GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Even hitting into a triple play did not slow down the World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

The White Sox turned Tony Cruz’s fifth-inning liner into three outs, and Drew Butera hit an inside-the-park home run that capped the Royals’ seven-run seventh inning Thursday in a 9-2 win over a Chicago White Sox split squad.

With men on first and second against Scott Carroll in the fifth, the runners went on the pitch and Cruz lined out to Jason Coats. The non-roster left fielder threw to shortstop Jimmy Rollins to double up Reymond Fuentes at second, and Rollins threw to first baseman Mike Olt before Dusty Coleman could get back to the base.

Matt Davidson and Brett Lawrie homered for Chicago.

Ian Kennedy gave up two hits in three innings, including Davidson’s homer. White Sox starter Carson Fulmer allowed one run and two hits in 2 1/3 innings.

Danny Duffy, another Royals starter, pitched three innings in relief of Kennedy and picked up the victory. Butera, Jorge Bonifacio and Orlando Calixte drove in two runs each during the Royals’ seven-run seventh, in which Chicago made two errors.

STARTERS

Royals: Kennedy has made at least 30 starts in each of the last six seasons, a reason the 31-year-old right-hander was given a $70 million, five-year contract by Kansas City. Kennedy was 9-15 with a 4.28 for San Diego last season.

On Saturday, he gave up one run and four hits in two innings with three strikeouts.

“A little bit longer than last time, where you can make adjustments as you go,” Kennedy said. “There was one pitch, I think it was a curveball to Olt. Something clicked mechanically, and it felt a lot better.”

White Sox: Fulmer allowed three runs and five hits over two innings in his previous outing. He threw 52 pitches Thursday.

“Going into this game, I kept the same approach, same pitch sequences for the most part, and made better quality pitches this outing,” said Fulmer, a first-round pick in the amateur draft out of Vanderbilt. “Very happy with this outing, and hopefully I’ll get more starts.”

GRAY AREA

The Sox played Oakland on Wednesday and Fulmer sought out fellow Commodores pitcher Sonny Gray.

“He’s helped me so much. I worked with him a lot at Vandy,” Fulmer said of Gray, who will face the White Sox in the April 4 opener. “I kind of modeled my pitching after him a little bit, we kind of have the same mechanics and attributes when we pitch. But he’s helped me so much with my mentality, about being able to lock in. I’m really glad to be around him.”

NEXT

Royals: Chris Young is to pitch against Arizona in Surprise.

White Sox: Carlos Rodon is slated to face San Diego in Peoria.

— Associated Press —

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Alex Gordon went 4 for 4 with a home run and a Kansas City Royals split squad beat the Milwaukee Brewers 7-5 Wednesday.

A day after a swarm of bees caused a delay in the middle of the Rockies-Royals game at Surprise Stadium, some of the insects buzzed the ballpark about an hour before the first pitch. They soon flew away and there were no problems.

Gordon, who struck out in all three of his at-bats Monday against the Cubs, hit a tiebreaking home run leading off the sixth.

“Well, the last game I thought I was going to get released after the showing I had, so I had to do something today,” Gordon said.

Gordon hit a monstrous shot to straightaway center off Adrian Houser.

“I did get it good, that’s one of my best bullets,” Gordon said. “Arizona, wind-blowing out, definitely helps. I always tell Hos (Eric Hosmer), I wish I had pop like him. This is the first day I’ve outswung him to center field, so I’ll take it.”

Hosmer homered and Mike Moustakas had a two-run double off Wily Peralta. Moustakas is 7 for 12 with four doubles and six RBI this spring.

Royals closer Wade Davis, who had an 0.94 ERA in 69 relief appearances last year, pitched a spotless fourth, striking out one.

Hernan Perez homered for the Brewers.

STARTING TIME

Brewers: Peralta got out of a bases-loaded jam in the first when Salvador Perez rolled into a double play. Peralta felt like he got away with a pitch after falling behind 3-0 when Perez hit a pitch foul down the left field line. “It was a fastball right down the middle,” Peralta said. He faced 11 batters and seven reached base — six hits and a walk. “It’s spring training, man,” Peralta. “I feel 100 percent healthy. That’s what I’m happy for, come into the season feel 100 percent and don’t worry about anything else.”

