KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Wade Davis plunked A.J. Ellis of the Dodgers with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning Wednesday night, sending Los Angeles to a 5-4 victory over the Kansas City Royals.
Jamey Wright (3-2) threw 2 2-3 scoreless innings in relief of Dan Haren to pick up the win.
Davis (5-2) had not allowed a run in 22 1-3 innings spanning his last 20 outings. But after nearly escaping a jam by catching Adrian Gonzalez in a rundown between third base and home for the second out of the eighth, the reliever walked Scott Van Slyke to load the bases.
Davis then had a 1-2 count on Ellis before hitting him in the shoulder.
J.P. Howell and Brandon League worked the bottom of the eighth for the Dodgers, and Brian Wilson handled the ninth in place of closer Kenley Jansen for his first save since April 12, 2012.
It wasn't easy. Danny Valencia hit a one-out single and pinch-runner Pedro Ciriaco stole second - he was initially called out but the call was overturned by replay. But Wilson got Lorenzo Cain to line out to first base, and Ciriaco was doubled off second to end the game.
Matt Kemp homered and Gonzalez and Yasiel Puig drove in a run apiece for the Dodgers, while Dee Gordon had four hits and his league-leading 40th stolen base.
Cain and Jarrod Dyson hit solo shots for the Royals.
Haren gave up two homers among six hits, walked two and was pulled after throwing 92 pitches in 4 1-3 innings. The three-time All-Star had gone at least five innings while allowing four earned runs or fewer in his previous 15 starts with the Dodgers, the longest streak by any pitcher to begin his career with the club in the last 100 years.
James Shields wasn't much better, though he lasted a whole lot longer. After breezing through the first, the Royals' ace allowed four runs, seven hits and a walk in seven innings.
Shields gave away the 1-0 lead that Cain supplied with his leadoff homer when Kemp went deep in the second. Shields then allowed two more runs in the third on consecutive triples by Gordon and Puig - Gordon scored on a balk by Shields - and a groundout by Gonzalez.
The Royals got one back in the fourth on Mike Moustakas's RBI single, but Los Angeles restored its cushion in the fifth when Gordon singled, swiped second and scored on Puig's double.
Kansas City finally squared things in the bottom half. Dyson led off with a homer, his first in 277 at-bats, and Billy Butler's groundout was enough to score Cain from third.
But when the game came down to a battle of bullpens, the Dodgers' proved to be better.
NOTES: Davis last allowed a run April 23, at Cleveland. ... The Dodgers selected the contract of 1B Clint Robinson from Triple-A Albuquerque and designated INF Jamie Romak for assignment. ... Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said 3B Juan Uribe (hamstring) could be activated Thursday. ... The Royals have Thursday off. The Dodgers open a series against St. Louis.
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