Royal surprise in the Bronx

Davies leads KC to rare win at Yankee Stadium

Yankee Jason Giambi was not happy after striking out in the eighth. (Bill Kostroun/Associated Press)

Kyle Davies won his second consecutive start since being called up from the minors and the struggling Kansas City Royals earned a rare victory at Yankee Stadium, shutting down New York, 2-1, last night to snap an 11-game road skid.

David DeJesus hit an RBI single and the Royals got splendid relief work from Ron Mahay and Joakim Soria to win for only the third time in 18 games.

They also got a break from plate umpire Ed Montague in the eighth inning.

With two on and two out, Jason Giambi appeared to check his swing on Mahay's 3-2 pitch near his ankles. But Kansas City catcher John Buck jumped up and tagged Giambi, and Montague called the slugger out swinging.

Giambi argued vehemently and Yankees manager Joe Girardi waved his arms in disbelief from the dugout, yelling, "Come on, Eddie!"

Soria pitched a one-hit ninth for his 13th save in 13 chances, handing Darrell Rasner (3-3) a hard-luck loss. With its first road victory since May 18 at Florida, Kansas City improved to 2-19 in its last 21 visits to Yankee Stadium - and 6-33 since the start of the 1998 season.

Davies (2-0) gave up one run and seven hits in 6 2/3 innings.

"He was great. He's been very, very composed," said Kansas City skipper Trey Hillman. "Here and Boston are probably the two most difficult places in the American League to stay composed. As a result of staying composed, he was able to continue to command his pitches."

Rays 12, Rangers 4 - Scott Kazmir went eight innings to win his career-best sixth straight start and Evan Longoria hit one of Tampa Bay's four homers in a rout of host Texas.

Kazmir (6-1) allowed two runs and six hits, struck out six, and walked none. B.J. Upton, Dioner Navarro, and Eric Hinske also connected to help the Rays snap a three-game losing streak.

Padres 2, Mets 1 - Randy Wolf pitched seven strong innings and Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in the go-ahead run to lead host San Diego over New York.

Wolf (4-4) limited the Mets to one run and seven hits in seven innings and worked out of two bases loaded jams.

Dodgers 3, Cubs 0 - Hiroki Kuroda allowed four hits and struck out a career-high 11 in his first complete game, leading Los Angeles over Chicago at Chavez Ravine.

Kuroda (3-5) did not walk a batter in his 13th big league start, induced two double plays, and allowed only one baserunner as far as third.

White Sox 10, Twins 6 - Carlos Quentin hit a three-run homer that deflected off right fielder Michael Cuddyer's glove and Joe Crede went 4 for 4 with two homers as host Chicago stopped Minnesota.

The victory was the White Sox' fourth straight since a tirade from manager Ozzie Guillen Sunday about the team's struggling offense. Chicago increased its lead in the AL Central to 3 1/2 games over the Twins.

Reds 11, Marlins 3 - Jay Bruce had three hits and three RBIs, Johnny Cueto pitched six innings to win his third straight start, and visiting Cincinnati beat sliding Florida, which lost for the eighth time in 10 games.

Ken Griffey Jr. remained stuck on 599 career home runs, going 2 for 3. He hasn't gone deep in his last 13 at-bats dating back to last Saturday, when he moved one away from becoming the sixth member of baseball's 600-homer club.

Indians 4, Tigers 2 - Paul Byrd pitched seven sharp innings and Casey Blake had a two-run double in a three-run fourth as Cleveland triumphed in Detroit.

Byrd (3-5) allowed two runs and four hits to earn his 100th career win. He also improved to 9-2 against Detroit.

Diamondbacks 3, Pirates 1 - Brandon Webb became the majors' first 11-game winner, holding Pittsburgh to one run and three hits over seven innings and driving in a run to power visiting Arizona.

Orioles 6, Blue Jays 5 - Melvin Mora, Kevin Millar, and Adam Jones homered in Baltimore's six-run eighth inning to help beat host Toronto.

Giants 10, Nationals 1 - Tim Lincecum (8-1) pitched seven sharp innings to win his fourth straight decision and Jose Castillo hit a three-run homer as San Francisco routed host Washington.

Rockies 6, Brewers 4 - Garrett Atkins tied the game with a two-run triple and Brad Hawpe gave the Rockies the lead with a two-run homer in a five-run eighth inning, lifting host Colorado over Milwaukee.

Phillies 4, Braves 3 - Shane Victorino drove in the go-ahead run with a triple in the 10th, then threw out Gregor Blanco at the plate in the bottom of the inning as Philadelphia won in Atlanta.

Astros 6, Cardinals 1 - Hunter Pence had an RBI double and host Houston scored three runs on two St. Louis errors.

Angels 3, Athletics 1 - Maicer Izturis homered on the third pitch of the game to give John Lackey (2-1) an early lead and visiting Los Angeles went on to win its season-best sixth straight game.