Bannister Pitches Complete Game for KC

Brian Bannister threw his second career complete game and outpitched Francisco Liriano, who was making his first start since 2006, as the Kansas City Royals snapped a three-game skid with a 5-1 victory Sunday over the Minnesota Twins. Bannister gave up only three hits, walking one and striking out three. In three starts, he’s allowed only two earned runs for an ERA of 0.86.

Liriano, an All-Star as a rookie sensation in 2006, gave up six hits, walked five and struck out four in his first major league appearance since undergoing Tommy John surgery 17 months ago. The big left-hander went 4 2-3 innings and gave up four runs. He threw 90 pitches —51 for strikes. (More MLB stories.)