KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Salvador Perez homered to end Michael Fulmer’s long scoreless innings streak, Yordano Ventura kept the Tigers’ big bats off balance and the Kansas City Royals routed Detroit 10-3 on Friday night.

Ventura (6-4) scattered six hits while striking out five without a walk, ultimately outlasting Fulmer (7-2) in what began as an entertaining pitching duel between two bright young starters.

Fulmer pushed his streak to a Tigers rookie-record 33 1/3 innings before Perez went deep in the sixth. He left after walking the next two batters, allowing five hits and four walks in 5 2/3 innings.

Perez drove in two more in the seventh, Kendrys Morales hit a three-run shot in the eighth, and Eric Hosmer added three RBI as the Royals beat up on the Detroit bullpen late.

Justin Upton hit a two-run homer and Miguel Cabrera a solo shot off Dillon Gee in the ninth.

The Tigers had their only success against Ventura early, getting singles in each of the first three innings that amounted to nothing. Cabrera singled leading off the fourth but was taken out by another double play, and Nick Castellanos was left stranded after his single.

Ventura proceeded to retire the next seven batters he faced in a dominant performance.

Nearly as good was Fulmer, who left runners on second and third by striking out Brett Eibner in the second inning, and got Lorenzo Cain to ground into a double play with the bases loaded in the third.

The 23-year-old rookie made it through the fifth inning unscathed. Fulmer shattered the franchise rookie record of 28 2/3 set by John Hiller in August 1967, and then trumped the 32 innings that Orel Hershiser went as a rookie for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1984.

Perez left Fulmer just short of Fernando Valenzuela’s 35-inning mark in 1981.

The big catcher turned on a two-out pitch in the sixth and sent it soaring 422 feet to left field, where it landed just shy of the Hall of Fame. It was Perez’s third homer in his last four games.

The Tigers got runners on second and third in the seventh, thanks in part to two errors. Kelvin Herrera entered and retired Steven Moya — Whit Merrifield made a marvelous play at second base for a fielder’s choice — and got James McCann for an inning-ending groundout to preserve the 1-0 lead.

All the drama evaporated as the Royals scored four in the seventh and five in the eighth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin (left quad) ran before the game but got another night off. … OF J.D. Martinez (right elbow fracture) is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks after getting hurt in Thursday’s series opener. “Of all the injuries he could’ve had running into the wall,” trainer Kevin Rand said, “this is probably the best.”

Royals: OF Alex Gordon (broken wrist) will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Northwest Arkansas this weekend. He’ll get about 25 at-bats before rejoining the Royals. “We’ll judge it,” manager Ned Yost said, “but the way he looks in batting practice right now, I don’t think he’ll be there real long.”

UP NEXT

Tigers LHP Matt Boyd takes the mound against the team he faced in his major league debut last August. He will oppose Royals RHP Edinson Volquez, who worked seven scoreless against Cleveland in his last start.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Victor Martinez hit three home runs, the Tigers pounded out six as a team and Detroit rallied from an early hole to beat the Kansas City Royals in the opener of a four-game series.

There should have been ample reason to celebrate.

Instead, there was just a little bit of melancholy in the clubhouse after a 10-4 victory Thursday night, the fallout of an injury to J.D. Martinez that could keep the outfielder out for up to six weeks.

Martinez was tracking a fly ball in the second inning when he hit the wall. He left the game and was taken for an X-ray, which revealed a non-displaced fracture in his right elbow. He’ll have a CT scan on Friday.

“We feel bad for J.D. It looked innocent,” said the Tigers’ Ian Kinsler.

In the meantime, Steven Moya will take his place in the lineup.

“We’d much rather have J.D. healthy and in the lineup, but he’s not,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said, “so we need Steven to pick up the slack, and everybody else to pick up the slack.”

They certainly did that Thursday night.

Victor Martinez hit a pair of solo shots and Nick Castellanos went deep before James McCann homered off Royals reliever Luke Hochevar (1-1) leading off the seventh to knot the game 4-all. Cabrera followed moments later with a two-run shot that gave the Tigers their first lead of the game.

