The Kansas City Royals announced today that the club has traded catcher Matt Treanor to the Texas Rangers in exchange for cash considerations.  With the trade, the Royals 40-man roster stands at 39 players.

Treanor, 35, has missed the last 29 games after suffering a concussion on July 30 in Cleveland.  He has played seven games in a rehab assignment for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, batting .263 with five RBI.  Acquired by the Royals from the Rangers on March 28, 2011, the catcher hit .226 with six doubles, three home runs, 21 RBI and 24 runs scored in 65 games for Kansas City.

— Royals Media Relations —

Ramon Santiago is one of the smallest players on the Detroit Tigers — a smooth fielder and fast runner, but nobody’s idea of a slugger.

For the second time in less than three months, the 5-foot-11 backup infielder gave the Tigers a victory with a big hit in extra innings. Santiago’s solo homer in the bottom of the 10th on Tuesday night lifted Detroit to a 2-1 win over the Kansas City Royals.

On June 13, Santiago hit an RBI triple in the 10th to give the Tigers a 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay in a game he’d entered as a defensive replacement. He came in as a pinch-runner in the eighth on Tuesday but made his biggest contribution two innings later.

“I knew I hit it hard, but I was running as fast as I could because I wasn’t sure where it was going to end up,” Santiago said. “Once I saw it go out, I wanted to enjoy it, because you don’t get to do that very often.”

Santiago’s homer off Aaron Crow (3-4) was only his fourth of the year. It enabled the first-place Tigers to stay five games ahead of the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central.

Joaquin Benoit (4-3) pitched two innings for the Tigers, matching his longest outing of the season. Crow struck out Wilson Betemit with the bases loaded to end the ninth, but he got only one out in the 10th before allowing Santiago’s surprising homer over the right-field wall.

“You like to see someone like Santi get a turn in front of the cameras. He’s the underdog on a team with guys like (Miguel) Cabrera and (Victor) Martinez,” Detroit manager Jim Leyland said. “He ran into a fastball and he hit it well. That wasn’t a paint scraper.”

Detroit starter Doug Fister retired the first 18 hitters he faced. He ended up allowing a run and four hits over 7 2/3 innings and struck out six.

Kansas City’s Jeff Francis allowed two hits in 6 1/3 scoreless innings in an impressive duel between the two starters.

“I felt like every time I sat down, I was right back up, the way he was throwing,” Francis said.

Fister was traded from Seattle to Detroit on July 30 as the Tigers tried to bolster their rotation for the stretch run. He entered Tuesday’s game receiving only 2.63 runs of support per nine innings, and he settled for a no-decision after taking a perfect game into the seventh.

Alex Gordon ended Fister’s bid with a double. Billy Butler eventually drove him in with a sacrifice fly to give the Royals a 1-0 lead.

“I knew it, but it never crossed my mind to think about (the perfect game),” Fister said. “It doesn’t change how the hitters are going to approach me, and it doesn’t change how I’m going to approach the hitters, so it isn’t something that is in my mind.”

Francis was pulled with two on in the seventh, and reliever Greg Holland retired Martinez and Alex Avila to end the threat.

Holland has allowed only one of his 29 inherited runners to score this season, but he stayed in the game for the eighth inning and the Tigers managed to tie it. With men on first and third and two outs, Magglio Ordonez singled up the middle to make it 1-1.

The Royals had missed a chance to pad their lead in the top of the eighth when they put men on second and third with one out. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta fielded Alcides Escobar’s grounder and threw home to catch Mike Moustakas trying to score. Phil Coke then relieved Fister and struck out Gordon.

Detroit nearly won it in the ninth when Louis Coleman allowed three straight two-out walks, but Crow came in and got out of the jam.

— Associated Press —

The Kansas City Royals have named their Minor League Pitchers and Players of the Year for their respective affiliates.  The Paul Splittorff Pitcher of the Year and George Brett Hitter of the Year will be named this Friday, September 2.

