Royals roll past Dodgers

Kansas City Royals shortstop Irving Falu begins a fruitless dive-attempt on a single by Los Angeles Dodgers' Marcus Thames in the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game in Surprise, Ariz., Saturday, March 12, 2011.
Kansas City Royals shortstop Irving Falu begins a fruitless dive-attempt on a single by Los Angeles Dodgers' Marcus Thames in the fourth inning of a spring training baseball game in Surprise, Ariz., Saturday, March 12, 2011.

SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) - For Ted Lilly, the only good thing was another outing in a couple days.

Lilly was hit hard as a Los Angeles Dodgers split-squad lost 19-7 Saturday to the Kansas City Royals.

Alex Gordon homered and drove in six runs for Kansas City, which finished with 20 hits. Melky Cabrera went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs while raising his Cactus League-leading batting average to .518.

Lilly allowed six runs and five hits in 22⁄3 innings. He struck out two and walked two.

"Positives, I'll have to think about it for a while," he said. "I'll try hard. I'm looking forward to the next four days going by as fast as possible."

Lilly went 10-12 with a 3.62 ERA in 30 starts for the Cubs and Dodgers last season. He re-signed with the Dodgers after becoming a free agent. The 35-year-old left-hander threw 59 pitches Saturday, 36 for strikes.

Gordon hit a two-run single in the third, doubled home Cabrera in the fourth and belted a three-run homer in the seventh.

"Actually the base hit on two strikes on a high breaking ball to left field was just as pretty as the one he hit four miles," Royals manager Ned Yost said. "Alex is pretty dialed in."

Gordon hit the first pitch he saw from Oscar Villarreal out to deep right.

"The ball flies here in Arizona and the wind was blowing out so it felt good," Gordon said.

Clint Robinson, who won the 2010 Texas League Triple Crown, homered and drove in three runs for Kansas City, but was optioned to Triple-A Omaha after the game.

"When you're in the cleanup spot, you're there to drive in runs," Robinson said. "When you get opportunities, you've got to capitalize on them."

Jason Kendall caught three innings in a Royals minor league game, his first game action since having shoulder surgery in September.