NEW YORK (AP) — James Shields knows what this September means to the Kansas City Royals, a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since many of their players were born.

“Hopefully we can enjoy the moment and embrace it, have fun with it,” he said.

They sure will if he keeps pitching the way he did Friday night.

Shields took a two-hitter into the ninth inning and Nori Aoki lined a run-scoring single in the third following Chase Headley’s two-base error, leading the Royals over the New York Yankees 1-0.

“You could sense the energy out there, and it is a lot of fun to play in,” first baseman Eric Hosmer said. “Huge win for us. We have to take the first game of every series — that is the goal.”

Kansas City (78-61), which opened a two-game lead over second-place Detroit in the AL Central, is in first place in September for the first time since 1985 — when the Royals won the World Series in their last postseason trip. Kansas City has won four in a row and is 17 games over .500 for the first time since 1989, according to STATS.

Two starts after losing to the Yankees 8-1 in one of his worst outings this season, Shields (13-7) retired his first 11 batters before Brett Gardner’s double in the fourth. Headley singled in the fifth, and Gardner flied out to the right-field warning track in the sixth.

Shields retired 11 straight before Derek Jeter singled softly with one out in the ninth.

“I think that is by far the best game he has thrown all year,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He was surgical with his stuff. He had everything going, his curve, his changeup. He was spotting his fastball. He commanded the pitch count tremendously.”

With closer Greg Holland bothered by triceps tightness, Yost brought in Wade Davis. After pinch-runner Antoan Richardson stole second, Gardner struck out swinging on a 98 mph full-count pitch. Carlos Beltran then took a called third strike, giving Davis his first big league save.

Looking for a bright spot on the Yankees’ roster? Look no further than Michael Pineda, Wallace Matthews writes. Story

“He was up to the challenge,” Yost said of Davis, who has fanned 92 batters in 62 1-3 innings this season.

New York rarely hit the ball hard against Shields, who induced 12 groundouts. He allowed three hits in 8 1-3 innings, struck out five, walked none and hit a batter with a pitch.

“He pitched way different than the Shields we faced in Kansas City,” Beltran said. “Today he was using a lot of cutters and the changeup away. So basically he kept us off balance all game long.”

New York began the night four games out for the second AL wild card and is in danger of missing the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since 1992 and `93.

Michael Pineda (3-4), who has not allowed more than two runs in any of his 10 big league starts this year, has received 18 runs of offensive support in his last 13 outings dating to August 2013.

He was hurt by the Yankees’ defense in the third, when Alcides Escobar hit a hard, one-out grounder that glanced off Headley’s glove at third and into left field. Escobar hustled into second and scored an unearned run two pitches later when Aoki singled to center.

Pineda was nearly as sharp as Shields, giving up three hits, all singles, in seven innings with no walks.

“To win in New York, 1-0, that is one of the best games of our season,” Escobar said.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Yankees: INF-OF Martin Prado, recovering from a left hamstring strain, was available to pinch hit but didn’t play. He could be back in the starting lineup Saturday.

UP NEXT

RHP Brandon McCarthy (5-4) is slated to start Saturday for the Yankees against LHP Danny Duffy (9-11).

NOT WATCHING

Yost doesn’t bother to watch the scoreboard and see how his team’s rivals are doing.

“Other people can do it. I don’t like to do it. I like to just stay focused on what we’re doing. I’ll look at the standings every couple of days,” he said. “I’m not up for staying up late and studying.”

After the Royals arrived in New York on Thursday evening, he had dinner and didn’t watch the Tigers-Indians game, won by Detroit 11-4 in 11 innings just before midnight.

“I was in bed way before that game ended,” Yost said.

BATTING PRACTICE CHATTER

A different type of batter was speaking with Jeter on the field before the game: retired Indian cricket captain Sachin Tendulkar. The batsman is nicknamed the “God of Cricket.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The last time Jason Vargas pitched against the Texas Rangers, it seemed like every runner that reached scoring position somehow managed to cross home plate.

The exact opposite happened Wednesday night.

Vargas pitched shutout ball into the seventh inning, Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer and the Kansas City Royals held on for a 4-1 victory that finished off a three-game sweep.