A majority of the players are expected to be at Kauffman Stadium for Futures Night on Friday, September 16, where they will take part in an autograph session at Gate A from 5:30 p.m. to 6:15 p.m., as well as be honored in an on-field presentation prior to the Royals game against the White Sox.

OMAHA (AAA)

Right-handed pitcher Luis Mendoza has been named the Omaha Pitcher of the Year.  The 27-year-old has dominated Pacific Coast League hitters all season, posting an 11-5 record with a league-leading 2.15 ERA in 32 games (17 starts).  Named to the 12-member All-PCL Team yesterday, Mendoza originally recorded his second career no-hitter on July 18 at Memphis, before a reviewed ruling overturned a ninth-inning error to a double.  Mendoza was acquired from the Texas Rangers on April 2, 2010.

Johnny Giavotella was named the Omaha Player of the Year.  The 24-year-old was batting .338 with a minor league-leading 153 hits for Triple-A Omaha at the time of his call-up to the Royals on August 5.  The second baseman had 34 doubles, two triples, nine home runs, 72 RBI and 67 runs scored in 110 games for the Storm Chasers.  Giavotella was a starter on the Pacific Coast League All-Star team as well as a member of the 12-member All-PCL Team.  The University of New Orleans alum was the Royals’ second-round selection in the 2008 Draft.

NORTHWEST ARKANSAS (AA)

Left-handed pitcher Will Smith, 22, has been named the Northwest Arkansas Pitcher of the Year.  The six-foot-five southpaw is 12-9 with a 4.02 ERA in 26 starts for the Naturals.  Smith is 8-3 with a 3.44 ERA in the second half and has helped lead the Naturals to the brink of the second-half division title.

28-year-old Anthony Seratelli is the Northwest Arkansas Player of the Year.  The versatile performer and Texas League All-Star selection is hitting .283 with 12 doubles, six triples, nine home runs, 61 RBI and 89 runs scored in 123 games.  Signed by the Royals from the Independent Frontier League on February 27, 2007, Seratelli has appeared at first base, second base, shortstop, left field and right field this season with the Naturals.

WILMINGTON (A-ADVANCED)

Right-handed starter Jake Odorizzi was named Wilmington Pitcher of the Year.  The 21-year-old, acquired as part of the six-player trade with the Milwaukee Brewers on December 19, 2010, went 5-4 with a 2.87 ERA in 15 starts for the Blue Rocks before a midseason promotion to Northwest Arkansas.  The 6-foot-2 righty has combined for 151 strikeouts in 140.0 innings this season.

Rey Navarro, who will turn 22 on December 22, is the Wilmington Player of the Year.  The right-handed hitting infielder batted .285 with 17 doubles, seven triples, eight home runs, 41 RBI and 34 runs scored in 72 games for Wilmington before a promotion to Double-A.  Born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, Navarro, who was acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks on May 1, 2010.

KANE COUNTY (A)

21-year-old Greg Billo was named the Kane County Pitcher of the Year.  The six-foot-four right-hander is 9-5 with a Midwest League-leading 1.94 ERA in 26 games, 17 starts, for the Cougars.  In 130.0 innings, the Royals’ 28th round pick from the 2008 Draft out of Orland Park, Ill., has allowed 111 hits while striking out 118 against just 25 walks.

22-year-old outfielder Brian Fletcher was named the Kane County Player of the Year.  The former Auburn University slugger is batting .336 (107-for-318) with 30 doubles, three triples, 13 home runs, 57 RBI and 50 runs scored in 85 games for Kane County.  The right-handed hitter and son of former big leaguer Scott Fletcher was the Royals’ 18th-round selection in 2010.

IDAHO FALLS (ROOKIE-ADVANCED)

Right-handed pitcher Edwin Carl, signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent on July 20, 2010 out of the University of New Mexico, is the Idaho Falls Pitcher of the Year.  Carl, 22, has been nearly untouchable in the Pioneer League, posting an astounding 71 strikeouts and just three walks in 33.0 innings for the Chukars.  He is 3-1 with five saves and a 1.36 ERA in 21 relief appearances.  He was recently promoted to Kane County.

