KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Anibal Sanchez could have thrown his fastball into a knothole on Sunday.

The Kansas City Royals are getting used to it, too.

The Tigers’ starter once again breezed through the American League champions Sunday, carrying a perfect game into the sixth inning. Miguel Cabrera hit a two-run homer, Alex Avila also drove in three runs and the Tigers went on to a 6-4 victory for a split of the four-game series.

“I guess I just know them really well,” Sanchez said when asked why he continually confounds the Royals. “We’ll see. I face them again in my next start.”

Good news for the Tigers. Not so much for the Royals.

Detroit dropped the first two games of the series before squeaking out a 2-1 victory behind David Price’s masterpiece Saturday night. Sanchez (2-3) then held the Royals without a baserunner until Paulo Orlando dribbled a single up the middle leading off the sixth inning.

Sanchez wound up allowing three runs and four hits over 7 1/3 innings.

“When his stuff is on,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus aid, “he can be electric.”

Kansas City nearly bailed out Jeremy Guthrie (1-2) by scoring two runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth. But Tom Gorzelanny struck out Eric Hosmer to leave a runner aboard, and Joakim Soria shut down his former team in the ninth for his 10th save.

“I thought we could have won three out of the four, quite honestly,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I felt we had a great opportunity to win that game last night.

Guthrie didn’t give them much of a chance on Sunday. After giving up an RBI single to Avila in the second inning and loading the bases for him in the fourth, Avila hit a two-run single that ultimately cleared the bases when Orlando fumbled the ball.

Ian Kinsler added a single in the fifth before Cabrera hit his sixth homer this year.

Guthrie ended up allowing all six runs and 11 hits in six innings. The poor outing came after a dazzling start to the series by Kansas City pitchers, who had allowed Detroit’s potent offense to score just four runs total in the first three games.

“It was kind of a strange day,” Yost said. “He commanded the ball. His strike to ball ratio was good. He was changing speeds well. The one hit that hurt was the two-run homer by Cabrera.”

Sanchez has struggled early this season — the Tigers had lost his last four starts — but he’s owned the Royals his entire career. He had been 5-2 with a 1.07 ERA in his previous seven starts against the Tigers’ biggest rival for division supremacy.

With a crowd of 38,326 packed inside Kauffman Stadium, the third straight sellout, the right-hander calmly mowed through the Royals lineup for most of the afternoon.

Kansas City did not have its second baserunner until Sanchez walked Kendrys Morales with one out in the seventh. The Royals went on to score on Erik Kratz’s sacrifice fly and Omar Infante’s single, then added runs in the eighth on a single by Morales and Mike Moustakas’s groundout.

“We know the Royals pretty well. They know us pretty well,” Ausmus said, when asked to sum up the first series of the season between AL Central contenders. “I don’t think there was any eureka moments. Just two pretty good teams.”

BIG CROWDS

The Royals welcomed 143,609 fans, the seventh-best mark for a four-game series at Kauffman Stadium. It was a record for a four-game set since the 2009 renovation decreased capacity.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: SS Jose Iglesias left in the sixth inning with tightness in his left groin, and is listed as day to day. Andrew Romine replaced him in the lineup.

Royals: All-Star closer Greg Holland (strained pectoral muscle) is expected to come off the disabled list Tuesday. He reported no problems after a simulated game Saturday.

UP NEXT

Tigers: RHP Shane Greene will take the mound after a day off to open a three-game set against the White Sox. The series beginning Tuesday night wraps up a 10-game trip.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas tries to solve his early season struggles in the opener of a three-game series against Cleveland on Tuesday night. Kansas City is off Monday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — David Price lost his shutout bid in the ninth inning, but still had enough to finish off the Kansas City Royals.

Price threw a five hitter for his 12th career complete game — the first by Detroit this season — in the Tigers’ 2-1 victory over the Royals on Saturday night.

Price (3-1) limited the Royals to four singles until Lorenzo Cain’s homer with two out in the ninth spoiled his bid for his second career shutout.

“I’ve done that before where I get two outs in the ninth (but not finish the shutout),” Price said. “That was a really good pitch to Cain. He’s turned himself into a star, not because he hit a homer off me. He’s one of the top players in baseball. It’s tough to get that guy out four times.”