“I felt I was effective,” Vargas said. “They had some opportunities and we were able to make some plays and get out of them.”

Vargas (11-7) stranded four runners in scoring position before turning over a two-on, two-out mess to Kelvin Herrera, who escaped the jam. Louis Coleman gave up a run in the eighth before Wade Davis finished off the inning, and Greg Holland worked a perfect ninth for his 42nd save.

The victory along with Detroit’s 7-0 loss to Cleveland allowed the Royals to extend their lead to 1 1/2 games over the Tigers in the AL Central. They are off Thursday before a crucial trip that takes them through the wild card-chasing Yankees and into a three-game set in Detroit.

“I guess momentum is nice,” Royals manager Ned Yost said, “but I don’t believe in that stuff too much. You know we have to go play good baseball. We have to do what we do.”

Nick Tepesch (4-9) allowed all four runs over 6 2/3 innings for Texas.

The Royals grabbed the lead off him in the fourth when Omar Infante led off with a single and Gordon homered to deep center. In the seventh, Salvador Perez and Billy Butler doubled to provide a bit of cushion, and pinch runner Terrance Gore scored on a stolen base and a throwing error.

That was more than enough to doom Texas to its fifth straight loss.

The biggest problem for the injury plagued Rangers lately has been situational hitting, and it manifested itself again in three close losses to Kansas City. They were 1 for 15 with runners in scoring position Wednesday night, making them 3 for 28 over the course of the series.

The sweep of Texas was the first at home for the Royals in seven seasons.

Tepesch, who grew up in nearby Blue Springs, Missouri, kept giving the Rangers a chance. He retired his first eight batters and then bounced back from Gordon’s homer to retire eight of nine.

Vargas proved to be just a little bit better.

The veteran left-hander, winless in his last six starts against Texas left runners on the corners in the first inning, and somehow navigated leadoff doubles in the third, fourth and sixth.

“We put ourselves in position,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “It wasn’t just one part of the lineup. It was up and down. It was almost everybody had an opportunity.”

By the time Vargas trudged off the mound on a humid night at Kauffman Stadium, a small but festive crowd of 15,771 had risen to its feet to give him a parting ovation.

“He pitched great,” Yost said. “He was sharp tonight. Had his good command, spotted his fastball well. His changeup was really working for him. He just pitched a good game.”

ROYALS C-RISP-Y

While the Rangers had all kinds of problems with runners in scoring position, the Royals were a bit better — 1 for 4. They only left one on base, the fewest they’ve stranded since June 21.

BIG HOME RUNS

Gordon has hit 19 homers this season, 10 of which have given the Royals the lead. “I just think Alex Gordon is a phenomenal player,” Yost said. “He’s an MVP in book.”

BELTRE IN BEAST MODE

Adrian Beltre went 1 for 4, extending his hit streak to 20 games against Kansas City. Ivan Rodriguez holds the club record with a hit in 23 straight games against the Royals.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Scott Baker has been scratched from his start Thursday against Seattle with a stiff neck. Washington hopes he’ll be able to go Friday. … RHP Yu Darvish (elbow inflammation) will be examined Thursday in Texas. It remains unlikely he’ll return his season.

Royals: INF Christian Colon broke the middle finger of his right hand Tuesday night. Yost said he could still be called upon to bunt or pinch run.

UP NEXT

Rangers: LHP Robbie Ross (2-5, 5.63) will move up one day to start in Baker’s place. Ross tossed five shutout innings against Houston his last time out.

Royals: RHP James Shields (12-7) starts the Royals’ series opener in the Bronx.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals had the go-ahead run on second base with nobody out in the eighth inning. Jarrod Dyson got the sign to bunt and failed miserably on two strikes, then chopped a grounder to first base that got his teammate thrown out.

“I was real frustrated,” Dyson said later, shaking his head.

So he did something about it.

The speedster swiped second base and then third, getting into position for Salvador Perez to drive him in with a scorching liner off the glove of third baseman Adrian Beltre for a single. The run proved to be the decider in a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday night that kept Kansas City atop the AL Central by a half-game over Detroit.

