KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — They Royals shook up their coaching staff Thursday in an attempt to jumpstart their failing offense, appointing Dale Sveum (swaym) as the hitting coach and making Mike Jirschele their third base coach.

Pedro Grifol, who took over as hitting coach last season, will now instruct catchers.

The moves were announced after the Royals finished off a disastrous homestand that included a sweep at the hands of Houston, and before they opened a four-game series in Toronto.

The Royals began the day last in the majors by a wide margin with 21 homers, and in the bottom third of the league in runs, on-base percentage and several other statistical categories.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chris Carter hit two home runs, George Springer set a rookie club record for homers in a month and the Houston Astros beat the Kansas City Royals 9-3 Wednesday for their fifth straight win.

The Astros, with the worst record in the AL, won three times in Kansas City for their first sweep of the season. Houston’s winning streak is its longest since a six-game string that ended last June 3.

The Royals have lost four in a row.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Collin McHugh held light-hitting Kansas City at bay over seven innings, and Matt Dominquez drove in the only run the Houston Astros needed in a 3-0 victory over the Royals on Tuesday night.

Houston tacked on two more runs off reliever Tim Collins in the eighth, and Tony Sipp and Chad Qualls breezed through the final two innings without allowing a hit to complete the shutout.

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 Dominquez followed up a pair of one-out walks to Dexter Fowler and Jason Castro with a single in the fourth inning.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — George Springer homered in his fourth straight game and went 4 for 4 with three RBIs and scored five runs in the Houston Astros’ 9-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals on Monday night.

The Astros have won three straight, matching their longest winning streak this season, and snapped a six-game losing streak to the Royals.

Springer led off the eighth with a home run off Louis Coleman, his fifth homer in four games. He is the first Houston rookie to homer in four straight games.

Springer also had two doubles and became the first Astro to score five runs in a game since Cody Ransom on Sept. 24, 2007 against St. Louis.

Scott Feldman (3-2) held the Royals to two runs and eight hits over six innings.

Royals rookie right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-5) left in the third inning with discomfort in his elbow.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Chris Iannetta hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning Sunday, lifting the Los Angeles Angels over the Kansas City Royals 4-3.

Reliever Tim Collins (0-3) retired the first batter in the eighth before Iannetta lined a drive into the lower seats in the left-field corner for his fifth homer of the season and second of the series.

Michael Kohn (2-1) pitched a scoreless inning. Ernesto Frieri got three outs for his sixth save, retiring Alcides Escobar on a popup with a runner on third.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Eric Hosmer tied a season high with four hits, pinch-runner Jarrod Dyson scored the go-ahead run in the 13th inning on a throwing error by rookie reliever Mike Morin, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Los Angeles Angels 7-4 on Saturday night.

Danny Valencia led off the 13th inning with a double off the fence in left-center. Dyson went into run for him and scored when Morin (0-1) fielded Alcides Escobar’s sacrifice bunt and threw the ball past first base as Dyson came home. Nori Aoki hit an RBI single and Billy Butler capped the scoring with his second sacrifice fly.

Aaron Crow (2-1) pitched two innings for the victory and Greg Holland got three outs for the save, ending the 4 hour, 53-minute marathon.

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout homered and threw out a runner at third base, Chris Iannetta also went deep, and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Kansas City Royals6-1 Friday night.

C.J. Wilson (6-3) allowed a run and four hits in 6 1-3 innings, striking out three and walking four. Wilson also hit two batters, including leadoff man Nori Aoki with his 105th and final pitch. Aoki had two singles and a double.

The Angels won for the 11th time in 14 games and are a season-best seven games over .500.

Danny Duffy (2-4) gave up five runs and nine hits over six innings in his fourth start since he began filling in for Bruce Chen, who has a sore back. The 25-year-old left-hander was coming off a 1-0 victory against Baltimore.