost nine of 10 and 16 of 20, dropping to 21-26. In only three of those 16 losses have the Royals scored more than three runs.

Plate umpire Marty Foster ejected Kansas City’s Billy Butler for yelling from the dugout in the sixth, an inning after the designated hitter was called out on strikes and had words with Foster. Scioscia was tossed by Foster in the ninth.

”I’m not the only one who had a disagreement with him in this series,” Butler said. ”He said some things to me I didn’t like and it got me fired up. Whenever I went and looked at video, it made me more mad. In the heat of the moment you react. It takes it to a different level. That’s unfortunate and I will try to control my emotions a little better. I’m not going to say it isn’t going to happen again, but it’s unfortunate.”

After Hamilton’s home run, Davis walked two of his next three batters, Bruce Chen relieved, and J.B. Shuck and Erick Aybar hit consecutive RBI singles for a 3-2 lead.

”He was throwing a pretty good game and then when Josh hit that homer everything started turning around,” Williams said. ”We already know our bats are there. Everybody is getting hot, not just Josh. That’s what we need. We need Josh to get back.”

Luke Hochevar walked Mark Trumbo and hit Howie Kendrick with a pitch in the eighth, and Shuck and Chris Iannetta hit consecutive run-scoring singles against Aaron Crow.

Williams improved to 3-0 with a 2.03 ERA in his last four starts. Sean Burnett, who replaced Williams, threw only 10 pitches and left with left forearm tightness. Burnett came off the disabled list last week after missing 22 games with left forearm irritation. Scioscia said ”we’ll see in 24 hours” the extent of Burnett’s injury.

Ernesto Frieri pitched an eventful ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances, getting in trouble when he walked Chris Getz and gave up Alcides Escobar’s third hit of the game. Alex Gordon struck out, Jeff Francoeur flied out in a 12-pitch at-bat and Eric Hosmer grounded out, ending the 28-pitch innings.

Davis did not allow a runner past second in the first six innings.

”We got into trouble in the seventh,” Davis said. ”The walks put us in a bad spot. The biggest goal is to keep it at zero. With the way we’ve been playing, we needed a win.”

Kansas City built its lead on David Lough’s two-out RBI triple in the second and a run-scoring throwing error by Williams on a pickoff attempt at first with runners at the corners in the fifth. George Kottaras drew his 10th walk in his 35th plate appearance and swiped second for his first steal since June 22, 2010.

”We haven’t played well and we know it,” Butler said. ”I’ll stand up and say we’re not playing the way we can. It’s frustrating. A lot of guys in here are frustrated.”

— Associated Press —

Mike Trout and Albert Pujols hit solo home runs, and Mark Trumbo hit a two-run shot to help the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals 5-4 Thursday night.

Joe Blanton got his first victory of the season after going 0-7 in his first nine starts. He held the Royals to seven hits and two runs in 6 1-3 innings. Trumbo put the Angels up 5-2 in the eighth with his team-leading 11th homer.

Ervin Santana (3-4), who spent 12 seasons in the Angels’ organization before being traded during the offseason to the Royals, struck out eight without a walk, but allowed five runs and eight hits – four of which were homers. Chris Iannetta hit one in the fifth.

The Royals scored on ground outs by Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas.

— Associated Press —

J.D. Martinez hit a two-run homer off James Shields, Jordan Lyles pitched six effective innings and the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Wednesday night.

Lyles (2-1) allowed one run and six hits in his 50th career game. Travis Blackley and Hector Ambriz each got three outs before Jose Veras pitched a perfect ninth for his eighth save one night after the bullpen struggled in a 7-3 loss.

Houston took two of three from Kansas City for its fourth series win this season.

Shields (2-5) struck out seven in seven innings while yielding two runs and seven hits. He has gone seven or more innings in each of his last six starts, but hasn’t won since April 30 due in part to his offense providing him with just five runs combined in his last four starts.

The right-hander, who was acquired in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, retired his first two batters before running into trouble. Jason Castro singled before Martinez drove a 2-2 pitch into the seats in right for his fourth homer.

