Gordon scuffling as Royals hit upswing

KANSAS CITY -- Now that the Royals have turned things better in the won-lost column, one of their steadiest performers in the hitting department has hit a slide.

Alex Gordon hit .329 in the first two months of the season when the Royals were 22-30, but he batted just .154 (10-for-65) in the first 18 games of June when the Royals were 12-6. That's through the series at Cleveland, where he was 0-for-12.

"[His swing] doesn't look any different to me now than it did three weeks ago," manager Ned Yost said. "So just keep working like he does every single day. Don't ask me how. It's like turning on a light switch. All of a sudden one at-bat can get you hot. Him and Billy Butler, we need both of those guys to flick that switch and get going offensively. You know both Alex and Billy have the capability of carrying a club offensively for an extended period of time. We just wait for that time to happen."

Butler, at .273 going into Friday night's game against the White Sox, has perked up since Salvador Perez was put in the No. 3 spot ahead of him in the lineup. Butler went 18-for-54 (.333) with seven RBIs in those 15 games.

Overall, Yost is still waiting for the team to reach its offensive potential.

"I think we're a good offensive team that hasn't got to the point where they're producing the way they can every single night," he said. "I think that's something to look forward to."