Yordan Alvarez clubbed a walk-off home run with two outs in the ninth inning as the Houston Astros capped a five-run rally by defeating the visiting Kansas City Royals 7-6 on Monday.Alvarez drilled a 3-1 slider from Royals closer Scott Barlow (2-2) to right-center field for his 24th home run. It marked the second consecutive walk-off win for Houston, winners of 12 of 14.Handcuffed by Royals right-hander Jonathan Heasley, who allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks with three strikeouts over six solid innings, the Astros rallied for three runs in the eighth off a pair of Kansas City relievers. Right-hander Wyatt Mills departed after issuing a leadoff walk to Astros shortstop Jeremy Pena, giving way to left-hander Amir Garrett.Garrett failed to record an out, issuing back-to-back walks before Kyle Tucker lined a two-run single to center that scored Pena and Alvarez and sliced the deficit to 6-5. Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel then greeted Royals reliever Taylor Clarke with a game-tying RBI single.The Astros' rally negated a multi-homer game for Royals catcher MJ Melendez, whose second homer of the game and eighth this season gave Kansas City a 6-3 lead in the top of the eighth.Astros right-hander Jake Odorizzi endured a rocky return to the rotation following a 42-game absence tied to a lower left leg tendon strain. Odorizzi had pitched splendidly over his prior four starts prior to sustaining the injury at Boston on May 16, going 3-0 with a 0.79 ERA.

Victor Reyes and rookie Riley Greene hit back-to-back home runs in the bottom of the ninth to rally the host Detroit Tigers a 4-3 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Saturday.Reyes tied the game with his one-out solo shot off Joel Payamps (2-2) before Greene smashed his first career homer over the center field wall for the dramatic game-winner.Greene also tripled and walked while scoring three runs out of the leadoff spot. Eric Haase added a run-scoring single while Joe Jimenez (3-0) tossed a scoreless inning to pick up the win.Hunter Dozier had two RBIs for the Royals and Whit Merrifield contributed two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Royals starter Kris Bubic gave up two runs and five hits in 4 2/3 innings.Detroit starter Beau Brieske allowed three runs and six hits in six innings with three walks and three strikeouts.Kansas City scored two runs before Detroit came to the plate. Merrifield led off the game with a single and stole second. Andrew Benintendi and Vinnie Pasquantino walked to load the bases with one out. Dozier then ripped a two-run double to left.The Tigers got one of those runs back in the first when Greene led off with a triple to center and scored on Javier Baez's sacrifice fly.

Emmanuel Rivera and Edward Olivares homered and drove in two runs apiece as the visiting Kansas City Royals defeated the Detroit Tigers 7-4 on Sunday afternoon.Nicky Lopez collected four hits and drove in a run, while Whit Merrifield reached base four times and scored twice.Brady Singer struck out nine in 4 2/3 innings before Jose Cuas (2-0) got one out and was awarded the win. Scott Barlow got the last three outs and recorded his 12th save.Detroit's Spencer Torkelson hit his first homer since May 18, a two-run blast. Kody Clemens added a solo homer.Tarik Skubal (5-7) gave up five runs on as many hits in 4 2/3 innings while taking the loss for his fifth consecutive start.The Royals used the long ball to grab a 3-0 lead in the second inning. Olivares led off the inning with his blast to left field. Following a walk and a fielder's choice, Rivera smashed his fifth homer over the left-center field fence.Singer struck out the side in the fourth inning.Kansas City extended its lead to 5-0 in the fifth.Rivera led off the inning with a single and advanced on a sacrifice bunt. After a flyout, Skubal walked Merrifield. Andrew Benintendi then lined a double down the left-field line, bringing in Rivera and ending Skubal's day. Wily Peralta replaced him and walked Bobby Witt Jr. and Olivares to force in another run.

Vinnie Pasquantino's first major league hit was a solo home run and Brad Keller pitched six-plus strong innings as the Kansas City Royals topped the host Detroit Tigers 3-1 on Friday.Pasquantino was playing in his third game after being called up from Triple-A Omaha earlier in the week. Hunter Dozier had three hits, including a solo homer. Andrew Benintendi added two hits and drove in a run.Keller gave up five hits and struck out five. Taylor Clarke pitched one inning and Jose Cuas got two outs. Scott Barlow finished up for his 11th save.Eric Haase spoiled Kansas City's shutout bid with a ninth-inning sacrifice fly. The Tigers went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position.Detroit starter Michael Pineda, who was activated after recovering from a broken finger and completing a rehab stint, gave up three runs and seven hits in five innings.The Royals scored a run in the third. Whit Merrifield smacked a one-out double, stole third and scored on Benintendi's single to right.Kansas City flexed its muscles in the fourth. Pasquantino's breakthrough hit bounced off the top of the right-field wall and hit the railing in front of the stands for his homer. Dozier followed with his eighth homer, a blast over the left-center field wall, to make it 3-0.Detroit's Willi Castro reached third in the bottom of the inning but was left stranded.