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura gave up three runs on five hits, including two doubles, on his first 17 pitches, but then retired the final eight batters he faced. “The first inning I was little bit wild, my fastball and offspeed were up, but I made an adjustment in the second inning,” Ventura said. “My location and my mechanics were a little bit off in the first inning.”

ROYAL VISITORS

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer, who is from Emporia, Kansas, and will compete Sunday in the Good Sam 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, suited up for the Royals, wearing No. 15, and brought out the lineup card. Also, actor Rob Riggle, who went to Shawnee Mission South High in the Kansas City area and a Kansas University graduate, was in camp.

FORGET SOMETHING

Brewers LF Domingo Santana left his No 16 jersey at the Maryvale complex. He wore No. 3, but it did not hurt his hitting. He doubled leading off the game, singled in the fifth and scored two runs.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Brewers: C Jonathan Lucroy (food poisoning) returned to the lineup after missing two days and went 1 for 3 with a run-producing single. . . RHP Jeremy Jeffress (hamstring strain) is scheduled to throw another bullpen Thursday.

Royals: 2B Omar Infante (offseason elbow surgery) played in the field for the first time. He went 0 for 3 and walked, but had no fielding chances.

UP NEXT

Brewers: RHP Jimmy Nelson, who led the team with 11 victories last season, will start against the Giants.

Royals: RHP Ian Kennedy, who allowed a run on four hits over two innings in his initial start, will start against the White Sox.

— Associated Press —

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Albert Pujols was hitless in three at-bats during his spring training debut, and the Los Angeles Angels lost 6-1 on Sunday to the defending World Series champion Kansas City Royals.

In his first at-bat, Pujols — who is coming back from offseason foot surgery — popped to shortstop with runners on first and third and one out. He hit into a double play his second time up, then grounded out in his final turn at the plate.

After Pujols underwent surgery on his right foot, there had been speculation he might not be ready for the start of the season. But he said Sunday he should be ready by then.

“I felt good at the plate. I felt I had good balance,” said Pujols, who acknowledged feeling “anxious” in his first start. “I felt strong in my leg and no pain at all.”

Pujols was the designated hitter, but said he is going through his first base drills without any problems and feels fine the next day.

For the Royals, Raul Mondesi drove in two runs with a bloop single in the fifth, an inning in which Kansas City stole three bases. Dusty Coleman tripled home a run in the seventh.

Alex Gordon went 1 for 3, and Lorenzo Cain was 0 for 3.

Mike Trout went 0 for 2 with a walk for the Angels.

The Royals got two shutout innings each from Dillon Gee and Chien-Ming Wang, and a scoreless inning apiece from Kelvin Herrera, Brian Flynn and Brooks Pounders.

“Our pitching was good all day,” manager Ned Yost said.

STARTING TIME

Royals: In his first spring start, right-hander Chris Young gave up three hits and one run in two innings. “Chris Young, a big guy, takes a little bit more time to get going,” Yost said. “But he threw well.”

Angels: Right-hander Nick Tropeano, who could start the season at Triple-A, retired all six batters he faced and struck out two.

OPENING DAY LINEUP?

The Angels rolled out a potential opening day lineup, with Daniel Nava hitting second and Kole Calhoun batting fifth, behind Trout and Pujols. Third baseman Yunel Escobar hit leadoff.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he views Nava as a potential table-setter in the 2-hole.

“It’s a lineup that we’ve talked about. We’ll see where it leads,” Scioscia said. “There’s a lot of different things that we’ll look at from now to the start of the season. But this is definitely one thing we wanted to look at.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: INF Omar Infante, coming off elbow surgery, could make his spring debut in the next couple of days.

Angels: Pujols ran cautiously on his two groundouts. “I’m just pacing myself until I get my foot and my leg stronger,” he said.

