KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Yordano Ventura no longer wears his emotions on his sleeve, the young right-hander for the Kansas City Royals having grown up after his first couple of years in the big leagues.

If he still did, there’d have been a big grin plastered to his jersey Sunday.

Ventura settled down after a shaky first inning to allow three hits and run over seven, and the Royals pulled away to beat the Baltimore Orioles 6-1 in the rubber game of their three-game set.

“He’s matured,” said backup catcher Drew Butera, who had a pair of hits while giving Sal Perez the day off. “Now, he’s the same game. He’s understanding himself. He’s more relaxed.”

Eric Hosmer homered to push his AL-leading on-base streak to 26 games, and Alex Gordon also went deep for Kansas City. But it wasn’t until the Royals strung together a bunch of hits and scored four times in the seventh inning that they could begin to rest easy.

Mike Wright (1-2) allowed five runs on eight hits in 6 1/3 innings for Baltimore.

“I thought he pitched pretty well. Mike did hit part,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. “I loved the fact he walked nobody. That’s a quality start for us. We had four guys we weren’t going to use in the bullpen today, so we needed that from Mike. We just didn’t do much offensively.”

His final line gave no indicated that most of the sun-splashed afternoon amounted to a pitchers’ duel between two young right-handers who seemed to be in complete control.

Ventura got into a spot of trouble in the first, walking Manny Machado before giving up a weakly hit infield single and an RBI knock to Mark Trumbo. But he settled down quickly, retiring the next 11 batters he faced before Caleb Joseph’s single with one out in the fifth.

Ventura worked around some shoddy fielding to escape that inning, then induced four groundballs in working through two more spotless frames and turning it over to his bullpen.

“I have a lot of confidence right now,” Ventura said through a translator. “I’m executing pitches, I’m concentrating hard on working hard on and off the field.”

For a while, Wright looked just as stingy as his counterpart.

He left a pair of runners aboard in the second inning, then stranded a runner at third base by retiring Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain in the third. Wright didn’t allow a run until Gordon’s shot to left in the fourth, and that barely cleared the wall with the help of a stiff breeze.

“He hit it in the perfect spot on the perfect day,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Hosmer finally gave Kansas City the lead with his homer to right with two outs in the sixth, and things got away from Wright in the seventh. Christian Colon, Drew Butera, Moustakas and Cain each drove in a run to give the Royals a buffer over the AL East leaders.

“I felt I attacked them very well,” Wright said. “I didn’t fall behind in many counts. I tried to take it to them, just like they were trying to take it to me. Ultimately, they came out on top.”

STATS AND STREAKS

Machado was 0 for 3, ending his AL-best 16-game hitting streak. … Baltimore had four hits a day after a season-high 14. … Hosmer had a hit in 14 straight games. … Cain was in a 3-for-24 slump before his RBI single in the seventh. … The Orioles last won a series in Kansas City in May 2012.

TRAINER’S ROOM

The Orioles were still awaiting an MRI result Sunday on RHP Yovani Gallardo. He went on the DL on Saturday with right shoulder tendinitis. If the MRI confirms the diagnosis, manager Buck Showalter said Gallardo could receive an injection and rejoin the club in Tampa to begin rehab.

UP NEXT

The Orioles open a three-game set in Tampa Bay on Monday night with RHP Kevin Gausman on the mound, while the Royals send RHP Ian Kennedy out to start a six-game road trip against the Angels.

— Associated Press —-

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chris Davis homered and had four hits, Manny Machado extended his hitting streak to 16 games and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Kansas City Royals 8-3 on Saturday night.

Mark Trumbo had three hits and four RBI for the Orioles, and Tyler Wilson (1-0) won his first start this season.

Davis, who led the majors with 47 home runs last season, hit his sixth homer in the second inning and had an RBI single during the Orioles’ four-run fourth. He tied a career high for hits and hiked his average from .192 to .246.

Machado singled in his first at-bat and doubled in a run in the fourth. He entered hitting an American League-leading .397.

Kris Medlen (1-1) allowed seven runs on nine hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings.

Trumbo extended his hitting streak to eight games and has 10 RBI in that time.

Wilson had made three relief appearances this season. He went five-plus innings and allowed three runs on six hits, including Salvador Perez’s two-run homer in the second.

The Royals loaded the bases in the sixth on Davis’ error, Kendrys Morales’ single and Alex Gordon’s walk. Rookie right-hander Mychal Givens, the third Orioles pitcher of the inning, struck out Perez and Omar Infante to end the inning.

