BALTIMORE (AP) — The two newest members of the Baltimore Orioles did exactly what they were brought in to do: help the team win.

Baltimore fans can only hope Jeremy Hellickson and Tim Beckham do that consistently enough to carry the Orioles into the postseason.

Hellickson threw seven outstanding innings in his Baltimore debut, Beckham had two extra-base hits and two RBI and the Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 6-0 Wednesday night to complete a three-game sweep.

The Orioles’ five-game winning streak is their longest since early May, and they now stand just 2 1/2 games behind Kansas City for the second AL wild-card slot.

Hellickson (1-0) was obtained Saturday from Philadelphia, the first of two significant trades by the Orioles to fortify the roster for a potential playoff run. The right-hander paid immediate returns, limiting Kansas City to five hits, issuing one walk and allowing only one runner to reach third base.

“I’ve been traded before, just not in season to a team that is playing as well as we are, that has a chance to make the playoffs,” Hellickson said. “It’s always good to throw a good one your first time out with a new team.”

After going 6-5 with the Phillies, Hellickson turned in his best performance of the season to earn his second win in 12 starts since May 19.

He received offensive backing from Beckham, acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on Monday just before the non-waiver trade deadline expired.

“I’m happy to be here, happy they believe in me,” the shortstop said. “We got a great club here, man, great club, love the energy, love the team camaraderie. It’s going to be a fun ride.”

The Royals had won 10 of 11 before coming up flat at Camden Yards, scoring only three runs in 27 innings.

“We definitely didn’t hit the ball well in this series,” said Mike Moustakas, who came in with 30 home runs. “They pitched the ball great and we just didn’t have any offense going.”

The Royals showed their frustration in the ninth inning, when Moustakas was tossed after complaining about a third-strike call and manager Ned Yost was ejected for joining the argument.

“That pitch was nowhere close to being a strike,” Yost insisted.

Baltimore went up 3-0 in the second inning against Jason Vargas (13-5) when Beckham doubled in a run and Caleb Joseph followed with a two-out drive into the left-field seats.

After Hellickson retired the first two batters in the third, a sudden rain shower forced a 35-minute delay. When play resumed, Hellickson gave up a single and hit a batter before retiring Eric Hosmer on a fly ball.

It would be the only time until the sixth inning that Kansas City got a runner to second base.

In the sixth, Melky Cabrera drew a leadoff walk and went to third on a double by Hosmer. Hellickson then caught a popup by Salvador Perez, struck out Moustakas and retired Jorge Bonifacio on a weak grounder to first.

Baltimore made it 6-0 in the eighth when Chris Davis doubled in two runs and scored on a triple by Beckham .

HOUSE OF PAIN

Kansas City was swept in three games at Camden Yards last year, too, and has dropped seven straight in Baltimore since Aug. 26, 2015.

MUST BE THE SHOES

After being traded from Tampa Bay to Baltimore, Beckham had to be fitted for a uniform Tuesday. His shoes, however, were already taken care of.

“It’s funny. I don’t care how many times a guy gets moved, the shoe company will catch up with him,” manager Buck Showalter said. “There were about four or five boxes there, and I’m thinking, `Wow, that’s pretty quick.’ God forbid, you go out there in blue shoes on an orange and black team.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: CF Lorenzo Cain was excluded from the starting lineup after tweaking his hamstring running for a ball in the gap Tuesday night.

Orioles: INF Ryan Flaherty (shoulder) went 2 for 4 with a walk for Class A Frederick against Myrtle Beach on Wednesday.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Trevor Cahill makes his second start since being acquired in a July 23 trade with San Diego, facing Seattle at home Thursday night. He allowed five runs over four innings in his debut vs. Boston last Saturday.

Orioles: Chris Tillman (1-6, 7.65) helps open a four-game series against the visiting Detroit Tigers. He’s winless in 13 consecutive starts.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maybe the Baltimore Orioles got this trade deadline thing right, after all.

Dylan Bundy allowed three hits over a career-high eight innings, newcomer Tim Beckham had two hits and scored twice and the resurgent Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 7-2 Tuesday night for their fourth straight victory.

The winning streak began over the weekend and gained momentum late Monday after the front office decided to be buyers at the non-waiver trade deadline, obtaining Beckham from Tampa Bay for a minor league pitcher.