Outfielder Runey Davis, 22, has been named the Idaho Falls Player of the Year.  Signed as a minor league free agent on March 9, 2011, the 2009 Chicago Cubs 12th-round selection is hitting .325 with 14 doubles, three triples, six home runs, 36 RBI and 37 runs scored in 50 games for Idaho Falls.

BURLINGTON-NC (ROOKIE)

23-year-old right-handed pitcher Nick Graffeo has been named the Burlington Pitcher of the Year.  Selected out of the University of Alabama-Birmingham and Raytown (Mo.) High in the 38th round in 2010, the six-foot hurler is 4-2 with a 2.04 ERA in 17 games, including six starts.  The stepson of current Royals hitting coach Kevin Seitzer has struck out 53 and walked 16 in 53.0 innings of work while holding opponents to a .192 average.

Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio, the 2010 Dominican Royals Player of the Year, is the Burlington Royals Player of the Year in 2011.  Bonifacio, 18, is hitting .284 with 20 doubles, four triples, seven home runs, 30 RBI and 26 runs in 62 games.  A resident of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, Bonifacio was signed as a non-drafted free agent on December 9, 2009.

SURPRISE (ROOKIE)

Andrew Stueve, a 21-year-old right-hander, has been named the Surprise Royals Pitcher of the Year.  The six-foot-one hurler was 1-3 with a 2.14 ERA in 21 appearances, including one start, before a promotion to Wilmington.  Stueve signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent on June 11 out of Stanislaus State University.

Shortstop Nick DelGuidice has been named the Surprise Royals Player of the Year.  The 21-year-old right-handed hitter batted .408 (51-for-125) with 16 doubles, two triples, four home runs, 24 RBI and 32 runs in 34 games for Surprise before he was promoted to Idaho Falls.  DelGuidice was signed by the Royals as an undrafted free agent out of Florida Atlantic University on June 12.

DOMINICAN ROYALS (ROOKIE)

Right-handed pitcher Yender Caramo is the Dominican Royals Pitcher of the Year.  The just-turned 20-year-old (his birthday was August 25) is 10-3 with a 1.26 ERA in 13 games, including 12 starts.  His 10 wins were tied for the league-lead while his ERA was second in the 33-team league.  Signed by the Royals as a non-drafted free agent on November 22, 2010, Caramo is from San Felix, Bolivar, Venezuela.

Infielder Ramon Torres, signed by Kansas City as a non-drafted free agent on July 13, 2009, is the Dominican Royals Player of the Year.  The 18-year-old hit .260 with 16 doubles, three triples, two home runs, 24 RBI, 35 runs and 14 stolen bases in 60 games.  Torres, a switch hitter, resides in Santiago Rodriguez, Dominican Republic.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Pacific Coast League announced its 12-member All-PCL team for the 2011 season on Monday.  The Omaha Storm Chasers, Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate, were represented on the team by second baseman Johnny Giavotella, right-handed pitcher Luis Mendoza and designated hitter Clint Robinson.  Omaha was the only club to have three players voted to the squad.  Giavotella, Mendoza and Robinson also represented Omaha and the PCL at the Triple-A All-Star Game in July.

Giavotella, 24, appeared at the Triple-A level for the first time in 2011.  The right-handed batter compiled a .338 average with 34 doubles, nine home runs, 72 RBI and 67 runs in 110 games for the Storm Chasers.  The league’s Player of the Month for June, Giavotella led the minor leagues with 153 hits at the time of his August 5 promotion to Kansas City.  A University of New Orleans product, Giavotella was Kansas City’s second-round selection in the 2008 June Free Agent Draft.

Mendoza, 27, is 11-5 with a PCL-best 2.15 ERA and two saves in 138.1 innings over 32 appearances (17 starts).  He has dominated the league since May 26, posting a 10-2 mark and a 1.24 ERA over 108.2 innings.  The native of Mexico originally signed with the Boston Red Sox as a non-drafted free agent on June 12, 2000.  He made his Major League debut for the Texas Rangers in 2007 and appeared in four games with Kansas City in 2010 after being acquired from Texas on April 2 that season.