Marcus Semien had three hits, including a three-run home run, and scored three runs as the Texas Rangers defeated the Royals 8-3 in the second game of a three-game series in Kansas City on Tuesday.Semien drove in four runs overall, and Corey Seager had a pair of hits and drove in two runs.Texas starter Jon Gray (4-3) allowed one run on five hits in seven innings. He walked two and struck out eight. He matched his season high with the seven innings of work.He worked around trouble in almost every inning, with only one clean inning. But he allowed just two runners to reach second base.Jonathan Heasley (1-4) picked up the loss, allowing seven runs on nine hits in 3 2/3 innings.The Rangers got on the board in the first with a two-out double by Adolis Garcia that scored Semien.Kansas City designated hitter Vinnie Pasquantino, making his major league debut, grounded into a 4-6-3 double play in the second. The ball had an exit velocity of 106 mph. He finished the night 0-for-4.Semien gave the Rangers a comfortable lead with a three-run home run in the third, stretching the lead to 4-0. Josh Smith and Seager singled leading off the inning before Semien launched his blast into the bullpen in left field.

Zack Greinke pitched six solid innings for the host Royals as they salvaged the final game of a three-game series in Kansas City with a 2-1 victory over the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.The game was briskly played in 2:18.Greinke (2-4) made his 500th career start, the 48th pitcher in Major League Baseball history to reach that milestone. He is the only active pitcher to do so.Kyle Isbel hit his second home run of the season -- second in as many games -- to provide the winning run.Greinke allowed one run on four hits through six innings. He walked one and struck out three. He worked around plenty of traffic, as he only had two 1-2-3 innings.Scott Barlow picked up his 10th save in 12 chances with a perfect ninth inning. Three Royals relievers combined for just one hit allowed, with three strikeouts.Dane Dunning (1-6) allowed just two runs on six hits through six innings, but he was saddled with the loss. He walked three and struck out three. It's his first loss this season when allowing fewer than three runs.

Mitch Garver had two hits, including a home run, with two RBIs and two runs as the Texas Rangers knocked off the Royals in Kansas City, 10-4.Kole Calhoun also had two hits, two runs and two RBIs as the Rangers collected 15 hits.Every Rangers starter but Marcus Semien had at least one hit and every starter but Charlie Culberson scored at least one run.Martin Perez (6-2) earned the victory. He struggled early but finally found a groove. He allowed four runs on seven hits, with two walks and six strikeouts in six innings.Kris Bubic (1-5) allowed seven runs (five earned) on nine hits with three walks and two strikeouts in 4 2/3 innings to take the loss.The Royals plated the first run in the first. Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi reached on infield singles to open the inning. Bobby Witt Jr. then grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring Merrifield.The lead didn't last long as the Rangers scored four in the second, including one unearned run. The first six batters reached safely, including two walks and an error. One of the walks, to Nathaniel Lowe, forced in a run, and Leody Taveras' two-run single drove in the next two. The fourth run scored on Corey Seager's groundout to first.

Nick Allen's two-run single in the seventh inning proved to be the difference in the Oakland Athletics' 5-3 win over the host Kansas City Royals on Sunday.Allen's hit enabled Oakland to take the rubber match of the three-game series, giving the A's their first series win since taking two of three games in Seattle from May 23-25.The Royals, who had taken two of three games when the teams met in Oakland last weekend, haven't won a series at home since taking two of three contests against the Minnesota Twins from April 19-21.Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning on Stephen Vogt's single before extending its advantage to 2-0 in the sixth on Seth Brown's solo homer.After Oakland starter James Kaprielian held the Royals to just one hit through five innings, Kansas City got to him in the sixth.After Nicky Lopez led off with a triple to right and Whit Merrifield grounded out, Kaprielan loaded the bases with consecutive walks to Andrew Benintendi and Bobby Witt Jr.Sam Moll relieved Kaprielian, and he struck out MJ Melendez for the second out. But Moll followed by allowing a two-run single to Carlos Santana and a run-scoring single to Edward Olivares that gave the Royals a 3-2 lead. Olivares was thrown out at second trying to stretch the hit into a double.Kaprielian allowed three runs on two hits with two strikeouts and four walks in 5 1/3 innings.

