TORONTO (AP) — Marcus Stroman pitched seven innings to win for the first time in six starts, Darwin Barney hit a two-run homer and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Tuesday night.

Kansas City outfielder Alex Gordon’s solo home run off Ryan Tepera in the eighth was the 5,694th of this major league season, breaking the record set in 2000 at the height of the Steroids Era. The record was broken with just less than two weeks remaining in the regular season.

There were 5,610 homers last year, an average of 2.31 per game, and this year’s average of 2.53 entering Tuesday projects to 6,139. That would be up 47 percent from 4,186 in 2014.

Barney went 2 for 3 with three RBI as the Blue Jays opened their final homestand on a winning note.

Stroman (12-8) allowed one run and four hits for his first victory since Aug. 16 against Tampa Bay.

Tepera pitched the eighth and Roberto Osuna finished for his 37th save in 47 chances.

Barney reached second base on a one-out throwing error by third baseman Mike Moustakas in the third but appeared to forget how many outs there were and was doubled off on Teoscar Hernadez’s liner to center.

That was the first of seven consecutive batters retired by Royals right-hander Ian Kennedy, a streak that ended when Ryan Goins singled to begin the sixth. Barney fell behind 2-0 against Kennedy, then fouled off three straight pitches before homering into the left field bullpen.

Making his first start since Sept. 8 after missing a turn because of a sore shoulder, Kennedy (4-12) allowed two runs and three hits in five-plus innings. He walked none and struck out two.

Winless in nine starts, Kennedy is 0-6 with an 8.29 ERA since his last victory, July 26 at Detroit.

Toronto pulled away with a three-run seventh. Russell Martin hit a two-run double off Scott Alexander and Barney greeted Brandon Maurer with an RBI single.

Jose Bautista struck out twice, giving him 159 for the year and matching Jose Canseco (1998) and Kelly Johnson (2012) for the highest season total in Blue Jays history.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (pulled side muscle) and OF Lorenzo Cain (rest) returned to the lineup after sitting out Sunday’s loss at Cleveland. Moustakas (right knee), who was limited to pinch-hitting duties Sunday, also started for Kansas City.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jakob Junis (7-2, 4.15) is 4-0 with a 2.35 ERA over his past seven starts. Junis has won five straight decisions and is unbeaten since June 29 at Detroit.

Blue Jays: LHP Brett Anderson (3-3, 5.73) was bothered by a blister during his previous outing, Sept. 14 at Minnesota, but was able to throw a bullpen session Sunday.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — There was champagne chilling on ice for them, bottles and bottles of bubbly and beer.

But before the Cleveland Indians partied after winning a second straight AL Central title, there was work to be done to complete a week none of them will ever forget.

They could have taken the easy route and phoned it in.

Not this team.

“We want to win,” Corey Kluber said.

Cleveland’s ace pushed to the front of the Cy Young race with another dominant start and Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer as the Indians, who officially clinched the division crown a day earlier, kept on rolling with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Kluber (17-4), who has lost once since July 4, allowed three singles in seven innings and has not given up a run in 22 straight. The right-hander set the tone on a day of celebration which began with the Indians standing together in front of their dugout to watch a flag rise beyond the center-field wall commemorating their latest division title.

The Indians were going to have a good time — win or lose — but they didn’t want to disappoint another sellout crowd or fans captivated by their recent record 22-game winning streak.

“When we come out here and it’s time to play, we want to win,” Kluber said. “Nobody in that clubhouse likes losing, so regardless of whether we clinched or not, we were going to come out and try to win the ballgame and here’s what we’re going to do from here on out.”

Encarnacion homered in the fourth off Danny Duffy (8-9) as the Indians improved to 33-5 since Aug. 11 despite getting only three hits.

The Royals closed to 3-2 in the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by Brandon Moss off Tyler Olson. Cody Allen finished the inning and then worked out of a two-on jam in the ninth for his 28th save.

As they left the field, the Indians were handed AL Central championship T-shirts, caps and swimming googles to put on before heading to their clubhouse. Moments later, champagne corks popped and the room was turned into a free-for-all of sudsy spray.

Last year, the Indians celebrated their division, playoff and AL Championship Series wins on the road. Being at home made this one more special.

“It never gets old,” said pitcher Josh Tomlin, who has been with the Indians since 2010. “This is why you play the game — to win. And to be able to celebrate victories like this or little milestones like this.”

Kluber could be on his way to a second Cy Young Award win, following 2014’s. The right-hander is 10-1 in his last 10 starts. Despite missing nearly a month, he leads the league in wins (17), ERA (2.35), shutouts (3) and complete games (5).

