Triston McKenzie threw five scoreless innings as the Cleveland Indians defeated the host Kansas City Royals 4-0 Thursday afternoon to complete a sweep of the four-game series.Cesar Hernandez and Rene Rivera each had three hits for Cleveland.Franmil Reyes, who is now hitting .538 (14-of-26) with six doubles and six RBIs in seven career games in Kauffman Stadium, hit his second home run in KC, his eighth of the season.The Royals have lost five straight games after coming into the series with the best record in baseball.The Indians got single runs in the second, fifth, sixth and eighth innings.The Royals never mounted much of a threat on offense. They only had two baserunners beyond second base, and both got there with two outs.McKenzie (1-1), who only lasted two innings (allowing five runs) in his last start, rebounded well. He gave up only two hits and no runs in five innings. He struggled with his control, walking four and striking out five.Danny Duffy (4-2) took the loss for Kansas City. He was solid but got no support. He allowed three runs on eight hits, striking out six and walking one. His ERA rose to 1.26 for the season. It's the first time this season Duffy's ERA has been above 1.00.

Josh Naylor's leadoff home run in the top of the ninth inning lifted the Cleveland Indians to a 5-4 victory and their third straight win over the Kansas City Royals to start the four-game series.The Indians came back from a 4-0 deficit after five innings. They have come from behind in all three of the wins.Nick Wittgren (2-1) picked up the win after he struck out the side in the eighth inning. James Karinchak then picked up his third save in four tries. Wade Davis (0-1) took the loss.Kansas City starter Brady Singer allowed three runs on four hits in 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out three. Cleveland's Shane Bieber allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits in six innings, striking out nine and walking just one. He extended his major league record to 19 straight games with at least eight strikeouts.Hunter Dozier put the Royals on the board in the second inning with a 430-foot home run to left center. Dozier's last seven hits, and 10 of his last 11, have been for extra bases.Ryan O'Hearn scored on an error by shortstop Andres Gimenez in the fourth, and the Royals scored two more runs on Jorge Soler's double in the fifth. The hit came after Andrew Benintendi led off with a single, and Salvador Perez was hit by a pitch with one out.

Harold Ramirez hit a tiebreaking double in the eighth inning and the Cleveland Indians defeated the host Kansas City Royals 7-3 Tuesday night.The Indians, who scored four runs in the eighth, have won each of the first two games in the four-game series, and they have three consecutive victories overall.The Royals squandered a 3-0 lead while losing a third straight game for the first time this season.With one out in the eights, Cleveland's Franmil Reyes was down 0-2 before coaxing a walk from Josh Staumont (0-1). Reyes went to second on a wild pitch and scored on Ramirez's double. Ramirez came home on Josh Naylor's RBI single, and Naylor scored on Jake Bauers' pinch-hit home run off Tyler Zuber.Nick Wittgren (1-1) earned the win after throwing a perfect seventh inning.The Royals jumped in front in the second inning on Michael A. Taylor's RBI single. The hit knocked in Hunter Dozier, who was on base after a one-out double.

The Kansas City Royals will give their Triple-A affiliate Omaha a major league feel after they signed their former shortstop Alcides Escobar to a minor league deal Tuesday.Escobar, 34, last played in the major leagues in 2018 but is a link to the team's World Series title in 2015 when he was the club's everyday shortstop and leadoff man. He played in Japan for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows during the 2020 season and also signed minor league deals with the Baltimore Orioles and Chicago White Sox since he last played in Kansas City.Omaha starts its season Tuesday at home against St. Paul.

Eddie Rosario hit a three-run home run in the seventh inning to break up a tie game and Josh Naylor hit a two-run shot later in the inning and the Cleveland Indians went on to an 8-6 win over the host Kansas City Royals.The Royals scored three in the bottom of the seventh but couldn't come all the way back in the opener of a four-game series.Bryan Shaw (1-0) earned the win after getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the sixth inning. Emmanuel Clase pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his sixth save in seven chances.Jakob Junis (1-2), who came on in relief after originally being scheduled to start the game for the Royals, took the loss. He gave up both seventh-inning home runs.Left-hander Daniel Lynch, the Royals' starter and No. 2 prospect according to MLB.com, made his major league debut. He allowed three runs on four hits in 4 2/3 innings. Cleveland right-hander Aaron Civale gave up three runs on seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.The Royals took a 1-0 lead in the third inning on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Soler. The Indians answered in the fourth on a two-out double by Naylor, before Kansas City scored again in the bottom of the inning, although it nearly blew a golden opportunity.Hunter Dozier led off with a triple but was still standing on third with two outs. Whit Merrifield, who grounded out to leave the bases loaded in the second, hit the first pitch into the seats in left to take a 3-1 lead.