Price struck out three and walked none. His only shutout was April 24, 2012, against the Los Angeles Angels.

He threw 106 pitches, 75 for strikes, retiring 16 on three pitches or fewer.

“I always want to get 27 outs,” Price said. “I want that every fifth day.”

The Royals had only one runner reach second base before Cain’s home run and that was after Price committed a fielding error in the sixth inning. He quickly got out of that by coaxing Mike Moustakas to ground into a double play.

“I guess I thought it was hit a little bit harder and didn’t take the hop I expected it to take,” Price said of Alex Gordon’s comebacker he failed to pick up. “That’s a play I’ve got to make.”

Other than that and Cain’s home run, Price was nearly flawless.

“Price just pitched a fantastic game,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He was really on top of his game with a 96 miles per hour fastball and command. He had a 2-to-1 strikeout-to-ball ratio.”

Anthony Gose, who was 1 for 10 on this trip, had three of the Tigers’ seven hits, including a double in the fifth. He scored on Ian Kinsler’s RBI single to make it 2-0.

“When he gets on base in a leadoff position he can take a little pressure off the guys behind him,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said.

Kinsler and Yoenis Cespedes each had two hits.

The Tigers took the lead in the third on Christian Colon’s throwing error. Rajai Davis, who led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a Gose single, score on the miscue.

Royals right-hander Edinson Volquez (2-3) returned to the rotation after serving a five-game suspension and gave up the two runs and five hits, while walking three and striking out four in six innings.

“He (Price) was better than me,” Volquez said. “We all know what he can do. It’s not a surprise.”

Price had a rough outing against the Yankees on April 22, when he gave up eight runs and 10 hits in 2 1/3 innings. Other than that, he has allowed eight runs and 24 hits over 37 2/3 innings (1.91 ERA) spanning five starts.

SPA DAY

OF J.D. Martinez, who is on a 1-for-13 slide with eight strikeouts, was not in Tigers lineup for the first time. “Just sit back for a day and watch the game until you are called upon,” Tigers manager Brad Ausmus said. “It’s almost like going to a spa for a day. It’s mentally relaxing.”

TIGERS LOSE CHALLENGE

The Tigers challenged Gose’s out call in the seventh inning on a double play. After a 3-minute, 21-second review delay, the call was not reversed. “My last move was towards third base and I needed to go back and touch second,” Gose said was the umpires explanation to him.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Justin Verlander (right triceps strain) will get his third MRI this week in Chicago to learn if inflammation is subsiding enough to increase his throwing program.

Royals: RHP Greg Holland said he felt no discomfort after throwing 25 pitches in a simulated game Saturday. “I felt sharp especially after not throwing to live hitters in almost two weeks,” Holland said. “I’m really glad the way it went.” Manager Ned Yost said Holland would come off the disabled list “hopefully Tuesday.”

UP NEXT

Tigers: RHP Anibal Sanchez is 5-2 with a 1.07 ERA in seven career starts against the Royals.

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie is 9-7 with a 4.63 ERA in 22 appearances against the Tigers.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chris Young pitched five no-hit innings and the Detroit Tigers didn’t break through until the eighth in a 4-1 loss Friday night to the Kansas City Royals

Young, making his first start of the year after five relief appearances, struck out nine and walked three before exiting with his pitch count reaching 81.

Young (2-0) walked the bases full with one out in the fourth, but recovered to strike out J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes on seven pitches to end the inning.

Ryan Madson pitched two perfect innings after Young was pulled. Kendrys Morales drove in three of the Royals’ runs.

Nick Castellanos laced a clean single to left off right-hander Kelvin Herrera after Alex Avila walked in the eighth for the first Detroit hit. Jose Iglesias had reached on an infield single to load the bases. Avila scored on an Anthony Gose ground out for the lone Tigers run.

Herrera, however, walked Ian Kinsler to again load the bases.

In a 10-pitch battle, Herrera struck out Miguel Cabrera, who fouled off four pitches with two strikes. Herrera, who threw 30 pitches in the eighth, retired Victor Martinez on a fly ball to left fielder to end the inning.

The Tigers threatened again in the ninth off Wade Davis with a Cespedes double and an Avila single. Davis struck out Castellanos and retired Iglesias on a comebacker to earn his fifth save in as many chances.

