KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Moustakas has three home runs in two games after going nine games without any.

Moustakas homered twice, and Salvador Perez, Brandon Moss and Jorge Bonifacio also went deep to lead the Kansas City Royals over the White Sox 7-2 Saturday night, extending Chicago’s longest losing streak in two years to eight games.

“I’m more focused on winning,” Moustakas said. “Homers are part of the game. It definitely feels good to hit some homers though especially when they put us in a lead.”

Melky Cabrera had his second four-hit game in a week and gave the White Sox a 2-0 lead with a home run in the third inning and an RBI double in the fifth.

In a game that began with a 99-degree temperature and 112 heat index, Mike Pelfrey took a two-hitter into the sixth but put leadoff man Lorenzo Cain on with his sixth walk. David Holmberg (1-3) relieved, retired Eric Hosmer on a flyout, then gave up three homers in an eight-pitch span.

Perez’s two-run homer tied the score, Moustakas homered two pitches later, Alcides Escobar grounded out and Moss homered for a 4-2 lead, a drive that would have gone 436 feet unimpeded. Whit Merrifield added an RBI single off Juan Minaya.

“I was trying to sit on an offspeed pitch,” Moustakas said. “Just looking at the reports, I have a pretty good idea on what he’s throwing right there and got enough of it to get out of the yard.”

Bonifacio homered in the seventh, and Moustakas hit his 28th this season leading off the eighth against Brad Goldberg. Kansas City’s five homers matched a season high.

“We just weren’t able to hold them,” White Sox manager Rick Renteria said. “It didn’t work out for Holmy today.”

Chicago, an AL-worst 38-56, had not lost eight in a row since June 12-19, 2015.

Scott Alexander (2-3) relieved Jason Vargas with two on and no outs in the sixth and got three straight outs. Vargas allowed two runs and seven hits.

“I’m trying to get a ground ball,” Alexander said. “We were able to get out of it out there.”

Pelfrey is 0-2 in his last six starts.

“I didn’t expect to win the game when you walk six guys,” Pelfrey said. “That’s pretty embarrassing. It’s something that’s kind of plagued me all year, and I need to be better.”

ROYALS MOVES

RHP Jakob Junis was recalled from Triple-A Omaha by the Royals, who optioned OF Billy Burns to their Pacific Coast League affiliate. Junis gave the Royals a nine-man bullpen after Kansas City relievers worked 10 innings the previous two nights. The bullpen was required for four more innings Saturday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: RHP Jeff Petricka (right elbow strain) pitched a scoreless inning Saturday for Triple-A Charlotte in his first injury rehabilitation appearance. He threw five of eighth pitches for strikes. . OF Leury Garcia, who went on the DL June 26 with sprained finger on his left hand, is working out at the White Sox complex in Glendale, Arizona. “It’s just going a little slower than we might have wanted it to, but he’s getting better,” Renteria said.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP Derek Holland is slated to pitch Sunday after going 1-6 with an 8.44 ERA in his past nine starts, allowing 14 home runs in 42 2/3 innings.

Royals: LHP Travis Wood is 0-1 with an 8.64 ERA in his first two starts, allowing a .762 slugging percentage.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield’s sacrifice fly in the 10th inning lifted the Kansas City Royals to a 7-6 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

Merrifield flied out to Melky Cabrera to score Alcides Escobar, who led off the inning with a single.

The Royals, who trailed 5-1 after two innings, got their third walk-off victory in five days. The White Sox have lost seven straight and 10 of 11.

Alex Gordon had three hits and drove in three Royals runs, while Merrifield also had a two-run double in the fourth.

Neftali Feliz (1-0), the seventh Kansas City pitcher, picked up the win, throwing seven pitches in a scoreless 10th.

Tyler Clippard (1-6), who was acquired in a Tuesday trade with the New York Yankees, took the loss in his White Sox debut.