“When I got to first, I knew I had to make up for it. I had to steal a couple of bags,” Dyson said. “Then Salvy did a great job. Good piece of hitting to get me in.”

Jason Frasor (4-1) left runners on the corners in the eighth against his former team, and Aaron Crow worked around a two-out single in the ninth for his third save of the season.

All-Star closer Greg Holland was unavailable after pitching three consecutive days.

“Phenomenal job,” Royals manager Ned Yost said of Crow, who had just been recalled from Double-A Northwest Arkansas. “I knew if we got to the ninth with the lead, it’d be Aaron.”

The Rangers’ Derek Holland and counterpart Jeremy Guthrie pitched to a stalemate through seven innings before the Royals broke through against Michael Kirkman (0-1) in the eighth.

The Royals’ Nori Aoki and the Rangers’ Daniel Robertson drove in the game’s other runs.

Holland looked unhindered by the knee surgery that had kept him out all season, working around a double in the first and breezing through the middle innings.

“It’s my first game back. It’s in the big leagues, a big time-atmosphere, especially with a playoff team over here,” Holland said. “I wanted to make sure I stayed calm.”

His only trouble was hardly of his own doing. Alcides Escobar doubled leading off the third, a fly ball that left fielder Ryan Rua should have caught near the wall. Two batters later, Aoki hit a fly ball to shallow left field that Rua whiffed on with an awkward slide for an RBI double.

“People make mistakes,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said.

Meanwhile, Guthrie kept dodging trouble until the fifth, when Roughned Odor tripled to start the inning. Robertson drove him in with a groundout to tie the game.

Guthrie proceeded to battle through two more innings on a night when the Royals were short on bullpen help. Top relievers Kelvin Herrera had also pitched three straight nights.

Francisley Bueno recorded one out for Kansas City. Frasor and Crow handled the rest.

RANGERS RECORDS

The Rangers have used 61 players after Holland and Kirkman made their season debuts, setting a new major league record. The club has also used a record 38 pitchers.

LACK OF RISP-ECT

The Royals were just 2 for 15 with runners in scoring position, and are batting .140 in such situations the last five games. Texas was worse, going 0 for 7 with runners on second or third.

MAKING MOVES

The Royals also recalled INF Christian Colon, OF Terrance Gore and RHP Liam Hendriks from Northwest Arkansas before the game. … The Rangers recalled RHPs Nick Tepesch and Lisalverto Bonilla and INF Luis Sardinas while promoting Kirkman from Triple-A Round Rock. Kirkman took the loss while Sardinas made the final out as a pinch-hitter.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Rangers: RHP Miles Mikolas, who is not making his scheduled start Thursday, will likely miss at least one more start with shoulder fatigue, manager Ron Washington said.

Royals: DH Josh Willingham (sore back) took batting practice and was available to pinch hit.

UP NEXT

Rangers: Tepesch (4-8), who grew up in nearby Blue Springs, Missouri, will make his first start at Kauffman Stadium. He is 0-1 with a 4.26 ERA in two starts against the Royals.

Royals: LHP Jason Vargas has been feast or famine during his first season with the Royals. He has a 1.24 ERA in his 10 wins, a 6.25 ERA in his seven losses.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Tough to catch the Kansas City Royals when they are leading after six innings. Greg Holland leads one of the majors’ best bullpens.

Ventura pitched into the seventh inning and three relievers shut the door in a 4-3 victory over the Texas Rangers on Monday night.

“With Ventura throwing the ball so well, it allowed to get us into the seventh inning with our big three spot with a lead,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We were in good shape from that point.”

The Big Three — Kelvin Herrera, Wade Davis and Holland — combined for 2 2/3 hitless innings after Ventura departed. The Royals are 54-3 when taking a lead into the seventh.

“We had a chance until they brought in Herrera, Davis and Holland, three outstanding arms,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “They might be three of the best arms in baseball.”

Ventura (11-9) allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits in 6 1/3 innings. The right-hander, who was skipped on his previous turn in the rotation due to a sore back, struck out seven and walked four.

Salvador Perez homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City, which finished with 10 hits.

Holland struck out two in a perfect ninth, earning his 41st save in 43 chances. It was Holland’s third straight day of work.

