ARLINGTON, Texas — Kansas City starter Bruce Chen was changing speeds, moving pitches inside and outside.

Chen kept Josh Hamilton and the Texas Rangers off balance while pitching into the seventh inning for the Royals to win his second start in a row, 3-1 over the AL West leaders Monday night.

“Against that lineup, he was unbelievable,” Royals catcher Brayan Pena said. “He kept the ball down, mixed pretty good trying to make sure that the big boys didn’t hurt us. … He did a great job with the hottest hitter on the planet.”

The Rangers were the top hitting team in the majors, and had 19 hits the previous night. Hamilton, named earlier Monday the AL player of the week for his nine homers and 18 RBIs last week, extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a single and Nelson Cruz hit a massive homer.

But Hamilton, the slugger who is hitting .400 and leads the majors with 18 homers and 44 RBIs, didn’t hurt the Royals. He even lost the grip of two bats that flew into the stands while swinging against Chen (2-4).

“I think Bruce Chen faced Josh Hamilton about as good as you can face him. Two souvenirs in the stands,” Kansas City manager Ned Yost said.

“That was a great win right there. Bruce was just superb,” he said. “He made one mistake, and the pitch wasn’t that bad a pitch, but it was a 2-0 cutter right into Cruz’s hot zone. Besides that, he was spectacular.”

Scott Feldman (0-1) allowed two unearned runs over 4 2-3 innings in his second spot start this season.

“He certainly gave us a lot more than we expected,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “Unfortunately, the guy who made the mistake is one who doesn’t make many.”

Feldman gave up three hits, the last a two-run single by No. 9 hitter Alicides Escobar right after third baseman Adrian Beltre’s two-out throwing error in the fifth.

Jeff Francoeur led off the fifth with a single before Chris Getz, robbed of a hit two innings earlier when Beltre made a backhanded grab of a scorching liner, hit a two-out hopper to third. Beltre had plenty of time, but threw the ball wide of first base.

“I just pulled it,” Beltre explained about his second error of the season.

Getz then stole second base before Escobar’s liner up the middle made it 2-1. Center fielder Craig Gentry made a diving play on the ball, but trapped it on one hop.

Chen has won his last two starts since a four-game losing streak. The left-hander struck out seven, walked two and allowed only five hits over 6 2-3 innings.

“I just tried to make sure I threw all my pitches from all different angles so they’d be kind of off balance,” Chen said. “The first couple of innings I tried to establish what I was going to do.”

Jonathan Broxton worked the ninth for his eighth save in nine chances for the Royals, who have won 11 of 17 since their 12-game losing streak in April.

Francoeur, part of the Rangers’ first World Series team in 2010, had a leadoff walk in the seventh and scored when Pena grounded into a double play.

Hamilton’s incredible streak had overshadowed Cruz, who also had 14 hits his previous seven games. But Cruz only had one homer in that span, a grand slam in a 13-6 victory over the Angels on Sunday night that ended his 23-game homerless drought.

On Monday, Cruz pulled a ball an estimated 416 feet into the second deck of seats in left field, only the 17th homer hit there in the 18-year-old Rangers Ballpark.

But Cruz struck out his other three at-bats. The right fielder is the only Rangers player to start all 36 games this season since second baseman Ian Kinsler got his first night off.

Rookie left-hander Robbie Ross relieved Feldman and got Jarrod Dyson on an inning-ending called third strike. Ross struck out two in his 2 1-3 innings.

Texas needed a spot starter after a rainout last week in Baltimore pushed Colby Lewis back to Thursday. Lewis (3-2) will pitch on his regular rest Tuesday night against the Royals.

– Associated Press –

ARLINGTON, Texas – Kansas City Royals starter Danny Duffy has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his left elbow.

Duffy was put on the 15-day disabled list Monday, when an MRI revealed the injury.

Right-hander Nate Adcock was recalled from Triple-A Omaha.

The Royals said Duffy is expected to get a second opinion on his elbow from Dr. Lewis Yocum in Los Angeles.