Detroit added three more runs in the eighth before Martinez hit his third homer in the ninth. The veteran designated hitter’s other three-homer game came on July 16, 2004, at Seattle.

“I hung the bullpen out to dry,” said Royals starter Danny Duffy, who gave up the first two of Martinez’s homers. “I didn’t have my best stuff. I didn’t feel my best. That’s one thing people who stick around here do, is battle when they don’t feel as good as they normally do.”

Justin Verlander (7-5) allowed four runs on eight hits over seven innings, continuing his mastery of the Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Verlander improved to 13-5 in 22 starts in the ballpark.

Not only did the Royals’ five-game win streak end, so did their nine game home winning streak. It was their longest since reeling off 11 consecutive victories from March 31 to May 5, 2003.

“They have a good lineup, but then again you don’t want to go into it tying your own hands,” Hochevar said. “You’ve still got to go out and pitch your game, pitch your strengths and attack them and trust your stuff is good enough to get them out.”

The Royals were in control until their normally staunch bullpen let them down. Eric Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain drove in runs in the first inning to give them the lead, and Brett Eibner — fresh of the disabled list — matched Martinez’s first homer by driving in a run in the bottom of the second.

Martinez and Castellanos went deep in the fourth, tying the game, before Eibner connected leading off the fifth for the first home run of his career. But then the Royals’ relievers began throwing batting practice.

McCann’s tying shot cleared the wall in spacious Kauffman Stadium with plenty of room to spare, and the home run by Cabrera — his 12th career homer at The K — just cleared the wall in right field.

Martinez capped the big night for the Tigers offense with his no-doubt homer in the ninth.

“Definitely, I felt pretty good,” said Martinez, who was back in the lineup after getting some rest for a bothersome knee. “But the most important thing was to put together a good game like that.”

ROSTER MOVES

Eibner, who had been out with a sprained left ankle, arrived about an hour before first pitch and was put right into the lineup. The Royals optioned OF Reymond Fuentes to Triple-A Omaha to make room for him.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: OF Cameron Maybin got the night off with tightness in his quad.

Royals: LF Alex Gordon (broken wrist) took batting practice for the second straight day, hitting a series of homers into the fountains. Royals manager Ned Yost said he could begin a rehab assignment this week.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Michael Fulmer has won five straight games, allowing one earned run over 34 1/3 innings, and has thrown at least six shutout innings in each of his last four starts. He’ll face Royals RHP Yordano Ventura, who struck out a season-high 10 in a win over the White Sox last Sunday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals won six straight games to take the AL Central lead, then dropped eight straight to lose it.

Now, they’re riding another five-game winning streak.

“Yeah, to say we’re streaky — it’s kind of crazy how it’s going,” said Ian Kennedy, who pitched Kansas City to a 9-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday night to polish off a three-game sweep.

The Royals have won nine straight at home, their best stretch since 2003.

Salvador Perez hit a three-run shot during a go-ahead fifth inning against Corey Kluber (6-7), while Eric Hosmer added two RBI and Whit Merrifield remained hot to pace the Kansas City attack.

“We were on the attack early,” Hosmer said. “We took advantage of getting a lot of guys on base.”

Kennedy (5-5) allowed just five hits, including two-run homers by Rajai Davis and Michael Martinez, as he pitched into the seventh inning. He won for the first time since beating Cleveland on May 7.

Even with the two long balls, the Indians only managed seven runs the entire series.

Kluber gave up more than that in five innings Wednesday night. The 2014 Cy Young winner matched a career high by allowing eight runs and nine hits in a performance nearly as shoddy as his defense, which made two errors and probably could have been charged with a couple more.

“Yeah, to get swept is disappointing,” Kluber said. “We didn’t play very well these three games.”

Merrifield, who homered in each of the first two games, got the Royals going again with a base hit in the first inning. Consecutive doubles by Hosmer and Lorenzo Cain gave Kansas City a 2-0 lead.