The Seattle Mariners acquired first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana and cash considerations from the Kansas City Royals on Monday in exchange for right-handers Wyatt Mills and William Fleming.Santana, 36, is batting .216 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 52 games this season, his second with the Royals and 13th in the majors.He is a lifetime .244/.361/.433 hitter with 263 home runs and 886 RBIs in 1,705 games with the Cleveland Indians (2010-17, 2019-20), Philadelphia Phillies (2018) and Royals. He made the American League All-Star team in 2019.

Tony Kemp had two doubles and a home run as the Oakland A's defeated the Royals, evening the three-game series in Kansas City with a 9-7 victory on Saturday.Kemp scored three runs and drove in two to help the Athletics snap a four-game losing streak.Zach Jackson (2-2) picked up the win for Oakland. Lou Trivino earned his third save.Neither starter lasted five innings. Jared Koenig, who earned his first career win against the Royals last Sunday, was pulled with two outs in the fifth after allowing three runs on five hits.Brad Keller (2-9) took the loss. He allowed five runs (four earned) on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.The A's got two runs on two hits in the first inning after Kemp led off with a double.Ramon Laureano hit a slow roller to Bobby Witt Jr., who couldn't field it cleanly. Seth Brown singled to right, scoring Kemp and sending Laureano to third. Laureano then scored on an RBI groundout by Sean Murphy.In the third, Oakland loaded the bases with no outs, but only scored on an RBI groundout by Brown.The Royals got on the board in the home half of the third on Witt's 11th home run of the season.

Edward Olivares hit two home runs in his return from the injured list as the Kansas City Royals defeated the visiting Oakland A's 3-1 Friday night in the first game of a three-game series.Olivares had not played a game in the majors since May 8.The Royals have won six of their last eight games, while the A's have lost 19 of their last 22.Zack Greinke (1-4) earned his first win of the season. He allowed one run on three hits in six innings. He didn't walk a batter and struck out four. Greinke improved to 12-3 all-time against the A's.Scott Barlow picked up his ninth save in 11 chances.Greinke had been out since May 30 with a right flexor strain. He had an ERA of 9.50 with 15 strikeouts, seven walks and five home runs allowed in his last four starts before going on the injured list.Cole Irvin (2-6) took his second straight loss against the Royals. He allowed three runs on seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.Olivares hit his first home run of the season to put the Royals on the board in the third. Olivares, who blasted one 430 feet to left, had been out since May with a right quad strain. He took the spot on the roster of Salvador Perez, who had surgery Friday to repair the ulnar collateral ligament on his left thumb.

Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez will have surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament of his left thumb but is expected to return this season, the team said Friday.He was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to Thursday.Perez first went on the injured list on May 18 with a left thumb sprain and was activated May 28. He initially sustained the injury while swinging the bat during the first game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox on May 17.On Tuesday, he left Kansas City's win over the Los Angeles Angels after aggravating the injury.The seven-time All-Star had a career season last year, tying for the major league lead in home runs with 48 and setting a record for most home runs by a catcher. He also drove in an MLB-best 121 runs. He finished seventh in the American League MVP voting.

Shohei Ohtani threw eight scoreless innings, allowed just two hits and struck out a career-high 13 to lead the Los Angeles Angels to a 5-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night in Anaheim, Calif.The performance came one night after Ohtani homered twice and drove in eight runs.Ohtani (6-4) gave up back-to-back singles to Whit Merrifield and Andrew Benintendi to begin the game but did not allow another hit the rest of the way, retiring the next 16 batters in a row.The only Royals batter to reach base after the first inning was Merrifield, who walked in the sixth but was erased on a double-play grounder. In all, Ohtani made a season-high 108 pitches.Ryan Tepera pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to complete the Angels' two-hitter.At the plate, Ohtani went 1-for-3 with two walks.Angels center fielder Mike Trout and first baseman Jared Walsh were given the night off to rest, but the club got a boost from second baseman Luis Rengifo, who had two hits batting in the third spot.David MacKinnon got the start at first base for Los Angeles and drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly and RBI single, his first career major league hit.

