ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Danny Duffy pitched eight innings of one-hit ball and had a franchise-record 16 strikeouts to lead the Kansas City Royals to a 3-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night.

Duffy flirted with the Royals’ first no-hitter in nearly 25 years before giving up a line-drive double to Desmond Jennings leading off the Tampa Bay eighth.

Kansas City's Danny Duffy threw no-hit ball for seven innings before giving up a leadoff double in the eighth in a 3-1 win over Tampa Bay on Monday at St. Petersburg, Fla. Associated Press/Chris O'Meara

Jennings came off the disabled list Monday after missing all of July with a strained hamstring.

Kendrys Morales’ 18th home run, a towering shot over the center field wall off Rays starter Chris Archer (5-15), got the Royals on the scoreboard in the seventh.

Kelvin Herrera pitched the ninth for his second save.

Alcides Escobar and Lorenzo Cain drove in runs in the eighth for the Royals, who won for only the second time in 10 games.

Duffy, a 27-year-old left-hander who spent the first six weeks of the season in the bullpen, walked one. He struck out seven in his first trip through the Rays’ lineup, and did not allow a baserunner until walking Logan Forsythe to lead off the fourth.

Zach Greinke had set the Royals’ single-game strikeout record at 15 on Aug. 25, 2009.

TWINS 12, INDIANS 5: Rookie Max Kepler had three two-run homers and six RBI, leading Minnesota to a win at Cleveland.

The German-born Kepler homered off All-Star Danny Salazar in the first and third innings and hit another off Cody Anderson in the sixth. Kepler became the first Twin to homer three times in a game since Justin Morneau in 2007. He also had a single.

Joe Mauer was 4 for 4 and homered in the eighth off Andrew Miller, who was making his first appearance with Cleveland after being acquired Sunday from the Yankees.

Jose Berrios (2-1) retired 15 straight after a three-run first inning. The rookie right-hander, recalled from Triple-A Rochester before the game, allowed four hits in six innings.

Kepler began the season at Rochester but leads AL rookies in homers (14) and RBI (44). He has homered 13 times and driven in 37 runs since June 19.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

CUBS 5, MARLINS 0: Kyle Hendricks pitched a seven-hitter for his second career shutout, giving the Chicago bullpen a needed breather in a win at home.

After a wild, 12-inning win a night earlier in which Manager Joe Maddon used 22 players, Hendricks (10-7) threw 123 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.22, third-best in the majors. He allowed three walks and struck out five. Anthony Rizzo finished a home run shy of the cycle and reached base five times and Addison Russell had a two-run single in the first off wild Marlins starter Adam Conley (7-6).

INTERLEAGUE

YANKEES 6, METS 5: Starlin Castro hit a sacrifice fly in the 10th inning and the New York Yankees hardly resembled a team resigned to fading away after selling off their stars, rallying for a win in their Subway Series opener at Citi Field.

Hours after trading slugger Carlos Beltran and pitcher Ivan Nova before the non-waiver deadline, the Yankees snapped a four-game slide and won for the seventh time in the past nine meetings with their crosstown rivals.

Wilmer Flores and rookie Matt Reynolds homered for the skidding Mets, who lost their fifth in six games.

NOTES

RED SOX: Closer Craig Kimbrel returned to the team Monday, three weeks after surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee.

The All-Star was 0-1 with a 1.45 ERA and 17 saves in 19 opportunities before his surgery July 11. Opponents were hitting just .143 in his 19 save chances this season.

Kimbrel made his only rehab assignment for Triple-A Pawtucket on Saturday.

DODGERS: Yasiel Puig followed the team’s wishes when he didn’t show up to the stadium on Monday before the team departed on its road trip to Colorado, Manager Dave Roberts said.

Puig’s agent, Adam Katz, said the slugger expects to be sent to the minors after the club was unable to trade him at the deadline.

Katz expects Puig to be sent down Tuesday.

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