Duffy's homerless streak ends in loss to Angels

ANAHEIM -- Danny Duffy doesn't give up home runs often, but the Royals don't score many runs for him, ever.

Only the former changed on Friday night, as the Royals left-hander allowed his first two homers in 25 months and more than 67 innings, to Chris Iannetta and Mike Trout, in a 6-1 loss to the Angels at Angel Stadium.

The Royals averaged one run in support of Duffy in his first three 2014 starts, so they were true to form against Angels left-hander C.J. Wilson (6-3). He allowed four hits -- three by Nori Aoki, who he also hit -- and one run in 6 1/3 innings. Wilson struck out three, walked four and hit two batters in improving to 19-5 in his past 30 starts.

"You're not going to do much when you only get five hits -- three from one guy," manager Ned Yost said. "There was not much going on on offense.

"Wilson threw a good game. He did a nice job of working both sides of the plate."

Duffy, asked if he was worried about the consistent lack of Royals offense, said: "No, not at all. I just try to go out and pitch my game. I wouldn't trade anybody in here for anybody. Our lineup is going to get hot. I have full confidence in them."

Center fielder Lorenzo Cain provided the Royals' highlight on defense in the seventh inning, robbing David Freese of a three-run homer off reliever Louis Coleman with a leaping grab.

"It stayed in the park, so I'm going to try and go get it," Cain said. "I just went up and reacted."

Duffy (2-4), coming off a seven-inning, two-hit outing for a 1-0 victory May 17 over the Orioles, was not anywhere as dominant this time. He allowed five earned runs in six innings on nine hits and two walks, with two strikeouts. Duffy also had his 12th pickoff since 2011, getting Freese at first in the third inning.

Duffy had allowed only one earned run in his last 31 2/3 road innings -- and that run was enough for a 1-0 loss at Seattle.

"I threw some good pitches," he said. "When I didn't, they capitalized. They're a good-hitting team. They came out hacking early. I probably could have mixed it up a lot better."

Duffy went into the sixth Friday with a 3-1 deficit. But C.J. Cron doubled, Erick Aybar singled him home, and Grant Green drove in Aybar with a double for a 5-1 advantage.

Trout led off the third inning with his ninth homer for a 3-1 Angels lead. He also made a fine throw from medium center to cut down Aoki, who tagged and was trying to advance on a fly ball in the fifth.

Iannetta hit a solo homer to left-center, his fourth, in the second inning.

It was the first homer yielded by Duffy in 67 2/3 innings, ending the longest active streak in the Major Leagues. Then, with two outs, Collin Cowgill singled home Aybar for a 2-1 Angels edge.

Duffy last allowed a homer, by Brandon Inge, on April 16, 2012. Going into Friday's games, there had been 10,580 homers hit since.

The Royals scored a run in the first on two hits and two walks, with Alex Gordon getting the RBI single to score Aoki with two outs. But they left the bases loaded when Cain struck out looking.

"We had a chance in the first inning," Yost said. "You do capitalize when you're going good. You don't when you're not.

"Danny threw the ball OK. He made some mistakes. They made him pay when he did."

Yost also said Aoki made a mistake when he tried to tag and run on Trout for what turned out to be an inning-ending double play.

"He did a lot of good things," Yost said. "Three hits versus C.J., and he smashed the ball the last time up [for an Aybar error].

"That's not a good chance, right there [in the fifth]. We don't challenge in that situation."

Aoki said he "knew Trout has a good throwing arm. I thought I had a chance. Looking back, maybe I shouldn't have gone."