Mike Moustakas ended a 41 at-bat homerless drought with his 26th home run in the fourth.

Kelvin Herrera, the sixth Royals pitcher, worked around a ninth-inning double to Adam Engle to keep the game tied. Anthony Swarzak then gave up a single and a walk in the bottom half, but retired Moustakas on a popup on a 3-0 pitch to end the threat.

Yohan Moncada, who is ranked the No. 1 prospect in baseball, drove in four runs in his second game with the White Sox. His grounder in the second scored Avisail Garcia with the first Chicago run.

Moncada’s laser triple to left with the bases loaded in the fourth scored Jose Abreu, Garcia and Matt Davidson. It came on Ian Kennedy’s 0-2 pitch and gave the White Sox a 5-1 lead.

Neither Kennedy nor White Sox starter James Shields could make it through five innings.

Kennedy, who is winless in his last 13 Kauffman Stadium starts since Aug. 20, was removed after four innings and one batter, allowing six runs on six hits and two walks.

Shields, who is 0-1 with a 9.60 ERA in three July starts, permitted six runs on 10 hits, including Moustakas’ homer. Shields has allowed 23 hits, including five home runs, in 15 innings this month.

LATE ARRIVAL

Royals 1B Eric Hosmer was not in the lineup as manager Ned Yost said he was out of town for an undisclosed family matter. Hosmer, however, arrived during the game and struck out as a pinch hitter in the fourth inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RF Jorge Bonifacio has a bruised left foot after fouling a ball off it Thursday and did not start, but walked as a pinch hitter in the ninth. . OF Paulo Orlando (fractured left tibia) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

UP NEXT

White Sox: RHP Mike Pelfrey is 0-2 with a 6.62 ERA, with opponents batting .300 in his past four starts.

Royals: All-Star LHP Jason Vargas has a 14.09 ERA in two July starts with opponents slugging .973 off him, allowing five home runs, two triples and two doubles in 7 2/3 innings.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brandon Moss drove in four runs, Mike Moustakas had three RBI and the Kansas City Royals routed the error-prone Detroit Tigers 16-4 on Thursday night.

Eric Hosmer and Whit Merrifield homered for the Royals, who moved within 1 1/2 games of first-place Cleveland in the AL Central. The 16 runs and 19 hits were season highs for Kansas City.

Detroit committed three errors in the Royals’ four-run first inning, when only one run was earned. It was the most errors the Tigers have made in an inning since May 1, 2010.

Michael Fulmer, the 2016 AL Rookie of the Year, threw 37 pitches in the first. The heat index was 107 when the game started.

Fulmer (10-7), who had won his previous four starts, was removed after facing 18 batters. He retired only eight, and eight scored. It was the shortest outing of his career.

Hosmer hit his 14th homer in the four-run third, a prodigious 444-foot shot. Merrifield homered in a four-run sixth off Chad Bell.

Moss, who had three hits and two RBI in Wednesday’s victory, drilled a two-out, two-run double to right-center in the third. Alex Gordon doubled home Moss to chase Fulmer.

Danny Duffy (6-6) was staked to an 8-0 lead, but struggled to make it into the sixth inning. Ian Kinsler had a two-run double for Detroit in a three-run fifth.

Duffy faced three batters in the sixth and gave up three hits and a run, on Miguel Cabrera’s single. With Victor Martinez coming to the plate and two runners on in an 8-4 game, Mike Minor replaced Duffy and retired all three batters he faced.

The Royals expanded their lead with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Hosmer and Salvador Perez each hit an RBI single, and Moustakas had a sacrifice fly.

The Royals sent 10 batters to the plate in a four-run eighth, highlighted by Moss’ two-run single.

Duffy gave up nine hits, walked none and struck out four.

ROMINE IN RIGHT

Andrew Romine made his first career start in right field. He has started at every position but pitcher and catcher this season for the Tigers.

