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MINNEAPOLIS -- Erik Kratz had played in only five games for Kansas City since being acquired from Toronto in a trade on July 28. But the big guy always stayed ready and that discipline paid off Monday night to keep the Royals rolling. Kratz homered twice after replacing an ailing Salvador Perez, and Jason Vargas pitched seven strong innings to lead the first-place Royals to a 6-4 victory over the Minnesota Twins. "You put your work in before the game as a bench guy to be ready to go in," Kratz said. "Some people could say well, Salvi plays every day, so why not take a day off? In my opinion, whats the point of taking a day off if that might be the day you come in and play?" Vargas (10-5) allowed one run on four this and struck out three, but had his scoreless innings streak snapped at 17 when Oswaldo Arcia hit a solo homer in the seventh. Perez had two hits and two RBIs before leaving in the seventh because of discomfort in his right knee, helping the Royals win for the 21st time in 26 games. Kansas City extended its lead over the idle Detroit Tigers in the AL Central to two games. Trevor May (0-2) gave up three runs on seven hits and walked four in 4 2-3 innings for the Twins. When Perez left, Kratz came in as a pinch hitter and broke his bat on a pitch from Anthony Swarzak, but still managed to muscle it over the wall in left field for a 4-0 lead. Kratz added a solo shot to centre in the ninth for his first multihomer game. The drives proved even more important when Trevor Plouffe hit a three-run homer off Aaron Crow in the ninth inning. "Its great to help the team out when you do get in there for any bench guy," Kratz said. Greg Holland came on for his 38th save in 40 tries. Josh Willingham had three hits and Alex Gordon and Billy Butler each had two for the Royals, who have won eight straight series for the first time since 1991. May made his major league debut on Aug. 9, and it was a rough one. He walked seven batters in two innings and gave up four runs. He breezed through four innings of his home debut, but walked the bases loaded in the fifth. Perez followed with a two-run single and Butler added an RBI single to give the Royals a 3-0 lead. That was enough for Vargas, who has dominated the Twins this season. He retired 10 in a row from the second through sixth while his offence built him a cushion. "Salvis a huge part of our team, but we have to keep him healthy and keep him in it for the long haul," Vargas said. "For Kratz to come in and step up and go big fly twice was pretty nice, especially when they were able to extend the game a little bit there. Those two home runs really counted." TRAINERS ROOM Royals: Perez is day to day with a sore knee. Manager Ned Yost said Perez tweaked a tendon in his knee while running the bases in the fifth inning, but was removed purely as a precaution. Twins: Byron Buxton, one of the top prospects in baseball, flew to Fort Myers, Florida, to begin his recovery after a nasty outfield collision at Double-A New Britain. GM Terry Ryan said Buxton had a stiff neck and some headaches, but nothing more serious. Ryan said he doubts Buxton will play again this season. "Were all fortunate it ended up the way it ended up," Ryan said. "Weve seen collisions in our day, but that one ranked right up there." UP NEXT The Royals open a two-game interleague series in Colorado. RHP James Shields (11-6, 3.29 ERA) starts the opener against LHP Tyler Matzek (2-8, 5.50). The Twins stay home for a three-game series against Cleveland. RHP Kyle Gibson (11-9, 3.96) starts the opener against RHP Trevor Bauer (4-7, 4.35). EARLY EXIT Twins manager Ron Gardenhire didnt stick around very long. When plate umpire Chris Segal called Joe Mauer out on strikes in the first inning, the mild-mannered first baseman argued that he fouled the third strike and it hit the dirt before Perez caught it. Segal disagreed, and Gardenhire came to Mauers defence before returning to the bench. Moments later, Segal ejected Gardenhire after the conversation apparently continued from the dugout. It was the fifth time this season and 72nd time in his career that Gardenhire was ejected. Cheap Ecco Shoes . - The Clippers have signed guard Dahntay Jones to a second 10-day contract. Cheap Ecco Shoes Sale . It was a move of some time in the making. “He hasnt thrown well, clearly some guys are being used more than him right now and the only way to get out of this funk is to pitch,” said