The acquisition of Beckham followed the trade for right-hander Jeremy Hellickson, who will start Wednesday night. Although the Orioles still have some distance to make up in the AL East and the wild-card race, they’re within two games of .500 (52-54) for the first time since July 3.

“A couple more days and I might start looking at the standings again,” manager Buck Showalter said. “So, we’ll see. So far so good. Until we take care of our business, it doesn’t matter where we are in the standings.”

If Baltimore is to make a serious move, it will need more pitching performances like the one it got from Bundy (10-8). The right-hander struck out five, walked one and retired the last 13 batters he faced.

Bundy did not pitch more than seven innings in any of his previous 34 major league starts. All three hits he allowed were singles — none after the third inning — and the only run he surrendered was unearned.

“Dylan was outstanding,” Showalter said. “That was fun to watch.”

Seth Smith drove in three runs and Manny Machado had three hits for the Orioles, who pulled within 3 1/2 games of the Royals for the final AL wild-card spot.

Kansas City will seek to avoid a three-game sweep on Wednesday. The Royals came to town having won 10 of 11, but they’ve only scored three runs in these two games at Camden Yards.

“We have to do a better job of getting pitches in the zone and capitalizing,” said Whit Merrifield, who had one of KC’s two RBI .

Ian Kennedy (4-7) gave up four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. He was 4-0 in nine starts since June 5.

“The down-and-away fastball was not working and I had to go to something else and try to get outs,” Kennedy said. “What really hurt me was getting deep in counts.”

Making his debut with Baltimore on Tuesday after playing his first 238 major league games with the Rays, Beckham singled and scored in the fifth inning and doubled in the seventh before coming home on a single by Smith.

Baltimore took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, bunching together four straight hits — including an RBI single by Jonathan Schoop and a run-scoring double by rookie Trey Mancini .

After Kansas City scored in the third, Adam Jones made it 3-1 in the fourth with a two-out RBI single.

BUCK AND EARL

The victory was the 1,481st of Showalter’s career, pushing him into sole possession of 24th place on the all-time list ahead of former Orioles manager Earl Weaver.

CASH CONSIDERATIONS

Playing in his second game for KC since being traded from the White Sox, Melky Cabrera went 1 for 4. Chicago will send $2,663,934 to the Royals on Sept. 1, covering a little more than half the $5,081,967 remaining in Cabrera’s $15 million salary this year.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: INF Cheslor Cuthbert (left wrist sprain) resumed his rehabilitation assignment Tuesday, going 1 for 5 with a solo home run for Triple-A Omaha while playing the full game at third base. It was Cuthbert’s first action since July 25. In 10 games at Omaha, Cuthbert is hitting .211 with two homers and four RBI.

Orioles: An MRI on Mark Trumbo’s oblique strain provided “very positive news,” Showalter said, adding that the slugger might be ready to come off the DL after a 10-day stay.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (13-4, 3.00 ERA), who has not lost in his last five road starts, pitches Wednesday night in the series finale.

Orioles: Hellickson makes his Orioles debut after being traded from Philadelphia. He’s 3-2 with a 5.01 ERA in nine career appearances at Camden Yards.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — Rather than dismantle the Baltimore Orioles at the trade deadline, Dan Duquette worked diligently to improve the club.

Appreciative of his confidence, the Orioles backed up his effort with a rousing 2-1 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

Craig Gentry singled home the winning run in the ninth inning, and closer Zach Britton — who was rumored headed out of town hours earlier — got three outs to earn the win.

Baltimore started the day with a 50-54 record, but Duquette, the team’s executive vice president of baseball operations, believes the team can be a contender. He beat the non-waiver trade deadline by obtaining infielder Tim Beckham from Tampa Bay, three days after snagging right-hander Jeremy Hellickson from Philadelphia.

“We still have some hope that we can make the playoffs,” Duquette said, hours before the Orioles extended their modest winning streak to three games.

Caleb Joseph got Baltimore going in the ninth with a one-out single off Joakim Soria (4-3). Ruben Tejada singled with two outs before Gentry hit a grounder up the middle that sent Joseph home from second base without a throw.

“We feel good about ourselves,” Joseph said. “Maybe some of the fans have left, but we still believe in ourselves, 100 percent.”

By keeping Britton (1-0), who has converted an AL-record 57 straight saves, Duquette showed his faith in this team.

“I’ve played with Zach since `09, so even the thought of not playing with him is not fun,” Joseph said.