The Royals’ 3-4-5 hitters, Lorenzo Cain, Hosmer and Morales combined to go 7 for 12 with all four runs.

Left-hander Kyle Lobstein (2-2) took the loss, yielding four runs on 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Bruce Rondon (bicipital tendinitis) faced hitters Thursday at the spring training complex in Lakeland, Florida. Manager Brad Ausmus said Rondon would probably have one more session in Lakeland before going out on a minor league rehab assignment.

Royals: SS Alcides Escobar went on the seven-day concussion disabled list, backdated to Thursday. Escobar failed to pass a concussion test Friday as required. He was hurt when hit in the face by a Danny Salazar pitch Wednesday in Cleveland.

UP NEXT

Tigers: LHP David Price, the 2012 AL Cy Young Award winner, is 1-0 with a 1.23 ERA in four games against the Royals, permitting but 12 hits in 22 innings.

Royals: RHP Edinson Volquez returns Saturday to the rotation after completing a five-game suspension. He has a 1.43 ERA in his past 10 starts.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — While the Kansas City Royals have been notorious slow starters in past seasons, they enter May in first place.

Danny Duffy pitched shutout ball into the eighth and Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer as the Kansas City Royals beat the Detroit Tigers 8-1 on Thursday night.

The Royals lost 13 of 19 to Detroit last year to finish a game behind the Tigers, who have won the past four AL Central titles.

“We’re a different team than the last time we faced them,” Hosmer said. “We said it would be a good test for our team to see where we’re at. It’s only one game, but these games are important.”

The Royals finished April with a 15-7 record, the second highest win total for the month in franchise history

“It’s a great way to start the season,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “I’m just pleased with everything. I’m pleased with the approach at the plate, our defense and our base running. Our bullpen has been absolutely almost unhittable for the most part all month long. Our starting rotation has done a very solid job. I’m just pleased with all phases our game right now.”

Duffy gave up his first run when Rajai Davis’ single scored Jose Iglesias, who led off the inning with a triple. Duffy (2-0) struck out seven and walked two, while allowing seven hits before being replaced by Jason Frasor with no outs in the eighth.

“I need to get my team innings especially right now we need to get deep into games,” Duffy said. “Dave (Eiland, pitching coach) came up to me yesterday and just said I want to see seven from you tomorrow when we were in Cleveland.”

Hosmer, who also homered Wednesday at Cleveland, drove an Alfredo Simon pitch to center with Mike Moustakas aboard in the Royals’ three-run third. Moustakas doubled home Alex Gordon with the first run.

The Royals batted around in a five-run fifth, which included a Gordon two-run single and Kendrys Morales and Salvador Perez hitting successive RBI doubles. Christian Colon also drove in a run with a single.

Jarod Dyson had three singles as the Royals banged out 14 hits. Every Royal starter collected at least one hit.

“They’ve got a very athletic lineup,” Tigers catcher James McCann said. “They’ve got speed and hitting. That’s why they’ve got the record they’ve got. It’s just the way they take advantage. It’s what you saw last year and why they went to the World Series. They’ve got confidence.”

Simon (4-1) had allowed five runs and 22 hits in winning his first four starts, but the Royals knocked him out after 4 1/3 innings, giving up six runs on nine hits.

“I just tried to confuse them, but these guys right now are swinging the bats well,” Simon said.

BEATING THE SHIFT

With the Tigers shifting to the right side with Moustakas at the plate in the first inning, he put down a bunt just inside the third base bag for an easy single. Moustakas has four straight multi-hit games, raising his average to .356.

WALKING MAN

Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera walked in his first two plate-appearances, bringing his total to 15.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Joe Nathan underwent season-ending elbow surgery. He registered just one save this year before going on the disabled list. . RHP Justin Verlander will have his third MRI early next week in Chicago to establish how much inflammation remains in his sore right triceps. He reported no discomfort after light toss Thursday.

Royals: SS Alcides Escobar was not in the lineup with concussion-like symptoms after being hit in the cheek by a Danny Salazar pitch Wednesday in Cleveland. Escobar will be tested again Friday. . RHP Greg Holland had his second bullpen session since going on the disabled list April 18 with a pectoral strain.

UP NEXT

Tigers: Rookie LHP Kyle Lobstein, who has held left-handed hitters to .229 average, starts the second game of this series.