Kluber also ran into trouble in the second inning, though it was caused by consecutive errors by second baseman Jason Kipnis and third baseman Martinez. Kluber bounced back to strand runners on second and third, then went through a stretch of six batters in which he struck out five.

“He’s tough,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s just tough.”

The Indians tied it in the fifth when Kennedy failed to cover first base on Martinez’s grounder up the line. Moments later, Davis sent a 1-2 pitch soaring over the wall in left field to tie the game.

That only lasted until the bottom half of the inning.

Drew Butera blooped a double to right that fell between Cleveland fielders, then reached third on a groundout before scampering home for the go-ahead run on Kluber’s wild pitch. Hosmer and Cain added singles, and Perez swatted his 11th homer of the season to center field.

Perez hit a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth inning of the Royals’ 3-2 win Tuesday night.

Kansas City (35-30) added three more runs in the sixth to put the game away, and move into a tie with the Indians for first place in the division.

“Very disappointing. We swept them at home and they return the favor,” Kipnis said. “I thought this entire series was more on the position players. I think the pitching staff did an outstanding job. You can’t ask for much more from the pitching staff.”

TROUBLED TRIBE

The Indians had not been swept at Kauffman Stadium since July 31-Aug. 2, 2012. They have lost six of their last nine after winning their previous six, trending in the opposite direction of the Royals. Part of the problem has been sloppy fielding — they have five errors in their last five games.

INFANTE OUT

The Royals designated INF Omar Infante for assignment, likely ending his tenure in KC. Infante has struggled with injuries since signing a $30.25 million, four-year deal. Unless he is traded or claimed on waivers, both unlikely, the Royals would owe him the remainder of $7.75 million due this season, $8 million on his contract next season and a $2 million buyout for the 2018 season.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals OF Alex Gordon (broken right hand) took batting practice for the first time since landing on the DL on May 23, even hitting a homer into the fountains. Gordon does not know when he will begin a rehab assignment but said “it should be coming soon.” … Royals RHP Kris Medlen (right rotator inflammation) made first rehab start Wednesday for Northwest Arkansas. He threw two scoreless innings.

UP NEXT

Royals LHP Danny Duffy opens a four-game series against Detroit on Thursday night, while Cleveland takes the day off before beginning a three-game set against the White Sox on Friday night.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Royals manager Ned Yost never lacks for confidence, even with his team struggling to score runs and trailing with two outs in the eighth inning against the best team in the division.

“I had a really good feeling about Sal coming up there and doing something special,” Yost said.

That would be Salvador Perez, of course. The All-Star catcher made Yost seem prophetic when he followed a single by Eric Hosmer with a two-run homer to center, propelling Kansas City to a 3-2 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

Joakim Soria (3-2) pitched a scoreless eighth inning for Kansas City, then proceeded to handle the ninth with setup men Luke Hochevar Kelvin Herrera and closer Wade Davis getting the night off — the three of them were unavailable after heavy usage the previous three days.

Soria got Jason Kipnis to pop out with runners on first and second to end it.

“If you can keep these guys in the game, they like the late-inning heroics,” said Dillon Gee, who tossed three scoreless innings in relief of Chris Young to make the comeback possible.

Whit Merrifield also went deep for the Royals, who have won four straight after an eight-game skid, while Perez’s shot off Bryan Shaw (0-3) was the first non-solo homer by the Royals in their last 12.

The comeback also scuttled a solid performance by Josh Tomlin, who allowed seven hits while striking out five without a walk. He exited with a 2-1 lead and in line to beat Kansas City for the third time.

“I don’t care about my win. I care about this team winning games,” he said. “It stinks to lose in that situation. We have the utmost faith in Shaw every time he goes out there. He’s one of the best relievers, in my opinion. He’ll make adjustments. We’ve seen what he’s done in the past.”

The Indians took their first lead of the series when Carlos Santana homered in the third, his 13th of the year. It was also the AL-leading 18th that Chris Young had allowed.