Knowing he was going to be sticking around with the only team he’s ever been a part of, Britton walked to the mound in the ninth with a clear head.

“You get some things off your mind that shouldn’t be there and just focus on pitching,” the lefty said.

It was the second loss in 12 games for the Royals, who managed only five hits off three Baltimore pitchers.

The first seven innings featured a pitching duel between Kansas City’s Danny Duffy and Ubaldo Jimenez, both of whom allowed one run and struck out six.

“I just grinded through that outing,” Duffy said. “I felt like I had really good stuff but I didn’t pitch very well. That was the least impressive seven-inning, one-run outing I’ve ever had.”

Jimenez came in with a 6.93 ERA, but on this night he was exceptionally sharp.

`If he’s not on, we get him,” manager Ned Yost said. “We couldn’t get him. Couldn’t do much against him.”

Kansas City used first-inning doubles by Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer to jump to a 1-0 lead.

Jimenez settled down after that, and Baltimore pulled even in the fifth when Manny Machado doubled and scored on a two-out single by Jonathan Schoop .

Though quiet on the final day of the trade deadline, the Royals welcomed back Melky Cabrera, who made his 2017 debut with Kansas City after being acquired from the White Sox on Sunday.

Playing right field and batting third, Cabrera went 0 for 4.

HOLE IN ONE

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was charged with an error when he failed to handle a throw in the ninth inning from Machado at third. Turns out, the ball went right through the faulty webbing of Davis’ glove. He immediately got a new glove.

HAPPY HOMECOMING

Cabrera said he’s “really happy” to return to the pennant-contending Royals, whom he played for in 2011. “What I love to do is play postseason baseball,” the 13-year veteran said through an interpreter. Yost said Cabrera, a switch-hitter, “brings a great personality to a locker room filed with great personalities. He’s going to mesh perfectly with our group.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Yost is optimistic third-baseman Cheslor Cuthbert (wrist) can return to his rehab assignment sometime this week after fouling a ball off his foot.

Orioles: DH Mark Trumbo was placed on the 10-day disabled list with an oblique injury. He played in Baltimore’s first 103 games before sitting on Sunday. … SS J.J. Hardy (wrist) was transferred to the 60-day DL.

UP NEXT

Royals: Ian Kennedy (4-6, 4.43 ERA) seeks his fifth straight victory in the second game of the series Tuesday night.

Orioles: Dylan Bundy (9-8, 4.53 ERA) can match his win total of last season with a victory.

— Associated Press —

BOSTON (AP) — Knowing they’ve completely recovered from their rough first two months of the season, the Kansas City Royals are having a lot of fun.

Alex Gordon’s two-run triple capped a four-run eighth inning, and the Royals rallied for a 5-3 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, a day after their season-high, nine-game winning streak was snapped.

Alcides Escobar added a two-run single in the eighth and drove in three runs for the Royals, who lost in extra innings on Saturday after taking the series opener.

“The vibes good right now,” winning pitcher Jason Hammel said. “The vibes real good.”

The Royals ended May in last in the AL Central — eight games under .500. They’ve taken off and now trail first-place Cleveland by two games after the Indians lost 3-1 to the White Sox in Chicago.

A few cheers went up in the clubhouse when the White Sox won.

Rookie Rafael Devers hit a solo homer for Boston and starter Drew Pomeranz gave up one run on seven hits in 6 2/3 innings in his 100th career start.

Hammel (5-8) allowed three runs on seven hits to end a six-start winless streak. His last victory also came against the Red Sox, at home on June 19.

Kelvin Herrera got the final three outs for his 23rd save, getting Mookie Betts to fly out with the bases loaded.

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts booted Lorenzo Cain’s grounder for an error to open the eighth and Eric Hosmer had a hard single off the right hand and body of Matt Barnes (6-3). Salvador Perez then loaded the bases with a single.

“It opens the door, and then all of a sudden there’s life instead of the potential of an out, nobody on, against a team that is aggressive, playing with a lot of momentum,” Red Sox manager John Farrell said of the error.

Escobar followed with his game-tying single before Gordon greeted reliever Robby Scott with his hit that rolled into the left-center gap and bounced off the edge of the bullpen wall in right-center, making it 5-3.