Mitch Garver's three-run homer capped a seven-run third inning and the Minnesota Twins rolled to a 13-4 win against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday afternoon in Minneapolis.The Twins were aided by a wild pitch, a hit batsman, two Royals errors and another misplay that was ruled a hit in the decisive inning.Garver was one of five batters with multiple hits for the Twins, who had 14 on the day and took two out of three games to win their first home series this season.Jose Berrios (3-2) battled through six innings for the win, giving up four runs on six hits. He only had one 1-2-3 inning, but he also struck out nine and issued just one walk.Brad Keller (2-3) took the loss thanks to the one bad inning. Other than the third, he only faced one batter above the minimum. He allowed seven runs in 4 1/3 innings, but only two were earned. He struck out three and walked one.The Twins got their first hit in the third on a two-run home run by Andrelton Simmons. He hit a 1-1 fastball 408 feet to left, scoring Jake Cave, who was hit by a pitch. Luis Arraez then singled. Back-to-back errors by Kansas City third baseman Hunter Dozier led to two more Twins runs before Garver found the seats in left.

Salvador Perez became the all-time home run leader among visiting players at Target Field as the Kansas City Royals crushed the Twins 11-3 Saturday in Minneapolis. Perez's two-run blast in the third inning was the 18th of his career in Minnesota.Backed by plenty of support, Danny Duffy continued his stellar start to the 2021 season.Duffy (4-1) allowed one run on two hits through seven innings. He struck out seven and walked three. He has allowed two earned runs in 29 innings this season, good for a 0.60 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He retired 12 Twins in a row at one point, and he had 18 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing a run in the seventh.Matt Shoemaker (1-3) was as ineffective as Duffy was sharp. He allowed nine runs (eight earned) on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings.The Royals scored two runs in the first. Carlos Santana walked with one out and scored on Salvador Perez's double that just eluded the glove of center fielder Byron Buxton. Perez scored on a sacrifice fly by Jorge Soler.Santana reached again in the third on a single that got through the shift. Perez then hit a third-deck home run that traveled 434 feet to right center. He was tied with 17 home runs by a non-Twin with current teammate Santana as well as Edwin Encarnaci�n.

Alex Kirilloff hit the first two home runs of his career as the Minnesota Twins defeated the Kansas City Royals 9-1 Friday night in Minneapolis.Kirilloff, who drove in four runs, came into the game hitting .115 (3 of 26), with just one extra-base hit.The Royals managed just four hits off four Twins pitchers. Minnesota's Byron Buxton took away two hits from Andrew Benintendi, including robbing a possible home run in the seventh inning.Michael Pineda (2-1) picked up the win for the Twins. He allowed just one run on three hits in five innings. Pineda threw just 71 pitches, but he took a line drive from Michael A. Taylor off his right wrist in the fifth inning. He finished the inning but that was it for the game.The Twins, who had the fourth-worst bullpen ERA in baseball (4.83) coming in, tossed four scoreless innings of relief.Brady Singer (1-3) took the loss. He lasted just two innings, partly because of ineffectiveness and partly because of injury. He allowed one run on two hits in two innings. He walked three and struck out one.Royals pitchers walked 10 batters and hit another.