CALL CHANGED

Official scorer David Boyce’s call Sunday has been overturned by Major League Baseball. Instead of giving Lorenzo Cain a game-ending single against Texas, it was changed to an error on Rangers right fielder Shin-Soo Choo.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) will make a second minor league rehab start to get his pitch count up to around 90.

Royals: RHP Nathan Karns had season-ending thoracic outlet syndrome surgery in Dallas. The Royals are optimistic he will be ready around spring training. . Manager Ned Yost said closer Kelvin Herrera, who has been battling a sore throat and a fever, was feeling “a little better, a little stronger.”

UP NEXT

Tigers: RHP Anibal Sanchez starts the series opener Friday at Minnesota. He is 5-4 with a 3.65 ERA in 20 career appearances against the Twins, who counter with All-Star RHP Ervin Santana.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy tries to snap a 12-start winless drought at Kauffman Stadium when he faces the White Sox on Friday. Ex-Royals RHP James Shields will be the Chicago starter.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Brandon Moss doubled off the wall in the ninth to score the tying run, and Alex Gordon drove him home with a sacrifice fly to bail out closer Kelvin Herrera and give the Kansas City Royals a 4-3 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday night.

Moss homered in the third inning before coming through against Tigers closer Justin Wilson (3-4) in the ninth — shortly after Mikie Mahtook’s two-run shot off Herrera had given Detroit the lead.

Moss went to third on the throw to the plate, and Gordon sent a fly ball to center that was just deep enough to give him his sixth career walk-off RBI and the Royals a much-needed win.

They had lost the first two games of the series and seven of eight overall.

Jason Hammel and three Royals relievers had successfully ushered a 2-1 lead to Herrera, who proceeded to walk Victor Martinez in the ninth. Andrew Romine came in to pinch run and swiped second base, but all that did was shorten his trot home when Mahtook went deep.

Herrera (2-3) threw one more pitch before summoning the training staff and leaving the game. There was no immediate word on whether the Royals’ closer was hurt.

Kevin McCarthy (1-0) got the final two outs to earn the win.

Justin Verlander scattered six hits and a walk over seven innings while striking out eight, but he was in line for the loss after Mike Moustakas hit an RBI single in the seventh. Bruce Rondon kept Detroit close with a scoreless eighth before Wilson let things get away from him in the ninth.

Verlander retired the first seven batters he faced. And after Moss sent an 0-1 pitch off the foul pole in right for a tying home run, Verlander proceeded to breeze through the next couple of innings.

He even helped himself by picking off Jorge Bonifacio at second base to end the sixth.

But Hammel matched him inning-for-inning after the first, when he gave up two singles and Miguel Cabrera drove in the game’s first run. Hammel retired the next nine batters he faced, then six more after Nicholas Castellanos managed a single in the fourth.

Hammel gave up another single in the fifth but promptly struck out Cabrera to end the inning, and got a standing ovation when he left after a one-out walk to Martinez in the seventh.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) will likely make another rehab start at Triple-A Toledo, manager Brad Ausmus said. Norris was hit hard in three innings Tuesday night.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Michael Fulmer tries to win his fifth straight start when the teams meet in the finale of their four-game series Thursday night. Fulmer allowed one run and two hits in eight innings against the Blue Jays his last time out. He will face Royals LHP Danny Duffy, who surrendered his only run in the ninth inning of a 1-0 loss to the Rangers on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Detroit Tigers got along just fine without J.D. Martinez in their lineup.

For one night, at least.

After trading their star outfielder to the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Tigers pounded out 16 hits in a 9-3 rout of the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night. Nicholas Castellanos homered twice and drove in five, Victor Martinez had a pair of RBI and just about everyone else did something constructive.

“I don’t know that you can replace J.D.,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus, whose club won its fourth straight. “We’ll do our best. Tonight was a good night for us.”