Merrifield matched it in the bottom half, the 27-year-old rookie sending a 2-2 pitch over the left-field wall. His second career homer came 24 hours after his first.

Young continued to struggle with his command in the fifth, walking two more batters to exceed his 85-pitch limit. Dillon Gee entered in relief and Kipnis promptly swatted the second pitch he saw for an RBI single that gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead.

The Royals had a chance to tie it in the seventh when pinch hitter Paulo Orlando slapped a single and Cheslor Cuthbert sacrificed him to second, but Jarrod Dyson and Merrifield were unable to get him home.

Perez made it a forgotten point with his big hit in the eighth.

“It’s a long season but you want to play night-in and night-out good baseball,” Young said. “Be nice to get on a streak now and finish up this series well.”

STAKING A CLAIM

The Royals claimed LHP Tyler Olson off waivers from the Yankees and assigned him to Triple-A Omaha, and created roster space by transferring 3B Mike Moustakas (ACL) to the 60-day DL. Olson has spent most of the season in the minors, though he did throw 2 2/3 innings of relief for New York in April.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: 3B Moustakas stopped in the clubhouse after surgery to repair a torn right ACL. He has already started rehabbed, most of which will take place in Florida. “It’s not fun to sit there and watch and not be out there,” he said, “but my job is to get better and get ready for next season.”

Indians: 3B Juan Uribe was feeling better after sustaining a testicular contusion Sunday against the Angels. He remained out of the lineup, though manager Terry Francona said Uribe did all pregame work.

UP NEXT

Indians RHP Corey Kluber tries to build on a complete-game victory over the Angels in the series finale Wednesday night. RHP Ian Kennedy is on the mound for Kansas City.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Whit Merrifield hit his first career homer, Edinson Volquez tossed seven innings of two-hit ball and the Kansas City Royals beat Cleveland 2-1 on Monday night to end a five-game skid against the Indians.

Alcides Escobar also drove in a run for the Royals, who have won three in a row after an eight-game losing streak. They also won their seventh consecutive game at Kauffman Stadium.

Volquez (6-6) walked the bases loaded in the first inning before settling down, allowing only a double to Jason Kipnis and a single to Lonnie Chisenhall. Volquez also hit a batter with a pitch and worked around an error, but ultimately kept the Indians from scoring.

Kelvin Herrera allowed a leadoff homer to Kipnis in the eighth but navigated the rest of the inning, and Wade Davis pitched around a leadoff single in the ninth for his 18th save.

Carlos Carrasco (2-2) gave up both Kansas City runs and 10 hits over six innings.

Merrifield, who made his big league debut last month, tripled to start the game and scored when Escobar followed with a single. Then, the 27-year-old rookie lived up to his “Two-hit Whit” moniker by driving an 0-2 pitch over the left-field wall with two outs in the fourth.

He was greeted at the dugout by Royals catcher Salvador Perez, who playfully doffed his helmet.

Merrifield, considered a super-utility player, also helped turn a trio of double plays while getting another start at second base. One of them ended the eighth inning and preserved a 2-1 lead.

The Indians had plenty of opportunities, even after Chisenhall grounded out to leave the bases full in the first inning. Kipnis was left standing on second in the third, and the Indians left runners at the corners in the fourth when Rajai Davis grounded out to end the inning.

Yan Gomes squandered another chance by grounding into an inning-ending double play in the sixth, and Jose Ramirez did likewise when he grounded to Merrifield in the eighth.

ROYAL INTRODUCTION

The Royals introduced their top pick in this year’s first-year player draft, 6-foot-4 RHP A.J. Puckett, prior to the game. The Pepperdine pitcher was taken in the second round at No. 67 overall and agreed to a signing bonus of $1.2 million.

FOUNDATION DONATION

The Kauffman Foundation announced a $1 million grant to the Urban Youth Baseball Academy, a project spearheaded by Royals GM Dayton Moore. The foundation was started in 1966 by Ewing Kauffman, who founded the Royals and owned the team until his death in 1993.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians 3B Juan Uribe got the night off after taking a hard grounder squarely in the groin Sunday against the Angels. Uribe left on a cart with a testicular contusion.