KIM’S FIRST

Hyun Soo Kim made his third start in left field. Kim, who drove in 771 runs in 1,131 games in Korea, collected his first major league RBI with a second-inning single.

SKID ENDS

Orioles second baseman Jonathan Schoop ended an 0-for-17 slump with singles in his first two at-bats.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Orioles: RHP Yordano Gallardo was placed on the 15-day disabled list with right shoulder tendinitis. Gallardo complained of shoulder soreness in his Friday start, a 4-2 loss to the Royals, and was removed after two innings. He returned to Baltimore and will have an MRI Sunday. … LHP Brian Matusz (left intercostal strain) was activated and pitched in the sixth, retiring one, walking one and allowing a hit.

UP NEXT

Orioles: Rookie RHP Mike Wright, a 2011 third-round pick, will make his third start of the season.

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura, who is 3-1 with a 2.08 ERA in four career appearances against the Orioles, will start the season finale.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Edinson Volquez whirled around on the mound as the drive by the Tigers’ Justin Upton soared over his head, and for a moment wondered why Lorenzo Cain wasn’t giving chase.

It turned out the Royals’ centerfielder had been shading Upton toward right field.

It also turned out not to matter.

Volquez saw the blur of left-fielder Alex Gordon tracking it down at the warning track, laying out to make a diving grab on the dirt. The highlight catch by the perennial Gold Glove candidate helped Volquez go seven scoreless innings in Kansas City’s 4-0 victory over Detroit on Thursday night.

“That was one of the best plays I’ve ever seen him make,” said Volquez, who scattered five hits and a walk while striking out five. “That was good for me.”

Volquez (3-0) retired the first eight batters and only had to wiggle out of one jam, when Alcides Escobar let a grounder go through his legs in the fourth inning. The Tigers went on to load the bases before Volquez struck out Jarrod Saltalamacchia to end it.

Escobar atoned for his gaffe with a sacrifice fly off Mike Pelfrey (0-3) in the bottom half of the fourth. Lorenzo Cain also drove in a run, and Kansas City tacked on another when a double-steal turned into an error on third baseman Nick Castellanos that allowed a run to scamper home.

Pelfrey allowed all four runs — three of them earned — on eight hits and five walks in five innings

“I take the blame,” said Pelfrey, who has struggled with command all season. “It’s my fault. It’s unacceptable. I need to be a lot better. I need to figure it out pretty fast. It’s embarrassing.”

Volquez stuck to his track record of this season rather than his history against the Tigers.

The veteran right-hander has only allowed four runs over 24 2/3 innings, and the Royals have won all four games he’s started — though he had been just 1-4 with a 6.21 ERA against the Tigers.

He didn’t have much trouble with them Thursday night.

Volquez’s counterpart had all sorts of issues with the Royals, though. Pelfrey allowed five hits, two walks and two stolen bases to the first 12 batters he faced, though a timely double play and groundout with the bases loaded kept the damage to just one run.

The Royals left seven on base through the first four innings.

Despite the missed opportunities, they still managed to coax across some runs in Royals-like fashion. They slapped singles away from where the Tigers had shifted, laid down bunts to set up scoring chances and even showcased a little power on the homer by Moustakas in the fourth.

They also made their meager production look more daunting with some stellar defense.

Gordon threw out Jose Iglesias by several feet at third base to end the third, then began the fourth by making his diving catch at the track to rob Upton of extra bases.

“He’s a Gold Glove outfielder so it’s not shocking,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “It was a windy day, so it was doing something with it that made it more difficult.

Escobar also made a series of flashy plays deep in the hole at shortstop, and Eric Hosmer made a nifty grab at first base — though he forgot how many outs there were in the inning.

“I said, `Hey, bro! We play three outs here,” Volquez said with a smile.

STATS AND STREAKS

Hosmer extended his AL-leading on-base streak to 23 games, while the Tigers’ J.D. Martinez extended his streak to 19. … Ian Kinsler had his fourth straight multi-hit game. He’s the sixth Tigers player to have nine multi-hit games in the first 14 games of a season.

TAKE A BREATH

Ausmus gave outfielder Anthony Gose a mental break after he slammed his bat in frustration during a tough night at the plate Wednesday. “It’s good to take a breath,” Ausmus said.