The Tigers were presumed to be in sell-mode after a rough first half, and that assumption became fact when general manager Al Avila traded Martinez for a trio of infield prospects. It took one of the Tigers’ most consistent bats out of the lineup and could signal more trades are in the works.

Nobody in the Detroit clubhouse is worried about the future, though.

“Everybody in here is a professional. You have to do what you have to do,” said Castellanos, who also tripled to finish a double shy of the cycle. “We’re playing with a chip on our shoulder now.”

The Tigers’ big offensive night gave fill-in starter Matt Boyd (3-5) plenty of support.

Boyd allowed three runs and seven hits over six innings, striking out three and walking one. It was his first big league win since April 16, a skid that included four losses and four no-decisions.

He outperformed Travis Wood (1-3), who allowed six runs and nine hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Most of the damage against Wood came in the second, when the Tigers strung together four straight hits to begin the inning. Victor Martinez’s two-run double started the scoring, and by the time Castellanos added a two-run triple, the Tigers had turned a 3-0 deficit into a 5-3 advantage.

Castellanos added his 13th homer of the season with one out in the fifth inning.

“They just put a rally together, some balls hit hard, some balls found holes and I wasn’t able to stop the bleeding,” Wood said. “That can’t happen especially after the team goes out and battles and put up three. We need a shutdown inning right there.”

Boyd had trouble of his own in the first, when he coughed up three runs on four singles and a hit batter. But the left-hander settled down to retire Kansas City in order in the second, then dodged what little trouble he faced before turning the game over to his bullpen.

It was the seventh loss in eight games for the Royals, going back to a three-game skid entering the All-Star break, and a particularly disheartening one given their three-run first inning.

“We’ve definitely got to get our pitching reeled back in here a little bit,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “A good start by our starting pitcher and some clutch hits will help you gain momentum and get your momentum going back in a positive fashion. That’s what we need to do.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Castellanos had his second career multihomer game. He has four homers in four days. … The Tigers improved to 6-2 against Kansas City this season. They were 7-12 against the Royals last season. … Wood is winless in his last seven starts, going 0-2 with a 7.90 ERA. … OF Whit Merrifield had a double in the ninth for his eighth straight home game with an extra-base hit, matching the Royals record held by Mike Macfarlane, Hal McRae and Amos Otis. … Royals 2B Ramon Torres singled to snap a 0-for-15 skid.

JMART SAYS FAREWELL

Martinez said he wasn’t surprised he was traded, considering he is due to hit free agency after the season. But that still made it difficult to leave a club that gave him a chance when things went downhill in Houston. “It doesn’t hit you until they tell you,” Martinez said. “It’s definitely tough. I love this organization. I love the fans. I love everything in Detroit. That’s home for me.”

TIGERS’ TRADE RETURN

INF Dawel Lugo was the top prospect in the Tigers’ trade, and GM Al Avila said he will likely begin next season at Triple-A. The Tigers also got INF Sergio Alcantara and INF Jose King as they restocked their farm system with position players. “What we got now, we’re very happy with,” Avila said.

ROSTER MOVES

The Tigers recalled OF Jim Adduci from Triple-A Toledo to take Martinez’s roster spot. They also optioned LHP Blaine Hardy to the Mud Hens to create room for Boyd on the roster.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Justin Verlander (5-7, 4.66 ERA) tries to snap a three-game skid as the four-game series continues Wednesday night. The Royals will send RHP Jason Hammel (4-8, 5.02) to the mound.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Nicholas Castellanos and Mikie Mahtook went deep, Jordan Zimmermann smothered the Royals with strikes and the Detroit Tigers proceeded to trounce Kansas City 10-2 to open a four-game series Monday night.

Ian Kinsler added three extra-base hits for the Tigers, who knocked American League wins leader Jason Vargas (12-4) from the game after 2 2/3 innings in his first start since the All-Star break.

