Baseball

AL: Stellar pitching keeps Royals on a roll

CLEVELAND -- Manager Tony Pena is in no rush to find a cure for his flu-ridden Royals.

Kansas City became the first team in 13 seasons to begin with eight wins, beating the Indians 1-0 Friday night behind seven sharp innings from Runelvys Hernandez.

"Sure, let's keep it going," Pena said when asked if he wouldn't mind the flu bug lingering as long as the Royals kept winning.

"We started the game with 16 guys sick, Mike Sweeney got it during the game and our closer was sick in the bullpen. That's 18."

Rookie Mike MacDougal made it 6-for-6 on save chances as the surprising Royals extended the best start in team history.

The last team to start 8-0 was the 1990 Reds, who won the World Series.

Hernandez allowed seven hits, struck out four and improved his ERA to 0.45. Jason Grimsley pitched a perfect eighth.

Shane Spencer opened the ninth against MacDougal by hitting a drive over the head and off the glove of rightfielder Desi Relaford. But Spencer was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple.

"I was mad that it tipped off my glove and just picked it up and threw it as hard as I could," Relaford said. "I just tried to keep it on line and got a couple nice bounces.

"When I saw the umpire make the call, (centerfielder) Michael Tucker and I were doing high-fives. It was like we were Little Leaguers again, it was so much fun."

MacDougal had vomited moments earlier in the bullpen.

"How about that throw? Unbelievable!" he said. "Now, I'm feeling good."

WHITE SOX 5, TIGERS 0: Host Detroit became the first team to lose its first nine in consecutive seasons, leaving manager Alan Trammell still looking for his first win.

Jose Valentin hit a two-run homer and Esteban Loaiza pitched eight scoreless innings as Chicago won for the sixth time in seven games.

The Tigers started 0-11 last season and tied the Devil Rays for the worst record in baseball at 55-106. The 1962-63 Mets had the worst starts in consecutive seasons, starting 0-9, then 0-8.

D'Angelo Jimenez hit a leadoff double and scored on Valentin's fourth homer. Jimenez homered in the second to put the White Sox ahead 3-0.

ANGELS 9, ATHLETICS 5: Tim Salmon hit a pair of two-run homers, Francisco Rodriguez got his first major-league save and host Anaheim roughed up Tim Hudson.

The Angels scored six in the first four innings against Hudson, who gave up 11 hits, including Salmon's first homer of the night.

Salmon's second drive came in the eighth off Micah Bowie to give the Angels a four-run cushion.

TWINS 6, BLUE JAYS 4: Corey Koskie drove in three as visiting Minnesota ended a six-game losing streak.

The Twins' Luis Rivas, who went 3-for-4, hit a tying triple in the seventh off former Rays pitcher Cory Lidle, and Jacque Jones followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-4.

Shannon Stewart and Frank Catalanotto each drove in two for Toronto.

ORIOLES AT RED SOX, PPD.: Boston's home opener was rained out and rescheduled as part of a doubleheader today. The tarp covered the infield through the pregame ceremony, in which Lou Rawls sang the national anthem and Ray Charles sang America the Beautiful.

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