WELCOME BACK, DAD

The Royals reinstated right-hander Dillon Gee from the paternity list and optioned right-hander Miguel Almonte to Triple-A Omaha. Gee’s wife gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte, on Monday.

UP NEXT

The Royals send right-hander Chris Young to the mound Friday night to open a three-game set against the Orioles, while the Tigers begin a seven-game homestand with Justin Verlander taking on the Indians.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Zimmermann made his third straight scoreless start, Victor Martinez drove in the 1,000th run of his career and the Detroit Tigers held on to beat the Kansas City Royals 3-2 on Wednesday night.

Francisco Rodriguez served up back-to-back homers to Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez in the ninth before striking out Mike Moustakas to leave runners on first and second. It was K-Rod’s fourth save of the season and 390th overall, matching Dennis Eckersley for sixth-most on baseball’s career list.

Zimmermann (3-0) scattered seven hits and a walk over 6 1/3 innings, striking out eight, in another sharp performance. He has yet to allow a run over 19 1/3 innings, a stretch that is beginning to make the $110 million, five-year contract he signed in November look like a bargain.

Ian Kinsler drove the other two runs for Detroit, which did just enough against Ian Kennedy (2-1) and the Kansas City bullpen to even the series. Kennedy allowed two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven in his third straight solid start.

The Tigers beat the Royals with their own formula: timely hitting and solid defense.

One night after watching Kansas City score all of its runs with two outs in an 8-6 defeat, Kinsler drove in the first run of Wednesday night’s game with a two-out double in the third inning.

Martinez added his run-scoring single with two outs in the sixth. He joined teammate Miguel Cabrera, Andres Galarraga, Bobby Abreu and Magglio Ordonez as the only Venezuelan-born players with 1,000 RBI.

The few base runners that Zimmermann allowed were squandered by Kansas City.

Moustakas was caught wandering too far off first and got nabbed in a run-down to end the third inning. Then in the fifth, after putting runners on first and second with nobody out, Omar Infante failed to get down a bunt before striking out and Jarrod Dyson grounded into a double play.

The one big mistake Zimmermann made came in the sixth, when he bobbled a bouncer from Eric Hosmer’s bat for an error. He rebounded to retire Kendrys Morales and strand a pair of runners.

FOR THE KIDS

Royals GM Dayton Moore joined Mayor Sly James in breaking ground on the Kansas City Urban Youth Academy on Wednesday. Several members of the Royals have donated money to the $14 million facility, which will feature baseball and softball fields, revamped playgrounds and other amenities.

SORIA’S FLAW

Royals reliever Joakim Soria discovered a mechanical problem in his delivery during a video session with manager Ned Yost and pitching coach Dave Eiland on Wednesday. Soria thinks the flaw is the reason he has struggled after signing a $25 million, three-year deal in the offseason.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers C James McCann is hitting in the cage and was expected to begin throwing Wednesday, though it’s still unclear when he will return. He went on the DL on April 12 with a sprained right ankle.

UP NEXT

Royals RHP Edinson Volquez (2-0, 2.04 ERA) tries to remain perfect when he makes his third start of the season in the series finale. Tigers RHP Mike Pelfrey opposes him in the 6:15 p.m. game.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The first question posed to Royals manager Ned Yost after an 8-6 victory over the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday night had to do with the continued struggles of high-priced, late-inning reliever Joakim Soria.

Yost responded by praising Salvador Perez, who hit a three-run homer and had a career-high five RBI, and the performance of Yordano Ventura, who twice escaped bases-loaded jams in five shaky innings.

Eventually, Yost conceded that Soria has “started off a little slow.”

The rest of the Royals have made up for it.

“We’re going to play hard until the last out,” said Perez, who had a two-out, two-run double in the third before his two-out shot in the fifth gave Kansas City an 8-2 lead. “We’re always going to play hard.”

Especially after the Tigers cut their deficit in half on Jarrod Saltalamacchia’s homer off Danny Duffy in the seventh inning — his third straight game going deep. Detroit then loaded the bases with one out against Soria in the eighth, only for Kelvin Herrera to retire Miguel Cabrera and J.D. Martinez around a hit batter to limit the damage.

Wade Davis breezed through the ninth inning for his sixth save.

Alcides Escobar drove in a pair of runs and Jarrod Dyson returned from the disabled list to add an RBI single in support of Ventura (1-0), who allowed two runs on six hits in five innings.

“They are a very aggressive team. They like to swing at the first pitch,” said the Tigers’ Blaine Hardy, who served up Perez’s homer. “They make you change up your game plan a little bit.”

