By IAN HARRISON
Associated Press

TORONTO (AP) – Josh Donaldson hit two solo home runs, Troy Tulowitzki had a three-run blast and the Toronto Blue Jays connected four times to beat the Kansas City Royals 8-3 on Tuesday night.

Fresh off being named a reserve to the AL All-Star team, Donaldson went 3 for 4 and scored four runs while the Blue Jays won their fourth straight.

Donaldson has scored 77 runs, a franchise record for runs before the All-Star break. Carlos Delgado had 76 in 2003.

All four Toronto homers came off Royals right-hander Chris Young, who matched Runelvys Hernandez’s team record by allowing at least one home run in 13 consecutive starts. Hernandez did it from October 2005 to August 2006.

Young (2-8) has surrendered a major league-worst 26 home runs this season.

Toronto’s R.A. Dickey (6-9) allowed two runs, none earned, and four hits in seven innings.

Kansas City Royals Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Four Royals have been selected to represent the American League in the 2016 All-Star Game, Major League Baseball announced today.  Catcher Salvador Perez and first baseman Eric Hosmer will be in the starting lineup in the Midsummer Classic set for Tuesday, July 12 at San Diego’s PETCO Park.  Relief pitchers Wade Davis and Kelvin Herrera were also named to the All-Star team, giving the Royals as many as four selections for the second year in a row as well as multiple starters for the second-straight season and third time in franchise history.

The four All-Star selections are also tied for the third-most in franchise history.  Kansas City also had four players named to the squad in 1972, 1976 and 1978.  Perez received 4,965,838 votes, the most among all Major League players this year.  He becomes the second Royal to lead the Majors in All-Star voting, joining Hall of Famer George Brett (1981).

Perez, 26, will make his third-straight start behind the plate for the American League, the most by a Royals player since Brett started five seasons in a row (1981-85).  The four-time All-Star is tops among A.L. catchers in hits (74), batting average (.277), slugging percentage (.483) and tied for first in RBI (37).  His 24 two-out RBI are tied for fifth in the Majors, while he’s thrown out an A.L.-best 17 would-be basestealers.

Hosmer, 26, will be participating in his first All-Star Game, earning the starting nod at first base.  He is the first Royals’ first baseman selected to the Midsummer Classic since Mike Sweeney in 2005.  Hosmer is batting .303 with 13 homers and 49 RBI this season.  He’s collected 28 RBI since May 25, which are tied for seventh in the American League in that span.  He had a career-best 18-game hitting streak, April 10-29, which is the third-longest in MLB this season.

Davis, 30, was tabbed an All-Star for the second-straight year, though he will not participate in the game due to injury.  He’s posted a 1-0 record with 19 saves and a 1.23 ERA in 30 appearances this season, his first full year as the team’s closer.  His save total is tied for fifth in the American League, while his ERA is also fifth-best among the league’s relief pitchers.

Herrera, 26, was also selected an American League All-Star for the second-straight season.  He is 1-1 with a 1.40 ERA and 49 strikeouts in 38.2 innings this season.  He’s also tops in the Major Leagues with 21 holds this year, while he’s tied for seventh among A.L. relievers with 39 appearances.  He hasn’t allowed a hit to a right-handed hitter since June 6, while righties are just 10-for-71 (.141) against him this season.

Kansas City Royal Release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Royals announced today that relief pitcher Wade Davis has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a right forearm strain.   Davis’ D.L. stint is retroactive to July 1, making him eligible to be reinstated on Saturday, July 16.  To take Davis’ place, the Royals have selected the contract of right-handed pitcher  Brooks Pounders from Omaha (AAA) and designated left-handed pitcher Tyler Olson for assignment.

Pounders, 25, will be in uniform (#62) for tonight’s game against the Toronto Blue Jays.  He is 4-1 with a 2.80 ERA, while recording 78 strikeouts in 64.1 innings with the Storm Chasers.  The 6-foot-5 right-hander was selected to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team last week.

TORONTO (AP) – Aaron Sanchez pitched eight innings to win his eighth straight decision, Josh Donaldson and Darwin Barney each hit two-run singles in a five-run seventh inning and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 6-2 on Monday night.

Troy Tulowitzki had two hits, his third multi-hit game in the past four, as the Blue Jays won a rematch of last year’s ALCS, which Kansas City won in six games.

Sanchez (9-1) has not lost since April 22, against Oakland. He allowed one run and three hits and matched the longest start of his career.

Sanchez retired the first seven batters he faced and held the Royals hitless until Cheslor Cuthbert’s two-out single to center in the fifth. The next hitter, Alcides Escobar, grounded out.

Michael Saunders gave the Blue Jays a 1-0 lead with an RBI groundout off Edinson Volquez in the first.

Toronto nearly doubled its lead in the fourth but Alex Gordon threw out Edwin Encarnacion trying to score from second on Kevin Pillar’s two-out single to left.

Kansas City tied it when Kendrys Morales homered off Sanchez to begin the seventh, his 15th.

TORONTO (AP) – Kansas City right-hander Yordano Ventura has a Grade 1 sprain of his right ankle but is expected to make his next start, Friday against Seattle.

Ventura left in the third inning of Sunday’s 7-2 loss at Philadelphia. He was injured running the bases after collecting his second career base hit. Ventura lined a single to right but got hurt running to second on Alex Gordon’s double-play grounder.

Ventura stayed in to pitch the bottom half but left after a two-out homer by Cody Asche.

“We’re holding out hope that he’s going to be able to make his next start,” manager Ned Yost said before Monday’s game at Toronto. “We’ll see where he’s at tomorrow.”

Yost said Ventura will throw a bullpen session on Tuesday if he is able. A Grade 1 sprain is the least severe.

Ventura is 6-6 with a 5.26 ERA in 16 starts.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Kendrys Morales homered and recorded his sixth straight multi-hit game to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night.

Kansas City won for the fourth time in five games and took the two-city, four-game series three games to one.

Brandon Moss and Jhonny Peralta homered for the Cardinals who have lost their last seven home games – their longest losing streak since August 2nd through 15th, 1983.

Wade Davis recorded his 19th save in 21 opportunities.

Morales, a designated hitter playing right field for the second straight night, doubled in the sixth inning off Mike Leake (5-6) to push the lead to 3-1. Morales, who went 3 for 4, has 16 hits in 24 at-bats over the six-game run. He went 12 for 16 in the series and started in the outfield for the first time since 2008.

His six-game multi-hit streak ties him for the longest this season along with J.D. Martinez (Detroit), Jackie Bradley Jr. (Boston) and Xander Bogaerts (Boston).