UP NEXT

Indians RHP Josh Tomlin tries to beat the Royals for the third time this season when the teams continue their series Tuesday night. RHP Chris Young pitches for Kansas City for the first time since June 5 in Cleveland, when he allowed four solo homers in a 7-0 loss.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — The Baltimore brawl is over. Yordano Ventura is concentrating on finding his form for the Kansas City Royals.

This was an awfully nice step in that direction.

Ventura pitched seven sharp innings in his first start since his fight with Manny Machado, and the Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Sunday for their second straight win following an eight-game losing streak.

“Today (I) was feeling what (I’ve) been working on all along,” Ventura said, with catching coach Pedro Grifol serving as translator, “which is get the ball out of the glove quickly and get out in front.”

Ventura (5-4) struck out a season-high 10 and walked one in his first win since May 17 against Boston, making the most of Kansas City’s run-scoring singles in the first and second. Salvador Perez added a leadoff homer down the left-field line in the ninth.

The 25-year-old Ventura went 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA in his previous four starts.

“When we took him out of the game, I told him tomorrow his duty was to come in and watch every pitch of that ballgame because every pitch that he delivered for me was phenomenal,” manager Ned Yost said.

Ventura was suspended nine games by Major League Baseball after he hit Machado in the back with a 99 mph fastball in the fifth inning of a 9-1 loss Tuesday, leading to a bench-clearing fight. But the right-hander appealed the punishment and is allowed to pitch until the process is complete.

“For me, I mean, he was totally judged guilty without even a trial, without hearing any of the evidence,” Yost said. “To me, that wasn’t right, but it is what it is.”

Chicago put runners on first and third with no outs in the fifth, but J.B. Shuck struck out looking and Ventura got rookie Tim Anderson to bounce into a double play — one of three on the day for Chicago. After Jose Abreu homered in the sixth, Ventura struck out Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier to end the inning.

Kelvin Herrera worked the eighth and Wade Davis finished for his 17th save in 18 chances, helping Yost improve to 500-499 in seven years with Kansas City.

The White Sox lost for the 14th time in their last 18 games — five of those defeats have come against the Royals.

“There’s no worry,” left-hander Carlos Rodon said. “We know we’re good enough. We’re just going through a rough patch.”

Rodon (2-6) shook off a slow start and pitched six effective innings after he was pushed back a couple of days due to a sore neck. He allowed seven hits, struck out seven and walked two.

“He threw well,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “He got into some binds there and I think he limited his chances. There could have been some big innings there and he bucked up and got out of it.”

Kendrys Morales’ two-out RBI single got Kansas City on the board in the first, and Whit Merrifield added another run-scoring single in the second.

OLD FRIENDS

White Sox right-hander James Shields chatted with Yost when he visited the Royals before the game.

Shields won 27 games over two seasons in Kansas City, helping the Royals reach the 2014 World Series. He signed with San Diego in February 2015 and was traded to the White Sox on June 4.

“He left a big impact here. It’s good to see him,” Yost said. “I’m glad he’s back in the American League.”

Shields lasted just two-plus innings in an 11-4 loss to Washington in his White Sox debut on Wednesday. He pitches again on Monday against Detroit.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Perez was checked on by Yost and a trainer after the catcher fell awkwardly while chasing a wild pitch in the fourth inning. Perez stayed in after catching a warmup pitch from Ventura.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez (5-6, 4.25 ERA) gets the ball when Kansas City begins a seven-game homestand Monday night against Cleveland. RHP Carlos Carrasco (2-1, 3.48) pitches for the Indians in the opener of a three-game series.

White Sox: Shields (2-8, 5.06 ERA) is 7-6 with a 4.10 ERA in 18 career starts against Detroit. LHP Matt Boyd (0-1, 3.38) goes for the Tigers.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — A couple days ago, maybe the ball Cheslor Cuthbert hit in the third inning would’ve been caught at the warning track.