Royals: RHP Chris Young makes his first start after a 1-0 record and a 1.86 ERA in five relief appearances.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Danny Salazar overcame a scary moment and a hot ballclub to remain unbeaten and help the Cleveland Indians snap a four-game losing streak.

Salazar, who hit Alcides Escobar in the head with a pitch in the fifth inning, improved to 3-0 since being called up from the minors while Jason Kipnis homered and drove in four runs to lead the Indians past the Kansas City Royals 7-5 on Wednesday night.

Salazar allowed four runs in six innings. His inside pitch to Escobar hit the Royals’ shortstop on the left side of the helmet. Escobar was on the ground for several moments and walked off the field with help from two Royals trainers.

Salazar was visibly upset over the incident and patted his hand in his glove as Escobar, who suffered a bruised left cheek, left the field.

“I was a little bit nervous,” Salazar said. “That’s not part of my game. I’m never going to try to do that intentionally to a guy.”

Escobar ended up with a headache, but didn’t go to hospital and didn’t have X-rays.

“It hit straight on my helmet, and I was real dizzy when it happened,” he said. “I feel OK, not bad, way better than when I got hit.”

Royals manager Ned Yost said he didn’t think Escobar would go on the disabled list, but it’s unclear when he’ll return to action.

Although Salazar gave up a 3-2 lead in the sixth when Eric Hosmer hit a two-run homer, the Indians bounced back with three in the bottom of the inning.

Kipnis hit a three-run home run — his first since July 31 of last season — in the third and he capped the sixth-inning rally with a run-scoring grounder. Michael Bourn’s double gave Cleveland the lead.

Kipnis’ big night came one year to the day after he suffered a pulled oblique muscle, a major reason his average fell to .240 with six homers and 41 RBIs.

“I didn’t know that,” Kipnis said when informed of the anniversary of the injury. “What a difference a year can make. We can put that even more in the past.”

Yordano Ventura (2-2) allowed five runs in 5 1/3 innings. The right-hander, who is facing a seven-game suspension and was ejected from his last two starts, kept his poise and didn’t retaliate after Escobar was hit.

Kipnis led off the fifth and wasn’t sure what to expect when he stepped in against Ventura, who hit Oakland’s Brett Lawrie on April 18 .

“I know who was on the mound and what’s happened the last couple of weeks,” he said. “It’s in the back of my head, but when a guy throws that hard there’s not much I can do if he comes hunting for me. There’s nowhere to really run.”

Roberto Perez, breaking an 0-for-18 slump, homered and had three hits.

Cody Allen allowed a run in the ninth, but recorded his fourth save.

The Indians came into the game with the worst record in the AL and won for only the second time in eight home games.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Greg Holland (right pectoral strain) played catch on the field one day after throwing 15 pitches off the mound and is expected to come off the disabled list on May 3.

Indians: Manager Terry Francona said C Yan Gomes (sprained right knee) has begun to take dry swings. The Indians said Gomes would miss six to eight weeks when he was injured on April 10.

ROSTER SWITCH

The Indians called up RHP Ryan Webb from Triple-A Columbus and designated OF Jerry Sands for assignment.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy will pitch the opener of a four-game series against Detroit at Kauffman Stadium. He is 1-6 in his career against the Tigers.

Indians: LHP T.J. House takes the mound in the first game of a four-game home set against Toronto. Cleveland has a 7-1 record in his eight career starts at Progressive Field.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Kendry Morales’ three-run homer capped a six-run seventh inning and the Kansas City Royals beat the Cleveland Indians 11-5 on Tuesday night.

Kansas City’s big inning came after Cleveland had taken a 5-3 lead on Brandon Moss’ three-run homer in the sixth.

Alcides Escobar’s two-run double off Scott Atchison (0-1) tied the game. Escobar scored the go-ahead run from second on Mike Moustakas’ infield hit and Morales later hit his third homer of the season to dead center off Bryan Shaw.

Brandon Finnegan (1-0) picked up his first career win despite allowing Moss’ home run.

Alex Gordon homered and drove in two runs for the Royals, who had a season-high 18 hits.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona met with his team for a pep talk following Monday’s defeat, but the Indians lost for the eighth time in 11 games. Cleveland (6-13) has the worst record in the American League and the worst home mark (1-6) in the majors.

