Hosmer getting home run swing in groove

KANSAS CITY -- After hitting just one home run in the first two months, first baseman Eric Hosmer has eight in his last 79 at-bats, including a two-run shot to center field in Thursday's 10-7 victory over the Indians at Kauffman Stadium.

"When you hit one, they come in bunches," Hosmer said. "I've been feeling good at the plate and trying to put good swings on balls and sticking with my approach."

Whatever he's doing is working, as he's batting 11-for-25 (.440) with four homers and seven runs during a six-game hitting streak.

Hosmer was named the Royals' Player of the Month in June after batting .303 with six homers and 17 RBIs. He is batting .359 in the seventh inning or later, which ranks third in the American League.

"We've been talking about getting Hoz back on track all year long, and the importance of it to our baseball team, and it has been evident here the last few weeks what he's capable of doing offensively," manager Ned Yost said. "We think that he's a huge threat in our lineup and has the opportunity to be a tremendous run producer for us."

Hosmer credits batting coaches George Brett and Pedro Grifol for his recent surge and improvement in his approach at the plate.

"George and Pedro have done a great job of getting him freed up and getting him back into a position where he can drive the ball like he did last night," Yost said. "When he was really struggling, he could sit on fastball but he wasn't getting it. Last night, he sat on a fastball and wasn't going to miss it and he didn't. Those are all good signs for our offense."