NEWS AND NOTES

The Angels have sent catcher Taylor Ward, their first-round draft pick last year, to minor league camp. . The game was the Angels’ first sellout this spring, with the attendance announced at 9,097.

UP NEXT

Royals: In a split-squad game against the Chicago Cubs on Monday in Mesa, Kris Medlen is scheduled to start vs. Jason Hammel. In the other game, against Oakland in Mesa, Kyle Zimmer is scheduled to start vs. Jesse Hahn.

Angels: In a split-squad game vs. the Chicago White Sox in Tempe, Hector Santiago is set to start vs. Erik Johnson. In the other game, against Cincinnati in Goodyear, Matt Shoemaker goes against Cody Reed. Pujols said he plans to play Monday in Tempe.

— Associated Press —

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — The Royals’ Edinson Volquez allowed one run in the first inning in an otherwise tidy spring training debut, though the Texas Rangers went on to rout Kansas City 10-0 on Thursday.

Volquez was pitching for the first time since Game 5 of the World Series, when he returned from the Dominican Republic for the funeral of his father to allow two hits over six innings.

The Royals went on to beat the New York Mets in 12 innings for their first championship since 1985.

“I’ve got some fans now. Somebody loves me,” said Volquez, who gave a quick bow to the Royals-heavy crowd that cheered as he exited. “Getting a standing ovation in spring training, you don’t see that too often.”

The only run Volquez allowed came when left fielder Brett Eibner lost Mitch Moreland’s high fly ball in the sun, allowing Lewis Brinson to scoot home from second base for a 1-0 lead.

Joey Gallo drove in a run and Ryan Rua’s double brought in two more in the fourth for Texas, while Brett Nicholas hit a two-run homer in the eighth and James Jones went deep in a four-run ninth.

Derek Holland, who was limited to 15 starts the last two years because of knee and shoulder injuries, allowed three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings for the Rangers.

“I don’t talk about it. It’s over. I focus on 2016,” Holland said of his health. “I don’t care about what happened in the past. It’s over. I’ve got to look forward to now.”

PROFAR PRODUCES

Once the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Texas SS Jurickson Profar played infield for the first time since March 22, 2013. He missed the last two years with shoulder injuries and was limited to DH duties during the Arizona Fall League. “I feel good,” said Profar, who went 1 for 2 with a walk. “I wish I had more groundballs.”

STARTING TIME

Royals: A notoriously slow starter in spring, Volquez was pleased with performance. He allowed two hits and two walks in 1 2/3 innings while working on a slight mechanical tweak with his fastball.

Rangers: Holland got Jose Martinez to ground out with the bases loaded in the first, then exited with a runner on base in the second. Holland threw 37 pitches.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RF Jarrod Dyson has a strained right oblique and will likely begin the season on the DL. He felt pain Tuesday and hurt it during his first at-bat Wednesday. Asked about the six-week recovery time, he said: “Anybody can throw a timeline out there. I have to see how my body is going to respond.”

Rangers: RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who spent the past four seasons in Kansas City, was scratched before the first pitch with a stiff lower back. “I tried to pitch,” he said, “but they wouldn’t let me.”

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura makes his spring debut against the Padres in Peoria. Ventura had an up-and-down season a year ago after starting out as the opening-day starter.

Rangers: Ian Desmond makes his debut in LF against the Dodgers in Surprise. Desmond spent seven seasons playing SS for the Nationals. He made two appearances in RF for them.

— Associated Press —

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Promising prospect Kyle Zimmer tossed two scoreless innings for the World Series champion Royals before the Texas Rangers rolled to a 6-2 victory over Kansas City in their Cactus League opener Wednesday.

“I’m excited to get the first one going and hopefully there’s a lot more to come,” said Zimmer, who is trying to make the big league roster after injuries stunted his rapid rise through the minors.

The Royals managed one hit, a double by Mike Moustakas, off Colby Lewis and the Rangers bullpen through the first six innings. Lewis is coming off knee surgery in October.