Jorge Soler was 3-for-5 and drove in three runs with two doubles and a single Wednesday as the visiting Kansas City Royals topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 9-6 for a split of their two-game series.Hunter Dozier added a two-run triple, Andrew Benintendi a two-run double and Salvador Perez an RBI double for the Royals.Kansas City starter Mike Minor pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, four earned, and six hits, with three walks and six strikeouts.Kyle Zimmer (2-0) followed Minor with a scoreless two-thirds of an inning.Josh Staumont pitched the final 1 1/3 innings for his third save.Erik Gonzalez hit a two-run homer, Jacob Stallings a solo homer, Todd Frazier a two-run double and Phillip Evans an RBI single for Pittsburgh.Pirates starter Mitch Keller (1-3) made it through 2 1/3 innings, giving up four runs and three hits, with five walks and two strikeouts.Carlos Santana drew a one-out walk in the first and, an out later, scored on Soler's RBI double. After Benintendi walked, Dozier's triple made it 3-0.In the third, Perez led off with a double. An out later, Benintendi and Dozier walked to load the bases. That chased Keller, and reliever Sean Poppen walked in a run to make it 4-0.

Pinch-hitter Wilmer Difo blooped a hit into short left field in the seventh inning as the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Kansas City Royals 2-1 Tuesday night in Pittsburgh. Colin Moran had three hits and an RBI for the Pirates.The Royals managed just four hits off four Pittsburgh pitchers.The loss snapped Kansas City's five-game winning streak and was just their third road loss of the season. It was also the Royals first one-run loss of the season after six wins.Duane Underwood Jr. (1-0) earned the win with a perfect inning of relief. He struck out two. Richard Rodriguez retired the side in order in the ninth for his fourth save in as many chances.Tyler Anderson had his best start of the season for the Pirates, though he didn't factor in the decision. He allowed just one run on three hits through six innings. He walked two and struck out five.Jakob Junis (1-1) was the hard-luck loser for Kansas City. He gave up two runs on six singles in 6 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out nine, one off his career best.

Carlos Santana hit a two-run homer and the visiting Kansas City Royals completed a four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers with a 3-2 triumph on Monday.Whit Merrifield drove in the go-ahead run for the Royals, while Brad Keller notched the victory. Keller gave up two runs on eight hits and struck out four in six innings. Josh Staumont pitched the ninth and recorded his second save.Royals catcher Salvador Perez departed the game early with a right thumb injury.Tigers starter Spencer Turnbull lasted six innings, allowing three runs on five hits with no walks and five strikeouts. Miguel Cabrera and Grayson Greiner drove in Detroit's runs. The Tigers have lost 10 of their last 11 games.The Royals took a 2-0 lead in the third. With one out Nicky Lopez hit a bouncer just inside the first base line and scampered all the way to third for a triple. The next batter fouled out but Santana drilled a Turnbull fastball over the right field wall for his fifth homer this season.Detroit scored a run in the bottom of the inning. Robbie Grossman led off with a double, advanced on a grounder and scored on Cabrera's single to left center.The Tigers had a chance to make more noise when Jeimer Candelario followed with another single, but Cabrera was thrown out at the plate on Willi Castro's fielder's choice grounder.

Carlos Santana drove in two runs, Hunter Dozier homered and a quartet of pitchers combined for the shutout as the visiting Kansas City Royals silenced the punchless Detroit Tigers 4-0 on Sunday.Royals starter Danny Duffy (3-1) threw five scoreless innings, scattering four hits with no walks and eight strikeouts. Kyle Zimmer pitched the sixth inning and Jake Brentz got the next six outs, collecting three strikeouts in the process. Wade Davis notched the final three outs.Whit Merrifield had two hits, a run scored and an RBI for the Royals, who have won four straight and the first three games of the four-game series.Detroit has lost nine of its last 10 games, scoring 13 runs in those defeats.Tigers starter Michael Fulmer, who was pitching on three days' rest, tossed three scoreless innings, allowing one hit and two walks while recording two strikeouts.Detroit had three singles in the fourth inning but couldn't push across a run. Niko Goodrum led off with a hit but Miguel Cabrera struck out. Goodrum then got thrown out trying to steal second. Jeimer Candelario and Wilson Ramos followed with singles but Duffy recovered to strike out Willi Castro.