Duffy (2-2) faced only three batters in the first inning of his start Sunday against the Chicago White Sox. After catcher Humberto Quintero saw the left-hander shake his arm after a throw, manager Ned Yost and a trainer visited the mound. Yost immediately made a change when Duffy said his elbow was the problem.

The 23-year-old Duffy also experienced tightness in his elbow last month.

– Associated Press –

CHICAGO — The Kansas City Royals lost their starting pitcher in the first inning and were in the middle of a listless day at the plate before pinch-hitter Johnny Giavotella turned it all around with one big swing.

Giavotella hit a two-run double off Matt Thornton in the seventh inning and Jeff Francoeur belted his first homer of the season, leading the Royals to a 9-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday.

“We were dead and (Giavotella) put up a huge at-bat against a guy who’s not easy to hit and throws 97,” Francoeur said. “So I thought that kind of livened us up and then we were able to relax and have some good swings.”

Alcides Escobar went 3 for 3 with two walks for Kansas City, which broke it open with six runs in the ninth inning. Francoeur also had an RBI single and made a nice play in right field.

Kansas City won for the fourth time in five games despite losing Danny Duffy to elbow tightness after just three batters. The left-hander recorded two outs before catcher Humberto Quintero saw him shake out his arm at the end of a throw, prompting a mound visit from manager Ned Yost and a trainer.

“As soon as he said `It’s in my elbow,’ I said `That’s it,'” Yost said. “We need to get that checked, see what’s going on there, and go from there.”

Duffy was headed back to Kansas City on Sunday night and is scheduled for an MRI exam on Monday. He also experienced tightness in his elbow last month.

“You can’t worry about things like this until you know what it is,” Duffy said. “My main concern was letting down my team. These guys are my brothers in here. They did a great job of picking me up.”

Luis Mendoza came in and pitched 5 2-3 innings, keeping the Royals in the game while they struggled to score against Philip Humber. Mendoza (2-2) allowed one run and seven hits, struck out four and walked two.

“Just tried to get that confidence,” he said. “I mean the last three appearances, I feel good and more confident, too.”

Humber broke out of his post-perfect game slump, pitching four-hit ball into the seventh inning, but the White Sox still lost for the fourth time in their last five home games.

Humber walk Escobar with one out in the seventh, but got Humberto Quintero to foul out before he was replaced by left-hander Matt Thornton (1-3) with the White Sox clinging to a 1-0 lead.

Jarrod Dyson then walked, and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Giavotella followed with a double down the right-field line, giving the Royals the lead with his first hit of the season. He is 1 for 10 in four games since he was recalled from Triple-A Omaha on Wednesday.

“I was glad to be a spark,” Giavotella said. “We couldn’t score against Humber. He was keeping us at bay, so I’m glad I was able to get a big knock for us.”

Humber struck out seven and walked three in his best start since his gem at Seattle on April 21. The 29-year-old right-hander was 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA in his previous three outings.

“Definitely a step in the right direction,” he said.

Francoeur hit a drive to left off Nate Jones in the eighth for his first homer since Sept. 23 at U.S. Cellular Field. He also made a nice sliding catch on Brent Morel’s drive to the warning track in the fourth before nearly doubling off Tyler Flowers with a strong throw to first.

The White Sox put runners on first and second with one out in the eighth but Kosuke Fukudome struck out and fellow pinch-hitter A.J. Pierzynski bounced out to end the inning.

“We’ve been leaving guys on base, we had opportunities today,” manager Robin Ventura said. “We have guys that are swinging OK, it’s just not coming through. You have to continue to grind. I know they’re going to work and go at it.”

– Associated Press –

CHICAGO — Luke Hochevar allowed three hits in seven shutout innings Saturday night and the Kansas City Royals scored three first-inning runs off Chris Sale to beat the Chicago White Sox 5-0.

Hochevar (3-3) cruised as the White Sox mustered only one real scoring threat against him all night. That came in the second on a walk and single by Alex Rios before Alexei Ramirez hit into a double play.

Hochevar walked one and struck out five, and his strong effort came after two rough outings against Detroit and New York Yankees when he surrendered a total of 19 hits and 16 runs in 6 1-3 innings. Greg Holland pitched the eighth and Aaron Crow walked two in the ninth before completing the shutout.