“We’re just going out there and getting our work in,” said Lewis, who walked two in the first to load the bases before escaping the jam. “Just trying to get into pitching shape.”

Nomar Mazara hit a three-run homer in the ninth and finished with four RBI for Texas. Patrick Kivlehan and Doug Bernier also drove in runs as Texas took the game from its campus co-tenant.

Jorge Bonifacio homered in the sixth for Kansas City and Parker Morin went deep in the eighth.

Chien-Ming Wang, John Lannan and Peter Moylan also made scoreless appearances for the Royals, who took the field for the first time since beating the New York Mets in Game 5 of the World Series.

“It’s nice to do something different,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We’ve been practicing. We’ve been taking batting practice. Now we get out on a big diamond in front of a crowd and start playing again.”

STARTING TIME

Rangers: Lewis fared better than he did in his spring debut a year ago, when he allowed six runs on five hits — three of them homers — and a walk in one inning against Kansas City.

Royals: Zimmer got help from a double play turned by promising shortstop Raul Mondesi Jr. to get through the second inning. The big right-hander struck out Elvis Andrus to cap his day.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Yu Darvish threw 20 pitches from a full-size mound in his second bullpen session Wednesday. Pitching coach Doug Brocail said Darvish, who had Tommy John surgery last March, will continue throwing every two or three days. He is not expected in the rotation until mid-May or early June.

Royals: RF Jarrod Dyson left after two innings with a strained right oblique. Dyson is likely going to platoon at the position with Paulo Orlando, though Travis Snider replaced him Wednesday.

SAL WHO?

Drew Butera started at catcher for Kansas City and had a Salvador Perez-like day. He threw out Delino DeShields in the third inning, then cut down pinch runner Hanser Alberto trying to advance in the fifth.

BELTRE’S BACK

Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre asked for a few extra days before playing a game, so Drew Robinson got the start. Beltre, who turns 37 in April, missed time last season with a torn thumb ligament before a lower back strain hit in the playoffs. “I don’t even know if it’s sore,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “He came to me and just said, `Hey, look, can we give it another couple of days?”

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland starts as Texas become the home team against Kansas City, while RHP Jeremy Guthrie — a member of the World Series champions last season — gets a turn against his former team.

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez starts against the Rangers. LHP Brian Flynn, the star of an intrasquad game this week, gets his opportunity to start nailing down a bullpen job.

— Associated Press —

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) — Salvador Perez and the Kansas City Royals have agreed to a contract through 2021 guaranteeing the All-Star catcher an additional $52.5 million over five seasons.

Perez’s agreement was announced Tuesday, one day after his mother, Yilda, had her SUV stolen at gunpoint in Venezuela. His mother was unharmed and the vehicle was later recovered by the national police.

Perez signed with the Royals as a 16-year-old prospect from Venezuela, but shot through the minor league system. He made his big league debut in 2011, became the everyday backstop the following season and has made voted to the All-Star game each of the past three years.

He hit .260 with a career-best 21 homers and 70 RBIs last season, helping the Royals to their second consecutive World Series appearance. They beat the Mets in five games for their first title since 1985.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Several times over the past year, Ned Yost floated the possibility of retirement when his contract to manage the Kansas City Royals expires after the upcoming season.

Then he realized he was having too much fun winning.

So after general manager Dayton Moore signed his own contract extension to remain in charge of the World Series champions, Yost decided to sign on for two more years. That means the 61-year-old Yost is committed to running the Royals’ dugout through at least the 2018 season.

“Once we won), Dayton and I, we didn’t really start talking contracts until the last couple of weeks,” Yost said Thursday at the club’s spring training home in Surprise, Arizona.

“I’ll have to get to the point in ’18 when I’ll have to evaluate it,” he said. “But you work so hard as a group to develop a winner and it’s hard to leave when they still have the ability to win. We think we have that opportunity through the next few years.”

Most of the Royals’ cornerstone players, including first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and shortstop Alcides Escobar, are signed through the 2017 season. The Royals also re-signed outfielder Alex Gordon to a four-year deal this past offseason.