Brady Singer tossed seven strong innings to outduel Matthew Boyd, lifting the visiting Kansas City Royals to a 2-1 win over the slumping Detroit Tigers on Saturday.Singer (1-2) allowed one run on three hits and equaled his career high with eight strikeouts. Singer didn't walk a batter in his 93-pitch gem as the Royals captured the second contest of a four-game series.Scott Barlow retired the side in order in the eighth inning and Josh Staumont recorded his first save after striking out two batters in the ninth.Andrew Benintendi scored and knocked in a run for the Royals. Jorge Soler added a double and a run scored as Kansas City won its third straight game despite only managing three hits.Boyd (2-2) gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits in eight innings. He struck out three on 89 pitches.Jose Cisnero recorded two strikeouts in the ninth inning.Willi Castro, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Saturday, provided the offense for Detroit with his first homer of the season. The Tigers have lost eight of their last nine games, scoring just 13 runs in those defeats.Singer got rolling right after taking the mound, striking out the side in the first.

The Kansas City Royals have reinstated Greg Holland to the active roster after the veteran right-handed reliever spent a day on the injured list for an undisclosed ailment.To make room on the roster, the Royals designated right-hander Brad Brach for assignment.Holland, 35, has converted both of his save opportunities this season, but has a 6.43 ERA after seven appearances with a 2-1 record. He has 214 career saves over 11 seasons and was a two-time All-Star during his original stint in Kansas City from 2010-15.

Andrew Benintendi and Ryan O'Hearn each hit their first homers of the season, Jorge Soler had a two-run double, and the Kansas City Royals topped the host Detroit Tigers 6-2 on Friday.Benintendi had two hits and scored twice, while O'Hearn -- making his season debut -- reached base three times. Whit Merrifield had two hits, a run scored and an RBI.Mike Minor (2-1) struck out nine batters in 5 2/3 innings while allowing two runs on four hits. A quartet of relievers finished out the game.Detroit starter Casey Mize (1-2) surrendered six runs on seven hits in 4 2/3 innings. Reliever Tyler Anderson tossed 2 1/3 hitless innings.Robbie Grossman hit a two-run homer to account for the Tigers' runs. Detroit has lost seven of its last eight games.Mize induced Hunter Dozier to hit into a double play in the second inning, but the Royals still put a run on the board. Benintendi pounded a fastball to the opposite field and it barely cleared the left-field fence.Benintendi also made a diving catch in the bottom of the inning to rob Wilson Ramos of an extra-base hit.There was a case of deja vu in the top of the fourth. Soler hit into a double play, but O'Hearn jumped on a Mize splitter and hit it over the right-field wall to make it 2-0.

Salvador Perez had his third game-winning hit of the homestand as the Kansas City Royals avoided a three-game sweep with a 9-8 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.Perez drove in Nicky Lopez with a two-out, walk-off single in the ninth.Scott Barlow (1-0) earned the win despite blowing a lead in the eighth and allowing a go-ahead run in the top of the ninth. Diego Castillo (0-1) got the loss after yielding two runs on two hits in the bottom of the ninth.With the Royals up 7-6 in the eighth, Tampa Bay's Kevin Kiermaier reached on a one-out single. Barlow replaced Jake Brentz on the mound for Kansas City and served up pinch hitter Randy Arozarena's RBI double.In the top of the ninth, Austin Meadows singled and pinch runner Manuel Margot gave the Rays an 8-7 lead when he scored on Joey Wendle's double.Michael A. Taylor led off the bottom of the ninth with a single. Jarrod Dyson pinch-ran and stole second. He was bunted to third by Hanser Alberto and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Nicky Lopez.Whit Merrifield's groundout moved Lopez to seconds. After the Rays intentionally walked Carlos Santana, Perez's single to left ended the game.Jorge Soler led the Royals with three hits, including a solo homer, while Hunter Dozier and Carlos Santana hit two-run homers.

The top three hitters in the Tampa Bay lineup combined for nine hits and five runs as the Rays roughed up the host Kansas City Royals 14-7 on Tuesday.With the Rays having won two of the first two games in a three-game series, the Royals have their first series loss of the season. Tampa Bay earned its fifth victory in a row.The Rays had a pair of four-run innings and a three-run rally. Austin Meadows, Randy Arozarena and Joey Wendle had three hits apiece, and Meadows, Brandon Lowe and Mike Zunino homered for Tampa Bay.Reliever Andrew Kittredge (3-0) retired all three batters he faced to earn the win. Trevor Richards pitched three innings of one-run ball for his first career save.Royals starter Brad Keller (1-2) gave up five runs on three hits with one strikeout and three walks in 1 2/3 innings.After Keller gave up back-to-back hits in the first, Lowe hit a ground ball to second. Instead of turning an inning-ending double play, Whit Merrifield bobbled the ball and a run scored.Keller got into trouble again in the second inning. A pair of runners around a botched fielder's choice loaded the bases with no outs. Meadows drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Keller retired Arozarena, but then gave up an RBI single to Wendle and walked Lowe to load the bases, ending his night.Reliever Jake Newberry walked the first two batters he faced, Manuel Margot and Yoshi Tsutsugo, forcing in two more runs. The Rays ended up with four runs on a single and five walks in the second.Tampa Bay starter Rich Hill gave up four runs without recording an out in the third. He walked the first batter and then gave up four consecutive hits, including Nicky Lopez's two-run single and Carlos Santana's two-run double to end his night.