Robinson, 26, joined Omaha in 2011 after winning the Texas League Triple Crown last season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.  The left-handed batter is hitting .329 with 23 home runs, 97 RBI and 35 doubles, two shy of tying Omaha’s single-season record.  He has led the push for a playoff spot, recording a .478 average (32-for-67) over his last 18 contests.  Robinson was selected by Kansas City in the 25th round of the 2007 June Free Agent Draft out of Troy University.

— Royals Media Relations —

The Kansas City Royals have the record of a last-place team, and a pitching staff to match.

The Detroit Tigers found out again Monday night that the Royals don’t have a last-place offense.

The Royals got 18 hits in their second August win over Max Scherzer, beating the first-place Tigers 9-5 on Monday night.

Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon all homered while Johnny Giavotella added a bases-loaded double for the Royals, who came in 18 1/2 games behind Central Division leaders.

“I don’t know what it is about Scherzer,” Giavotella said. “We’ve put good swings on the ball against a lot of pitchers and not gotten anything to show for it, but we’ve been better against him.”

Scherzer (13-8) allowed seven runs, 10 hits and a walk in three-plus innings to drop to 2-2 in August.

“We were swinging the bat really well against him, and they weren’t bad pitches,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “Detroit has a great lineup, so you really want to put up as many runs as you can as quickly as you can.”

Tigers manager Jim Leyland wasn’t surprised.

“People need to realize that isn’t the team that fell way out of the race,” he said of the Royals. “They’ve brought up some young, aggressive hitters that are pretty impressive.”

Luke Hochevar (9-10) wasn’t brilliant, but used the offensive support to end a four-start winless streak. He gave up five runs and eight hits in seven innings.

“My job is to go out and execute pitches, whether we’re leading by 10 runs or down by 10 runs,” he said. “We really swung the bats well.”

Gordon led off the game with his 19th homer, and Perez’s RBI double made it 2-0 in the second.

“I remembered that he likes to start fastball, fastball, fastball, so I was expecting the last one,” Gordon said. “We knew we needed to score runs against them.”

The Royals then broke the game open with three runs in the third. Melky Cabrera and Billy Butler started the inning with singles, and Eric Hosmer walked to load the bases. Scherzer retired the next two batters, but Giavotella hit a line drive into the right-center gap, scoring all three runners.

The Tigers made it 5-3 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI groundout by Ramon Santiago and run-scoring singles by Delmon Young and Victor Martinez, but Scherzer couldn’t keep the Tigers in the game.

Perez led off the fourth with his first career homer — a 415-foot drive to left-center that bounced off the brick wall behind the seats — and Escobar followed with a shot into the left-field stands.

“I crushed that ball,” said Perez, who got a postgame beer shower from his teammates. “I felt so happy — it was unbelievable.”

Gordon singled, ending Scherzer’s night, but Duane Below got out of the inning.

“There are times when your pitcher gives us a couple hits and you can get him out of there, but when they hit two quick homers like that, there’s not much you can do,” Leyland said. “We were back in the game after the three-spot in the third, but that took a lot of sting out of us.”

Miguel Cabrera’s RBI double pulled the Tigers within 7-4, but the Royals got RBIs from Cabrera and Hosmer to put the game away in the sixth.

Detroit threatened in the eighth, adding a fifth run, but Blake Wood came in to get a double play and a strikeout to escape further damage. Wood finished for his first career save.

“They’ve got a potent lineup, which is why it was big for Woody to come in and get that double play,” Yost said.

— Associated Press —

Manny Acta has seen the injuries for his team mount on a daily basis.

The Cleveland Indians manager also realizes there isn’t anything he can do about it.

“We can’t call the commissioner and ask for a month off,” Acta said after watching his team drop a 2-1 decision to Kansas City on Sunday.

After rallying to win the first two games of the series, the Indians’ revamped lineup, which was without five regulars, was no match for Bruce Chen, who overcame a shaky first inning to win his career-high fifth straight start. Chen (10-5) allowed the first four batters of the game to reach base and walked Carlos Santana with the bases loaded to force in Cleveland’s only run. The left-hander, who allowed five hits in 7 1/3 innings, is 4-0 in his last five starts against the Indians.