Zimmermann (6-7) allowed one run and seven hits without a walk in 6 2/3 innings, throwing 79 of 97 pitches for strikes. His dominance was partly a result of first-pitch strikes to 24 of the 28 batters he faced, which helped the right-hander win for the first time since June 3.

Seemingly the only pitch Zimmermann threw that wasn’t a strike hit Royals shortstop Alcides Escobar on the left wrist in the seventh inning. Escobar was forced to leave the game.

Eric Hosmer homered in the eighth for Kansas City. Whit Merrifield also drove in a run.

Things went awry for Vargas from the first pitch, which Kinsler swatted to the fence for a double. Vargas proceeded to match a season high with four walks, Kinsler added a pair of triples off him, and the homers by Castellanos and Mahtook combined to go nearly 900 feet.

The dismal performance came after Vargas was battered for six runs — including three homers — on eight hits and a walk in five innings at Seattle in his final start before the All-Star break.

Vargas did toss a shutout inning during last week’s Midsummer Classic.

It was Zimmermann who looked like an All-Star on Monday night, though — not someone who had allowed at least four runs each of his last three starts, and was 0-4 with a 6.99 ERA on the road.

Zimmermann breezed through a perfect first, bounced back from back-to-back singles to escape trouble in the second, then began pounding the strike zone. By the time he hit the 50-pitch mark, Zimmermann threw 44 of them for strikes, and he wound up with only four two-ball counts in the game.

TRADE TALK

Rumors have suggested that Detroit could trade slugger J.D. Martinez and closer Justin Wilson before the July 31 deadline, though both said they weren’t focused on where they might end up. “Once you’re traded once, it’s not a big deal,” said Wilson, who has been traded from the Pirates and Yankees during his six-year career. “Like I’ve said from the get-go, this is a business, and if I get traded, I get traded.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals reinstated RHP Neftali Feliz from the paternity list and recalled OF Billy Burns from Triple-A Omaha. OF Jorge Soler and RHP Miguel Almonte were optioned to the Storm Chasers.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers LHP Daniel Norris (left groin strain) is making a rehab start for Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday night. … Martinez was removed in the seventh as a precautionary measure with lower back tightness.

Royals INF Cheslor Cuthbert (left wrist sprain) went to Omaha to begin a rehab assignment. Cuthbert was hitting .196 in 33 games when he went on the DL retroactive to June 26.

UP NEXT

The Tigers are recalling LHP Matt Boyd from Toledo to start Tuesday night, while the Royals will send LHP Travis Wood for his second start of the season. Boyd’s last start with Detroit came May 31 in Kansas City, when he allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk in 3 2/3 innings.

— Associated Press —-

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas right fielder Shin-Soo Choo lost Lorenzo Cain’s routine fly in the sun, and the ball glanced off his glove for an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the Kansas City Royals over the Texas Rangers 4-3 Sunday.

Choo tried to shield his eyes, but even sunglasses didn’t help on Cain’s sliced flyball. The Royals snapped a five-game losing streak, and also ended a 12-game skid against the Rangers.

Kelvin Herrera (2-2) pitched a spotless ninth. Jason Grilli (2-5), acquired by Rangers from Toronto on July 2, took the loss.

Alcides Escobar led off the ninth with a single and Alex Gordon walked on four pitches. With one out, Grilli hit Whit Merrifield with a pitch to load the bases. After Jorge Bonifacio struck out, Cain delivered the game-winning hit, with some luck.

Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish, who is 0-4 in his past six starts, allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits, walked one and struck out one.

Darvish’s wild pitch in the first allowed Merrifield to score. Mike Moustakas’ two-out double in the third scored Eric Hosmer, who had walked.

Royals starter Ian Kennedy yielded solo home runs to Drew Robinson in the third and Mike Napoli in the seventh.

Kennedy left after 6 2/3 innings and the score tied at 2.

Kennedy, who is winless in his past 12 home starts, gave up two runs on five hits. After throwing 25 pitches in the first inning, he navigated his way into the seventh on 74 more pitches.