“We’ve basically got the same crew,” Yost said. “They’re motivated, excited to get going, but we want to win world championships for Kansas City and this organization.”

The terms of Moore’s contract were not disclosed. The general manager since 2006, he had signed an extension in November 2013 that would have expired after this year.

“This was in the works for a while,” Moore said as pitchers and catchers reported to spring training. “Everybody understands there’s a business side to what we do. It’s just part of it. But Ned and I really felt it was important to make sure all the players were signed and taken care of, and once that’s done, you focus on the stability of the leadership.”

Moore, who grew up a Royals fan, took over a downtrodden franchise in 2006 that hadn’t had a winning season in a dozen years. The team’s farm system was in shambles, fan apathy was at a nadir, and the only thing Kansas City had going for it was a ballpark considered one of the jewels of baseball.

Slowly, Moore began to rebuild the organization through the draft and with a newfound emphasis on international scouting. And over the years, he stockpiled homegrown players that have become the basis of three consecutive winning seasons and back-to-back trips to the World Series.

Kansas City won its first championship since 1985 when it beat the New York Mets last fall.

“You can’t find an individual with a stronger work ethic or dedication to his craft,” Royals president Dan Glass said in a statement. “He possesses all of the qualities you look for starting with his leadership, organizational vision and tireless dedication to the position.”

A longtime Atlanta Braves executive, Moore has been in lockstep with Yost — himself a former Braves bench coach — since promoting him to manager of the Royals during the 2010 season.

After getting off to a slow start, Yost has become one of the most popular managers in franchise history. Whereas he once used an alias to order coffee at Starbucks because he didn’t want anybody to give him grief, these days Yost can’t go anywhere in public without fans asking for a picture.

Last year, he passed Whitey Herzog to become the winningest manager in Royals history. He got his 900th career victory on Aug. 15 and could reach 1,000 at some point this season.

The Royals lost starter Johnny Cueto and second baseman Ben Zobrist to free agency but otherwise return the almost their entire roster from last season. And with the signing of Ian Kennedy to bolster their starting rotation, they believe they have a chance to make another deep playoff run.

“You know, we’re in a really peak period in Kansas City,” Yost said. “We’ve got an outstanding organization with a great leader in Dayton, and we’ve got great players. They’re fun to be around. It’s something I looked at and wanted to be part of for a couple more years.”

— Associaed Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals are installing additional netting at Kauffman Stadium that extends toward the outfield end of each team’s dugout to improve the safety for fans sitting along the foul lines.

Several clubs have considered ways to protect fans from foul balls hit into those seats, and some have suggested that similar netting should be mandatory in major league ballparks.

Royals vice president Kevin Uhlich said Wednesday that the club considered several options before deciding on the new netting. The club hopes it strikes a balance between safety and allowing fans sitting in premium seats to have the same kind of ballpark experience as in years past.

The World Series champion Royals play their opener April 4 against the New York Mets, the team they beat in five games for the title.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals and third baseman Mike Moustakas agreed Thursday to a $14.3 million, two-year contract that not only avoids arbitration this year but also buys out his final year.

Coming off his first All-Star appearance, the 27-year-old hit .284 last year with 34 doubles, 22 homers and 82 RBIs while also setting career-highs in on-base percentage and slugging.

Kansas City offered $4.2 million and Moustakas countered with $7 million. The sides settled on $5.6 million this season and $8.7 million next season, keeping general manager Dayton Moore’s streak intact of never having taken a case to an arbitration hearing.

All of the Royals’ arbitration-eligible players are under contract for this season.

Moustakas has long been considered one of the franchise cornerstones, ever since he was a first-round pick in the 2007 draft. But after a rapid rise to the major leagues, he went through long periods of disappointment, culminating with a .212 average, 15 homers and 54 RBIs two years ago.

Rather than sulk, Moustakas spent much of the offseason making minor adjustments to his swing, and he was rewarded with easily the best offensive season of his career.