“It’s been an up and down season. Early-on everybody was talking about getting rid of all these players and what not, and then we just kind of took it upon ourselves to play better,” Gordon said. “It’s been a heck of a year and we like where we’re at right now.”

Before the game, the Royals acquired outfielder Melky Cabrera from the Chicago White Sox for two minor league pitchers in a bid to bolster their offense.

Gordon entered the day hitting just .201 with five homers and 32 RBI.

The switch-hitting Cabrera is batting .288 with 13 homers and 56 RBI.

Boston moved ahead 2-0 in the second on consecutive RBI singles by Mitch Moreland and Christian Vazquez.

The Royals sliced it to 2-1 on Escobar’s double before Devers hit his second career homer, a drive that barely cleared the top of the Green Monster and bounced onto the field.

It was originally called “in play” and a double when he stopped, but overturned by the umpiring crew after a brief review.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Red Sox: Second baseman Dustin Pedroia missed his second straight with a sore left knee.

ANNIVERSARY

The Red Sox honored their 2007 World Series champion team on the field before the game.

Recently retired slugger David Ortiz was asked if the current club could use his bat for the stretch run.

“Not me, man. I’ve been doing nothing but slow cycle, bro,” he said, laughing. “I sit down and watch the game now and say, `Man, that’s hard.’ I view the game differently now.”

Former lefty reliever Hideki Okajima flew from Japan on Saturday to be a part of the event.

Mike Lowell, the 2007 Series MVP, threw out the ceremonial first pitch to former catcher Jason Varitek.

FUN UNDER THE SUN

Kansas City is 17-7 in its last 24 day games after opening losing 11 of its first 12.

NO EXCUSE

Barnes had a bandage on his right hand after, but credited the Royals.

“I didn’t think I made terrible pitches,” he said. “I didn’t think I was leaving the ball middle and I was getting hit. I thought that they kind of did what hitters are taught to do with pitches away.”

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (7-6, 3.56 ERA) is slated to start the opener of a three-game series in Baltimore on Monday.

Red Sox: RHP Doug Fister (0-5, 7.46) is in line to start Monday when Boston hosts AL Central-leading Cleveland in the first of three.

— Associated Press —

BOSTON (AP) — Rick Porcello stepped in for David Price, who is back on the disabled list.

Kansas City’s offense wasn’t fazed by the switch.

Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas homered as the Royals extended their winning streak to a season-high nine with a 4-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Friday night.

Perez homered over the Green Monster in the second and Moustakas made it 4-0 in the fourth. He hit his 30th homer in his 92nd game, the fastest to reach the mark in team history, and he is six homers shy of the Kansas City season record set by Steve Balboni in 1985.

“It was a big win for us against a great club over there,” Moustakas said. “It’s always nice to hit homers, but when they help you go ahead or add some runs against a great team, it definitely makes it a little better.”

Jorge Bonifacio had singled leading off, and Eric Hosmer beat the shift with a single to left that put runners at the corners.

Porcello (4-14), who had been scheduled to pitch Saturday, leads the major leagues in losses. He allowed four runs and six hits in seven innings.

“The one to Moustakas is really the one that’s going to make it hard to sleep tonight,” Porcello said. “He was fouling off some pitches off — just trying to drive a fastball in right there and if I miss for a ball so be it. I didn’t have a problem putting him on and ran right back into his barrel.”

Price started the season on the DL and didn’t make his first start until May 29. The 31-year-old left-hander, winner of the 2012 AL Cy Young Award, is 5-3 with a 3.82 ERA.

“I do not know if he’ll miss the season,” Red Sox President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombroski. “I’m not anticipating that at this time.”

Porcello said that he “knew pretty early” after his July 23 start at the Los Angeles Angels that it was possible he would be moved up.

“It was early enough for me to prepare and be fine,” he said.

Boston has lost five of six and nine of 14, dropping out of the AL East lead for the first time since June 29 and falling a half-game behind the New York Yankees.

Jason Vargas (13-4) gave up one run and five hits in six innings. Vargas, who had been winless in three starts since June 30, is one shy of his career high for wins, set in 2012 with Seattle.

Kelvin Herrera pitched a one-hit ninth for his 22nd save in 25 chances, getting rookie Rafael Devers to hit into a game-ending forceout after Andrew Benintendi’s two-out single.

Kansas City, which has rebounded from a 7-16 start, is 15-8 in July and on its longest winning streak since nine consecutive victories from last Aug. 14-23. The Royals have outscored opponents 67-27 during the streak and outhomered them 20-2.

