Buehrle wins 10th game of season, powers Blue Jays to 4-0 win over Royals

TORONTO – Left-hander Mark Buehrle pitched eight strong innings to become first 10-game winner in the major leagues and Dioner Navarro and Edwin Encarnacion homered as the Toronto Blue Jays defeated the Kansas City Royals 4-0 on Sunday.

Buehrle (10-1) held the Royals to six hits and one walk while striking out three to win his sixth straight decision in a brisk two hours 14 minutes.

Left-hander Aaron Loup took over in the ninth from Buehrle after Encarnacion’s two-run homer in the eighth had extended the lead to four runs.

The Blue Jays (34-24) took the final two games of the four-game series to gain a split with the Royals (26-30) and finish their home stand at 8-2.

The Blue Jays have won 21 of their past 28 games to take over first place in the American League East.

Royals right-hander Jeremy Guthrie (2-5) allowed eight hits and two runs in seven innings to go 10 starts without a win after winning his first two starts of the season. Guthrie allowed two walks and had five strikeouts before he was replaced by right-hander Aaron Crow in the eighth.

Navarro hit his third homer of the season with one out in the second to open the scoring.

The Blue Jays scored again in the fourth. Juan Francisco led off with a double on a liner that Kansas City right-fielder Norichika Aoki misplayed into a double. Francisco moved to third on a single by Brett Lawrie. He scored when Anthony Gose forced Lawrie at second on a grounder to shortstop.

Eric Hosmer led off the sixth with a bloop to centre that turned into a double when the Blue Jays left second uncovered. But shortstop Jose Reyes cut down Hosmer at third after fielding Billy Butler’s grounder and Buehrle finished the inning unscathed.

Encarnacion, who hit 16 homers in May to lead the majors, doubled the Blue Jays’ lead with his 19th homer of the season in the eighth against Crow. It also scored Adam Lind who had singled with one out.

NOTES: The Blue Jays finished May at 21-9. …Royals recalled third baseman Mike Moustakas from triple-A Omaha for Sunday’s game and put third baseman Danny Valencia (left hand muscle strain) on the 15-day disabled list. …. The Royals also recalled left-handed reliever Francisley Bueno (left little finger contusion) from his minor-league rehabilitation assignment with Omaha and returned right-handed pitcher Aaron Brooks to triple-A on option. …The Blue Jays have Monday off before playing a three-game series in Detroit that opens Tuesday with Drew Hutchison (4-3, 3.88 earned-run average) facing Anibal Sanchez (2-2, 2.49 ERA).