Jays give away win to Royals

TORONTO—The Toronto Blue Jays gave the Kansas City Royals all the help they needed.
Whether it was reliever Francisco Cordero failing to cover first base to allow two runs to score, or two players who were doubled up on line-outs, the Jays were in a generous mood on Thursday.

And as a result, the Royals held off Toronto for a 9-6 victory to earn a four-game series split.
Eric Hosmer led Kansas City with RBIs.
Cordero failed to cover first base on Hosmer’s grounder to second that could have ended the eighth with one run scored. But the reliever was late getting to the bag and two runs scored for an 8-3 Royals’ lead.
“Coco [Cordero] is well aware of it, he’s a stand-up guy,” Jays’ manager John Farrell said.
“He’s trying to get the most out of the stuff he has and yet a couple of seeing-eye base hits, a broken-bat base hit, but the [mental] lapse at that point is a key moment in the game.”
The Jays came back with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, including two on a pinch-hit triple by Ben Francisco.
Salvador Perez had a career-best four hits for the Royals to extend his hit streak to 11 games.
J.P. Arencibia hit two home runs for Toronto (42-41) and had RBIs for the game.
Toronto’s Henderson Alvarez (5-7) allowed eight hits in 5 1/3 innings and all five of the runs charged to him were in the third inning when the Royals sent 10 batters to the plate.
“I thought Henderson had quality pitches throughout, but there were some base hits that found holes and there were a couple of walks that prolonged the inning,” Farrell noted.
Luke Hochevar (6-8) allowed four hits in five innings and two runs—both on a home run by Arencibia in the third.
He left after five innings after suffering a right ankle sprain while covering first base.
The Jays also had a couple of possible threats blunted by poor base running. Rajai Davis lined to short, with Betancourt making the catch and then doubling up Yunel Escobar at second to end the fourth.
Jose Bautista lined out to third and that ended the game when Colby Rasmus was doubled off first base and Jonathan Broxton picked up his 21st save.
“Obviously the read is to freeze on the line drive and yet we’re a couple of strides in to try to advance a base and it ends up costing us,” Farrell said.
“We’re going to remain aggressive, but we still have to play heads up baseball,” he stressed.
Elsewhere in the AL, Detroit beat Minnesota 7-3, Texas nipped Chicago 2-1, Cleveland downed Tampa Bay 3-1, and L.A. topped Baltimore 9-7.