Bannister earns third straight victory, keys another Royals win

 Brian Bannister picked up his third straight victory, Mark Teahen hit a three-run homer and the Kansas City Royals beat the Colorado Rockies 8-4 on Monday night for their eighth win in nine games.
    The Royals’ hot streak has all come against National League clubs, and their 10-3 record is the best in interleague play.
    Bannister (7-6), who hasn’t lost since May 22, did not allow a hit until Jeff Baker’s two-out single in the fifth. He matched a career high with six walks before the hit, but still worked through seven innings for the fourth time in his past five starts. Bannister gave up three hits and three runs, all unearned, while striking out five.
    Teahen has eight home runs, one more than last season, and his two-out shot with Mike Aviles and Alex Gordon aboard highlighted a four-run first for the Royals. David DeJesus, who led off the inning with a triple, had already scored on Aviles’ double.
    Rockies left-hander Jeff Francis (3-7) lasted just 4 1-3 innings, his shortest outing of the season, and gave up seven runs on seven hits and three walks. Francis continues to have trouble in the first inning, having allowed 19 earned runs in his 16 starts.
    Jose Guillen homered, doubled and drove in two runs for the Royals. He leads the majors with 28 doubles and ranks second in the American League with 60 RBIs and 41 extra-base hits.
    Miguel Olivo snapped an 0-for-21 skid with a run-scoring double in the fifth to chase Francis. Ross Gload homered in eighth for the final Kansas City run, his first homer since Sept. 3, 2007, at Texas, a span of 225 at-bats.