Cabrera had a pair of RBI for Detroit, but he also struck out in his other four at-bats.

It was the first matchup between teams expected to battle all season for the AL Central, and for a while it appeared Round 1 would be a rout. The Royals scored three times in the second, stringing together hits and walks in trademark fashion, and tacked on two more runs when Perez laced his double down the left-field line.

Meanwhile, the Tigers did little to help out Shane Greene (1-1), who allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings.

The Royals scored their first run when Dyson singled to left in the second, but Kendrys Morales should have been out at the plate — the throw from Justin Upton easily beat him. The only problem was Saltalamacchia whiffed on a one-hopper, allowing Morales to chug right past him for the run.

The Tigers’ offense was almost as bad as their defense, stranding 12 runners on base.

Cabrera and Martinez were baffled by Ventura with the bases loaded in the third. Then, when they seemed to get something going in the fifth, Mike Aviles slapped a routine flyball to right field to leave three more on base.

Luke Hochevar and the rest of Kansas City’s bullpen struggled through the final four, helping Ventura earn his first win of the season and improve to 5-0 in six career starts against Detroit.

“We’re fighting back, but we’re not quite getting it,” Saltalamacchia said. “At the same time, we’re not quitting.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dyson started in RF for Kansas City hours after being reinstated from the DL. The speedster had been rehabbing at Triple-A Omaha after straining his oblique in the first game of spring training.

OTHER MOVES

The Royals put RHP Dillon Gee on the paternity list after his wife gave birth to a daughter, Charlotte, on Monday. They also optioned RF Reymond Fuentes to Omaha and recalled RHP Miguel Almonte from the same club, while the Tigers brought Hardy off the DL and designated RHP Logan Kensing for assignment.

STATS AND STREAKS

Morales had two singles, a walk and was hit by a pitch. He’s reached base in nine consecutive at-bats against Detroit dating to last season. … The Royals’ Eric Hosmer had a double in the fifth, extending his on-base streak to 21 games. … Cabrera’s double gave him 1,451, tying Jim Rice for 61st in major league history.

UP NEXT

Tigers RHP Jordan Zimmermann (2-0, 0.00 ERA) and Royals RHP Ian Kennedy (2-0, 0.66) meet in a matchup of free agent pitchers who have lived up to expectations so far. Zimmermann has thrown 13 scoreless innings in two starts while Kennedy has allowed one run in 13 2/3 innings.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (April 18, 2016) – Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and former Kansas City Royal George Brett has been named Grand Marshall for the May 7 Go Bowling 400 at Kansas Speedway. Brett was also one of the first people in line to purchase Kansas Speedway season tickets when tickets went on sale before the facility opened.

“George Brett is an iconic figure not just in Kansas City but to sports fans across the country and I’m excited to have him take part in the Go Bowling 400,” said Kansas Speedway President Patrick Warren. “George has an impressive resume, winning a World Series title with the Royals, a Gold Glove, an MVP award, and I’m thrilled that Kansas Speedway was able to add another accomplishment to this already extraordinary list – Grand Marshal.”

Brett, who played his entire career with the Royals organization, is considered one of baseball’s greatest clutch hitters and was chosen Royals Player of the Year eight times. The 13-time All-Star was named the 1980 American League MVP and won a Gold Glove in 1985. He was the first player in Major League history to win batting titles in three decades (1976, 1980 and 1990) and the first with career totals of more than 3,000 hits, 300 home runs, 600 doubles, 100 triples and 200 stolen bases.

In 1999, Brett was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame with the fourth-highest vote percentage ever recorded (98%).

Tickets are currently on sale for the Go Bowling 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race on May 7, and the Toyota Tundra 250 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race on May 6. In October, the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns with the Hollywood Casino 400 on Oct. 16. The Kansas Lottery 300 NASCAR XFINITY Series race will take center stage on Oct. 15, while the ARCA Racing Series presented by Menards championship race will run on Oct. 14. Tickets can be purchased online at www.kansasspeedway.com or by calling 866.460.7223.

— Kansas Speedway Press Release —

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Billy Burns’ speed, along with a little luck, helped Oakland win its first home series.

Josh Reddick’s sacrifice fly off Joakim Soria broke an eighth-inning tie and lifted the Oakland Athletics over the Kansas City Royals 3-2 Sunday.

