Pittsburgh Sweeps the Royals Four Straight With Interleague Play

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Andrew McCutchen homered and drove in three runs, A.J. Burnett won his fifth consecutive start and the Pittsburgh Pirates finished their first sweep of an AL team in more than a decade by beating the Kansas City Royals 3-2 Sunday. McCutchen hit an RBI double in the first inning and hit a two-run homer in the third, giving Burnett (6-2) and three relievers enough support for Pittsburgh to win its fourth in a row. This was the 50th interleague series the Pirates had played since taking three in a row from the Cleveland Indians June 15-17, 2001. Pittsburgh entered the day a game behind the first-place Cincinnati Reds in the NL Central. Alex Gordon and Alicedes Escobar each had two hits for the Royals, who have lost four in a row and six of eight. Since May 25, the Pirates have the best record in the majors at 12-3.