KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Adam Lind hit a grand slam and Jayson Nix added a three-run homer to power the Toronto Blue Jays to a 9-8 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.
Corey Patterson snapped an 0-for-11 skid with four hits and scored two Toronto runs.
Blue Jays starter Carlos Villanueva (4-0) had one rough inning, the fourth when he allowed four runs, but pitched seven innings, allowing six hits. Villanueva has won his past eight decisions since his last loss, Aug. 17, 2009 at Pittsburgh.
Nix’s home run off rookie left-hander Danny Duffy with Aaron Hill and Rajai Davis aboard put the Blue Jays up 5-4.
Nate Adcock, who replaced Duffy, retired the first two batters in the sixth before walking Mike McCoy and giving up a single to Patterson. Jose Bautista, who leads the majors with 20 homers but has none in 10 games, was walked intentionally, to bring up Lind.
Lind, who had a two-run homer Tuesday, hit the 1-0 pitch out to left for his second career grand slam. Lind’s first grand slam was Aug. 31, 2009 at Texas.
Juan Rivera drove in the first two Blue Jays runs with singles in the first and third innings.
Villanueva, who has held opponents to a .156 batting average on the road, gave up a three-run homer to Melky Cabrera in the third. Alex Gordon’s sacrifice fly drove in the first Kansas City run.
Billy Butler’s three-run homer with two out in the eighth off Octavio Dotel cut the Blue Jays lead to two runs. Jeff Francoeur, who had three hits, and Eric Hosmer, who walked, scored on Butler’s fifth home run.
Casey Jensen worked the ninth for his first save since 2009, but gave up a RBI-double to Gordon with two outs.

Notes — SS Yunel Escobar was held out of the Blue Jays lineup with tightness in his left quad and replaced by McCoy, who was making his 13th start but his first at shortstop. Escobar left after three innings after being kneed while stealing second base in the first inning Tuesday. “He feels a little bit better today than he did yesterday, but we don’t want him out there unless we have no other choice tonight,” Blue Jays manager John Farrell said. “He’ll be reevaluated Thursday.” Toronto C J.P. Arencibia did not start after taking a foul tip Tuesday, but should be in the lineup Thursday. LHP Bruce Chen, who is on the Royals disabled list with a strained left lat, made his first minor league rehab start Wednesday and allowed four runs on five hits in two innings in a start for Double-A Northwest Arkansas at Arkansas. He threw 29 strikes in 45 pitches.