Soria (1-1) relieved to start the eighth, Burns tripled into the right-field corner and Reddick flied to center with one out. Burns came across the plate standing up, easily beating Lorenzo Cain’s throw.

“He’s got some speed. That kid’s a nice player. He runs hard,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We normally play him straight up. We were shading the line there because he very seldom hits balls down the line, but he just hit one perfectly right down the line for a triple.”

Burns said the ball was close to being caught by first baseman Eric Hosmer and was close to being foul.

“He was so close to snagging it,” Burns said. “I think it just skipped off the edge of his glove and skipped over the corner of the base.”

John Axford (2-0) induced three consecutive groundouts in the eighth, and Ryan Madson pitched a one-hit ninth for his fourth save in as many chances, retiring Raymond Fuentes on a game-ending lineout to first with a runner on second.

“I was working on keeping the ball down there but got it higher than I wanted,” Madson said. “Luckily the speed was different enough that he couldn’t get it to the outfield.”

Soria lost for the first time since July 11.

Royals starter Kris Medlen allowed two runs — one earned — two hits and four walks in 6 1/3 innings. He left after Chris Coughlan’s seventh-inning double, and pinch-hitter Jed Lowrie tied the score 2-2 with a single off Kelvin Herrera.

“Medlen pitched great,” Yost said. “He managed his pitch count really, really well. In the seventh inning, you got Kel down there, it’s hard not to bring him into the ballgame.

A’s starter Chris Bassitt gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings.

Kansas City built a 2-0 lead on Alex Gordon’s RBI single in the second and Mike Moustakas’ homer in the third.

Coco Crisp scored in the fourth on Salvador Perez’s passed ball as Coghlan struck out.

GOLFING AROUND

Several current and former Royals are taking part in the annual Royals Charities Golf Tournament, which benefits the Special Olympics of Kansas City, on Monday’s off day.

Scheduled to join Hall of Famer George Brett are Yost, Moustakas, Soria, Wade Davis and Edinson Volquez.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Jarrod Dyson went 2 for 2 with a stolen base Sunday in his sixth rehab start for Triple-A Omaha. He is hitting .318 (7 for 22) and has been eligible to come off the disabled list but may remain with the Storm Chasers to get a few more at-bats. He strained his right oblique in his first at-bat of spring training.

Athletics: RHP Henderson Alvarez, recovering from right shoulder surgery, will go on a rehab assignment this week following a series of simulated games. “He’s a guy who has pitched at the top of the rotation,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “Bringing someone like him in is like signing a free agent, and we’re eagerly anticipating his arrival.”

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura (0-0, 2.94) is to open a three-game set against Detroit on Tuesday night. He is 4-0 with a 3.86 ERA and 33 strikeouts in six starts against the Tigers.

Athletics: LHP Eric Surkamp (0-1, 4.00) is slated to start Tuesday night at the New York Yankees.

— Associated Press —

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Sonny Gray was a little frustrated and Josh Reddick was feeling great. The combination helped turn things around.

Reddick and Stephen Vogt homered to back Gray’s solid effort, and the Oakland Athletics ended a four-game losing streak with a 5-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.

“I’ve been feeling great ever since we left here the first time,” Reddick said. “When you can get the lead at any point, especially the way we’ve been playing, it’s a good thing.”

Gray (2-1) pitched through trouble, lasting six innings to earn his first victory against the Royals in four starts, leaving the Boston Red Sox as the only AL team he has not yet beaten.

“You look at the way the Royals and it’s hard to get deep into the game,” Gray said. “Every one of them make you work for everything. It was a frustrating game. I’d get two quick outs and then 15, 16 pitches later I’d finally get out of the inning.”

Gray, who needed 100 pitches to finish five, gave up two runs and seven hits, walking one and striking out six. He stranded six runners, four in scoring position.

Reddick, who hit the ball hard in every at bat, erased the Royals’ early lead with a three-run shot in the bottom of the first off Chris Young (0-3), who failed to get through five innings for the second straight start.

Young gave up four runs and eight hits in four-plus innings. He walked two and struck out two. The Royals had a four-game winning streak snapped.

“It’s not necessarily command,” Young said. “I think it’s more of the life. I felt like the last few times I my arm slot was a little bit high and I made the adjustment in the third inning and the results got better.”

Ryan Madson, who was part of Kansas City’s championship season last year, earned his third save in three chances.

Lorenzo Cain singled in a run in the first as the Royals scored in the opening inning for the fourth time in five games. Gray struck out Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales to end the inning.