Three days after his big league debut, Devers went 1 for 2 in his first home game for the Red Sox. He doubled down the right-field line in the fifth and scored on Mookie Betts’ single, and at 20 years, 277 days became the youngest Boston player with a hit at Fenway Park since Mike Garman in 1969.

Chris Young tripled off Mike Minor leading off the seventh and scored on Sandy Leon’s groundout.

CLUTCH

Ten of Perez’s 21 homers have put the Royals ahead.

LATER, DAD

The Royals dealt RHP Luke Farrell, the son of the Red Sox manager, to the Los Angeles Dodgers for cash considerations. Farrell made his major league debut on July 1, allowing five runs over 2 2/3 innings against the Twins.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Perez returned to the lineup after leaving Tuesday’s game and sitting out Wednesday with soreness on his right side. … The Royals recalled OF Terrance Gore from Triple-A Omaha. Gore has split time between Double- and Triple-A this season, hitting .231 with 17 steals. … OFs Paulo Orlando and Cheslor Cuthbert will remain on rehab assignment after both suffering setbacks.

Red Sox: LHP Robby Scott was recalled from Triple-A Pawtucket to take Price’s roster spot.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Trevor Cahill (4-3, 3.69 for San Diego) is to make his first start for the Royal on Saturday following his acquisition from the Padres. Cahill is 0-2 with a 7.79 ERA at Fenway Park.

Red Sox: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez (4-3, 3.89) is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA in four home starts this season but is 0-2 in three starts since beating Seattle on May 26.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — Eric Hosmer matched his career high with five hits, including his first major league grand slam, and the Kansas City Royals extended their winning streak to a season-high eight games with a 16-2 rout of the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

Hosmer entered with 117 homers but had not hit one with the bases loaded until he connected off Warwick Saupold in a nine-run seventh inning. Hosmer had six RBI and scored four runs.

Bruce Rondon was ejected with one out in the ninth after hitting Mike Moustakas on the back with a pitch, which caused both benches to empty. Utilityman Andrew Romine entered in his third big league pitching appearance and faced five batters, allowing a walk, RBI single, sacrifice fly, hit batter and flyout.

Ian Kennedy (4-6) improved to 3-0 in his last six starts, allowing one run and three hits in six innings.

Anibal Sanchez (2-1) had his worst start since returning in mid-June from a month-long demotion to the minor leagues. He allowed four runs and nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Hosmer reached on an infield single in the second, stole second and scored when Alcides Escobar singled on a 66 mph changeup. Kansas City made it 4-0 in the third on run-scoring singles by Jorge Bonifacio, Hosmer and Brandon Moss.

Jose Iglesias doubled in Detroit’s first run in the fifth, and Moustakas’ RBI single off Chad Bell sparked the big inning. Hosmer homered on a changeup, a drive over the out-of-town scoreboard, for a 13-1 lead.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez did not play, a day after leaving a game with right-side tightness in his ribs. “Could he have started tonight? Yeah,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “In fact, he fought me about it, but with a day off tomorrow, we can give him two full days of rest.”

Tigers: LHP Daniel Norris (left groin) had a second MRI on an injury that has sidelined him since the All-Star break. The test showed no further damage. He received a cortisone shot and will rest for several days.

ULTIMATE UTILITYMAN

Romine has played every position excepted catcher this season. Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said this week he might let Romine catch an inning on the last day of the season if the Tigers have been eliminated. With a ninth-inning single, Romine became the second player in Comerica Park history to get a hit and pitch in the same game. Shane Halter had four hits on Oct. 1, 2000, a game in which he played all nine positions.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (12-4, 3.08) is scheduled to start Friday’s series opener at Boston, which opens with LHP David Price (5-3, 3.82).

Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmermann (6-8, 5.81) is slated to start at home Friday against Houston.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — The Kansas City Royals are keeping the pressure on in the AL Central, and manager Ned Yost has no big secrets to offer about their impressive winning streak.

“There’s no key to staying in it. You just keep playing good,” Yost said. “If there was a key to staying in it, then we would stay in it forever. You just play good. That’s all you do.”

Whit Merrifield homered on the first pitch of the game, and the Royals led the rest of the way, beating the Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Tuesday night for their seventh consecutive victory. Kansas City, which was 7-16 at the end of April, is 1 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland.