Castro tacked on an RBI single in the eighth inning against Kelvin Herrera.

Houston’s Jimmy Paredes got his first start of the season at third base in place of Matt Dominguez, who sat out with tightness in his left quadriceps. Paredes has struggled in the outfield in the last few games, causing two collisions, but was solid at third.

Alcides Escobar smoked a grounder to Paredes with one out in the eighth, and he made a perfect throw to first to get him out.

Kansas City got its only run in the third when Jeff Francoeur hit a leadoff triple to the hill in center and George Kottaras followed with an RBI double. Alex Gordon walked with two down, but Lyles struck out Billy Butler to end the inning.

Lyles also got Gordon to bounce out with two runners on to end the fifth.

After their two-run first inning, the Astros had trouble stringing together hits against Shields. Martinez singled to start the fourth, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. Chris Carter followed with a single but Shields retired the next two batters to end the inning.

Gordon singled in the first inning to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

— Associated Press —

Mike Moustakas tied it with an RBI single before George Kottaras scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk in a four-run eighth inning, and the Kansas City Royals rallied for a 7-3 win over the Houston Astros on Tuesday night to end a four-game skid.

The Royals trailed 3-0 and couldn’t get much going offensively until the seventh when they cut the lead to one on RBI singles by Alcides Escobar and David Lough

Eric Hosmer chased Wesley Wright in the eighth when he singled to load the bases. He was replaced by Jose Cisnero who gave up the one-out RBI single by Moustakas, which snapped a 0-for-18 slump. Cisnero then walked Kottaras on four pitches to put the Royals on top.

They added two more runs when Escobar grounded into a force out to score Hosmer before an error by Marwin Gonzalez allowed Moustakas to go home.

— Associated Press —

Brandon Moss hit a tiebreaking triple in the sixth inning to help Tommy Milone outduel Ervin Santana, and the Oakland Athletics beat the Kansas City Royals 2-1 on Saturday night.

The A’s had just five hits and were held to two runs for the third consecutive game but made it hold up in front of a rare sellout crowd at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s also beat Kansas City 2-1 on Friday.

Milone (4-5) wasn’t crisp and pitched with runners on base in all but one of his six innings. The left-hander allowed a run in the first inning then blanked the Royals the rest of the way to end his five-game losing streak.

Billy Butler singled twice and drove in the only run for Kansas City, which has lost nine of 12.

— Associated Press —

Longtime Kansas City Royals broadcaster Fred White died Wednesday of complications from cancer. He was 76.

The Royals were informed of White’s passing by his son, Joe. White died in hospice one day after the team announced his retirement after 40 years with he organization.

White was the sports anchor for Topeka’s WIBW-TV and broadcast Kansas State athletics before joining the Royals in 1973. He would work with Denny Matthews as their primary broadcasting through the 2008 season, when the team was well into its lengthy decline.

Over those 25 years, though, White helped call six division championships, an American League pennant in 1980 and the Royals’ only World Series championship in 1985.

White also broadcast basketball games for ESPN and other networks. Upon leaving the broadcast booth, he headed up the Royals Radio Network and supervised the Royals Alumni, assisting with clinics, appearances and the team’s fantasy camp. In 2004, Cliff Shank of the Kansas Association of Broadcasters presented White with its Hall of Fame award.

After enduring the embarrassment of failing to go deep in the Home Run Derby, and the near-constant jeering from fans of the Kansas City Royals, Robinson Cano finally hit one into the seats at Kauffman Stadium on Sunday.

It proved to be important, too.

The two-run shot by the Yankees second baseman gave his team the lead in the third inning, and that was just about all the offense Hiroki Kuroda needed on the mound. He pitched into the eighth inning as New York beat Kansas City 4-2 to finish off a three-game sweep.

”This ballpark is big,” Cano said. ”I mean, this is a tough place to hit home runs.”

Cano, of course, was captain of the AL squad for last year’s derby in Kansas City, and had said he would choose the Royals’ Billy Butler for his team. But he went back on his word, and was booed lustily by the home crowd while failing to hit a single home run himself.