Justin Masterson (10-8) allowed two runs in six innings and lost for the first time since July 24.

The Indians announced before the game that outfielder Michael Brantley will have surgery to remove a portion of the hamate bone in his right hand this week and will miss the rest of the season.

Cleveland also played without outfielder Shin-Soo Choo, who will miss at least the next few days with soreness in his left side. Designated hitter Jim Thome, acquired from Minnesota on Friday, wasn’t in the starting lineup. The addition of Thome paid off immediately for the Indians. Not only did he hit his 602nd career home run Saturday, his return sparked an increase in ticket sales. The three-game series drew 104,615 fans.

Thome, who was cheered by Cleveland fans all weekend, received another standing ovation when he pinch-hit with a man on first in the eighth. He struck out on four pitches by Greg Holland.

Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner and Jason Kipnis are three more Cleveland regulars who are on the DL.

“It’s a challenge, but everybody has their issues,” Acta said. “I’m not going to sit here and complain. That’s part of the game. I knew we couldn’t survive some of those injuries. We have to continue to battle.”

The Indians lost the tussle with Chen after the first inning. Singles by Ezequiel Carrera, Jason Donald and Asdrubal Cabrera loaded the bases before Santana walked on four pitches to force in a run. Shelley Duncan, swinging at the first pitch, fouled out and Kosuke Fukudome tapped into a pitcher-to-home-to-first double play.

“The first inning killed us,” Acta said. “We let him off the hook right there. That’s on us.”

Cleveland, which entered the game 6½ games behind Detroit in the AL Central, was trying to win three straight for the first time since June 29-July 2.

“We’ve still got six games against Detroit,” Masterson said. “We won this series, although today was a tough one. Detroit’s been hot, but we’re a team that can stay right there.”

Chen gave the Royals a major positive after their bullpen lost leads in the first two games.

“I am feeling good,” he said. “I feel like I am throwing my pitches really well. It was a very good day for us.”

Mike Moustakas’ RBI single broke a 1-1 tie in the third for the Royals, who held on to win after losing late leads in the first two games of the series.

Joakim Soria pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save.

Both teams loaded the bases with nobody out in the first, but only scored one run. Jeff Francoeur hit into a force play, scoring Alex Gordon, for Kansas City’s run before Chen walked in a run.

The game was delayed briefly in the fifth inning when a woman seated near the Indians dugout was struck in the head by a line drive hit by Hosmer. The woman was given medical attention and walked with assistance to a first aid station in the ballpark.

— Associated Press —

Asdrubal Cabrera helped Jim Thome celebrate his 41st birthday in true slugger’s style.

Two innings after Thome hit his 602nd career homer, Cabrera belted a three-run shot with two outs in the eighth inning to lift the Cleveland Indians to an 8-7 win over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

“It felt great. Great because we won the game,” Cabrera said after connecting on a 1-1 pitch from Louis Coleman (1-4) to give the Indians their 21st last-at-bat win and 32nd comeback triumph overall.

Second-place Cleveland remained 6 1/2 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, while the last-place Royals dropped to 21-28 in one-run games, 4-17 on the road.

“It’s a very important win,” manager Manny Acta said. “We never gave up. We’ve done it all year. It was a roller coaster of emotions, but fortunately we won and we’ll keep trying to win and see where it takes us.”

Joe Smith (3-3) got the final out in the eighth for the win and Chris Perez pitched the ninth for his 29th save. Perez threw out a runner trying to go to third on a sacrifice bunt, then fanned two Royals to strand a runner at second.

“That was a quality save and great play on the bunt,” Acta said. “It takes guts to do that type of play.”

Perez said that he thought about the situation before Alcides Escobar — bunting on his own — tried to sacrifice.

“I’ve got to make that play,” the right-hander said. “I had time that if the runner was going to get to third, I could still get an out at first.”