His new contract only solidifies what many view as a two-year window for the Royals to win another World Series. Moustakas will be a free agent in 2018, along with first baseman Eric Hosmer, centerfielder Lorenzo Cain, shortstop Alcides Escobar, starting pitcher Jason Vargas and closer Wade Davis.

Recently signed starter Ian Kennedy can also opt out of his contract at that time.

Pitchers and catchers are due to report next week to Surprise, Arizona, for spring training, with the rest of the squad reporting the following week. The first spring training game is March 2.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – With a cold wind blowing outside and the warmth of spring training still more than a month away, Alex Gordon walked into the home clubhouse of Kauffman Stadium on Wednesday and grinned.

He was home. And he will be for a while.

The All-Star outfielder signed a $72 million, four-year deal to remain with the Kansas City Royals, the long-downtrodden team that drafted him more than a decade ago, and that he helped climb to the pinnacle of the sport with a World Series triumph this past season.

“When I walked into the locker room, it put a smile on my face,” Gordon said, “because at the end of the season, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to do that again.”

Gordon will make $12 million this season, $16 million next and $20 million each of the following two years. The deal includes a $23 million mutual option for 2020 with a $4 million buyout. If he is traded, the option would be voided and the $4 million would become an assignment bonus.

The deal is the richest in franchise history, trumping $55 million agreements given to longtime first baseman Mike Sweeney and starting pitcher Gil Meche.

“I mean, we all wanted to make it fair for both sides,” Gordon said. “It was definitely a process but we got to that point and I’m happy with where I’m at now.”

Gordon declined a $13.75 million option to test free agency, but several outfielders on the market — including Yoenis Cespedes and Justin Upton — may have depressed the 31-year-old’s value. And there is Gordon’s recent injury history that limited him to 104 games last season.

“He’s an easy player to root for,” Royals general manager Dayton Moore said. “Alex is one of the greatest players and stories I’ve been around in the game, how he persevered and the changes he made and how he did it and how he led, and he didn’t complain. He just went to work and made himself an All-Star, a Gold Glove winner. … He is a pillar of our clubhouse and our organization, no doubt.”

The second overall pick of the Royals in the 2005 amateur draft, Gordon went through years of growing pains before finally becoming a star. He not only developed into one of the best defensive outfielders in the game with four Gold Gloves, but also a consistent hitter and clubhouse leader.

Gordon dealt with a wrist injury early last season, then sustained a serious groin injury that sidelined him much for the summer. He wound up playing in just 104 games, hitting .271 with 13 homers and 48 RBIs, though he did get voted to his third consecutive All-Star Game.

Gordon returned in time for the playoffs, where he hit.241 while playing all 16 games. His home run off Mets closer Jeurys Familia sent the World Series opener to extra innings and allowed the Royals to win in 14 innings. The Royals went on to beat the Mets in five games

During the ensuing parade, hundreds of thousands of fans feted Gordon as the caravan wound through downtown Kansas City, confirming his status as one of the franchise’s most popular players.

“We’ve been here for 10 years and really established our home here,” Gordon said, “so coming into the offseason, we were very appreciative of all the teams that showed us interest. But the end of the day, my heart has always been and I think always will be in Kansas City.”

Notoriously frugal, the Royals once against showed their willingness to open their checkbook.

Along with bringing back Gordon, the team has re-signed pitcher Chris Young to an $11.5 million, two-year deal to solidify their rotation and brought back former closer Joakim Soria on a $25 million, three-year deal. They’ve also exercised an $8 million option on All-Star closer Wade Davis and a $5.25 million option on All-Star shortstop Alcides Escobar.

With a number of players likely to get significant raises in arbitration, including All-Star outfielder Lorenzo Cain, third baseman Mike Moustakas, left hander Danny Duffy and outfielder Jarrod Dyson, the Royals could have another record payroll this season.

“We’re going to continue to work our roster, massage it in ways that are going to help us win,” Moore said. “If you look at the evolution of the 2015 roster, we made adjustments along the way, and I’m confident we’re going to be able to do that to put the best lineup on the field.”

— Associated Press —