The jeers continued during the All-Star game, and didn’t let up when the Yankees returned to town for their only visit this season – at least, until Cano finally went deep.

”He’s just a really good hitter,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ”That’s probably the best way to say it. He’s just a really good hitter.”

Lest he need any advice on going deep in Kansas City, he might try asking Vernon Wells.

The Yankees outfielder homered for the second straight game on Sunday, helping to pace a New York offense that scored just enough for Kuroda (5-2) to win for the fifth time in six decisions.

He allowed only a sacrifice fly by the Royals’ Alex Gordon and an RBI groundout by Alcides Escobar over 7 2-3 innings. The right-hander at one point went 15 batters without allowing a hit, and was so fired up that he argued with plate umpire Laz Diaz over a call in the eighth inning.

”I guess it was the heat of the moment,” Kuroda said through a translator, without relaying exactly what he said to Diaz. ”I was fired up. It’s not something I would normally do.”

David Robertson retired Billy Butler to end the Royals’ eighth-inning rally, and Mariano Rivera worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to remain perfect in 15 save opportunities.

Rivera has converted his last 29 chances against the Royals dating to Aug. 18, 1998, his longest active streak against any team. His only other blown save against them happened in 1996.

”It’s amazing. He just continues to do it,” Girardi said. ”Anyone who wants to argue he’s not the greatest closer of all time, I don’t know who it is.”

Ervin Santana (3-2) gave up Cano’s two-run shot in the third inning, Wells’ solo homer two pitches later and an RBI single by Wells in the fifth. He departed with one out in the sixth and with the Royals well on their way to their sixth loss in their last seven games.

”I didn’t have my best stuff today, but I just tried to keep my team in the ballgame,” he said. ”Just a couple of pitches. That’s how it is against the Yankees.”

Santana, who hadn’t lost since his season debut April 3 at the White Sox, began his career 5-1 against the boys in pinstripes. He’s now 0-6 in his last nine starts against them.

The Royals struck first when Jarrod Dyson doubled leading off the game. He advanced to third on a bunt by Escobar and then scored on Gordon’s sacrifice fly.

That was all they’d get off Kuroda until the eighth inning.

New York pulled ahead in the third when Chris Stewart singled and Cano pounded the first pitch he saw over the bullpen in right field. It was his sixth career homer off Santana, two more than the All-Star second baseman has had against any other pitcher.

It was especially gratifying given his history at the K.

Cano was the captain of the AL squad for last year’s Home Run Derby in Kansas City, and had said he would choose Butler for his team. But he went back on his word, and was booed lustily by the Royals’ home crowd while failing to hit a single home run himself.

The jeers continued during the All-Star game, and didn’t let up when the Yankees returned to town for their only visit this season – at least, until Cano finally went deep.

Wells, who hit the go-ahead two-run homer on Saturday, followed with a solo shot, and then drove in Brett Gardner with a single down the third-base line in the fifth inning.

That was enough to ensure the Royals would be swept for the first time this season.

”I don’t know the reasoning behind it,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, ”but you’re just one hit away from opening up the flood gates. Sometimes that one hit in a crucial situation just relaxes everybody and all of a sudden you go on an offensive tear for a weak or 10 days. So we just wait for that to happen.”

— Associated Press —

Andy Pettitte finally stopped beating himself up long enough to look at video of his past couple of outings, subpar efforts by any stretch and certainly his own lofty standards.

It turned out that all the 40-year-old left-hander needed to do was a make a couple of minor adjustments – alter his arm angle ever so slightly, for one thing – to get back on track.

Pettitte pitched seven stellar innings Saturday night, and Vernon Wells hit a go-ahead two-run homer before making a long running catch for the final out, giving the New York Yankees a 3-2 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Pettitte (4-2) allowed seven runs against Houston and only lasted five innings his last time out against Oakland. But he looked more like he did early in the season against the Royals, with a piercing cutter and pinpoint control that kept Kansas City at bay all night.

”Whenever you get knocked around, it’s not a good feeling. You never want that doubt to creep in that you’re not able to get it done,” Pettitte said. ”Hopefully I can continue to get sharper and sharper.”