“It’s kind of a double-edged sword for me,” he said. “We’re in a playoff race and you never know when you’re going to get another chance to go to the playoffs. Kansas City hasn’t been there in a while, a long time exactly.

“You want to do everything you can, but you also want to be smart about it. If I go out there at 40 or 50 percent and don’t get the job done because of it, that’s me being selfish for wanting to pitch. You’ve got to understand the situation that if you need a day, you’ve got to express that to the coaching staff.”

Perez, who had three hits, went deep in the third with Alex Gordon aboard. His two-out double in the first scored Gordon, who had singled and swiped second.

Colby Lewis (9-12) pitched seven innings for Texas, yielding four runs and nine hits. The right-hander had thrown a complete game in winning each of his previous two road starts.

“I missed with a couple of pitches early in the game but I sharpened up later,” Lewis said.

Carlos Peguero, who was just brought up from Triple-A Omaha, doubled in the fifth and scored on Mike Moustakas’ single to give the Royals a 4-0 advantage.

Texas responded with a run in the sixth on Adrian Beltre’s groundout. Tomas Telis and Michael Choice each had an RBI single in the seventh, cutting the Royals’ lead to one run.

TWO CHALLENGES

The Rangers lost a replay challenge and won another one. With runners on the corners in the second, Rangers catcher Tomas Telis grounded into a double play to end the inning. Washington wanted a review, believing Telis was safe, but the ruling on the field was upheld. In the seventh, Jarrod Dyson doubled for the Royals, but went over the bag. Umpire Fieldin Culbreth said Dyson got back safely. A review overruled him and Dyson was out.

UP NEXT:

Rangers: LHP Derek Holland will make his first start of the season after having knee surgery on Jan. 10. He went 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in six rehab starts in the minors.

Royals: RHP Jeremy Guthrie (10-10) goes for Kansas City. Guthrie is 2-0 with a 4.29 ERA in his last three starts.

TRAINER’S ROOM:

Rangers: RHP Miles Mikolas, who was skipped his previous start with shoulder fatigue, has not progressed and may not pitch Thursday in his next scheduled start.

Royals: DH Josh Willingham has not played since Friday because of a bad back. He will try to swing the bat Tuesday.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — It’s getting very crowded at the top of the AL Central. The surging Cleveland Indians have turned the division into one of baseball’s best playoff races.

Michael Brantley and Carlos Santana each had an RBI single in the 11th inning, leading the Indians to a 3-2 victory over the sliding Kansas City Royals on Saturday night.

Kansas City has lost three in a row to fall into a first-place tie with Detroit, which split a doubleheader at Chicago. Cleveland, which has won six of seven, is just 3 1/2 back.

“It’s extremely agonizing,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “It’s frustrating.”

The Royals got a run back in the bottom of the 11th when Salvador Perez’s two-out double scored Jarrod Dyson. But Erik Kratz struck out to end the game.

Jose Ramirez sparked Cleveland’s winning rally with a leadoff triple. Brantley followed with a base hit against Scott Downs (0-4).

“It was a hustle triple,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I about swallowed my tobacco when he went around second. Instead of Brantley trying to get the runner over they have to bring the infield in and he hit a chopper over the infield.”

Brantley then stole second and went to third on Perez’s throwing error before Santana singled into center field.

The Royals loaded the bases with one out in the 10th, but failed to score off Josh Tomlin (6-8). The reliever got Alcides Escobar to hit a grounder to third, forcing Perez at the plate. He then struck Jayson Nix, who was making his Royals debut.

The Royals went 2 for 18 with runners in scoring position and stranded 16 runners, twice leaving the bases loaded.

“We weren’t getting any hits with runners in scoring position, it was plain and simple,” Yost said. “One was an infield hit and didn’t score a run. We had a multitude of opportunities starting in the first inning. We just couldn’t take advantage of it.”

Cleveland grabbed a 1-0 lead when Yan Gomes doubled in Jason Kipnis in the fourth.

The Royals tied it in the eighth without the benefit of a hit. Alex Gordon led off with a walk. Billy Butler then hit a comebacker that should have been a double play, but reliever Scott Atchison threw the ball into center field, putting Gordon on third. With the bases loaded, Lorenzo Cain’s grounder scored Gordon for an unearned run.

