PHOENIX -- All good things must come to an end, and so it was for the Diamondbacks' string of strong starts.
Arizona starters had a 2.13 ERA in the past eight games, and Wade Miley had pitched the best game of the bunch, throwing 6 2/3 scoreless innings in a victory at Cincinnati on July 30. But Miley was not himself Tuesday, and Kansas City took early advantage.
"I flat-out sucked," Miley said after giving up two home runs and being charged with a career-high 10 earned runs.
"That one is on me. It was a bad day. Everything I threw was in the middle of the plate. You can't find success up here when you are living in the middle of the plate."
Salvador Perez and Billy Butler had three-run homers off Miley, who also two wild pitches, one of which led to a run and the other coming on a strikeout to opposing starter Danny Duffy to prolong an eight-run fifth inning. Miley was charged with his final three runs when Nori Aoki hit a grand slam on the first pitch from reliever Bo Schultz.
"He left his change-up and gave up a couple of home runs off that," Arizona manager Kirk Gibson said "When Aoki came up, Bo threw it in his 'no' zone."
Miley has given up 20 home runs this season, but he had allowed only one in his previous seven starts.
DID YOU NOTICE?
Kansas City left fielder Alex Gordon gets the same kind of respect accorded for former D-backs right fielder Gerardo Parra. Mark Trumbo hit a line drive high off the left field fence Tuesday, but when it bounced right back to Gordon, Trumbo did not think about going for second. Gordon has six assists this season, and his 60 assists since 2011 are the most among major league outfielders, 15 more than Parra, who is second.
STAT OF THE GAME
3 -- It took Kansas City three swings to score 10 runs, on a grand slam by Nori Aoki and three-run homers by Salvador Perez and Billy Butler
*When it rained on Royals starter Danny Duffy, it poured. Kansas City had scored eight runs when Duffy was in the game in his eight previous starts, but they scored that many in the fifth inning. It was 11-0 when Duffy, who struck out seven, left after five innings.
*A.J. Pollock had a single in five at-bats and Cliff Pennington had two singles, a walk and a stolen base for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday. Pennington is a little closer to returning, manager Kirk Gibson said, but both could be back by the time the D-backs begin their next road trip Tuesday in Cleveland.
*Mark Trumbo reached a milestone, appearing in his 500th career game. He had two hits, the only D-back with multiple hits, and continued to use the whole field. He singled to left (off the fence) and doubled into the gap in right-center field.
*Third base prospect Jake Lamb is off to a good start at Triple-A Reno. He had an RBI double and stole a base on Tuesday and is 9-for-18 with a home run and four doubles since being promoted from Double-A Mobile. He is a top contender for the third base job in 2015.
Arizona rookies have a National League-high 371 games played, according to STATS, LLC. Seven played Tuesday -- center fielder Ender Inciarte, outfielder Alfredo Marte, shortstop Nick Ahmed, right-hander Bo Schultz, outfielder Roger Kieschnick, catcher Tuffy Gosewisch and outfielder David Peralta. Inciarte singled and scored one of the D-backs' two runs while reaching base for the 13th time in his last 14 games.
