KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adam Lind and J.P. Arencibia each hit two-run homers to lead the Toronto Blue Jays to an 8-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday night.
Lind homered off Vin Mazzaro in a three-run first inning. Jose Bautista was aboard on a single.
Yunel Escobar scored the first Blue Jays run with the help of two Kansas City errors. Escobar singled, stole second, moved to third on catcher Matt Treanor’s throwing error and came home on center fielder Melky Cabrera’s throwing error.
Arencibia hit his 10th homer, which ranks second among big league rookies, in the eighth with Lind aboard.
Lind also drove in a run in the fifth when his sacrifice fly scored Mike McCoy to hike the Blue Jays’ advantage to 6-2. McCoy doubled home Jayson Nix with the first run of the inning.
Escobar left after three innings with a bruised left quadriceps. He was replaced by McCoy.
Blue Jays rookie right-hander Kyle Drabek (4-4), who failed to get out of the first inning in his previous start, a loss against Cleveland, labored through 5 1-3 innings to pick up the victory. He gave up five runs on nine hits, three walks and four wild pitches.
Rookie left-hander Luis Perez replaced Drabek and threw 2 2-3 scoreless innings, extending his shutout streak to 10 innings. Jon Rauch worked the ninth for his seventh save in nine chances.
Jeff Francoeur drove in the first three Kansas City runs with two singles and a sacrifice fly. Rookie first baseman Eric Hosmer had two singles, extending his hitting streak to a career-high nine games, walked and scored two runs. Cabrera also had two hits and drove in a run.
Mazzaro (0-1), just recalled from Triple-A Omaha, was making his first big league appearance since giving up 14 runs on 11 hits and three walks in 2 1-3 innings against the Indians on May 16. The last pitcher to give up at least 14 runs in less than three innings was Ed Doheny of the New York Giants on June 29, 1899.
NOTES — Royals RHP Kyle Davies (shoulder inflammation) and LHP Bruce Chen (strained left lat) are scheduled to begin minor league rehab assignments Wednesday with Double-A Northwest Arkansas. They are both scheduled to start in a doubleheader against Arkansas. ... RHP Carlos Villanueva, who starts Wednesday for the Blue Jays, is 2-0 with a 1.66 ERA and is holding opponents to a .127 batting average in eight road games.