Trevor Bauer, who missed his scheduled start Saturday because of food poisoning, allowed three runs in six innings, but Cleveland’s bullpen gave up eight runs over the final three innings.

Gordon’s leadoff homer in the second gave Kansas City the lead. Michael Bourn’s two-run single in the bottom of the inning put Cleveland ahead. Omar Infante’s single tied the game in the fourth before Gordon’s single in the sixth put the Royals ahead.

Kansas City’s go-ahead run in the seventh came after Escobar’s double tied the game. Moustakas’ high chopper was fielded by first baseman Carlos Santana, but pitcher Mark Rzepczynski missed the bag covering first. Escobar kept running and slid home as catcher Brett Hayes failed to hold on to the ball.

Finnegan, who pitched well down the stretch for the Royals last season after being called up from the minors, allowed one run in one inning. Chris Young, Jason Fraser and Yohan Pino all worked a scoreless inning.

Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie allowed four runs in five-plus innings.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: RHP Greg Holland (right pectoral strain) could be activated off the DL when he is eligible on May 3. The two-time All-Star closer threw 15 pitches off a mound before the game. Holland played catch Sunday and Monday with no pain.

Indians: Nick Swisher (surgery on both knees) continued his minor league rehab at Triple-A Columbus with two hits and two RBIs as the DH on Tuesday. He could rejoin the Indians next week.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Yordano Ventura, who is appealing his seven-game suspension for his involvement in a brawl against the White Sox last week, makes his fifth start of the season.

Indians: RHP Danny Salazar will try to match a career-high three-game winning streak. He struck out a career-best 11 and held Detroit to one run in seven innings on Friday.

— Associated Press —

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mike Moustakas has done well throughout his career against Corey Kluber. Even so, beating the AL Cy Young Award winner was quite an accomplishment.

Moustakas got four hits, Alex Gordon drove in two runs and the Kansas City Royals kept Kluber winless this season, topping the Cleveland Indians 6-2.

Kluber (0-3) gave up six runs, four of them earned, and 10 hits in 6 1/3 innings. After going 18-9 last year, he hasn’t won in five starts and has a 4.24 ERA.

“He’s one of the best pitchers in the game, if not the best pitcher in the game,” Moustakas said. “We came away with a win against a great pitcher.”

Gordon had a go-ahead double in the sixth. Moustakas added an RBI single in the seventh, and is 11 for 25 lifetime against Kluber.

Despite those numbers, Moustakas has no explanation for his success.

“That’s one of those things that happens in baseball,” he said. “Against a guy like that, every at-bat is tough. You just hope he makes a mistake or what you think is a mistake, but that guy doesn’t make many mistakes.”

The Indians committed a season-high three errors and have lost seven of 10.

Jason Vargas (2-1) allowed two runs in five innings. The left-hander, who pitched around five walks, gave up a two-run homer to Mike Aviles in the fifth.

Kluber recorded his 500th career strikeout when he whiffed Lorenzo Cain in the sixth. The right-hander struck out five and walked two.

Errors by shortstop Jose Ramirez and Aviles, playing third base, helped Kansas City score twice.

Eric Hosmer, who had an RBI single in the third, drew a leadoff walk to start the sixth. He took third on Kendrys Morales’ single before Gordon dropped a double near the line in left field for a 3-2 lead.

“You don’t want to give in to a guy like Kluber until you get to two strikes,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “You got to get into battle mode and put a good swing on it like Moose did all night long and Gordie, too.”

The win ended a two-game losing streak for the Royals, who are 13-6 after coming within one game of winning the World Series last season.

“Teams can go one of two ways when they get a taste of winning,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “You can go on the banquet circuit and kind of dig yourself or you can come back with a `Hey, we got there and we want to do it again.’ They seem to be in that mode. I wish they weren’t.”

Kansas City’s Jarrod Dyson stole three bases, his first of the season.

The gametime temperature of 44 degrees, along with 13 mph winds, forced many in the crowd of 9,668 to bundle up in wintertime clothing.

GETTING CLOSER

Royals RHP Greg Holland (right pectoral strain), eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list on May 3, played catch before the game after a pain-free bullpen session Sunday.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: OF Alex Rios (broken left hand) was examined by a specialist and will begin strengthening exercises. Rios was hit by a pitch on April 16.