Sale (3-2), returning to the rotation after a one-appearance stint in the bullpen with a sore elbow, made his first start since May 1 and lasted five innings. The Royals sent nine batters to the plate in the first with Sale’s early wildness a major factor and an error on second baseman Gordon Beckham also hurting the White Sox.

Sale’s first seven pitches were balls and he walked the first two batters before giving up a single to Alex Gordon that loaded the bases. Billy Butler then drove a ball into the right field corner, but when baserunner Johnny Giavotella didn’t get a good break off second, just one run scored and the bases remained full.

When Jeff Francoeur grounded to Beckham on a perfect double-play ball, Beckham touched second and threw wildly past first for an error and two runs scored for the Royals. An infield single by Eric Hosmer and bloop single by Irvin Falu re-loaded the bases before Sale escaped after throwing 42 pitches in the opening inning.

Sale then settled down and retired nine straight at one point. He gave up seven hits and the three runs during his 103-pitch outing with two walks and three strikeouts.

Alcides Escobar delivered a two-out RBI double in the eighth for Kansas City and scored on a single by Humberto Quintero.

– Associated Press –

CHICAGO  — The Kansas City Royals had bases-loaded opportunities against Gavin Floyd early and late. Both times they failed to produce a clutch hit and the result was a 5-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox on Friday night.

It marked the third time this season the Royals have been shut out.

Floyd escaped a bases-loaded situation in the second when he got Alcides Escobar and Humberto Quintero to hit back-to-back comebackers. Kansas City loaded the bases again in the eighth on three straight singles before Floyd struck out Billy Butler swinging for the second out on a full-count offering, ending his night after 116 pitches. Matt Thornton then relieved and fanned Eric Hosmer.

“(Escobar) came out of his approach a little bit, trying to do too much, two comebackers. Then in the eighth we had a shot,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “The pitch was a ball on Billy, but it was still a good pitch. Floyd threw a good game.”

Adam Dunn hit his 11th homer for Chicago, matching his total from last season.

Dunn’s long drive to right off Felipe Paulino gave the White Sox the lead in the first. His sixth homer in his last 10 games was enough offense for Floyd (3-3), who allowed five hits, struck out five and walked two in 7 2-3 innings.

“He’s been on a nice roll, he had nice at-bats tonight,” Chicago manager Robin Ventura said of Dunn. “He’s in a nice spot. He’s seeing the ball well and good things happen when he makes contact.”

Dunn also doubled and drew a pair of walks while ending a streak of 36 games in which he had struck out. He said he can’t worry about striking out, not the way he swings.

“To me, strikeouts, I get as mad as anyone. I’m not going to change my approach or what I’m going to do unless the situation dictates that,” Dunn said. “If it’s first inning two outs nobody on, I’m not going to get off my approach. I’m still trying to look for something to drive, whether it’s 2-0 or 0-2.”

Floyd gave up five singles. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has given up just four earned runs in his last 28 2-3 innings.

“I’m really honestly just trying to be aggressive with whatever I’m throwing,” Floyd said. “Try to let the team field the ball. That’s about it. I’m trying to simplify things, go out there and attack guys.”

The White Sox added a run in the third when Alejandro De Aza singled, stole second and scored on Gordon Beckham’s two-out single.

Alex Rios’ two-out, two-run triple off the wall in right-center in the sixth made it 4-0 and chased Paulino (1-1).

“That was the killer,” Yost added. “You get 3-2, he had struck him out twice before, still throwing the ball well. He got to 3-2 and he still needed to make a pitch, kind of like Floyd did on Billy there. Floyd made it, Paulino didn’t. But when you don’t score any runs, that’s not what kills you.”

Paulino, who pitched six shutout innings against the Yankees in his first start of the season six days ago, allowed seven hits, struck out six and walked one.

“I made my pitches pretty well, they just had hitting in good moments,” Paulino said. “When they had guys on base, they found the hits and scored. I made good pitches, but it’s baseball. They found the hole in the right moments and scored.”

– Associated Press –