Escobar stole second and Perez struck out two tough lefties in Alex Gordon and Melky Cabrera — who came to bat 3 for 3 with 4 RBIs this season against Cleveland’s closer.

“I knew the history there,” Perez said of Melky Cabrera. “I got him on a slider, the pitch he hit to beat me earlier this year.

“We needed this win and we got it. What a fun game!”

Thome said Cleveland’s Comeback Kids make him feel rejuvenated. His solo homer in the sixth in his second game back with the Indians tied it at 4.

“I’m old enough to be some of these guys’ dad,” Thome said. “They make me feel young again.”

Gordon, who had three hits, belted a three-run homer in the seventh off reliever Tony Sipp to put the Royals ahead 7-4. Sipp replaced Fausto Carmona with runners on first and third in a lefty-against-lefty matchup, but yielded Gordon’s 18th homer.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s RBI single pulled Cleveland to 7-5 in the seventh.

In the eighth, pinch-hitter Lonnie Chisenhall singled with two outs and Kosuke Fukudome walked. Cabrera followed with his 21st homer into the right-field seats.

Thome got a rousing standing ovation as he slowly rounded the bases with his 335th homer in a Cleveland uniform, a line shot to left-center that extended his club record. The crowd kept cheering until Thome came out for a curtain call in a scene reminiscent of the slugger’s glory days in Cleveland from 1991 until leaving as a free agent following the 2002 season.

“That’s why we got him,” Acta said. “He’s always one swing away from something special.”

It was Thome’s first homer for Cleveland since Sept. 28, 2002, off the Royals’ Jeremy Affeldt. That was his 52nd homer that year, still the Indians’ single-season record.

Thome needs seven homers to tie Sammy Sosa for seventh on the all-time list.

Kansas City used three pitchers to get one out apiece in the seventh and strand two Indians on base.

“It felt like we were trying to stick our fingers in the dike all day long before it caved in on us,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of the back-and-forth game. “We couldn’t get anybody to have a clean inning.”

Kansas City scored three runs with two outs in the third off Carmona to go ahead 3-1. Mike Moustakas had a two-run double after Eric Hosmer singled home the tying run.

Jack Hannahan had three RBIs for Cleveland. His two-out single in the second off Royals starter Danny Duffy made it 1-0. He tied it at 3 with a two-out, two-run triple in the fourth.

Melky Cabrera put Kansas City ahead 4-3 with an RBI double in the fifth, though Gordon was out trying to score from first. Duncan’s strong throw from the left-field corner to Hannahan and the third baseman’s accurate relay to Lou Marson gave the catcher a chance to make a play. Marson blocked the plate and made a sweeping tag as Gordon tried to go around him.

— Associated Press —

As they were about to take the field, the Cleveland Indians held a last-second meeting. Something had to be done.

On a night filled with memories and hope, the Indians turned to their glorious past.

So they hiked up their pants and showed off their socks — just like Jim Thome.

“It was a little welcome present for the big guy,” said third baseman Jack Hannahan.

Thome was grateful.

“It was similar to ’97,” Thome said following Cleveland’s 2-1 win Friday night over the Kansas City Royals. “They did that for my birthday, and that year went to the World Series.

“So we’ll see what happens,” he said.

Thome went hitless but was warmly welcomed in his Cleveland homecoming after nearly a decade away and the Indians, getting a strong outing from Ubaldo Jimenez (2-1), slowed their slide in the AL Central. The Indians won for just the second time in eight games but didn’t lose any ground to the Tigers.

Thome went 0-for-4 and struck out twice in his first game back with Cleveland since 2002, when he disappointed Indians fans by leaving as a free agent. The slugger waived a no-trade clause to return to Cleveland and a chance to help the Indians get back to the postseason.

And in his return, a sellout crowd cheered his every move.

Thome received a thunderous standing ovation when he came up for the first time in the second inning. Holding “Welcome Thome” signs, fans clapped and yelled and he returned the love before his first at-bat with the Indians in nine years by taking off his batting helmet and bowing slightly.

“The single coolest thing I’ve seen in the big leagues,” said Indians reliever Vinnie Pestano.

