KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Jeremy Guthrie ran his unbeaten streak to a club record 17 consecutive starts with a four-hitter in the Kansas City Royals’ 2-0 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Saturday night.
Guthrie is 9-0 in the 17 starts, which started against the White Sox on Aug. 8, 2012. Left-hander Paul Splittorff held the Royals’ record with 16 straight undefeated starts in 1977-78.
It was Guthrie’s first shutout and fifth complete-game. Three of his previous complete games were eight-inning losses. His only previous complete-game victory came Aug. 8, 2008, for Baltimore at Seattle.
Paul Konerko singled in the second and doubled in the fourth for the only White Sox hits until the eighth inning.
Tyler Flowers and Alejandro De Aza singled in the eighth, but Jeff Keppinger’s grounder to shortstop Alcides Escobar ended the inning.
Guthrie (4-0) threw 11 or fewer pitches in every inning except the fourth and eighth, when he threw 21 apiece.
Guthrie is 3-0 with a 0.40 ERA in six starts with the Royals against the White Sox, allowing two earned runs in 44 2-3 innings.
Dylan Axelrod (0-1) nearly matched Guthrie, but yielded a two-run triple to Lorenzo Cain in the first inning. Cain’s triple to the right-field corner scored Billy Butler, who was hit by a pitch, and Eric Hosmer, who singled for the first of his three hits.
Axelrod was pulled after Salvador’s Perez’s single with two out in the eighth. He gave up eight hits, walked one, hit two batters and struck out none, throwing 70 strikes in 113 pitches.
Hosmer tripled to start the Royals’ third inning, but was stranded.
Chris Getz and Escobar singled in the second, but Billy Butler flied out to right to end the Royals’ threat.
Axelrod recorded his first 12 outs with fly balls before Butler grounded out to begin the fifth inning.
TIGERS 17, ASTROS 2
HOUSTON — Miguel Cabrera hit two home runs and tied a career high with six RBIs, leading the Detroit Tigers over the Houston Astros 17-2 on Saturday night.
Cabrera went 4 for 4 with a walk.
Max Scherzer (4-0) gave up one run and three hits while striking out eight in eight innings. Lucas Harrell (3-3) gave up eight runs in 4 1-3 innings.
MARINERS 8, BLUE JAYS 1
TORONTO — Dustin Ackley hit his first career grand slam, Michael Saunders homered twice and the Seattle Mariners roughed up reigning NL Cy Young winner R.A. Dickey, beating the struggling Toronto Blue Jays.
Pitching on an extra day of rest as he tried to overcome neck and back soreness, Dickey (2-5) lost his third straight start. He allowed six hits, including a season-high three home runs.
Hisashi Iwakuma (3-1) allowed one run and five hits in seven innings.
ORIOLES 5, ANGELS 4 (10)
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Steve Pearce’s RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning lifted the Baltimore Orioles over the Los Angeles Angels.
Baltimore also got homers from Manny Machado, J.J. Hardy and Nolan Reimold.
Freddy Garcia dazzled in his Orioles’ debut, holding the Angels hitless until the seventh.
Garrett Richards (1-3), making his first relief appearance after five starts in place of the injured Jered Weaver, gave up a leadoff single to Adam Jones. Pearce later singled to right.
Tommy Hunter (1-1) pitched one inning to get the win.
INDIANS 7, TWINS 3
CLEVELAND — Scott Kazmir earned his first victory in three seasons, Nick Swisher homered in his first at-bat since missing three games with a sore shoulder and the Cleveland Indians beat Minnesota for their sixth straight victory.
Kazmir (1-1) allowed two runs in six innings.
The left-hander struck out seven.
Swisher, who hadn’t played since Monday, homered off Kevin Correia (3-2) in the first.
YANKEES 4, ATHLETICS 2
NEW YORK — Phil Hughes pitched eight shutout innings of four-hit ball for his first win of the season, and the New York Yankees beat the Oakland Athletics.
Chris Stewart and Lyle Overbay homered against Bartolo Colon (3-1), sending the A’s to their only loss in the right-hander’s six starts this year. Hughes (1-2) struck out nine and outpitched his former New York teammate for his first victory since Sept. 20 against Toronto.
Oakland has dropped 10 of 15.
