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Blue Jays rally past Royals

May 2, 2014 - 6:29 AM Kansas City, MO (SportsNetwork.com) - Juan Francisco hit a two-run homer and Colby Rasmus added a solo shot as the Toronto Blue Jays avoided a three-game series sweep with a 7-3 win over the Kansas City Royals.

Anthony Gose was 2-for-4 with two RBI and Edwin Encarnacion finished with an RBI and a run scored for the Blue Jays, who had lost seven of their last nine games entering the contest. Toronto won its first series since taking two of three from the Indians from April 18-20.

Mark Buehrle (5-1) allowed just three runs -- two earned -- on seven hits over 6 2/3 innings to secure his fifth win in six starts this season. Aaron Loup tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief to pick up his first save.

"Buehrle pitches to win," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "He's going to do whatever it takes, and he's on a nice little roll. He's having a good year for us."

Billy Butler went 2-for-4 with two RBI for the Royals, who had a three-game winning streak snapped.

"I'm seeing the ball good now," Butler said. "I knew it was going to come."

Jeremy Guthrie (2-2) was touched for four runs on eight hits over six innings to absorb his second loss in as many decisions. Guthrie hasn't earned a win since April 9.

The Blue Jays got on the board in the first inning. Chris Getz singled and stole second before Jose Bautista walked, with both runners moving up on a double steal. Encarnacion grounded into a fielder's choice, but it was enough to score Getz.

Kansas City pushed one run across in both the second and third innings.

In the second, Justin Maxwell walked with two outs, then scored after Bautista bobbled Alcides Escobar's single to right. The ball short-hopped Bautista and trickled past him, allowing Maxwell to come all the way around from first.

In the third, Omar Infante walked and moved to second on Eric Hosmer's double to right. Butler followed with a single to score Infante, but Hosmer was cut down at the plate after Gose delivered a strike to home.

Francisco cracked a two-run homer in the fourth to give the Blue Jays a 3-2 lead. Encarnacion walked to open the frame and after Dioner Navarro popped out, Francisco clobbered a sinker deep into the stands in right.

Butler doubled home Infante in the fifth to tie the game. Infante reached on a one-out single before Butler drove a Buehrle pitch to right field.

Rasmus cracked the go-ahead homer in the sixth, a solo shot to right field, and Toronto pushed three more runs across in the eighth.

Rasmus worked a bases-loaded walk in the eighth before Gose doubled home a pair for a 7-3 lead.

Game Notes

Toronto was 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base ... Bautista extended his hitting streak to 11 games, while Navarro saw his streak end at eight games after going 0-for-3 ... Infante finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored ... The Royals finished 1-for-6 with RISP.