Thome was overcome by the moment.

“Very emotional,” he said. “Overwhelming in a good way.”

Perhaps overanxious, Thome topped Paulino’s first pitch, sending a weak grounder toward the mound. His teammates shared a laugh later in the dugout.

“We were having a little fun there,” said Thome, who admitted he was more nervous in his return than as he was approaching 600 career homers. “I haven’t had a swinging bunt in a quite a while. It’s nice to get a win and see the crowed like that, the energy and electricity was good all night.”

It was like it used to be all the time in Cleveland. The Indians played to packed houses every night in the ’90s, winning five straight division titles and making it to the World Series twice. The rocking crowd hung on every pitch, and during one quiet moment, Thome said a teammate asked him for a comparison.

“Matt LaPorta asked me, ‘Is this what it was like back then?'” Thome said. “You see this crowd tonight and you hope it keeps going.”

Jimenez (2-1) struck out 10 and allowed one run in seven innings, the kind of performance Cleveland had been needing from him since he came in a trade from the Colorado Rockies.

The Indians scored the go-ahead run on a bases-loaded walk in the seventh by reliever Tim Collins and beat Felipe Paulino (2-6), who shut them out for the first six innings.

“My job was to go in there and throw strikes and I didn’t do that,” Collins said. “That’s just unacceptable going in there with the bases loaded and walking the first guy. That’s not what you want to do.”

Chris Perez stranded the tying run at third in the ninth for his 28th save.

After the final out, Thome bounced out of the dugout to congratulate his new teammates. This is why he came back, to help them catch the first-place Tigers, and he celebrated with high-fives and a hug for former roommate Sandy Alomar Jr., now his first-base coach, before he was collared by Slider, the Indians’ fuzzy mascot.

Thome’s return sparked a booming business at the Indians box office on Friday. The club was expecting a crowd of around 30,000 and drew 41,337 — the fourth sellout of 2011. Nearly 9,000 tickets were sold after the Indians announced their career home run leader was coming back.

“It was a special night, the crowd was unbelievable,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “I’m so glad people came out to support Jim. It meant a lot to him. He was very emotional. We’re happy to win on the first day he’s back for us. He can make a huge impact on our young hitters because he’s so open and humble.”

Thome struck out looking his second time up in the fifth, fooled by a chest-high fastball for strike three that he thought was out of the strike zone. He struck out again in the seventh, this time on a vicious cut, and grounded to second in the eighth. He didn’t have the impact he wanted, but the Indians won, and for Thome that’s all that will matter.

Jimenez was nasty. He blew fastballs past the Royals and was as good as he’s been since the Indians traded two top prospects for him on July 30. The right-hander has allowed just one earned run in 15 innings in two home starts — both wins.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said. “I guess it is just home sweet home.”

Thome has already made an impression on the Indians.

“Right when Jim Thome walked in everyone’s spirits went up,” Hannahan said.

Blanked for six innings by Paulino, the Indians scored twice in the seventh on Hannahan’s RBI single and a bases-loaded walk by Ezequiel Carrera to take a 2-1 lead.

Now an elder statesman, Thome, who was hitting home runs for Cleveland when new teammate Lonnie Chisenhall was still in diapers, sees himself in a mentor’s role — like Eddie Murray and Dave Winfield were for the Indians when he was a youngster. Thome has seen a lot of baseball in 21 seasons, enough to know the Indians aren’t out of it.

“Baseball’s a weird thing,” he said. “You can run off seven, eight, nine wins a row and look up and say we’re right there. Hopefully, we can keep going.”

— Assocaited Press —

Jeff Francis pitched six-plus innings to win for the first time since July 29, Melky Cabrera homered and the Kansas City Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 9-6 on Thursday night.

Billy Butler went 4 for 5 with two RBIs and scored twice as the Royals won their first series since taking two of three against Baltimore from Aug. 2-4. It was Kansas City’s first series victory in Toronto since August 2002.