Merrifield homered to left-center off Michael Fulmer (10-8) to open the scoring, and the Royals added two runs in the fourth. Danny Duffy (7-6) allowed a run and six hits in 6 1/3 innings. Three relievers finished for Kansas City, with Kelvin Herrera pitching a perfect ninth for his 21st save in 24 chances.

Fulmer struck out the next four hitters he faced after Merrifield’s leadoff homer . The All-Star right-hander ended up allowing three runs and eight hits in eight sharp innings. He struck out six without a walk.

“Any time you get three runs early against a guy like Fulmer, you’ve got to make sure you keep the lead,” Duffy said. “He’s a great pitcher, and he’s got really good stuff. His future is super bright.”

The Royals scored eight runs — five earned — off Fulmer in his previous start last week. He was much better this time around, but Kansas City put together a crucial rally in the fourth. Eric Hosmer made it 2-0 with an RBI single, and Mike Moustakas added a sacrifice fly.

Detroit’s Mikie Mahtook hit a triple in the bottom of the fourth and scored on James McCann’s single. The Tigers loaded the bases in the seventh, but Nicholas Castellanos — mired in a 0-for-18 slump — grounded into a forceout against reliever Peter Moylan, ending the threat.

Joakim Soria allowed singles to the first two Detroit hitters in the eighth, but the Tigers blundered their way out of that inning. With men on first and third and one out, Victor Martinez’s line drive to deep right was caught, and Mahtook was doubled off first .

“I knew where the left and center fielders were, but I didn’t turn around to check where the right fielder was,” Mahtook said. “You have to know where the outfielders are.”

Merrifield’s home run was his 11th of the season and the 17th for Kansas City during this winning streak. The Royals have gone deep 13 times in the last four games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez left the game in the fifth inning with right-side rib tightness. Yost said he didn’t think the issue was too serious.

NEW FACES

Kansas City didn’t use newly acquired relievers Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter. They were acquired Monday along with starter Trevor Cahill in a trade with San Diego.

The Royals optioned right-hander Jakob Junis to Triple-A Omaha before the game.

CONSISTENCY

Fulmer has 17 quality starts in 20 outings this season. One sign of his ability to pitch deep into games is the fact that he has only two no-decisions, and none since April 29.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (3-6) takes the mound at Detroit on Wednesday night, when Kansas City tries for a three-game sweep.

Tigers: RHP Anibal Sanchez (2-0) starts for Detroit. He’s posted a 4.11 ERA in six starts since being recalled from Triple-A Toledo.

— Associated Press —

DETROIT (AP) — The Kansas City Royals are playing with confidence right now in the late innings.

Salvador Perez and Mike Moustakas hit consecutive homers in the 12th, and the Royals won their sixth straight game, 5-3 over the Detroit Tigers on Monday night. Six of Kansas City’s last eight victories have come in the team’s final at-bat, and on this night, the bullpen held off Detroit long enough for the Royals to break through.

“You knew if we could just keep getting good relief pitching to give us an opportunity, that we’d find a way,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said.

Hours after the Royals helped their pitching staff by acquiring Trevor Cahill and two relievers in a trade with San Diego, Kansas City outlasted the Tigers to stay 1 1/2 games behind first-place Cleveland in the AL Central. Jorge Bonifacio also homered for the Royals, who won despite squandering a 3-0 lead in the sixth.

Jakob Junis (3-2), one of seven relievers used by Kansas City, pitched a hitless 11th for the win. Kelvin Herrera finished for his 20th save in 23 chances.

Drew VerHagen (0-1) took the loss, allowing the homers to Perez and Moustakas in his third inning of work.

Perez put the Royals up 4-3 with his 20th homer of the year, a line drive that stayed inside the foul pole in left field, to lead off the 12th. Moustakas followed with a drive to right for his 29th home run of 2017.

“VerHagen could have thrown 100 pitches if we needed him, and we were so short in the bullpen that we didn’t have many other options,” Detroit manager Brad Ausmus said. “I thought he did a very good job, except for hanging two breaking balls. You can’t do that to hitters like Perez and Moustakas.”

Amid ongoing speculation he could be traded soon, Justin Verlander allowed three runs and five hits in seven innings for Detroit. He struck out nine and walked two.

Kansas City starter Jason Hammel allowed three runs and five hits in 5 2/3 innings.