In the major statistical categories, Kluber trails only Boston’s Chris Sale, his closest competition for the pitching award, in strikeouts.

“He’s a tough draw,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s a premier guy. The year he won the Cy Young is the way he looks now. He’s in the conversation again this year.”

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Jason Kipnis didn’t embarrass himself in the outfield. He didn’t do anything, really.

The Indians’ two-time All-Star second baseman made his debut in center but didn’t have a chance. He had been on the disabled list since Aug. 6 with a hamstring injury.

“It was good. I didn’t touch a ball all day offensively or defensively,” said Kipnis, who struck out twice. “I had nothing, but it was fun. Obviously, I had some nerves.”

As soon as Kipnis left the game, two balls were immediately hit to center.

ANOTHER STREAK

The Indians have allowed four runs or less in 24 consecutive games, the longest such streak since the St. Louis Cardinals had a 25-game run in 1942-3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (pulled side muscle) and OF Lorenzo Cain (rest) sat out but are expected to return Tuesday for the series opener in Toronto.

Indians: All-Star 2B Jose Ramirez (hamstring) was rested for the second day in a row as a precaution. … Team president Chris Antonetti said there is still no clarity on whether OF Michael Brantley will return this season. He’s been out since Aug. 9 with an ankle injury. … Rookie OF Bradley Zimmer (broken hand) is keeping up with his conditioning and maintaining his arm strength after surgery. Zimmer had a plate and nine screws inserted into his hand, which he broke on a headfirst dive into first.

UP NEXT

Royals: Either RHP Ian Kennedy or Sam Gaviglio will start against the Blue Jays. Kennedy missed his last turn in the rotation with shoulder fatigue. Gaviglio has started twice since being claimed on waivers from Seattle.

Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger will look for his 11th win on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Los Angeles. He was drafted by the Angels in 2011 and traded to Cleveland in 2014.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — When reality set in, the ovation steadily grew as the Cleveland Indians emerged from their dugout.

With the scoreboard showing a loss and the Kansas City Royals shaking hands and high-fiving each other nearby, the Indians tipped their caps to salute fans who came hoping to see more late-inning magic and a record streak continue.

You can’t win `em all.

Cleveland’s historic run is over.

The Indians, who captured America’s attention during a dominating three-week run, had their AL-record winning streak stopped at 22 straight on Friday night with a 4-3 loss to the Royals, who became the first team to conquer the defending league champions since Aug. 23.

Jason Vargas (16-10) pitched into the sixth and Brandon Moss homered off Trevor Bauer (16-9) as the Royals, who were beaten five times by Cleveland over the past few weeks, ended baseball’s longest win streak in 101 years.

But when it ended, there was a celebration as a crowd of 34,025 fans saluted a team that took them on an improbable ride they are unlikely to see again in their lifetimes.

“They’ve been so supportive,” said Indians manager Terry Francona, who led his team out of the dugout to return the love to the crowd. “The atmosphere around here is incredible and I think our players wanted to show their appreciation. It’s by no means the last game of the year or anything like that, it’s just been pretty incredible how they’ve reacted and we just wanted to show our appreciation because we don’t take it for granted.

“I don’t think anything is over.”

The Indians set a new league mark and came within four of matching the overall record held by the 1916 New York Giants, a 26-game string that became the subject of scrutiny because it included a tie in the middle.

But despite the loss, Cleveland’s magic number for clinching the AL Central dropped to two after second-place Minnesota was beaten by Toronto.

Following a magical, walk-off win in extra innings on Thursday night, the Indians couldn’t muster another late rally.

When Francisco Lindor, one of the stars in Cleveland’s 3-2 win on Thursday, struck out with a runner on first to end it, the crowd experienced the slightest moment of disappointment before appreciating what they had just seen. And as they stood and cheered, the Indians clapped in return.

“It’s been great,” Bauer said. “They came out, they supported us. The atmosphere last night and tonight was spectacular. Shoot, even tonight after the loss, everyone was standing and stuff like that. It was a pretty cool moment.”

The Indians, who are already assured a playoff spot, not only broke the previous AL record of 20 held by the 2002 “Moneyball” Oakland Athletics, but they served notice that they well could be the team to beat in the postseason as they attempt to get back to the World Series and perhaps end their 68-year title drought after the Chicago Cubs halted their 108-year dry spell at Cleveland’s expense in 2016.

Jose Ramirez, who has forced his way into the MVP conversation, hit a two-run homer and the Indians took a 3-1 lead before the Royals scored a run in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

With one last chance in the ninth, the Indians put the tying run on base before Royals reliever Mike Minor struck out the side for his first pro save, fanning Lindor on a pitch in the dirt.

That touched off a wild celebration, which shook Progressive Field and gave Cleveland fans a chance to get ready for bigger games to come.

“I think it was appropriate. We haven’t lost a game in three weeks. We played a good game,” Cleveland outfielder Jay Bruce said. “It wasn’t like we got just blown out or anything. I think (it was important) to have a bit of a light-hearted attitude about it all, and not take it too hard, obviously, because we’re in a great position.

“We just did something that, depending on who you ask, one or no teams have ever done. So, it’s one of those deals where we understand what the situation is, and this is not something that would happen very often.”

For the better part of a month, the Indians had no equals.

“What they did over there was amazing. I mean, it’s utterly amazing,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s just unfathomable for me that you can go three weeks without losing a game. I mean, it was a tremendous accomplishment.”

“I mean, we’ve got a runner on first, two outs, two strikes on Lindor, and I told Jirsch (third base coach Mike Jirschele), `man, we’ve been here before.’ Luckily we got through it tonight,” he said.

On their way to making AL history, the Indians romped through the league like no team has before.

They outscored opponents 145-41, led in all but 12 of 207 innings, hit 42 homers and captured the attention of baseball fans fixated on the hot-then-cold Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros and seeing how far Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge could hit homers.

Francona kept his players focused throughout the streak, mindful that it could become too big. They’ll likely wrap it up their division this weekend and can start looking ahead to a postseason where the only streak that will matter is winning the last game they play.

“To me, it’s just kind of a jumping off point,” Francona said. “Where do we go from here? It’s up. Common sense said you’re going to lose a game. It was a lot of fun. We’ll show up tomorrow and my guess is we’ll have real good energy and see if we can beat the Royals.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez sat out with a pulled muscle in his side and is considered day-to-day. He was injured taking a swing Thursday. … RHP Joakim Soria is expected to join the team Saturday after returning to Arizona for the birth of his son.

Indians: OF Lonnie Chisenhall had his calf re-examined by the medical staff after leaving with tightness on Thursday night. The club is hoping the injury is nothing serious after Chisenhall missed more than two months with a calf injury. … OF Jason Kipnis is expected to play five innings in center field on Sunday when he’s activated after his second DL stint with a calf injury. The Indians are lacking outfield depth following injuries to Chisenhall and rookie Bradley Zimmer (broken hand).

UP NEXT

RHP Carlos Carrasco tries to get the Indians to their ninth division title since 1995 on Saturday, when he faces Royals RHP Jason Hammel.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — On a winning streak that just won’t stop, the Cleveland Indians have posted shutouts, blowouts and routine wins.

All that was missing were a walk-off victory and extra innings.

“Check those two off,” closer Cody Allen said. “We’re checking all the boxes.”

And check this out: 22 in a row.

Jay Bruce hit an RBI double in the 10th inning — after Francisco Lindor tied it with a clutch double in the ninth — as the Indians rallied for their 22nd straight win to extend their AL record, beating the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Thursday night.

Cleveland moved within four wins of matching the 1916 New York Giants for the longest streak in major league history.

A three-week romp through the league finally had some real drama to keep baseball’s longest winning streak in 101 years intact.

Even before the rally, Allen looked at his teammates in the bullpen and knew something special was about to happen.

“In the ninth, we were saying, ‘We’re gonna walk them off,'” said Allen (3-6). “We thought we were going to walk them off right there. You win enough games in a lot of different ways, you see what those guys are capable of.”

Allen and the Indians only had to wait a little longer until Jose Ramirez scored the winning run.

With the crowd signing “Jose, Jose, Jose,” Ramirez led off the 10th with a hard hit into right-center off Brandon Maurer (2-2) that he turned into a double with a head-first slide. After Edwin Encarnacion walked, Bruce, the recent arrival who hit a three-run homer in win No. 21 on Wednesday, ripped a 2-0 pitch into the right-field corner.

As Progressive Field shook like it usually does in October, Bruce reached second base and was quickly mobbed by his teammates, who doused him with ice water and talcum powder while tearing the front of his jersey.

“Kids these days are throwing everything,” Bruce said with a laugh. “You never know what you’re going to get hit with out there. It’s my first jersey rip off, for sure. They didn’t get it all, though.”

These Indians aren’t stopping for anything.

Down to their last strike in the ninth, the Indians rallied to tie it at 2 off closer Kelvin Herrera, with Lindor delivering his shot off the left-field wall, just above the leap of four-time Gold Glove winner Alex Gordon, to score pinch-runner Erik Gonzalez from first.

“The ball actually hit off the top of my glove,” Gordon said. “It was in a perfect spot where you had to decide whether to play it off the wall or go for it. I thought if I played it off the wall, he scores anyway, so I had to go for it.”

Lindor’s ball caromed off the wall and rolled slowly across the grass in left field, and 30,874 fans who have watched the Indians overpower teams for the last three weeks soon saw the AL Central leaders pull off their most dramatic win this season.

The Indians entered the day tied with the 1935 Chicago Cubs for the second-longest streak, and now only trail those ’16 Giants, who won 26 in a row — all at home.

The Giants won 12 straight, played a 1-1 tie, and then won 14 in a row. But because the tied game was replayed from the start the next day, it didn’t technically count and therefore didn’t stop New York’s streak.

Unlike many of Cleveland’s game’s over the past three weeks, this one required a little late-innings work by the Indians, who have outscored their opponents 142-37 during this unimaginable run that has put them on the cusp of another Central title and possibly finish with the league’s best record.

“This doesn’t really happen anywhere,” said Bruce, who came over in an Aug. 9 trade from the New York Mets. “You can hit that lull in September and even though you’ve got all but wrapped up the division, you know, the games can get long. They can get boring. They can get monotonous. We have a lot of things going for us that make it not like that.

“People are going crazy. It’s a playoff atmosphere. We’re trying to get the best record in baseball.”

If not for Lindor, the Indians’ streak would have stopped.

With one out in the ninth, pinch-hitter Tyler Naquin singled to left off Herrera, who then got rookie Francisco Mejia to bounce into a force. But Lindor, the blossoming superstar shortstop who has been Cleveland’s best hitter throughout the streak, came through with his double.

“For a second, when I hit it, I was like, ‘Oh no, I went the other way. I hit it to the wrong guy,'” Lindor said. “Then, I saw it hit the wall and the emotions were pretty high. Just seeing the whole entire crowd was fun, and then seeing your teammates screaming on the top step of the dugout is pretty special.”

So is this team.

MILLER TIME

On top of getting another win, the Indians also got top reliever Andrew Miller back. The All-Star came in to a rousing ovation in the seventh, and gave up a pair of bloop singles around a strikeout before getting an inning-ending double play.

It was his first appearance since Aug. 21, when Miller’s knee tendinitis flared up during an appearance against Boston and he went on the DL for the second time.

“I thought he looked much, much closer to Andrew than the last time,” said manager Terry Francona, who will closely monitor Miller. “He’s going to need some outings, but that was a really good first step for him.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (sore elbow) threw a side session and could start Sunday’s series finale. He’s been on the disabled list since Aug. 26. Duffy is 8-8 with a 3.78 ERA in 21 starts.

Indians: All-Star OF Michael Brantley still isn’t running and the club still doesn’t have a timetable for his return from an ankle injury. Brantley was having a strong comeback season after playing in just 11 games in 2016 following shoulder surgeries.

UP NEXT

Trevor Bauer, tied for the league lead in wins, goes for his 17th and Cleveland’s 23rd in a row against Jason Vargas.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Though Veterans Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia came through in the ninth inning, there is no doubt the Chicago White Sox are looking more to the future.

Abreu and Garcia drove in runs in the ninth as the White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 Wednesday.

The White Sox took two of three at Kauffman Stadium, winning their first road series since June 16-18. While they have the worst American League record (58-87), they have won four of their past five games, hitting .360 with 26 extra-base hits and 40 runs in that span. They won a series in Kansas City for the first time since 2015.

Abreu’s sacrifice fly scored Tim Anderson, who led off the inning with a single, took second on a wild pitch by Scott Alexander (4-4) and stole third.

Garcia’s single to center scored Yoan Moncada with the second run. Garcia is hitting an American League-leading .432 against left-handed pitchers.

“We never give up,” Garcia said. “We always keep fighting. We never know what’s going to happen. What we can control is giving our best.”

Alexander was working for the fifth time in seven games, including throwing 17 pitches in a Tuesday save and 27 on Sunday. Manager Ned Yost said before the game Alexander was unavailable.

“They called down. I said I felt fine,” Alexander said. “We’re all tired. It’s the same thing for everybody. We’re all trying to be available.”

The Royals, who entered three games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild card, tied the score at 3 in the eighth. Alcides Escobar singled in one run, while pinch runner Terrance Gore scored the other on an Alex Gordon groundout.

“Fortunately the damage was minimized and we were able to come out on top,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said.

Juan Minaya (3-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the victory.

Adan Engel hit a two-run double in the second for Chicago, scoring Tyler Saladino and Kevan Smith. Engel has nine of his 20 RBI this season against the Royals.

After Royals starter Eric Skoglund retired the first two batters in the third, he gave up a double to Garcia, walked Matt Davidson and gave up an RBI single to Saladino.

The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the seventh but came away empty. Melky Cabrera flied out to center and Eric Hosmer grounded out to end the threat.

Skoglund lasted only three innings and 66 pitches, giving up three runs on five hits. He threw 6 1/3 innings of two-hit ball to beat Detroit 1-0 in his big league debut on May 30. Since then, Skoglund has given up 17 runs on 26 hits and 10 walks over 10 2/3 innings. He has a 14.34 ERA in four starts and one relief appearance.

White Sox starter Lucas Giolito yielded one run, a homer by Salvador Perez in the sixth inning, in 6 1/3 innings. Giolito has a 1.75 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .140 batting average in his past four starts.

The Royals will try to snap the Indians’ AL record 21-game winning streak on Thursday in Cleveland.

“We’re not worried about that,” second baseman Whit Merrifield said. “We’re just worried about playing better as a team. We’re going to show up, and try to pitch, play defense, swing the bats and run the bases better than we have recently. If we do all those things, we like where we are.”

ON THE ROAD, AGAIN

The Royals hit the road Thursday to begin a 12-day, 11-game, four-city, two-country trip. It consists of four games in Cleveland, three in Toronto, three in Chicago and one in New York, which is a makeup from a May 25 rainout. The last time the Royals had a four-city trip was April 29-May, 11, 2005, and they went 3-9.

MORIN HOMECOMING

RHP Mike Morin, who grew up in the Kansas City, watched several games at Kauffman Stadium.

“I remember coming to games with the Hy-Vee level seats up top for $5 with a student ID,” said Morin, whom the Royals claimed off waivers Monday from the Angels.

“I remember coming and watching a Cardinals game when Mark McGwire was doing his thing. It was cool. It’s something you dream of as a kid to have this opportunity. What a cool thing to have happen.”

Morin made his Royals debut, striking out Matt Davidson in the ninth, the only batter he faced.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (elbow) will likely come off the disabled list and start Sunday at Cleveland. He would be on a 65 pitch-limit range. . RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique) is expected to rejoin the team in Cleveland and be activated. He returned to Arizona to be with his wife for the birth of their third child.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP James Shields, who starts the series opener at Detroit, snapped a 11-game winless skid in his previous start, beating the Giants on Saturday and allowing one run and two hits over a season-high seven innings. LHP Chad Bell will start for the Tigers.

Royals: RHP Jake Junis, who starts Thursday at Cleveland, is 4-0 with a 2.48 ERA in his past six starts. RHP Josh Tomlin will start for the Indians.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brandon Moss gave the Kansas City Royals an early lead, and rookie Scott Alexander made it hold up in a tense ninth inning.

Moss hit a grand slam in the first Tuesday for his third consecutive game with a homer, leading the Royals to a 4-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox.

Alexander worked out of a ninth-inning jam for his fourth save in six chances. He yielded a double to Adam Engel and a single to Yolmer Sanchez to lead off the inning. He struck out Yoan Moncada, retired Jose Abreu on a pop to Whit Merrifield and got pinch hitter Matt Davidson on a grounder to end the game.

“I was just trying to get outs any way I can,” Alexander said. “In that situation, such a great game, everybody played great, you don’t want to be the one to blow it. I was just doing everything I can to keep that run from scoring or at least not give up the lead.”

White Sox rookie Dylan Covey (0-5) walked the bases loaded in the opening inning before Moss drove a full-count fastball to right-center.

It was Moss’s fourth career grand slam and his first since July 24, 2014. He has nine RBI in his past three games.

“I don’t think you can ever go up to the plate with the bases loaded and not be excited,” Moss said. “That’s always a fun situation to hit in. The ultimate goal is always a grand slam. You don’t hit with the bases loaded very often. You’re trying to get a pitch to drive.”

Covey allowed just one more hit, a double to Eric Hosmer to lead off the sixth, before leaving after 5 2/3 innings. He threw 34 of his 83 pitches in the first inning and walked only one, Moss in the fourth, after the first.

“I was struggling with command early on,” Covey said. “You’d like to make the adjustment the next pitch, but it came a little later for me. It was halfway through the Moss at-bat when I started to get a little bit of rhythm. Unfortunately he got hold of one, but it was the walks that did me in.”

Sam Gaviglio (4-5) picked up his first Royals victory in his second start after being picked up on waivers Sept. 1 from Seattle. He yielded two runs on seven hits over five innings.

Sanchez’s double in the third scored Rymer Liriano, who had singled and stole second, for the first White Sox run.