“That’s tough, leaving that many runners on base,” Cain said. “We should have definitely beat these kids. We had a few chances to walk it off. I did myself. We just didn’t get the job done. We’ve got to come through in those tight situations if we want to get to the playoffs.”

Indians rookie Trevor Bauer pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings despite issuing five walks. He allowed four hits and struck out six. The Royals loaded the bases with none out in the first, but Bauer escaped the jam.

“I was fortunate to get out of it,” Bauer said. “With the way the game turned out it was important to get out of it with no runs. Usually in that situation you try to keep it to one or two, but that was big with no runs.”

James Shields tossed seven innings of one-run ball for Kansas City. He gave up five hits, struck out four and walked one.

“It’s disappointing,” Shields said. “We had the game right in our grasp, right in our hands and we didn’t come out of it.”

Wade Davis replaced Shields and struck out the side in the eighth to run his scoreless streak to 25 2/3 innings, the longest active streak in the majors. He has allowed just one run in his 49 innings, lowering his ERA to 0.76.

INDIANS WINNING WAYS

The Indians have won five straight series and are a season-best six games above .500. They have won eight of their past 10 road games. They are 17-9 in August for their fourth straight winning month.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Indians: DH Jason Giambi (left knee inflammation) and OF Ryan Raburn (right wrist soreness) are on a rehab assignment with Double-A Akron. Giambi is eligible to come off the disabled list Monday and Raburn on Tuesday.

Royals: DH-OF Josh Willingham was unavailable with a stiff back. .1B Eric Hosmer (fractured right hand) went 2 for 6 with two RBIs and struck out twice in his first rehab game with Triple-A Omaha. … 2B Omar Infante (right shoulder inflammation) started after missing four games.

UP NEXT

Indians: Rookie LHP T.J. House, who won his first big league July 5 over the Royals, is coming off a rocky outing, giving up five runs Tuesday in a no-decision against the White Sox.

Royals: LHP Danny Duffy’s 2.47 ERA ranks third in the American League, but he has a losing record at 8-11.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Once again, Carlos Santana was a huge hit in Kansas City.

Santana, who homered five times at Kauffman Stadium in a series last month, hit a two-run homer as the Cleveland Indians topped the Royals 6-1 Friday night.

The loss cut the Royals’ lead to a half-game over Detroit in the AL Central.

Santana connected in the ninth inning for his 22nd home run, helped Cleveland win for the fifth time in six games.

“I have teams, Minnesota, Kansas City, I have good sense when I come here,” Santana said.

Santana said he hit a changeup from Francisley Bueno that was right down the middle.

“I hope the streak continues,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “That’s a nice swing. He can get streaky with his homers.”

Boosted by his big four-game set in July, Santana is 14 for 26 with six homers, 13 RBIs and a 1.269 slugging percentage this year in Kansas City.

Santana also had an RBI single as he kept wrecking the Royals. He is hitting only .229 overall this year.

Danny Salazar (5-6) pitched four-hit ball for five shutout innings.

“I was feeling good with my fastball,” Salazar said. “I was throwing it hard. That was my only thought.”

He didn’t come back out after a 44-minute rain delay in the bottom of the sixth.

“We just couldn’t get anything going offensively,” Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Jason Vargas (10-7) gave up 10 hits and four runs in six innings. In his past two starts, both losses, he has allowed 21 hits in 12 innings.

Zach Walters hit an RBI double in the second to put Cleveland ahead.

Tyler Bolt led off the Indians’ three-run third with a bunt single. Santana and Jose Ramirez had RBI singles and Michael Brantley, who had three hits, scored on Jeff Kipnis’ groundout.

Salazar gave up four singles, walked two and struck out three in five innings. After his exit, there was a parade of six Cleveland relievers.

The Royals did not score until the ninth on an RBI single by Alcides Escobar, who matched a career high with his fourth hit.

“That was a tough loss,” Escobar said. “I got four hits, but only one run. There’s nothing we can do about it now.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jordan Schafer tied a career high with four RBIs, including a two-run single in the 10th inning Thursday night as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Kansas City Royals 11-5.