general manager Alex Anthopoulos. http://www.cheapecco.us/ . Louis Cardinals won the World Series last season, but after losing first baseman Albert Pujols to free agency and manager Tony LaRussa to retirement, they opened the 2012 season in 12th spot in the TSN. Cheap Ecco Shoes Online . -- The Chicago Bears agreed Tuesday to a one-year contract with defensive lineman Israel Idonije and are bringing him back for a second stint. Discount Ecco Shoes Online . They kicked off the still-going trend of host cities winning the Grey Cup and sent Hall of Fame head coach Wally Buono to the front office a champion.LOS ANGELES -- The interim CEO of the Los Angeles Clippers testified Tuesday that coach Doc Rivers told him he will quit if Donald Sterling remains the owner of the team. CEO Richard Parsons testified at a trial to determine whether Sterlings wife, Shelly, can sell the team for $2 billion to former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer as the NBA looks to force Donald Sterling from the league over racist statements. "Doc is troubled by this maybe more so than anybody else," Parsons said about Rivers, who is black. "If Mr. Sterling continues as owner, he does not want to continue as coach." Parsons said he fears there would also be an exodus of key players, including team captain Chris Paul, who heads the NBA players union. The judge stopped Parsons from giving an account of his conversations with Paul when an NBA lawyer objected over privacy issues. Parsons is a former chief executive at Time Warner and Citigroup who took over leadership of the Clippers in May during the media blitz surrounding the banishment of Sterling. Under questioning by Ballmers lawyer, Parsons said the departure of Rivers would "accelerate the death spiral" of the Clippers. "If Doc were to leave, that would be a disaster," Parsons said. "Doc is the father figure, the one who leads." The discussion of Clippers players and coaches is new territory for the trial that has mostly explored the dealings between the Sterlings. It wasnt immediately clear what effect the new information might have on the narrow question under consideration -- whether Shelly Sterling can sell the team under the family trust. Messages left for team officials seeking comment from Rivers werent immediately returned. Parsons, who is considered an expert in the management of major corporations, said he was certain that big corporate sponsors would pull out and season ticket holders would demand their money back if Donald Sterling remains the owner. &quuot;If your coach leaves, if your players dont want to play with you, what do you have?" Parsons asked.dddddddddddd "If your sponsors leave and the fans leave, its going to spiral down and down." Parsons also said he doesnt believe that anyone will offer as much money for the team as Ballmer. That opinion was seconded by witness Anwar Zakkour, an investment banker who helped broker the deal for Ballmers purchase and said he never expected a bid so big. Explaining why Ballmer would have bid over the value of the team, Zakkour said, "It was a trophy asset." "This is the highest price ever achieved for a sports team," he said. "However way you count it, this is an amazing price that anyone should be satisfied with." Parsons and Zakkour said that if the NBA seized the team and put it up for auction, the price would drop because there would be less certainty about the teams future. Outside court, Sterlings lawyer, Bobby Samini, said the billionaire would persist in his opposition to the sale because "he feels he was wronged" by the NBA. "He has no desire to destroy the team," Samini said. "He is fighting to protect his rights." Later Tuesday, Sterling fired off another legal volley, filing a new lawsuit against his wife, the NBA and league Commissioner Adam Silver that alleges fraud, breach of contract, unfair business practices and infliction of emotional distress. He claimed, among other things, that he was tricked into being examined by psychiatrists to establish whether he was mentally competent. The high-stakes financial fight centres on whether Shelly Sterling was authorized to make a deal with Ballmer on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust. Outside court, Shelly Sterlings lawyer, Pierce ODonnell, said Donald Sterling is being driven by "a perverted egotism." "Right now, were in the grips of Donald Sterlings craziness," he said. China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '