Hosmer, Moustakas swinging red-hot bats

KANSAS CITY -- What started as a hot streak for Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas has turned into a fiery couple of months.

"They both feel very, very confident when they walk to the plate now," manager Ned Yost said. "It's evident when you see them up there now. They're stepping into the box with a lot of confidence. They feel good about themselves. Both of those kids have worked hard to get back to where they're at right now."

Heading into Tuesday night's game against the Twins, Hosmer had lifted his season average from .259 to .293 by hitting .323 in 53 games since June 6. He had 37 runs, 13 doubles, a triple, 11 home runs and 36 RBIs, along with a .359 on-base percentage and a .541 slugging percentage in the two-month span.

Moustakas bumped his average up to .234 from .183 on June 17. In the 38 games since, he'd batted .307 with 10 doubles, six homers and 16 RBIs with a .351 on-base percentage and .511 slugging percentage. He's also been stingy on defense, committing just four errors in his last 52 games.

"If he swings the bat how he's been swinging the bat, I think the results are going to keep coming with Ws," Hosmer said. "The way he's been swinging the bat lately with guys on base, he's been getting big knocks and that's really what everyone's doing."

Entering Tuesday, the Royals were 14-3 since the All-Star break and had gone from six games under .500 to five games over with big performances from Hosmer and Moustakas. In that time, Hosmer hit .329 with three homers and 13 RBIs and Moustakas hit .322 with 15 RBIs compared to 18 before the break.