Tampa Bay pitchers shut down the Kansas City offense as the Rays defeated the Royals 4-1 on a blustery, cold Monday night in the first game of a three-game series in Kansas City. The Royals managed just five hits.The game-time temperature was 45 degrees, with a wind chill of 39 due to an 18-mph wind out of the north. The wind chill was in the upper 20s by the end of the game.Starting pitcher Josh Fleming (1-1) allowed no runs on two hits in 5 1/3 innings for Tampa Bay, lowering his ERA to 0.87. He only allowed three baserunners, none past the second, and never more than one in an inning. He kept the Royals off-balance mostly with a mix of cutters and sinkers.Danny Duffy (2-1) took the loss for the Royals. He was nearly unhittable early. When he struck out Manuel Margot in the fourth inning, he had his sixth of the game, and 1,000th of his career. He became the sixth pitcher in Kansas City history to achieve that milestone.Duffy had his third straight quality start. He's allowed one earned run in 18 innings over three starts (0.50 ERA). He allowed two runs (none earned) on four hits in six innings Monday. He struck out eight and walked two. Hitters are 3-for-35 with two strikes this season against Duffy.The Rays finally crossed home plate in the fifth, beginning with an error by Carlos Santana. With two outs, Willy Adames' high popup in the wind eluded Santana and Joey Wendle scored from first. Kevin Kiermaier followed with an RBI single.

Salvador Perez homered in his second straight game to lead the Royals to a 2-0 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays in a game of missed opportunities Sunday in Kansas City. The teams combined to leave 15 men on base in the first four innings.The Royals won three of the four games of the series.Perez, who ended Saturday's second game with a walk-off home run, hit his homer 441 feet into the fountains in left center.After leaving baserunners all over the diamond in the first six innings, the Royals unloaded on the Blue Jays' third pitcher in the seventh. T.J. Zeuch gave up three line drives with his first three pitches. Carlos Santana led off with a single, followed by Perez' home run and Jorge Soler's double.Kyle Zimmer (1-0) picked up the win. Greg Holland picked up his second save. Royals pitchers retired the final 18 Toronto batters.Both starting pitchers left the game without allowing a run. Kansas City's Brady Singer gave up two hits in six innings, striking out six and walking three. He has not received a single run of support while he was in the game this season (three starts).Robbie Ray allowed four hits in five innings for Toronto. He tied a career high with six walks and struck out three.

Salvador Perez hit a walk-off home run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning to help the Royals defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-2 in Game 2 of a doubleheader Saturday in Kansas City. The Blue Jays won the first game 5-1.It was the Royals' first walk-off win since 2019. Perez's home run traveled 459 and landed in the fountains in left-center field.Greg Holland (2-1) pitched a scoreless top of the seventh to pick up the win.The Royals were 3-10 after 13 games in 2020; in 2021 they're 8-5 and in first place in the American League Central.Joel Payamps (0-1) gave up Perez's home run to take the loss.The Blue Jays bullpen had not allowed an earned run in 10 1/3 innings in three games this series prior to the walk-off run.Vladimir Guerrero Jr. went 0-for-2 and saw his nine-game hitting streak end for Toronto. Bo Bichette was 0-for-3 and is 0-for-11 in the series.Neither starter was involved in the decision. Toronto starter Tommy Milone gave up two runs in 2 1/3 innings. He struck out four, all on his changeup. Ervin Santana, making his first start for the Royals since 2013, gave up one run in three innings.