The last two times Kyle Davies started, temperatures in Kansas City were in the muggy 90s. Davies won both games but didn&#8217;t go as long as he would have liked.</p><p>Davies starts tonight against Minnesota to begin a three-game series at Kauffman Stadium. He hasn&#8217;t checked to see how hot it will be.</p><p>&#8220;You play baseball in the summer; you know it&#8217;s going to be hot. You can&#8217;t worry about that stuff,&#8221; Davies said. &#8220;When it&#8217;s hot, you&#8217;ve still got to go out and play.&#8221;</p><p>The conditions for his next start should be much more bearable. The temperature is supposed to be in the 80s.</p><p>His greater concern is to go deeper into games. Davies, 5-2, won those last two starts, but he went only five innings in a 6-1 victory over Tampa Bay and 5 1/3 innings in a 9-7 win against Chicago. Davies gave up three runs against the White Sox.</p><p>In July, Davies was able to go more than six innings only once: July 13, when he went seven innings, gave up three runs and got a no-decision.</p><p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t want to give up runs, but you also want to make sure you go deep into games,&#8221; Davies said. &#8220;One of the reasons you are a starting pitcher is to go out there and go as long as you can. Four or five innings is not very good for the team.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">The race</span></strong></p><p>It&#8217;s been five years since the Royals have played any meaningful late-season games, so even the slightest hope of reaching the playoffs might infect fans with a mild case of pennant fever.</p><p>A glimmer existed after the Royals beat Boston on Monday and closed within 9 1/2 games of first place in the AL Central. But after two straight losses, the Royals entered Thursday&#8217;s games 11 1/2 games back.</p><p>With seven weeks left in this season and memories of how Colorado and Philadelphia rallied to make the playoffs last year, perhaps the Royals can get on a similar run.</p><p>&#8220;I know there have been teams that have done it before that were worse off than us,&#8221; Royals catcher John Buck said. &#8220;Obviously, a lot of good things have got to happen right and in things we can&#8217;t control.</p><p>&#8220;I think if we continue to play good baseball and play the type of baseball we are capable of, good things will fall into place.&#8221;</p><p>The Royals have nine games left with second-place Minnesota and six games with first-place Chicago.</p><p>&#8220;We have a big series with Minnesota,&#8221; Billy Butler said. &#8220;They are ahead of us in the standings. If we can do something in that series, it gives us a better chance.&#8221;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Hot Royals</span></strong></p><p>Butler is 11 for 21 so far on the homestand. He has knocked in six runs and scored five.</p><p>Alex Gordon singled Wednesday and extended his hitting streak to five games. He&#8217;s eight for 16 over that stretch.