Royals would like to see Gordon hit in No. 3 spot

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“We’re on the right track,” Hillman said. “We’ll see how his body feels (today).”

Bale appears likely to rejoin the staff as a reliever.

Power in the Far East

It only makes it worse, as the Royals struggle into the weekend with just 15 homers in 28 games, to see a couple of alums are muscling up in Japan.

First baseman Craig Brazell tops the Pacific League with 11 homers for the Seibu Lions, and outfielder Aaron Guiel leads the Central League with eight homers and 22 RBIs for the Yakult Swallows.

Minor details

•Right-hander Julio Pimentel produced his fourth straight “quality start” Thursday when he yielded just two earned runs in seven innings for Class AA Northwest Arkansas in a 9-6 victory at Springfield.

Pimentel, 22, is 2-2 with a 3.09 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 35 innings. He has allowed five earned runs in 27 2/3 innings in his last four starts.

•Infielder Mike Aviles extended his hitting streak to 13 games by going one for four in Class AAA Omaha’s 5-3 loss at Sacramento. Aviles is batting .358 overall and .393 in the streak.

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