Lawries fielding error at third base. J.P. Arencibia snap

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Watching from the bullpen as journeyman Collin McHugh carved up the Kansas City lineup, Astros reliever Tony Sipp only wished he had a bucket of popcorn and a soda. "Its like watching a good movie," Sipp said, "and you dont want to mess up the ending." After McHugh held the light-hitting Royals at bay over seven innings, Sipp and Chad Qualls provided an appropriate ending. They worked the final two innings without allowing a hit in a 3-0 victory Tuesday night that gave Houston its first four-game winning streak since September. The Astros own the worst record in the AL, but have won four in a row on the road for the first time since taking six straight away from Minute Maid Park last May 29-June 3. "I mean, I think were playing hard," said McHugh, who is already on his third big league team in three seasons. "Were coming to play every day, and were putting together a few games here." Houston rookie George Springers homer streak ended at four games. He hit two flyballs to the warning track and finished 1 for 4. Matt Dominguez hit an RBI single in the fourth, and the Astros tacked on two more runs against Tim Collins in the eighth. "Thats what you call an extremely well-played baseball game," Houston manager Bo Porter said. McHugh (3-3) scattered five hits while striking out nine without issuing a walk to earn his first win in five starts. He stranded a runner at third base in the second inning and runners at second and third in the fifth, but otherwise cruised through the Kansas City lineup. The only run Jeremy Guthrie (2-4) allowed came when Dominguez followed up a pair of one-out walks to Dexter Fowler and Jason Castro with a single in the fourth inning. Guthrie left after allowing seven hits and three walks in six innings. The right-hander dodged plenty of trouble, inducing double-play grounders in the third and fifth, but still got stuck with his fourth straight loss. His last win came April 9 against Tampa Bay. During a nine-start winless streak, Guthrie has allowed just one run on three occasions. The Royals lost for the sixth time in their last eight games, and their pop-gun offence has had a lot to do with the futility. Kansas City has been held to three or fewer runs in four of its last five games, including the 9-2 pounding that Houston dished out on Monday night. Royals manager Ned Yosts frustration boiled over in the sixth inning. He went out to check on Guthrie with the bases loaded and two outs, and was returning to the dugout after their discussion when plate umpire Kerwin Danley met him near the mound. After saying something to Danley, Yost was immediately ejected. "I got frustrated on some calls I thought Jeremy should have got. Its mostly my fault," said Yost, who was tossed for the second time this season. Meanwhile, McHugh continued to slice up the Royals batting order. He struck out designated hitter Billy Butler twice, silenced Eric Hosmers bat and retired the last eight hitters he faced. It was the fourth time the Royals have been shut out this season. "You dont lose confidence, but youre definitely frustrated," Hosmer said. "We definitely should be putting up a better fight. As an offence as a whole, we should be putting up a better performance than that. Were not getting the job done." NOTES: Royals RHP Yordano Ventura will miss his next start due to a valgus extension overload, a condition that causes pain in the elbow. He left Monday nights game in the third inning. An MRI on Tuesday came back negative. ... The Astros left 11 runners on base. ... Houston RHP Jarred Cosart is slated to start Wednesdays series finale. LHP Danny Duffy is on the mound for Kansas City. Guillermo Ochoa Jersey . 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Burris threw for 247 yards in one half of a game -- on pace for a nearly 500-yard outing -- as the Redblacks downed the woeful Montreal Alouettes 26-10 in CFL pre-season play Friday night at Percival Molson Stadium.BOSTON -- Clay Buchholz feels like hes ready for the postsesason. He just wont have a perfect record when he gets there. Buchholz lost for the first time this season, and the AL East champion Boston Red Sox rested a couple of regulars while falling to Mark Buehrle and the Toronto Blue Jays, 4-2, on Saturday night. Having missed more than three months with a strained neck, Buchholz feels like his strength is where it was before the injury. He just needs to fine tune a few things. "I feel good. Movement on all the pitches is there," he said. "Its just the command and location and where to start it, which is sometimes hard to get better. The velocity is there and the body feels good." Buchholz (11-1) gave up two earned runs on six hits and two walks in six innings. He had pitched 11 scoreless innings in his previous two starts since coming off the disabled list. A day after the Red Sox clinched the division title, they lost for just the sixth time in 21 games. Manager John Farrell didnt start second baseman Dustin Pedroia and first baseman Mike Napoli, and used starter Ryan Dempster for an inning of relief. Buchholz was the first Boston pitcher to start a season 11-0 in his initial 14 starts since Roger Clemens went 13-0 in 1986. "I thought Clay was pretty sharp and pretty crisp for the time he was out on the mound tonight," Farrell said. "He was fighting to get back out for the seventh, but seeing the progression hes on, I think was a comfortable number of pitches for tonight." Buchholz broke into a slight grin when he was asked about how hard it is to go undefeated for an entire season. "It probably could have easily have happened sooner than now," he said. "The guys that play behind me all year have found ways to come back in situations where I came out of the game behind in the game." Bostons lead over Oakland dropped to 1 1/2 games for the ALs best record and home-field throughout the post-season. Dempster made his first relief appearance since 2007, working a scoreless eighth. Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks shifted to first for the first time in his career. Jonny Gomes and David Ross each drove in a run for the Red Sox. Adam Linds RBI double highlighted a three-run fourth that carried the Blue Jays. Bueehrle (12-9) held Boston to one run for the third time in five starts that hes faced them this year.dddddddddddd He allowed five hits, striking out five without walking a batter. He reached 200 innings for the 13th straight season. "Wish it was in a better situation," Buehrle said of reaching the mark again. Manager John Gibbons was impressed by the left-handers season. "Steady Eddy," Gibbons said. "Doing what he has been doing his whole career. You get 25 Buehrles and you are probably gonna have a good year." Casey Janssen pitched the ninth for his 33rd save in 35 chances. Torontos Munenori Kawasaki was ejected by first base umpire Eric Cooper in the eighth after slamming his helmet when he was called out on a close play. The Blue Jays scored all three runs with two outs in the fourth after Brett Lawrie beat out a routine grounder to short for an infield hit. Lind followed with an RBI double, Rajai Davis added a run-scoring single and Moises Sierra scored from third on Buchholzs errant pickoff throw to first. Gomes RBI single cut it to 3-1 in the sixth. Ross run-scoring grounder sliced it to 3-2 in the seventh after Xander Bogaerts reached second on Lawries fielding error at third base. J.P. Arencibia snapped an 0-for-27 stretch with an RBI single off the Green Monster in the Toronto ninth. NOTES: Pedroia had started 151 of the teams initial 152 games. He pinch-hit in the seventh and struck out. "The hardest thing is hes not going to know what to do," Farrell said, joking before the game. "He may end up back on the field because we want to get him the heck out of the dugout." ... Middlebrooks knew things would be a different in his debut at first. "Ive never played first in my life," he said, standing on the field after batting practice. "The hardest thing for me is going to be how to try and hold the runners on, which way to stand with my footwork." ... Red Sox CF Jacoby Ellsbury, sidelined for his 14th straight game with a broken small bone in his right foot, ran and hit in the cage. The club is planning for his return before the end of the regular season. ... Felix Doubront (10-6, 4.15 ERA) goes for Boston against R.A. Dickey (13-12, 4.21 ERA) in the series -- and Bostons home-- finale Sunday. ' ' '