Marcus Semien also drove in a run for the A’s, while Raymond Fuentes and Alcides Escobar drove runs for the Royals.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez got a regular day off with a day game following a night game.

Athletics: INF Eric Sogard will have arthroscopic surgery performed on his left knee, an injury that has bothered him on and off for two years. “I’m going to have to get a bone spur removed out of my tendon,” Sogard said. “There’s loose bodies in there, so he’s going to go in and take care of that. My patella bone as well is a little pointed at the end, so he’s going to shave that down.” Sogard dealt with it through spring training and then came up with a sore neck that landed him on the DL to open the season. While he was resting the neck, the knee continued to hurt. “It’s unfortunate it’s during the season, but I have to go through that and be out. It’s something I’ve been dealing with for a few years now. It’s been affecting me out there a little bit, mainly at the plate, being my back knee.” … RHP Henderson Alvarez (right shoulder injury) will throw a bullpen Sunday and if he comes out of it OK, will go on a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Kris Medlen (1-0, 3.60) makes the start against Oakland on Sunday. He went 5-0 with a 1.20 ERA in nine road games last year.

Athletics: RHP Chris Bassitt (0-0, 2.92) gets the call in the series finale. He’s 0-0 with a 6.23 ERA in two starts against the Royals.

— Associated Press —

HOUSTON (AP) — Ian Kennedy threw seven strong innings, Eric Hosmer hit a two-run double during a five-run sixth and the Kansas City Royals beat the Houston Astros 6-2 on Thursday night.

Kennedy (2-0) started with five hitless innings and retired 14 straight before Carlos Gomez’s leadoff single to center in the sixth. Kennedy struck out seven and allowed a run on two hits and two walks.

Mike Moustakas hit a solo homer in the first and went 2 for 4 with a walk.

Hosmer, Lorenzo Cain, Alex Gordon and Omar Infante each had two hits and the Royals set a season high with 13 hits. The defending World Series champs are 7-2 after winning the final three games of the four-game set with the Astros.

Doug Fister (1-1) pitched well until the sixth. He allowed six runs over 5 2/3 innings.

Wade Davis got two outs for his fourth save.

— Associated Press —

HOUSTON (AP) — Salvador Perez tagged Houston reliever Ken Giles for a tiebreaking two-run homer in the eighth inning, lifting the Kansas City Royals over the Houston Astros 4-2 Wednesday night.

The World Series champion Royals have taken two of the three from the team they beat in the decisive Game 5 of the AL Division Series last October. This four-game set wraps up Thursday.

Giles (0-1) retired the first two batters in the eighth before walking Alex Gordon on a full count. Perez followed with a drive off the facade above the Crawford Boxes in left field for his first homer of the year.

Giles has given up three home runs in four games, and flung his glove in the dugout after this latest shot. He was acquired from Philadelphia in the offseason after giving up a total of three homers in 113 games over the past two years.

Jose Altuve had three hits for Houston, including a solo home run. He tied it at 2 with an RBI double in the seventh off Luke Hochevar (1-0).

Kelvin Herrera pitched the eighth and Joakim Soria pitched the ninth for his first save.

The Royals scored twice in the sixth following pitcher Scott Feldman’s error. Feldman fielded Kendrys Morales’ dribbler and overthrew first base, allowing Lorenzo Cain to score before Perez hit a sacrifice fly.

Royals starter Yordano Ventura gave up one run on four hits with six strikeouts in six innings. He walked three after walking six in his first outing.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Jarod Dyson (right oblique strain) went 1 for 4 in his rehab assignment with Triple-A Omaha after playing a full nine innings on Tuesday. Dyson is 4 for 13 in four games. Royals manager Ned Yost said Dyson will be back soon but doesn’t know exactly when.

Astros: Max Stassi, who is currently on the 15-day disabled list after undergoing surgery to remove the hook on the top of his left hamate bone, is taking a few days off from his rehab in Florida because of oblique soreness. It is not an injury but more of a delay in his day-to-day work for a couple of days, Houston manager A.J. Hinch said.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy (1-0) will start the finale of the four-game series Thursday in Houston. He will try to repeat his first outing of the season after he threw 6 2/3 scoreless innings against Minnesota Saturday.

Astros: RHP Doug Fister (1-0) will make his first home start for the Astros after earning a win in his first outing of the year, allowing three runs in five innings Saturday against Milwaukee.

— Associated Press —