On Saturday, the wind and the luck were on Kansas City’s side.

The World Series champion Royals ended an eight-game losing streak, with Cuthbert hitting two home runs and Danny Duffy pitching six shutout innings in a 4-1 win over the Chicago White Sox.

“No, I didn’t think it would be a home run,” Cuthbert said of what initially appeared to be just deep fly in the third. “I hit it OK. I thought it might be off the wall.”

The Royals stopped their longest slide since an eight-game drought in May 2013.

“It’s big. It was a team effort,” Duffy said.

Kendrys Morales also homered for Kansas City.

“That’s the advantage of hitting homers,” manager Ned Yost said. “You don’t have to bunch three and four hits together.”

The White Sox lost for the 21st time in their last 29 games following back-to-back wins.

Duffy (2-1) struck out 10 and gave up three hits. He made his sixth start since rejoining the Royals’ rotation.

The left-hander was sharp despite battling the 91-degree heat and a mound he described as having a “Grand Canyon” on the rubber and landing spot.

“I tried to shorten my stride and it might have helped me because of how bad the landing spot was,” Duffy said. “It was hot and my legs were struggling and the mound was pretty chewed up.”

Avisail Garcia singled in Chicago’s lone run off reliever Wade Davis with two outs in the ninth.

Jose Quintana (5-7) also struck out 10 in his career-high sixth straight loss. He hasn’t won since May 8 vs. Minnesota when he had a league-leading 1.38 ERA.

Quintana gave up all three homers and walked none in eight innings, but the White Sox provided no offensive support.

“I don’t get it,” third baseman Todd Frazier said. “I don’t understand when we get opportunities we squander them. We’ve just got to figure out a way to get something.”

The Royals hit three solo home runs for the second straight day. They moved ahead of the White Sox by a half-game in the AL Central.

Duffy escaped a second-and-third, one-out jam in the first by striking out Frazier and retiring Brett Lawrie on a lineout.

SOLO FLIGHT

Kansas City’s last eight homers have all been solo shots.

ROOM FOR ROOKIE

Prized White Sox prospect and SS Tim Anderson was back in the lineup and went 0 for 3 after getting two hits in his major league debut on Friday. Manager Robin Ventura said Anderson figures to play “at least five days a week” after making progress at the plate and in the field since spring training.

NEW MIX

Yost used a new-look lineup for a second day following a 7-5 loss to Chicago on Friday night. LF Whit Merrifield led off, with SS Alcides Escobar batting second, 1B Eric Hosmer third and CF Lorenzo Cain fourth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Dillon Gee was recalled from Triple-A Omaha and LHP Scott Alexander was optioned to Omaha on Saturday. Yost said the 30-year-old Gee, who has made four starts with the Royals this year, will work out of the bullpen. . OF Brett Eibner (ankle) went 0 for 3 on Friday at Triple-A Omaha in a rehab stint.

White Sox: OF Jason Coats, recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Friday after CF Austin Jackson was put on the 15-day DL (right meniscus tear) on Friday, was in the lineup as the DH. He went 0 for 2 with a walk.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (4-4, 5.32) remains active as he appeals a nine-game suspension resulting from a fight with Baltimore’s Manny Machado last Tuesday.

White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (2-5, 4.41) takes the mound after being pushed back from a scheduled start last Thursday (sore neck.) Rodon played catch in the outfield before Saturday’s game.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Alex Avila hit two of Chicago’s season-high four home runs and the struggling White Sox beat Kansas City 7-5 on Friday night to give a shaky Chris Sale his major league-leading 10th win and the Royals their eight straight loss.

The defending champions matched their longest losing streak since May 2013, while the White Sox opened the weekend series with their second straight win after dropping 20 of 26.

Sale (10-2) pitched into the seventh and got the victory despite giving up a season-high three home runs — two solo drives to Eric Hosmer and one to Salvador Perez. But the White Sox also used the long ball to come out on top after beating Washington the previous night.