Indians: OF Nick Swisher, who had surgery on both knees in August, hopes to rejoin the team next week. He’ll continue his minor league rehab assignment with Triple-A Columbus on Tuesday. “It’s been a long road,” he said. “I just want this to be over so I can get back here with my guys.”

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie, who allowed three runs in the first inning against Minnesota in his last start, is 5-5 lifetime against Cleveland, the team that drafted him in 2002. Guthrie pitched for the Indians from 2004-06.

Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer, who was scratched Saturday because of food poisoning, will start against the Royals. He pitched seven shutout innings against the White Sox in his last start.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — David Robertson threw the first pitch of the afternoon and the last one. And the Chicago White Sox hoped it would go that way on one strange Sunday.

Robertson got a win and a save as the White Sox won a pair of games against the Kansas City Royals. The day began with Avisail Garcia’s two-out RBI single sending Chicago to a 3-2 victory in the resumption of a game suspended by rain on Friday night, and it concluded with the White Sox rallying for a 5-3 win.

“(Robertson) starting off the day like he did and then finishing it off, it was nice,” manager Robin Ventura said. “Good day when you get two wins in one day.”

The White Sox and Royals were tied at 2 when Friday night’s game was suspended by rain after eight innings. Robertson (2-0) was on the mound when they resumed, and the closer got three outs before Garcia drove in Melky Cabrera in the bottom half with his first career game-ending hit against Kelvin Herrera (0-1).

Robertson, who signed a $46 million, four-year contract with Chicago over the winter, then returned for the ninth inning of the second game and got Omar Infante to bounce out with two runners on for his third save.

“It’s not really any different than going out and having a little flat-ground and playing catch before the game and coming back in,” Robertson said. “You’re throwing a little bit harder obviously with more intensity out there on the field, but I was prepared for it and thankfully I didn’t end up throwing 30 or 40 pitches each inning.”

Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer for Kansas City, which won its first four games of the season against Chicago. Gordon, a four-time Gold Glove winner in left, also made a pair of nice defensive plays, including an outstanding leaping grab into the stands on Micah Johnson’s foul liner in the sixth.

“When I was going over I knew when I jumped I was going to jump in the stands,” Gordon said. “I kind of had an idea of where the fence was and how low it was. I just said I gotta make the catch here and that was it.”

Kansas City right-hander Edinson Volquez (2-2) was charged with one earned run and five hits in 5 2/3 innings. The right-hander pitched at least seven innings and allowed three runs or less in each of his first three starts.

The White Sox had just one hit and trailed 3-0 before they pushed across five runs in the sixth. Third baseman Mike Moustakas committed a costly error on Jose Abreu’s grounder, allowing Adam Eaton to score, and Conor Gillaspie put Chicago in front with a two-run single.

“It’s a play I need to make. Ninety-nine out of 100 times I make that play,” Moustakas said. “The one time I don’t make it they score five.”

John Danks (1-2) pitched six innings of three-run ball while improving to 8-1 with a 2.73 ERA in 18 career starts against Kansas City.

BACK IN ACTION

Chicago and Kansas City returned to the field for the first time since Major League Baseball handed down seven suspensions for Thursday night’s brawl in the series opener. The resumption of the suspended game and Saturday’s regularly scheduled matchup also were rained out.

“I think we got all our emotions out that night and I think it’s over and done with,” Kansas City outfielder Lorenzo Cain said.

CABRERA’S CATCH

Cabrera jumped against the fence in left to rob Eric Hosmer of extra bases for the final out of the eighth, earning a round of applause from Zach Duke as the reliever walked to the dugout.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: Asked if closer Greg Holland (strained right pectoral muscle) had been examined again, manager Ned Yost responded: “Unless he played catch in the hotel lobby yesterday, I don’t think he was reevaluated.”

White Sox: Albers said he tried to played catch, but there was “quite a bit of pain” when he threw the ball.

UP NEXT

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas (1-1, 6.75 ERA) faces Indians ace Corey Kluber (0-2, 3.90 ERA) on Monday night in the opener of a three-game set at Cleveland.

White Sox: RHP Hector Noesi (0-2, 5.23 ERA) gets the ball when the White Sox open a three-game series at Baltimore on Monday night. Ubaldo Jimenez (1-1, 2.30 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Orioles.

— Associated Press —