Delmonico and Avisail Garcia led off the White Sox fourth with singles. Tim Anderson’s one-out single scored Delmonico and advanced Garcia to third. Anderson swiped second, his 10th stolen base in 11 attempts. Gaviglio prevented further damage by striking out Lirano and retiring Engel on a grounder.

The White Sox trimmed the lead to one run in the eighth when Rob Brantly’s double off Peter Moylan scored Delmonico.

“We got down early, but our starter bounces back and gives us a great rest of the game,” Engel said. “He really settled in. The offense chipped away, and we put ourselves in a good situation there late.”

MARCH MADNESS

The White Sox and Royals will start the 2018 season on March 29 at Kauffman Stadium.

SMALL CROWD

The announced attendance of 17,727 was the smallest for a Royals’ home game this season.

ROYALS ADD MORIN

The Royals claimed RHP Mike Morin off waivers from the Angels. He was 0-0 with a 6.91 ERA in 10 relief appearances this season with the Angels. He spent most of the season with Triple-A Salt Lake, where he was 0-1 with a 3.20 ERA in 22 games. Morin, 26, went to Shawnee Mission South High, a Kansas City suburb, and was drafted in the 40th round in 2009, but chose to go to North Carolina. To make roster room for Morin, the Royals designated for assignment LHP Onelki Garcia, who was 0-1 with a 13.50 ERA in two appearances.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain (quads) and 3B Mike Moustakas (right knee) did not play. “We’ve had an off day planned for Cain and Moose for four or five days because this is a quick turnaround,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of a noon game after a night game. “The training staff is here early. They’re here early to do everything they can to get on the field.” Paulo Orlando started in center and Cheslor Cuthbert at third base.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Lucas Giolito. He was ejected by plate umpire Gabe Morales in the sixth inning in his Friday start for arguing balls and strikes.

Royals: LHP Eric Skoglund. He has not pitched since Sept. 2 when he threw 81 pitches in three innings of relief against the Twins, giving up a three-run homer to Brian Dozier.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jose Abreu had four hits, Adam Engel hit a three-run homer and the Chicago White Sox pounded out an 11-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Abreu, who hit for the cycle Saturday and had two home runs Sunday, drove in two and scored once while raising his average to .306. He was a homer shy of another cycle.

Engel went deep off Brandon Maurer during a six-run sixth.

Yolmer Sanchez, Yoan Moncada and Abreu, the first three White Sox hitters, combined to go 9 for 16 with six runs and four RBI. Moncada had his first career three-hit game.

Reynaldo Lopez (1-3) gave up three runs and eight hits in six-plus innings to pick up his first victory since Sept. 29, 2016.

The loss dropped the Royals three games behind the Minnesota Twins with 19 games left for the second AL wild card.

Jason Hammel (8-11) was pulled after giving up five runs in 3 1/3 innings, his shortest start since going three innings on April 30. He walked two, including Nicky Delmonico with the bases loaded in the fourth.

The White Sox scored two runs in the first with Moncada’s triple. He scored on Abreu’s single.

Eric Hosmer singled in the Royals’ second, his ninth straight hit, matching the longest streak in the majors this season and one shy of the Royals’ record. He grounded out to third baseman Sanchez leading off the fourth to end the streak.

Brandon Moss homered to begin the Royals’ three-run fifth. Whit Merrifield tripled home Alex Gordon with the second run and scored on Lorenzo Cain’s single, cutting the White Sox advantage to 5-3.

The White Sox have outscored the Royals and San Francisco Giants 32-5 during a three-game winning streak.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (elbow impingement) threw a 46-pitch, three-inning simulated game. “I felt really good,” Duffy said. “I’m anxious to get back and help this team down the stretch. I’ve never been more ready to get back on the field and get ready to go. It’s not ever going to go away until I take care of it. I’ve just got to push through until the end of the season.” If Duffy feels good the next two days, the Royals plan on starting him this weekend at Cleveland. … Royals manager Ned Yost said RHP Ian Kennedy (rotator cuff fatigue) would be skipped a start.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Dylan Covey will make his first start since May 23. He is 0-4 with an 8.12 ERA in eight starts this season.

Royals: RHP Sam Gaviglio will make his second start after being obtained on waivers Sept. 1 from the Mariners.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jason Vargas had his best outing in a month and it came when the Kansas City Royals needed it the most.

Vargas snapped a personal four-game losing streak with his career high 15th victory, Brandon Moss homered and drove in four runs and the Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 11-3 on Sunday.

The Royals earned a split of the four-game series after losing the first two games. Kansas City is back at .500 (71-71) and moved 2 1/2 games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild-card berth.

“We’ve got a lot riding on all of them,” Vargas said. “We can’t afford to lose too many.”