Avila came through with his first two homers since signing with Chicago in the offseason. He hit back-to-back solo drives with Brett Lawrie in the fourth and added a two-run shot in the sixth off Ian Kennedy (4-5) to make it 7-3.

Melky Cabrera also homered for Chicago.

Top prospect Tim Anderson added two hits for Chicago in his major league debut, including a double in his first at-bat, and scored a run. The promising shortstop was called up before the game to replace veteran Jimmy Rollins, who was designated for assignment.

Those moves came a day after the White Sox let pitcher Mat Latos go and signed former AL MVP Justin Morneau — and less than a week after they acquired starter James Shields from San Diego.

Sale got the win after going 0-2 in his previous three starts even though he gave up 11 hits. He struck out eight and walked one.

Sale exited with a 7-4 lead and runners on first and third after Alcides Escobar’s RBI single with none out in the seventh. Hosmer added a sacrifice fly off Dan Jennings in the inning to make it a two-run game. But the White Sox hung on, with David Robertson working the ninth for his 15th save in 17 tries.

Kennedy lasted 5 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and nine hits. The right-hander gave up a career-high four homers and dropped to 0-3 in his past six outings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

White Sox: General manager Rick Hahn said CF Austin Jackson will likely miss at least six weeks because of a medial meniscus tear in his left knee and have surgery next week. Jackson hurt his knee stepping on a base awkwardly during Thursday’s win over Washington. He remained in the game, but an MRI on Friday confirmed the injury. With Jackson on the 15-day DL, Chicago recalled outfielder Jason Coats from Triple-A. … Hahn also said pitchers Jake Petricka (torn labrum in hip) and Daniel Webb (Tommy John elbow surgery) had season-ending operations on Friday.

UP NEXT

LHP Jose Quintana (5-6, 2.58 ERA) looks to get back to winning for Chicago after dropping five consecutive starts, while the Royals are pushing Chris Young back in the rotation and going with LHP Danny Duffy (1-1, 3.35) instead.

— Associated Press —

NEW YORK (AP) — Kansas City pitcher Yordano Ventura was suspended nine games and Baltimore third baseman Manny Machado was penalized four games Thursday after their brawl earlier this week.

Major League Baseball also fined each player an undisclosed amount.

This is the second straight season Ventura has been suspended — he drew a seven-game ban last year after an altercation with the White Sox.

“It’s just kind of tough when you have to play short because of something that someone else kind of got going,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said before Thursday night’s game at Toronto.

On Tuesday night in Baltimore, Ventura hit Machado in the back with a 99 mph fastball in the fifth inning. Machado charged the mound and punched Ventura in the head as the benches emptied.

Ventura and Machado both have appealed their suspensions. They can continue to play until the process is complete.

“They came up with a decision and obviously I’m going to appeal it,” Machado said. “We’ll see what happens.”

Machado was in the starting lineup Thursday night against the Blue Jays.

Showalter said he doesn’t expect Machado’s appeal to be heard while Baltimore is in Toronto for a four-game series.

No matter what happens, Showalter said it will be difficult to cope without Machado, who is batting .303 with 15 homers and 37 RBIs.

Baltimore is already minus shortstop J.J. Hardy, who has been sidelined since May 1 with a broken left foot.

This is the second career suspension for Machado, who sat out five games in 2014 after throwing his bat toward third base following an inside pitch from Oakland’s Fernando Abad. Machado appealed that suspension but the penalty was upheld.

The Royals next play Friday night in Chicago against the White Sox.

The trouble between Ventura and Machado started earlier in the game. Machado got brushed back by two fastballs, then flied out and had words with Ventura.

The next time up, Machado was hit.

After the game, Orioles star Adam Jones said he was glad Machado defended himself and said he would pay any fine.

“Tonight, Manny handled it himself and I couldn’t be happier for him,” Jones said then. “I knew it was going to happen. (Ventura) has electric stuff and the talent is all there, but between the ears, there is a circuit board off balance. I don’t get it. I don’t get it.”