Kansas City scored first when Bonifacio came home on a wild pitch in the fourth. Moustakas added a sacrifice fly later that inning to make it 2-0.

Bonifacio led off the sixth with his 14th home run, but Detroit scored three runs in the bottom of the inning. Miguel Cabrera hit an RBI single, and Alex Avila lined a two-out, two-run single to left-center off reliever Scott Alexander. It was Avila’s third hit all season off a left-hander.

LAST HURRAH?

Verlander made his 373rd start for the Tigers, moving into a tie with Hal Newhouser for fifth on the franchise’s career list. The right-hander’s uncertain future meant this may have been his final appearance in Detroit.

“These last two starts have been the first time I’ve pitched in front of this many scouts since college,” he said.

He received a standing ovation from fans behind the dugout when he came off the field after the top of the seventh.

“It was very nice, and I felt it, I heard it, and these fans have been nothing but stellar to me my entire career. And hopefully they can say the same about me,” Verlander said. “I guess there might be a fleeting moment where you say, `This might be the last time.’ But it’s very fleeting. It’s, `I appreciate it, but we’ve got to score a run here. We’ve got to win a game.”

ADDITONS

The Royals announced their trade with San Diego about 40 minutes before the first pitch. They received Cahill and relievers Brandon Maurer and Ryan Buchter.

“They’re going to be welcome with open arms,” Hammel said. “We’re trying to do something special here, and I know that the front office is trying to help out this team.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: Ausmus said before the game LHP Daniel Norris (left groin) was going to be re-evaluated to figure out if more treatment or time off is needed.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy (6-6) starts Tuesday night against Detroit.

Tigers: RHP Michael Fulmer (10-7) takes the mound. He allowed eight runs — five earned — in 2 2/3 innings at Kansas City on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – After scrambling back into contention in the AL Central, the Kansas City Royals are gearing up to make another bid for a postseason spot.

The Royals acquired three pitchers from the San Diego Padres on Monday, getting starter Trevor Cahill, closer Brandon Maurer and reliever Ryan Buchter. Kansas City sent pitchers Matt Strahm and Travis Wood, minor league infielder Esteury Ruiz and cash to San Diego. The deal came one week before the nonwaiver trade deadline.

Kansas City entered Monday night’s game at Detroit trailing first-place Cleveland by only 1 ? games, and the Royals are also right in the mix for a wild card.

“We wanted to move sooner than later,” general manager Dayton Moore said.

The Royals had been looking to bolster their rotation and bullpen, and did it with one swap. Cahill was 4-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 11 starts for the Padres. The 29-year-old right-hander was an All-Star with Oakland in 2010.

Maurer is 20-for-23 on save tries, and 1-4 with a 5.72 ERA. The 27-year-old righty began his big league career with Seattle in 2013 as a starter.

Buchter is 3-3 with one save and a 3.05 ERA in 42 games. The 30-year-old lefty pitched 67 times for the Padres last year.

Kansas City won the World Series in 2015 and the American League pennant the year before that. The Royals fell back to .500 last year, and after they went 7-16 this April, it looked like 2017 might be the end of their chance to contend with this core of players. Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain can all become free agents after this season.

The Royals are back over .500 now, though, and they entered Monday on a five-game winning streak.

“We’re very excited. We’ve always felt good about this team,” Moore said. “We’re certainly very much in the thick of a pennant race in our division.”

Moore said the Royals did their due diligence on Cahill, who missed time earlier this season with shoulder issues. Eleven different pitchers have started for Kansas City this year, with unimpressive results aside from Jason Vargas and Danny Duffy.

Kansas City’s bullpen, meanwhile, looks a lot different than it did during its 2014-15 peak. Greg Holland and Wade Davis are no longer on the team. Kelvin Herrera is the closer, and Joakim Soria and Mike Minor have been solid this year.

Maurer and Buchter can now pitch more meaningful innings than the Padres have been playing. San Diego is in fourth place in the NL West.

The Padres are in deep rebuilding mode and don’t expect to contend for a few years. Many observers and fans figured the first player to be traded would be reliever Brad Hand, San Diego’s only All-Star.

“It’s tough in the sense that you’re losing three guys that you love and appreciate and have poured themselves out for the club,” manager Andy Green said. “You actually enjoy the guys a lot. The three of them have been great teammates, great contributors. Losing two back-end pieces and a starter that statistically has been your best starter all year, those things are tough.

