Crown points

• The Royals maintained their American League ERA lead after allowing a pair of earned runs in Friday night's 3-2 loss to the Blue Jays. Entering Saturday, Kansas City's pitchers had allowed just six runs in the previous five games, lowering the season ERA to 3.49, just ahead of second-place Detroit (3.63).

• For the first time in a non-strike season since 1989, the Royals have clinched their fourth winning month out of the first five of a year, entering Saturday with a 16-14 record for August. After a 14-10 mark in April, the Royals stumbled to an 8-20 record in May, but rebounded for a 16-11 June and a 15-10 July. The '89 club featured a 16-8 April, 14-13 May, 14-12 June, 13-14 July and 21-8 August, before going 14-15 in the final month.

• Salvador Perez scored a run but went hitless on Friday, yet he's still put together a solid week. Perez has gone 8-for-20 with five runs, a double, three homers and eight RBIs, including a four-hit, two-homer game on Wednesday that was the first such game by a Royals catcher since Darrell Porter in 1977.