Butler doubled and scored in the fourth, singled in both the sixth and seventh and doubled home a pair of runs off reliever Shawn Camp in the eighth. He went 8 for 15 with five extra-base hits to help the Royals win twice in the three-game series.

J.P. Arencibia and Edwin Encarnacion homered for the Blue Jays, but Toronto lost for the fourth time in six games.

Francis (5-14) came in 0-3 with an 8.27 ERA in his past four outings but was solid in his first career start in Canada. The left-hander, born in Vancouver, British Columbia, improved to 3-0 with a 2.37 ERA in three career starts against Toronto.

The Blue Jays managed just three hits against Francis over the first six innings before chasing him in the seventh. Kelly Johnson led off with a single and Arencibia followed with a two-run drive to left, his 20th. Francis left after Mike McCoy followed with a single.

Greg Holland came on and got Yunel Escobar to ground into a force before fanning Eric Thames and Jose Bautista.

Holland pitched two innings and Joakim Soria gave up Encarnacion’s 13th homer, a two-run shot in the ninth.

Francis, who won just one of his previous nine decisions, gave up two runs and six hits. He walked three, one intentional, and struck out five.

Kansas City catcher Salvador Perez led off the third with a double and scored on a two-out base hit by Johnny Giavotella. Butler doubled to begin the fourth and scored on a two-out single from Mike Moustakas.

The Royals got two more in the sixth. Cabrera doubled, moved to third on Butler’s single and scored on a base hit by Jeff Francoeur. After Moustakas grounded into a fielder’s choice, Perez drove in Butler with a base hit to center.

Cabrera chased Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil with a one-out homer to left in the seventh, his 17th.

Cecil (4-7) lost his third straight decision, allowing five runs and nine in 6 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out three.

Arencibia’s homer in the seventh cut it to 5-2 but Butler’s two-run double in the eighth restored Kansas City’s five-run lead.

Brett Lawrie hit an RBI triple off Holland in the bottom half and Arencibia added a sacrifice fly, but the Royals answered in the ninth when Moustakas hit an RBI double off Rommie Lewis and Mitch Maier added a sacrifice fly off Jesse Litsch.

Johnson, acquired Tuesday from Arizona, made his Toronto debut. Batting in the seventh spot, he went 1 for 2 with two walks. He also threw out Maier trying to score from third on a grounder in the eighth.

— Associated Press —

Brett Lawrie hit a tiebreaking home run in the seventh inning, Jose Bautista added his major league-leading 37th homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 4-3 on Wednesday night.

Jesse Litsch (5-3) pitched one scoreless inning of relief for the win. Frank Francisco worked ninth for his 11th save.

Melky Cabrera walked to begin the ninth and, after Billy Butler lined out, stole second. Francisco struck out Eric Hosmer and ended it by getting Jeff Francoeur to line out to right.

Louis Coleman (1-3) took the loss for the Royals, who have not won consecutive games since Aug. 3-4. Kansas City has won four of its past 16.

Lawrie broke a 3-3 tie with a leadoff blast to left in the seventh, his fourth. The rookie third baseman also hit an RBI triple in the fourth.

Toronto’s Ricky Romero came in with a 5-0 record and 0.89 ERA since July 27, tied for the most wins in the majors while compiling the best ERA in that span. But the left-hander wasn’t as sharp against Kansas City, giving up three runs and eight hits in six innings. That was as many earned runs as he had allowed in his previous three starts combined. Romero walked four and struck out three.

Romero hit Alex Gordon to begin the first and the Royals outfielder stole second before scoring on Butler’s double.

Gordon walked to open the third, moved to second on a grounder and came home on Butler’s RBI single.

Toronto scored three runs in the fourth. Yunel Escobar was hit by a pitch from right-hander Luke Hochevar and Bautista responded to a brushback by hitting a towering home run off the facing of the third deck in left.

One out later, Edwin Encarnacion singled and then scored on Lawrie’s triple to left-center.

Kansas City tied it when Gordon led off the fifth with a homer to right, his career-high 17th.

Like Romero, Hochevar didn’t figure in the decision, allowing three runs and four hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out five.

— Associated Press —