Pettitte allowed only a run-scoring groundout by Lorenzo Cain and a solo homer by Billy Butler while improving to 15-3 in his career against the Royals. Kansas City hasn’t beaten him in 14 starts dating to Sept. 4, 2000.

”I really don’t think he’s forgotten how to pitch, forgotten how to throw a cutter or any of that,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. ”I always say, when you’re old or overweight – and you don’t want to be both – and you’re struggling, people are always going to be saying, ‘Is something wrong? Is something wrong?’ It’s baseball. Everyone struggles.”

Everyone except Mariano Rivera, it seems.

After David Robertson struck out the side in the eighth, Rivera worked around a two-out double by Salvador Perez for his 14th save. But it wasn’t without some tension: Mike Moustakas hit a liner to right that landed just foul, and then scorched a pitch into the left-center field gap that Wells tracked down on the run to end the game.

It was Rivera’s 14th save to start the season, and his 28th straight against the Royals. It came just over a year after he tore the ACL in his right knee while shagging balls in the Kauffman Stadium outfield during batting practice.

”I think Mo said it best, as an athlete, you can get hurt anywhere,” Girardi said. ”It just happened to be here. … I’m sure it was good for him to get out there.”

James Shields (2-3) was hurt by a throwing error on Moustakas at third base in the second inning that resulted in the Yankees’ first run. He also gave up Wells’ two-run shot in the fifth, moments after Butler’s home run had staked Kansas City to 2-1 lead.

Shields wound up going eight innings for the third time in his last four outings, and each of those times he’s failed to pick up the win. He dropped to 7-15 in his career against New York.

”You’ve got to pitch better,” Shields said. ”That’s it.”

It was the Royals’ fifth loss in six games.

”Andy Pettitte threw the ball great,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. ”Kept the ball down. Changes speeds. Hit his spots really well. We never mounted much of an attack.”

The bounces certainly seemed to be going the Yankees’ way most of the night.

Travis Hafner hit a slow grounder toward first base in the fourth inning, and Shields and first baseman Eric Hosmer had trouble deciding who should grab it. Neither of them did until it was too late, and Hafner coasted across the bag for an infield single.

Lyle Overbay hit another grounder in the sixth inning that Elliot Johnson fielded at second base, but only after shortstop Alcides Escobar bumped into him. The slight hiccup allowed Jayson Nix to reach second safely and Overbay to be safe at first.

Meanwhile, a hard-hit ball by Moustakas leading off the seventh inning caromed off Pettitte’s glove and right to Robinson Cano. The Yankees’ second baseman made the soft toss to first, turning a potential base hit into an easy groundout.

Cano had another rough night in Kansas City, though.

The Yankees’ All-Star was booed mercilessly for the second straight night by Royals fans who no doubt still remember his decision to snub Butler for the AL squad during last year’s home run derby, which was hosted by the Royals as part of All-Star festivities.

Cano went 0 for 4 and struck out looking in the seventh, arguing with plate umpire Mark Wegner over the third strike. First base coach Mick Kelleher got between them and Girardi also ran onto the field to make sure Cano wouldn’t be tossed from the game.

— Associated Press —

Lyle Overbay hit a two-run homer and finished with five RBIs, Ichiro Suzuki also hit a two-run shot and the New York Yankees opened their only series in Kansas City with an 11-6 rout of the Royals on Friday night.

Overbay finished with a career-high four hits, Suzuki had three hits and Chris Nelson drove in a pair of runs for the Yankees, who gave manager Joe Girardi his 500th win in pinstripes.

Girardi reached the milestone in his 844th game, one fewer than Billy Martin. The only Yankees managers to reach the mark faster were Casey Stengel, Joe McCarthy, Joe Torre and Miller Huggins.

Phil Hughes (2-2) allowed six runs in 5 2-3 innings but still earned the victory, thanks to a slumbering offense that awoke against Royals starter Wade Davis and reliever Bruce Chen

Davis (2-3) allowed seven runs in five-plus innings.

— Associated Press —