A talented hard thrower who can be temperamental, Ventura got into skirmishes with the Angels and the Athletics early last season before his dustup with the White Sox led to a suspension.

— Associated Press —

BALTIMORE (AP) — Chris Tillman has transcended his role as the ace of the Baltimore Orioles.

Unbeaten since April 14, and riding a seven-game winning streak, the right-hander has earned the right to be considered among the best pitchers in the American League.

Tillman pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Ryan Flaherty drove in two runs and the Orioles extended the Kansas City Royals’ losing streak to seven games with a 4-0 victory Wednesday night.

Tillman (8-1) allowed eight hits over 7 1/3 innings, matched his career high with nine strikeouts and walked none. He is unbeaten in 10 starts since April 14, 6-0 at home and tied for second in the AL in wins.

“I think fastball command from the get-go was pretty spot on,” Tillman said.” I felt pretty good in the bullpen coming in and I was able to carry it over.”

In equaling his career high for successive wins, Tillman lowered his ERA to 3.01. A year ago, he finished 11-11 with a 4.99 ERA.

“You can make a heck of a living going 11-11 in the big leagues,” manager Buck Showalter said. “But Chris wants to be better than that because he knows he’s capable of it and wants to bring what the club needs.”

Showalter believes the 28-year-old Tillman now understands what it takes to win.

“It’s a certain maturity factor. It’s tunnel vision toward that day you pitch,” the manager said. “Everything you do is leading into that. That’s where he is now. He relishes the day he gets to do his thing.”

Brad Brach got the final five outs to earn his second save and help the Orioles complete their first three-game sweep of Kansas City since May 2011. Baltimore has won four straight and seven of eight.

The Orioles took control with a four-run fifth inning against Edinson Volquez (5-6). Flaherty had the key hit, a bases-loaded double that broke open a 0-0 game. Adam Jones followed with a sacrifice fly and Hyun Soo Kim capped the uprising with an RBI single.

Salvador Perez had two hits for the Royals, who have been outscored 42-8 during a skid that’s dropped them from first place to third in the AL Central. The defending World Series champions have scored four runs over their last six games and been blanked twice.

“Tillman was pretty darn good tonight, I’m going to tell you that,” manager Ned Yost said. “Guys were having trouble picking up his fastball.”

The last time Kansas City lost seven straight was in August 2013.

“It’s very frustrating because I know we’re all capable of playing a lot better,” center fielder Lorenzo Cain said. “We’re all struggling. We have to find a way to get it going.”

Volquez was exceptionally sharp over the first four innings, retiring 12 of 13 batters and allowing just one hit. The trouble started after he got the first out in the fifth.

Two walks and a single preceded the key hit by Flaherty, who began the game batting .213.

There was no extension of the hostility created Tuesday night, when the teams emptied their dugouts in a fray that started when Kansas City’s Yordano Ventura hit Manny Machado with a pitch.

“It was water under the bridge as soon as we left here last night,” Brach said. “Guys came here ready to play.”

Orioles first baseman Chris Davis was given the day off, his first of the season. Although Davis is in a 3-for-29 slump, Showalter said the break was designed to allow some bumps and bruises to heal.

ROSTER MOVE

The Royals made an adjustment to their bench, calling up utility INF Christian Colon from Triple-A Omaha and optioning No. 3 C Tony Cruz to the same affiliate.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Yost said no one on the team was injured in the bench-clearing fray.

Orioles: RHP Yovani Gallardo (shoulder tendinitis) said he experienced “normal soreness, nothing crazy” after his second rehab start. If his bullpen session Thursday goes well, Gallardo could come off the DL next week.

UP NEXT

Royals: After taking Thursday off, KC opens a three-game series on the road against the White Sox. Ian Kennedy (4-4, 3.44 ERA) will seek his first win in six starts.

Orioles: Tyler Wilson (2-5, 4.39) starts in Toronto on Thursday night in the opener of a four-game series against the defending AL East champs.

— Associated Press —