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Royals ride Perez, offense to series split vs. Jays

Aug 14, 2007 - 4:56 AM By Pat Madden PA Sportsticker Contributing Writer

KANSAS CITY, Missouri (Ticker) -- Odalis Perez snapped a personal two-game losing streak and Billy Butler and Ross Gload drove in two runs apiece as the Kansas City Royals defeated the Toronto Blue Jays, 6-2, on Monday.

Kansas City, who won for the eighth time at home in 11 outings, earned a split of the four-game series with Toronto despite scoring just 12 runs in four games.

"Coming out of here swinging the bats the way we are with a split is pretty good," Royals manager Buddy Bell said.

Perez (7-11), who lasted only three innings in his last start in an 11-4 loss to Minnesota on Wednesday, allowed two runs and eight hits over five innings, striking out three. With the win, the lefthander won for just the third time at home this season and halted a stretch in which he had lost three of his last four outings.

"It was a challenge," Perez said. "Those guys have a great team and great hitters in the lineup. To come out with a one-run lead was good. The guys in the bullpen give us a good shot to win.

"We had Perez on the ropes a couple of times but couldn't get him," Toronto manager John Gibbons said. "This time of the year, a split doesn't do you any good where we're sitting."

After Toronto took a 2-1 lead in the top half of the third, Butler pushed across the second of two runs in the bottom of the inning with an RBI groundout. In his next at-bat in the fifth, the 21-year-old singled to right to increase the advantage to 4-2.

"Two out of three times up I had a chance to do something," Butler said. "I tried to make the most of it. One time I didn't get a hit but I got the guy over. That's not ideally what I want to do. Typically, I'm trying to get a hit every time with a guy in scoring position."

Gload, who replaced Butler at first base in the sixth inning, extended the Royals advantage to 6-2 in the seventh inning on a two-run triple to left-center.

"He gets a big triple to really give us some separation which was huge against a team that can really swing the bat," Bell said.

Rookie Jesse Litsch (4-5), making his first career start against Kansas City, allowed five runs on six hits in 6 2/3 innings, striking out two and issuing two walks.

"Unfortunate things happen and I have to deal with them," Litsch said. "My slider got me out of some jams and my changeup got me out of a bases-loaded jam. I battled, but you can't be on the winning side every game."

Kansas City's Mark Teahen belted his sixth home run of the season, a shot into the right field bullpen, giving him his first home run since May 29 - a stretch of 250 at-bats.

"It's been a long time," said Teahen of his homerless drought. "It's nice to get it out of the way."

Reed Johnson had three hits - including a career-high two doubles - and scored a run for Toronto, which was denied an opportunity to win back-to-back road games for the first time since June 9-10 against the Los Angeles Dodgers.