Vargas (15-10) gave up a run and four hits over five innings. He was 2-7 with an 8.13 ERA in his previous 11 starts. Vargas’ previous season-high was 14 victories in 2012 with the Seattle Mariners.

“Personal goals or personal achievements don’t really mean a whole lot,” Vargas said. “If I had got pulled in that fourth inning, we’d still would have got a `W’ and it would have been just as a big game for us. At this point, personal goals don’t matter.”

Moss had an RBI double in a six-run second inning and a three-run homer in the seventh.

Eric Hosmer doubled twice among his four hits for his fourth straight multi-hit game. He has eight straight hits and a walk in past nine plate-appearances to raise his average to .328.

“It’s a nice streak,” Hosmer said. “We’re getting some wins. We did a good job of evening out this series. We realize there’s not a lot of time left, so there’s definitely a sense of urgency in here.”

Hosmer went 11 for 14 with two walks in the four-game series.

“We didn’t get Hosmer out, it felt like, the whole series,” Twins manager Paul Molitor said.

Byron Buxton tripled and scored on a sacrifice fly in the second for the only run against Vargas, who worked out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth when Brian Dozier grounded into an inning-ending double play.

“I was trying to get him to ground into a double play,” Vargas said. “I don’t know what else to say.”

The Royals sent 11 men to the plate in a six-run second inning off Bartolo Colon (6-12). Hosmer led off with a single, his first of two hits in the inning. He scored a run and drove in a run in the second.

Alcides Escobar contributed a two-run single, while Moss, Alex Gordon and Whit Merrifield had run-producing doubles.

Colon retired only five of the 11 batters he faced for his shortest outing of the year.

“There’s good days and then there’s bad days,” Colon said through an interpreter. “Today I felt amazing going out there, better than previous starts, but it was not my day today.”

Kenny Vargas hit a two-run homer in the Twins’ ninth.

ESCOBAR HOT

Escobar was hitting .179 on June 17, but is 81 for 278 (.299) in his past 75 games, to raise his average to .248. He went 6 for 13 in the series against the Twins.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: LHP Adalberto Mej�a (arm strain) will likely be activated and inserted into the rotation at the end of the week after tossing five one-hit scoreless innings Saturday for Double-A Chattanooga in a rehab start.

Royals: RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) returned to Arizona to be with his daughter who had appendicitis surgery. Also, his wife’s due date is Thursday for the couple’s third child. The club had planned to activate Soria on Monday, but that will be delayed several days.

UP NEXT

Twins: After a day off, RHP Kyle Gibson (9-10, 5.19 ERA) will start Tuesday against the Padres.

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (8-10, 4.73) will start the series opener against the White Sox. Chicago will go with RHP Reynaldo Lopez (0-3, 4.84).

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Eric Hosmer drove in the go-ahead run with his third hit in a three-run eighth inning, helping the Kansas City Royals beat the Minnesota Twins 5-2 on Saturday night.

Lorenzo Cain led off the eighth with a single against Ryan Pressly (2-3), and Melky Cabrera walked. Hosmer’s single off Buddy Boshers scored pinch-runner Terrance Gore.

Salvador Perez had an RBI double and Alcides Escobar a sacrifice fly to cap the inning.

Mike Minor (6-6) got the win with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Brandon Maurer earned his second save in three chances since the Royals acquired him in a July 24 trade with San Diego.

Alex Gordon homered with two out in the Royals’ seventh to tie it at 2. It was Gordon’s sixth home run and his first since July 3, ending a 169 at-bat home run drought.

Cain tripled in the first and scored on Cabrera’s ground out for the first Royals’ run. Cain finished with three hits.

Royals rookie right-hander Jake Junis, who is 5-0 since a June 29 loss, allowed two runs and eight hits over 6 1/3 innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Eddie Rosario took Junis deep in the third, and Byron Buxton homered in the sixth.

Minnesota starter Jose Berrios limited the Royals to two runs and eight hits over seven innings.

TWINS GO WITH SAME LINEUP

Manager Paul Molitor stayed with the same Twins lineup that beat the Royals the first two games of the series. “Three days in a row. I don’t know if we’ve done that this year, but it’s kind of nice to come in here and not overthink it,” Molitor said. “I didn’t see a lot of reason just to change. It’s clicking fairly well for the most part. I think the guys are comfortable where they’re at.”