Carlos Santana and Bobby Witt Jr. combined for nine RBIs, ruining a monster night by Shohei Ohtani, as they led the Kansas City Royals to a 12-11 victory in 11 innings against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night in Anaheim, Calif.Ohtani homered twice and drove in eight runs for the Angels. In the ninth, Ohtani, who already had hit a three-run homer and a sacrifice fly, crushed a 2-2 curveball over the fence in right-center off Royals reliever Scott Barlow, tying the game at 10-10.After a scoreless 10th inning, the Royals got an RBI double from Whit Merrifield and an RBI infield single by Kyle Isbel to take a 12-10 lead in the top of the 11th.In the bottom of the 11th, Ohtani had a chance at another three-run homer that would have won the game. Instead, his sacrifice fly drove in one run to make it 12-11, but the Angels could not muster any more offense against Royals reliever Daniel Mengden, who closed it out for his first save. Mengden was one of nine Kansas City pitchers.Both teams had impressive hitting performances.Santana homered, doubled, singled twice and drove in five runs, while Witt homered twice and doubled.Angels first baseman Jared Walsh, who hit for the cycle against the Mets on June 11, nearly did it again on Tuesday with a double, triple and home run.The Royals put Angels starter Reid Detmers in tough situations early in the game while taking a 5-0 lead.

Andrew Benintendi homered early, Salvador Perez and Hunter Dozier homered late, and the Kansas City Royals earned a 6-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels on Monday night in Anaheim, Calif.Benintendi's home run came on Angels starter Noah Syndergaard's fourth pitch of the game, a two-run blast that gave the Royals a first-inning lead. Perez's two-run homer came with one out in the eighth inning on Syndergaard's 91st and final pitch of the game.Dozier homered later in the eighth off Angels reliever Jaime Barria. Benintendi, Perez, Dozier, Michael A. Taylor and Nicky Lopez each had two hits for Kansas City.Syndergaard (4-6) was effective in the middle innings, allowing just one run between the first and eighth innings. In all, he gave up five runs on eight hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings. He struck out five.Royals starter Kris Bubic (1-4) got his first victory of the season in his 10 appearance and ninth start. He allowed two runs on six hits and two walks in six innings, striking out seven and making 95 pitches.By claiming the opener of a three-game series, Kansas City won for the fourth time in five games. Los Angeles had just won four times in a five-game series at Seattle.Whit Merrifield led off the game with a single before Benintendi followed with a first-pitch home run, his third long ball of the season, for a 2-0 Kansas City advantage.Syndergaard, though, settled in from there. He didn't allow another Royals hitter to reach base until he faced Benintendi again, walking him with two out in the third.

Sean Murphy belted a three-run home run and Seth Brown had a solo shot to lift the host Oakland Athletics to 4-0 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.Murphy and Brown each had three hits to help Jared Koenig (1-2) record his first major league win. The 28-year-old left-hander scattered two hits and worked around four walks in 5 2/3 innings to emerge victorious in his third career start.Brown scored two runs and Luis Barrera added two hits for the Athletics, who posted just their fourth win in their last 22 games.MJ Melendez had two of the three hits for the Royals, who failed in their bid to extend their winning streak to a season-high four games.Brown sent a 1-2 slider from Brady Singer (3-2) over the wall in left field to open the scoring with two outs in the first inning. Brown's homer was his ninth of the season and fourth in his last nine games.Koenig breezed through the first five innings before the Royals loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. Koenig induced Melendez to fly out before being relieved by Domingo Acevedo, who struck out Michael A. Taylor to preserve Oakland's 1-0 lead.The Athletics extended their advantage in the bottom of the sixth.

Right-hander Brad Keller threw seven innings of one-hit ball and Ryan O'Hearn's pinch-hit, RBI double broke a scoreless tie in the top of the seventh as the Kansas City Royals made it two straight over the host Oakland Athletics with a 2-0 victory Saturday afternoon.Michael A. Taylor scored the game's first run after smacking a one-out triple in the seventh off Oakland starter Cole Irvin (2-4).When the A's pulled the left-hander in favor of righty Domingo Acevedo, the left-handed-hitting O'Hearn was called upon to pinch hit for Emmanuel Rivera and came through with his RBI double.The pinch-hit was O'Hearn's seventh in 12 at-bats this season. He leads the majors in pinch hits.The Royals added an insurance run in the ninth when Kyle Isbel was hit by an A.J. Puk pitch, was sacrificed to second by Nicky Lopez and raced home on a single to left field by Whit Merrifield.Keller (2-8), who had been 0-6 in his last seven starts, allowed just one baserunner - a leadoff walk in the third to Elvis Andrus - before losing his no-hit bid on Jonah Bride's two-out double in the sixth.The fifth-year major-leaguer then walked Tony Kemp and Seth Brown to load the bases in a scoreless game before retiring Ramon Laureano on a fly to right.Staked to a 1-0 lead in the top of the inning, Keller worked a 1-2-3 seventh before handing the ball to the Royals' bullpen. He walked three and struck out six.