The Royals took a 3-2 lead in the seventh when Drew Butera, who had singled, scored an unearned run. Merrifield doubled and Butera came home when left fielder Nomar Mazara misplayed the ball.

Joakim Soria could not hold the lead in the eighth. Mazara’s two-out single scored Elvis Andrus, who had doubled.

DARVISH PASSES RYAN

Yu Darvish moved past Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and into fourth place on the Rangers’ career strikeout list. When Darvish fanned out Brandon Moss in the fourth inning it was his 940th strikeout in his 120th start. Ryan, baseball’s all-time strikeout king, fanned 939 in 129 starts with Texas.

NO GALLO

Rangers slugger Joey Gallo, who has seven strikeouts in seven at-bats against Kennedy, was not in the lineup.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Keone Kela (shoulder soreness) threw a bullpen Saturday with no problems. The Rangers are unsure whether Kela needs another mound session or activate him Monday in Baltimore.

UP NEXT

Rangers: RHP Andrew Cashner will start Monday at Baltimore in the opener of a four-game series. RHP Chris Tillman will be the Orioles starter.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas, who worked a scoreless inning in the All-Star game, will start against the Tigers. Vargas leads the AL with 12 victories and a 1.84 ERA at home.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Cole Hamels could have been frustrated or intimidated or annoyed by the effortless way Kansas City counterpart Danny Duffy was slicing up the Rangers lineup Saturday night.

Instead, he rather enjoyed it.

The quick innings allowed Hamels to get into a rhythm of his own, and the left-hander kept matching Duffy’s scoreless innings. It wasn’t long after Hamels departed that Texas finally broke through, with Shin-Soo Choo flaring a lazy fly ball down the left-field line with one out in the ninth for a 1-0 victory — the Rangers’ 12th straight over the Royals.

“Duffy is a tremendous pitcher,” said Hamels, who scattered four hits and a walk with five strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings. “He was making good pitches, getting good outs, and it was up to me to go out and match him. … It was kind of nice to be able to do that.”

Duffy (5-6) began the ninth by giving up a weak single to Jonathan Lucroy. After pinch-runner Joey Gallo took second on a sacrifice bunt by Delino DeShields, Choo got just enough wood on Duffy’s 91st pitch to drop a fly ball in front of left fielder Alex Gordon.

“We needed to find a way to get a hit and we just didn’t. They did,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, “even though it was a jam-shot that won the game for them.”

It wasn’t quite over, though.

After Jose Leclerc (2-2) got the final out in the eighth for Texas, he walked the leadoff man in the ninth. But Alex Claudio worked his way back from a 3-0 count to strike out Eric Hosmer, then got Salvador Perez to ground into a double play to earn his third save and second in as many nights.

“Great slow heartbeat by Claudio right there,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said.

Most of the game shook out just as expected: an entertaining duel between talented left-handers.

Hamels rolled in on a 13 1/3-inning scoreless streak and was 3-0 in three starts against the Royals since arriving in Texas. Duffy carried a shutout into the eighth when the teams met in April in Arlington, and he was amped up making his first home start since mid-May.

Texas was first to threaten when Mike Napoli led off the second with a triple, but Duffy set down the next three batters. The only other hit he allowed until the eighth was a one-out single by Carlos Gomez in the fifth, and Duffy picked him off first base.

“Everything was working,” he said.

Hamels waded through far more trouble in the third inning.

He started by walking Alcides Escobar, who hadn’t earned a free pass in 115 plate appearances. Hamels then gave up a single to Brandon Moss and a two-out single to Jorge Bonifacio, who was robbed of driving in the game’s first run when shortstop Elvis Andrus leaped up to knock down the ball.

With the bases loaded, Hamels calmly got Lorenzo Cain to ground out and end the inning.