With the Royals starting a left-hander Sunday and a day game after a night game, Molitor will likely have some lineup modifications for the series finale.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: 3B Miguel Sano (left shin stress) did some things on the field Saturday, and Molitor said he “had a good day.” Sano’s return will be made tricky by the fact that the minor league season is nearly over, meaning he won’t be able to go on a rehab assignment. … LHP Adalberto Mejia (arm strain) made a rehab start Saturday for Double-A Chattanooga and pitched five scoreless innings and allowed one run against Montgomery. He struck out five and walked none, throwing 50 strikes in 73 pitches.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (left elbow impingement) will throw a simulated game Monday. If all goes well, Duffy could return to the rotation next weekend. … RHP Ian Kennedy (rotator cuff fatigue) will probably not make his next start. … RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) felt fine Saturday after a bullpen session Friday. Manager Ned Yost said Soria would likely be activated Monday.

UP NEXT

Twins: RHP Bartolo Colon is 15-10 with a 4.78 ERA in 29 career starts against the Royals.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas is 2-7 with an 8.13 ERA in his past 11 starts.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — With the start Eddie Rosario gave Minnesota, manager Paul Molitor was hoping to for an easier win. This time of year, of course, he’ll take it.

Rosario homered and drove in four runs over the first four innings, helping the Twins beat the Kansas City Royals 8-5 on Friday night.

Rosario had a sacrifice fly in the first inning, hit his 21st home run in the third inning off Ian Kennedy (4-11) and knocked a two-out, bases-loaded single in the fourth to score Robbie Grossman and Joe Mauer. Rosario has 10 home runs and 28 RBI in his past 30 games.

Ervin Santana (15-7) gave up four runs and five hits over five innings for the victory. He is 4-0 in nine starts since a July 21 loss, and he’s tied for the AL lead in victories.

Eduardo Escobar had three hits and homered for the Twins in the fifth. Still, reliever Trevor Hildenberger had to clean up a mess left by Taylor Rogers in the seventh before Matt Belisle finished for his seventh save.

“There were a lot of momentum changes,” Molitor said. “When you score the first five innings of a game and you have your best pitcher out there, you would like to think the game would be a little less stressful. But credit to the Royals and their fight, they kept finding ways to inch closer.”

Kennedy was pulled after giving up three runs, four hits and three walks over three innings. He is winless in a club-record 18 straight home starts. He is 0-9 since his last home victory on Aug. 20, 2016.

“His shoulder started tightening up in the second inning,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s got (rotator) cuff fatigue. He’s been dealing with it for about a month.”

The Twins jumped to a 5-1 lead, but the Royals trimmed it with Eric Hosmer’s solo home run in the third and Whit Merrifield’s two-run double.

Ramon Torres’ seventh-inning single scored Alcides Escobar, cutting the Minnesota lead to 6-5. Hildenberger replaced Rogers with two runners on base and none out and induced Merrifield into a groundball double play.

“Once I saw he wasn’t bunting, I was pitching for a ground ball,” Hildenberger said. “I enjoy ground balls right at people.”

The Twins added two in the eighth with Grossman tripling in one run and Mauer doubling in another.

“The guys just kept battling,” Yost said. “We just couldn’t overcome it.”

HERRERA NO LONGER CLOSER

Yost has removed RHP Kelvin Herrera, who blew a save Thursday, from the closer’s role. He gave up two runs on two hits in the eighth inning Friday.

“He’s not sharp,” Yost said. “He’s pitching about once over five days. We need to get him more in a pitching rhythm. It’s not enough to keep him sharp. We can pitch him in the seventh and eighth innings and get him in more games instead of holding him back for save situations and try to get him sharp again and then reinsert him.”

Yost said he would use a closer by committee, mentioning LHPs Scott Alexander and Mike Minor and RHPs Brandon Maurer and Peter Moylan.

TWINS’ ROTATION

Molitor said RHPs Kyle Gibson and Santana would start Tuesday and Wednesday against the Padres on their normal four days of rest, while others would be pushed back with the team off Monday. Gibson is 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA in his past four starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Twins: LHP Adalberto Mejia (left arm strain) will make a rehab start Saturday for Double-A Chattanooga. If he has no setback, he could rejoin the Minnesota rotation next week. … 3B Miguel Sano (left shin) ran and hit in the Target Field cages and might hit on the field Saturday. … Molitor said LHP Hector Santiago (upper back pain) likely will not pitch again season. He went on the disabled list July 5.

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain (tightness in quads) was the DH. Paulo Orlando started in center. … 3B Mike Moustakas (sore right knee) was not in the lineup and likely will be held out again Saturday. … RHP Joakim Soria (left oblique strain) threw a bullpen session with no problems.

ON DECK

Twins: RHP Jose Berrios is 0-1 with an 8.20 ERA in four career starts against Kansas City.

Royals: RHP Jake Junis has won five straight decisions.

— Associated Press —