Bruce Chen (2-4), the sixth pitcher for the AL Central-leading Royals, gave up five hits and walked two in the 10th.

Eduardo Nunez singled home the go-ahead run and Brian Dozier added a two-run double. Kurt Suzuki capped the burst with an RBI double, his third hit of the game and second double.

Schafer had three hits and extended his hitting streak to eight games.

Anthony Swarzak (3-1) picked up the victory.

Alex Gordon homered off Ryan Pressly to lead off the Royals seventh, tying it at 5.

Twins lefty Tommy Milone was pulled after 5 1/3 innings, giving up four runs on nine hits and two walks. He is winless in four starts since the Twins acquired him in a July 31 trade with Oakland.

Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie, who was 5-1 in his previous six starts, exited after six innings. He gave up five runs on nine hits and two walks.

The Twins took a 2-0 lead in the first, which included a double by Suzuki. The Royals countered with two runs in the bottom half, with Gordon and Salvador Perez hitting RBI singles.

Minnesota forged ahead with two more runs in the fourth. Schafer hit an RBI double and scored on Dozier’s single.

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals conjured up a little more late-game magic Wednesday night.

This time, they didn’t wait until the ninth inning.

Shut down most of the night by the Twins’ Phil Hughes, the Royals finally broke through with six runs in the eighth. Nori Aoki drove in the go-ahead run, and Billy Butler and Salvador Perez each drove in a pair during the surge, sending the Royals to a 6-1 victory.

“That’s kind of who we are,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We’re a team that plays with a lot of heart, with a lot of energy and a lot of passion.”

In the series opener, the Royals were shut out until the ninth inning, when Alex Gordon hit a two-run homer for a 2-1 win. This time, it was a series of bloopers and infield singles that gave Kansas City the offense it needed in the waning innings.

“We’re just living on a high right now,” said Jarrod Dyson, whose bunt single scored the tying run. “We’re going out and having fun and playing like we’re 5 years old.”

Wade Davis (8-2) pitched a perfect eighth for the win, helping the Royals extend their lead over Detroit to 2 1/2 games in the AL Central. They have won 11 of their past 13 at home.

Minnesota has lost four straight and eight of 11 overall.

“We’ve scored two runs in two games here,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “That’s not going to win very many games.”

The Royals’ big rally began when Raul Ibanez led off the eighth with a blooper to right, and Mike Moustakas beat out an infield hit with a dive to first base. Two batters later, Dyson’s bunt allowed pinch runner Lorenzo Cain to slide home and knot the game 1-1.

Aoki followed with a slicing single to left field to give the Royals the lead, and Butler and Perez added four more runs with two well-timed hits to provide plenty of cushion.

“I can remember probably two hard-hit balls tonight. That’s how baseball is going to go,” Hughes said. “That’s a team over there that finds a way and battles.”

Most of the game had been an entertaining duel between Hughes (14-9), who had won his last four starts, and Liam Hendriks, a former Twins pitcher making his Royals debut.

Hughes gave up singles in each of the first two innings before finding his groove, allowing one other baserunner until his fateful eighth. Hendriks retired the first 14 batters he faced, and never ran into trouble until Kennys Vargas singled with one out in the seventh.

Oswaldo Arcia followed with a double off the wall to give Minnesota a 1-0 lead.

Hendriks, making a spot start for ailing Yordano Ventura, finished out the inning without any more damage. The Australian wound up allowing four hits while striking out five without a walk.

“That was awesome,” he said. “It was a good way to start off in Kansas City.”

— Associated Press —

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Royals were trailing the Twins by a run in the ninth inning Tuesday night, and Kansas City manager Ned Yost was on the top step of the dugout, conferring with catching coach Pedro Grifol about the potential decisions he would have to make.

That’s when Yost heard a voice pipe up.

“The bat boy who never says anything turns around and says, `Esky is going to get a hit and Gordo’s taking him in the fountain,” Yost said. “I said, `OK. Sounds like a pretty good plan.”

One that worked out perfectly, too.

