Duffy pitches Royals past Angels 5-1 for 3rd straight win

ANAHEIM (AP) — Danny Duffy won his third straight start and the Kansas City Royals stopped a four-game skid Sunday with a 5-1 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.

Hunter Dozier hit a two-run double and Duffy (3-1) allowed five hits in six effective innings. The veteran left-hander, who is from California and had family in town, worked out of trouble in the first before settling in. He struck out five and walked three.

Kansas City scored three runs in the third to take the lead. Adalberto Mondesi’s single to right sent Whit Merrifield to third and he scored on Kole Calhoun’s error. Dozier’s two-out double made it 3-0.

Mike Trout had two hits for the Angels, including a first-inning double that gave him an extra-base hit in three consecutive games. He appears to be finding his swing and timing. A day earlier, he hit his 250th career home run.

Trout and Kevan Smith were each on base three times. Smith’s run-scoring double in the fourth scored Calhoun.

In the sixth, Duffy was hit in the lower left leg by Tommy La Stella’s comebacker. Royals manager Ned Yost and a trainer went out to check on Duffy, but he stayed in the game. He retired the next batter to end the inning and was done for the day after 106 pitches.

The Royals had lost six of seven.

Tyler Skaggs (4-4) struck out seven and allowed four runs — three earned — on 110 pitches in 5 2/3 innings. He needed 24 pitches to get through a scoreless first inning and threw 72 pitches over the first three.

A struggling Chris Owings had an RBI single in the sixth to make it 4-1 and chase Skaggs.

Cam Gallagher singled off Angels reliever Noe Ramirez in the ninth to snap an 0-for-22 slide.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals 1B Lucas Duda (back) is getting closer to a rehab assignment.

UP NEXT

Royals: RHP Homer Bailey (4-4, 5.36 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday at St. Louis. In his last outing, he allowed six runs on a season-high eight hits in 4 1/3 innings.

Angels: RHP Felix Pena (2-1, 3.49 ERA) is set to pitch Monday night at home against Minnesota, though the Angels have used an opener in his last four outings. In those appearances, he is 2-0 with a 2.95 ERA.