“The guy has been doing it for a long time. It’s always fun to have matchups like that,” said Duffy, who allowed five hits and four strikeouts without a walk in 8 1/3 innings. “He did a heck of a job. They just came out on top. Somebody had to lose this game. It is what it is.”

RIB ROAST

Royals RHP Nate Karns will have one of his ribs removed Wednesday in a procedure designed to help nerve irritation in his pitching arm. The condition, called thoracic outlet syndrome, occurs when there is pressure on the nerve. Karns hopes to be ready for spring training. “It’s a relief to know what the problem is,” he said. “We’ll have the surgery and go from there.”

MINOR MOVES

Texas traded SS Yeyson Yrizzari to the White Sox for international bonus pool allotment. The 20-year-old Yrizzari signed in 2013 out of the Dominican Republic and was hitting .258 in Class A.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals INF Cheslor Cuthbert (left wrist sprain) will head to Triple-A Omaha on a rehab assignment in the next day or two, manager Ned Yost said. Cuthbert has been out since June 28.

UP NEXT

Rangers RHP Yu Darvish tries to stop a three-game losing streak when he takes the mound Sunday for the series finale. He’ll go against Royals RHP Ian Kennedy, who is 3-0 with a 2.67 ERA over his last five starts after going winless in his first 11 outings this season.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adrian Beltre hit a three-run homer, pinch-hitter Mike Napoli had a go-ahead two-run shot and the Texas Rangers rallied to beat the Kansas City Royals 5-3 on Friday night.

Martin Perez (5-6) allowed eight hits and a walk over seven innings, but kept all that traffic to just three runs. Two of those came in the second, when Alcides Escobar homered to left.

Beltre connected in the sixth off Royals starter Jason Hammel, who had just surrendered back-to-back singles — the first hits off him all night. Napoli followed with nobody out in the seventh, sending a poor pitch from reliever Mike Minor (5-2) soaring over the left-field wall.

Matt Bush breezed through a perfect eighth and Alex Claudio handled the ninth for his second save, giving the Rangers their 10th straight win over Kansas City dating to last July.

The Royals jumped ahead 2-0 in the second, when the light-hitting Escobar ripped a 2-0 pitch from Rangers starter Perez off the foul post in left field. The ball caromed into the Royals bullpen as Escobar trotted around the bases for a two-run homer.

Jorge Bonifacio made it 3-0 when he drove in Whit Merrifield with a single in the fifth.

The Rangers, crossed up all night by Hammel, finally managed their first hit with one out in the sixth when Elvis Andrus beat out an infield single. Nomar Mazara made it consecutive hits before Beltre cracked the 453rd homer of his career, passing Carl Yastrzemski for 38th on the career list.

The three-run shot also gave Beltre 1,601 RBI in 20 big league seasons.

Minor entered a couple batters later and finished the sixth, but he surrendered a single to Carlos Gomez in the seventh before Napoli’s homer gave the Rangers their first lead.

STATS AND STREAKS

The Royals’ Eric Hosmer singled in the sixth, extending his hit streak to 16 games. … Beltre went 2 for 3, pushing his average to .347 against Kansas City. That trails only Ichiro Suzuki (.355) for career best against the Royals. … Hammel hasn’t won since June 19 at Boston.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers RHP Keone Kela (right shoulder soreness) was “all smiles” after throwing Thursday, manager Jeff Banister said. The next step is to throw off a mound. … Banister said the All-Star break probably helped 1B Joey Gallo, who has been dealing with a sore left knee tendon all season. But Banister said, “I don’t think four days gets rid of (the injury) completely.”

ROSTER MOVES

The Royals put RHP Neftali Feliz on the paternity list and recalled RHP Miguel Almonte from Triple-A Omaha. Almonte has appeared in two games for the Royals this season.

UP NEXT

Rangers LHP Cole Hamels and Royals LHP Danny Duffy square off Saturday night. Hamels has tossed 13 1/3 scoreless innings over his last two starts, the third-longest streak in the majors, while Duffy will be trying to bounce back from a poor outing against the Dodgers before the break.