“But we’re excited about what we’re getting in return, excited about the future prospects, even though a couple of them won’t play for us this year. But we see high upside and with Travis Wood we get some other help to stabilize things. I think he’s going to have an opportunity to kind of re-establish himself in the National League,” he said.

The 25-year-old Strahm went 2-5 with a 5.45 ERA for the Royals this year in 24 appearances — 21 in relief. Kansas City had been high on the young lefty but ended up using him to help acquire what figures to be more immediate help.

Wood was 1-3 with a 6.91 ERA this year for Kansas City. The 18-year-old Ruiz has put up good numbers with the bat at the low levels of the minors.

Kansas City also recalled left-hander Brian Flynn from Triple-A Omaha for Monday’s game and designated right-handers Al Alburquerque and Luke Farrell for assignment.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals had four walk-off wins during a homestand for the first time since April 2000.

Brandon Moss hit a game-ending double off Tyler Clippard that lifted Kansas City over the White Sox 5-4 Sunday, extending Chicago’s longest losing streak in four years to nine games.

Whit Merrifield, Jorge Bonifacio and Eric Hosmer hit consecutive home runs off Derek Holland in the fourth inning for a 3-0 lead, and Merrifield hit another solo shot in the eighth off Dan Jennings to tie the score at 4.

Mike Moustakas singled off Gregory Infante (0-1) leading off the ninth and pinch-runner Lorenzo Cain advanced when Infante bounced a slider to Alcides Escobar for a wild pitch. Infante hit Escobar on the left hand, Clippard relieved in his second appearance since he was acquired from the New York Yankees, and Moss doubled.

“I got to two strikes and just tried to battle through it, hope he left something up that I could hit,” Moss said. “Before the last couple of weeks, I’d get to two strikes and not to say you’d think it was over, but that you probably missed your chance. But I’ve been seeing the ball a lot better, and better balance at the plate, so it’s not a panic anymore.”

Moss is 8 for 19 during a five-game hitting streak that coincides with the winning streak. After hitting .156 in June, Moss is batting .326 with four home runs, five doubles and nine RBI in July.

“We all know what he can do,” Merrifield said. “He was just going through a funk. When he’s going well, it’s an unbelievable lift to this offense.”

Kelvin Herrera (3-2) struck out two in a perfect ninth, extending the scoreless streak by the Royals bullpen to 18 innings over five games. Kansas City has won five straight following a skid of seven losses in eight games and went 6-4 on its homestand.

Chicago had not lost nine in a row since Aug. 30-Sept. 7, 2013.

Holland allowed three runs, four hits and three walks in 4 2/3 innings, throwing 87 pitches. He is 1-6 in his past 10 starts,

“Just bad execution,” Holland said.

Kansas City had not hit three straight homers since Tony Graffanino, Angel Berroa and Doug Mientkiewicz against Detroit’s Mike Maroth on May 25, 2006, a game the Royals lost 13-8.

Royals starter Travis Wood gave up four runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. He has an 8.31 ERA in three starts this season and is winless as a starter in eight appearances since April 28, 2015.

Adam Engel hit a three-run double in the fourth and scored on Jose Abreu’s double for a 4-3 lead.

ANDERSON SITS AGAIN

White Sox SS Tim Anderson, who is hitting .212 with a .224 on-base percentage in his past 18 games, was not in the lineup for the second straight game. Anderson has one walk and 20 strikeouts in 67 plate-appearances in that stretch. Manager Rick Renteria said he is giving Anderson “a little mental” break and he will start Monday against the Cubs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Chicago’s Melky Cabrera left in the fifth inning with a bruised big toe on his left foot after fouling a pitch off of it in the first inning. “I had a lot of pain but I don’t have a fracture or anything that can mean I’m going to lose a few days,” Cabrera said through an interpreter. “I’m going to be great. They did all the tests and I can move the toe.”

UP NEXT

White Sox: A four-game series against the Cubs opens Monday at Wrigley Field. RHP Miguel Gonzalez (4-9) is to start for the White Sox and RHP Kyle Hendricks (4-3) for the Cubs.

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (4-8) is slated to start Monday at Detroit in the opener of a 10-day trip. RHP Justin Verlander (5-7) is to pitch for the Tigers.

— Associated Press —