Salvador Perez doubled, homered and drove in two runs and Daniel Lynch struck out a career-high 10 in five effective innings Friday night as the Kansas City Royals opened a three-game road series with a 5-1 victory over the Oakland Athletics.Whit Merrifield had three hits while Andrew Benintendi and Michael A. Taylor chipped in with two apiece for the Royals, who won their second in a row to improve to 2-2 on a nine-game California swing.Elvis Andrus had two singles and scored Oakland's only run as the A's lost for the 14th time in their past 16 games.The Royals jumped on A's ace Frankie Montas (3-7) for single runs in the first, second and third innings, then took advantage of shaky Oakland defense to add two more in the fifth.Perez's homer came leading off the third to give Kansas City a 3-1 lead. It was his 10th of the season and the 210th of his career, second most in Royals history behind George Brett's 317.In the first, Perez doubled home Merrifield, who had singled. Benintendi's single plated Nicky Lopez, who also had singled, in the second.Down 2-0, the A's had a chance to catch the Royals in the last of the second after Andrus and Jonah Bride singled with two outs.Seeking his first win since April 26, Lynch (3-6) then walked Cristian Pache to load the bases before uncorking a wild pitch that allowed Andrus to score.Bride and Pache didn't advance on the short wild pitch, however, and Bride then had to hold at third on Chad Pinder's single to right field, again loading the bases.

Pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi doubled and scored the tie-breaking run in the eighth inning and four relievers combined to shut out the San Francisco Giants over the final five innings as the Kansas City Royals avoided a series sweep with a 3-2 road victory Wednesday afternoon.Closer Scott Barlow pitched out of an eighth-inning jam and cruised through a 1-2-3 ninth for his seventh save, helping the Royals snap a four-game losing streak by winning the finale of the three-game set.After the Giants had tied the game with a two-run fourth, neither team scored again until Benintendi lashed the third pitch from John Brebbia (3-1) for a double to right field leading off the eighth.Nicky Lopez advanced the baserunner to third with a sacrifice bunt, after which Whit Merrifield broke the tie with a sacrifice fly to right.Seeking a second straight series sweep and a sixth consecutive win, the Giants put the potential tying run on base in the bottom of the eighth when Brandon Belt walked. Barlow, who came on one out later, stranded Thairo Estrada in scoring position at second when he struck out Tommy La Stella to end the inning.Barlow then made short work of the Giants in the ninth, retiring the side in order to save the first career win for rookie Jose Cuas (1-0), who recorded three outs bridging the seventh and eighth innings.The Royals jumped on Giants opener Sammy Long for two unearned runs in the first after Merrifield led off with a bunt single and Bobby Witt Jr. doubled with one out.Long got a second out before shortstop Brandon Crawford booted a grounder off the bat of Hunter Dozier, allowing both baserunners to score.Long went three innings, allowing just the two unearned runs and three hits. He struck out two and did not walk a batter.

Logan Webb threw seven shutout innings and Tommy La Stella came off the bench to produce half of the Giants' scoring with a pair of sacrifice flies as San Francisco beat the visiting Kansas City Royals 4-2 on Tuesday.A pitchers' duel between Webb and Royals starter Kris Bubic went scoreless into the last of the sixth before the Giants produced a three-run uprising.Wilmer Flores and Darin Ruf drove in runs with singles, and La Stella, pinch-hitting for Evan Longoria, plated the eventual difference-maker with his first sacrifice fly. The Giants grabbed a lead they never relinquished en route to a second straight over the Royals to start the three-game series and a fifth in a row overall.Webb (6-2), who had never previously faced the Royals, ran his career interleague record to 3-4. He allowed five hits -- all singles -- in his seven innings, walking three and striking out nine.The result ended a five-game winless streak for San Francisco's Opening Day starter, who had begun the season with five wins in his first seven starts.Webb left the game with a 3-0 lead, then watched as Kansas City scored twice in the eighth against Giants reliever Tyler Rogers. Bobby Witt Jr. had a sacrifice fly and Salvador Perez hit a two-out RBI single to account for the scoring.Rogers retired MJ Melendez on a liner to center to end the inning with the potential tying run on base.Bubic (0-4) took a no-hitter into the fifth inning and a one-hitter into the sixth before Luis Gonzalez triggered the three-run uprising with a leadoff double.