BALTIMORE (AP) Kansas City’s Mike Moustakas hit two home runs, including a grand slam, and finished with a franchise-record nine RBIs to lead the Royals to a 14-6 win at Baltimore on Saturday.
The victory pushed the Royals’ lead in the American League Central division to a seemingly unbeatable 11 games while Toronto strengthened its grip on the AL East by winning both games of a double-header at the New York Yankees, their nearest rival.
Lowly Cincinnati also won a double-header against St. Louis, eroding the Cardinals’ lead over Pittsburgh in the National League Central.
The Los Angeles Dodgers moved closer to sealing the NL West by defeating Arizona.
Kansas City’s Moustakas singled home two runs in the sixth inning, hit his second career slam in the seventh and capped his record-setting performance with a three-run drive in the ninth.
The previous team record for RBIs in a game was seven, by Billy Butler against Philadelphia two years ago.
Salvador Perez had two hits and three RBIs for the AL Central leaders, who won for only the second time in eight games.
Toronto opened a season-high 4 1/2-game lead in the AL East, sweeping a doubleheader from sagging New York 9-5 and 10-7 at a sodden Yankee Stadium.
The Blue Jays lost boom recruit Troy Tulowitzki to a cracked shoulder blade.
In the day game, Jose Bautista homered twice, Chasen Shreve forced in three runs with bases-loaded walks in the 11th inning, and the Blue Jays rallied from a 4-1 deficit.
Bautista hit two of Toronto’s four home runs, including an eighth-inning drive that put the Blue Jays ahead 5-4 and increased his season total to 35.
In the night game, Cliff Pennington hit a two-run homer and former-Yankee Russell Martin added a two-run double in a decisive six-run second inning.
Los Angeles’ Corey Seager had four hits, including his first career homer, as the Dodgers went deep four times in a 9-5 win at Arizona.
Seager, playing shortstop in place of injured veteran Jimmy Rollins, had three RBIs, scored three times and stole a base. He got help from a Diamondbacks fan who reached over the padding down the left-field line in the fifth inning to take a seemingly catchable foul ball away from two Arizona players and Seager then homered in the same at-bat.
Joc Pederson, Adrian Gonzalez and Carl Crawford also homered for the Dodgers.
Cincinnati beat St. Louis 4-2 in the completion of a game that was rained out on Friday, and then won the scheduled Saturday game 5-1.
Adam Duvall’s two-run homer in the eighth lifted the Reds to a win in the early game.
In the second contest, Skip Schumaker hit a three-run homer against his old team; his first long shot of the season.
Rookie Anthony DeSclafani (9-10) struck out 10 and allowed one earned run in six strong innings.
St. Louis is 3-8 in September and their lead in the NL Central was shaved to 2-1/2 games.
Los Angeles’ C.J. Cron hit a tiebreaking home run to lead off the eighth inning and lift the Angels to a 3-2 win against Houston, narrowing the gap between the AL West’s top teams to 3-1/2 games.
Cron greeted Will Harris (5-3) with a drive to center field on a 1-1 pitch for his career-high 12th homer. Joe Smith (5-5) pitched a scoreless eighth and Huston Street worked a 1-2-3 ninth for his 35th save in 39 attempts.
Pittsburgh’s Jeff Locke pitched one-run ball into the seventh inning to guide the Pirates to a 10-2 win against Milwaukee.
Locke (8-10) struck out seven and walked two after losing four of his past five decisions.
Michael Morse hit a grand slam homer as a pinch-hitter off Cesar Jimenez in the seventh and extended the Pirates’ lead to 10-1. It was Morse’s first homer since the Pirates acquired him July 31 from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
San Francisco’s Madison Bumgarner was on track for a perfect game until he allowed a hit with two outs in the eighth inning, and had to be satisfied with guiding the Giants to a 8-0 win against San Diego.
Bumgarner (18-7) retired his first 23 batters before pinch-hitter Melvin Upton Jr. sent a clean single up the middle.
He completed the one-hitter without permitting another runner and finished with nine strikeouts while matching his career high for wins set last year.
Chicago’s Adam Eaton had three hits and Carlos Sanchez hit a two-run double and the White Sox used a seven-run fourth inning to beat Minnesota 8-2.
The New York Mets extended their winning streak with six as Kelly Johnson drove in the tiebreaking run in the ninth inning to secure a 6-4 win against Atlanta.
Philadelphia’s Cody Asche hit a walk-off, two-run homer with two outs in the ninth inning to lead the Phillies past the Chicago Cubs 7-5.
Boston’s David Ortiz homered twice to become the 27th player in major league history to reach 500 homers, and the Red Sox beat Tampa Bay 10-4.
Oakland’s Mark Canha had a three-run homer and Danny Valencia a two-run shot in the fifth inning as the Athletics beat Texas 5-3.
Miami’s Jose Fernandez returned from injury and became only the third pitcher since 1914 to win his first 16 career decisions at home as the Marlins beat fading Washington 2-0.
Seattle’s Robinson Cano, Jesus Montero, Franklin Gutierrez and Nelson Cruz all homered to lead the Mariners past Colorado 7-2.
25% Bonus via Western Union