— Associated Press —

LOS ANGELES (AP) — With Sandy Koufax watching on a 94-degree day, Clayton Kershaw was a model of efficiency in tossing a six-hitter.

“I wanted to do it for him,” Kershaw said.

The left-hander became the majors’ first 14-game winner, Justin Turner homered twice, and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-2 on Sunday to complete their major league-best 10th sweep and sixth straight victory.

Kershaw struck out 13 on 99 pitches, becoming the first pitcher in major league history to strike out at least that many in a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches.

“It was a good way to end the first half,” he said after his first complete game of the season and 25th of his career. “It felt good to get out there and finish a game.”

The streaking Dodgers head into the All-Star break owning baseball’s best record of 61-29. They’ve won 18 of their last 19 at home, where they lead the majors with a 39-11 mark.

“Obviously, we just got slapped by the best team in baseball,” Royals starter Danny Duffy said.

Kershaw (14-2) allowed two runs and six hits and walked none to set the Dodgers’ record for most wins at the break. The old mark of 13 was held by Orel Hershiser, who had 13 in 1988, the last time the franchise won the World Series.

“He was Clayton-esque,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He had everything working.”

The seven-time All-Star, who won’t pitch in Tuesday’s showcase in Miami, has made 13 straight starts without a loss, going 10-0 with a 1.98 ERA and the Dodgers winning every game.

Roberts said Kershaw won’t pitch in the series at Miami after the All-Star break, giving him an extended rest.

“It would feel good to go out there and keep on winning games,” Kershaw said.

Duffy (5-5) gave up five runs and six hits in seven innings of his first career start at Dodger Stadium, located 150 miles from his hometown of Lompoc. He struck out nine and didn’t walk anyone.

“No walks really makes me happy,” Duffy said. “Strikeouts were there, I just didn’t execute on a couple of pitches.”

Kansas City’s Eric Hosmer went 3 for 4, drove in two runs and scored a run while extending his hitting streak to 15 games, but the Royals lost their third in a row.

“Definitely not how we wanted to end the break,” Hosmer said. “If anything, it was a bit of a wake-up call for us to see how good they are playing and we have to realize that we can’t make key mistakes.”

Turner tuned up for his first All-Star appearance by going 2 for 4 and driving in three runs. His two-run homer made it 4-0 in the third after Logan Forsythe’s RBI single scored Trayce Thompson, who tripled leading off.

Turner’s first homer came in the first. Austin Barnes also homered in the sixth.

The Royals trailed 4-2 on Hosmer’s two-run homer in the fourth that barely eluded Thompson’s glove stretched over the wall in left-center. Lorenzo Cain scored after singling for the Royals’ second hit off Kershaw.

RARE ENDING

The Dodgers’ 5-4 victory in 10 innings on Saturday ended on four consecutive walks without an out or a hit recorded. That hadn’t happened since June 6, 1962, at Wrigley Field, according to Elias Sports Bureau. San Francisco’s Don Larsen walked the Cubs’ Lou Brock and Bob Will to open the ninth. After a wild pitch, Larsen intentionally walked Andre Rogers to load the bases and ended the game with a walk to Don Landrum for a 4-3 Chicago victory.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Nate Karns, on the DL since May with thoracic outlet syndrome, will see a specialist after the All-Star break.

Dodgers: C Yasmani Grandal’s swelling in his left hand went down after leaving Saturday night’s game early, but he didn’t start Sunday and is day-to-day.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jason Hammel (4-8, 5.04 ERA) is scheduled to start Friday’s opener at home against Texas. He allowed three runs and eight hits in six innings of a 4-1 loss last Friday against the Dodgers.

Dodgers: RHP Brandon McCarthy (6-3, 3.12) starts the opener of a three-game series at Miami on Friday

— Associated Press —