Alcides Escobar led off with a blooper to shallow right for a single, and Alex Gordon swatted the second pitch he saw over the right-field wall to give the AL Central-leading Royals a dramatic 2-1 victory over Minnesota — and help them avoid their first three-game skid since mid-July.

“Got a slider over the plate and put a good swing on it,” Gordon said. “Really didn’t have any offense going all night and was able to muster up something, so that was great.”

The Royals had been shut down all night by Ricky Nolasco, who scattered three hits over seven innings. But after going quietly in the eighth, they managed to break through against Perkins (3-1), who had converted 18 consecutive saves on the road.

“We had a really good game out of Ricky. I feel bad for him because he pitched seven shutout innings and threw the ball well,” Perkins said. “He and the team don’t have anything to show for it. It’s not a fun feeling.”

Wade Davis (7-2) earned the win with a perfect ninth inning in relief.

Danny Duffy was nearly as sharp for the Royals as Nolasco was for Minnesota. The left-hander allowed four hits and a pair of walks over 6 2/3 innings, but was in line for the loss after giving up a double to Brian Dozier and a slicing single to Joe Mauer to start the seventh.

The Royals had several chances to push a run across much earlier — and with much less drama.

Billy Butler was hit by pitches from Nolasco on two occasions, and the first time — in the second inning — he advanced to third before getting stranded. Christian Colon was left standing on second in the third inning, and Jarrod Dyson was picked off first base in the sixth.

Dyson was also picked off first base in Monday night’s 1-0 loss to the Yankees.

The Twins also had opportunities to push across an early run. Trevor Plouffe grounded into inning-ending double plays in the second and fifth, and Danny Santana was picked off first base in the fourth. Eduardo Escobar was stranded at second base in the sixth.

Those missed chances proved to be important when the ninth inning rolled around.

“I don’t think anybody saw that coming,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said, “a bloop and a blast and a big walk-off for them.”

— Associated Press —

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Scott Baker has found quite a niche with the Texas Rangers, and is winning again after Tommy John surgery.

Baker went five innings in a spot start to win as a starter for the first time in more than three years, helping Texas beat the AL Central-leading Kansas City Royals 3-1 on Sunday to avoid a series sweep.

“It’s still special because of the road that I’ve had to endure as far as injuries,” said Baker, who earned a win in relief in his previous appearance on Aug. 12. “It’s fun, regardless of whether you’re a starter or a reliever. And it’s a good team win.”

With Yu Darvish still on the disabled list and Miles Mikolas pushed back a day, Baker (2-3) threw 51 of his 71 pitches for strikes in difficult conditions with the temperature near 100 degrees. The only run on his line was Billy Butler’s leadoff homer in the fourth.

“He certainly went beyond the call of duty to have not been out there in 11 days, and to go out there and throw the strikes the way he threw them,” manager Ron Washington said.

Adrian Beltre put Texas ahead to stay with an RBI double in the first. Beltre had his fifth straight mulithit game, including all three games against Kansas City to extend his hitting streak against the Royals to 17 games.

Baker hadn’t pitched since that relief win against Tampa Bay. That was his first victory since a start for Minnesota against Detroit on July 23, 2011, and ended a string of 26 consecutive appearances in losses.

“It’s never been an issue, having that many days off from pitching, throwing the ball over,” he said. “I’ve always been able to do that.”

The 32-year-old right-hander missed all of 2012 after elbow surgery. He made three starts for the Chicago Cubs at the end of last season and has started five of his 22 games since joining the Rangers in June. He had made six relief appearances since his last start July 13.

Neftali Feliz worked the ninth for his sixth save in seven chances since reassuming the closer role a month ago after Joakim Soria was traded to Detroit.

Kansas City’s Jason Vargas (10-6) allowed 11 hits and walked four in his six innings, but allowed only three runs. The left-hander had walked only one in 25 1/3 innings previously this month.

Texas had five doubles off Vargas, including a run-scoring hit for Adam Rosales in the second. Alex Rios had a leadoff double in the third, and scored on a single by Robinson Chirinos.

Chirinos started after catcher Geovany Soto was a late scratch. The Rangers announced during the game that Soto was traded to Oakland for cash.

— Associated Press —