Lucas Duda homered, Rosell Herrera had three hits including an RBI double and the Kansas City Royals defeated the visiting Toronto Blue Jays 6-2 Thursday night to gain a split in the four-game series.

The game was delayed 2 hours, 14 minutes by rain at the start.

Glenn Sparkman, who was with the Blue Jays briefly as a Rule 5 draft pick before being returned to the Royals last July after two outings with Toronto, was making his first career major league start and his ninth appearance of the season.

Sparkman allowed two runs, four hits and one walk while striking out three in four innings.

Brian Flynn (3-3) allowed a hit and a walk in one-plus innings to pick up the win.

Toronto starter Sam Gaviglio (2-6), who was with the Royals last season, pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing five runs, eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts. He has not won since May 25, a span of 15 starts.

The Blue Jays scored once in the second. Teoscar Hernandez walked, Kevin Pillar doubled and Danny Jansen hit a sacrifice fly.

Duda led off the bottom of the second with his 11th home run of the season.

The Blue Jays regained the lead in the top of the fourth. Justin Smoak singled, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single by Kendrys Morales.

The Royals led 4-2 after a three-run bottom of the fourth.

Herrera singled, took second on a balk and scored on a triple by Jorge Bonifacio. Ryan O'Hearn hit an RBI single and scored on Hunter Dozier's double.

Flynn replaced Sparkman and pitched around a fifth-inning single.

Tim Mayza replaced Gaviglio with one out in the fifth after Alex Gordon walked and Salvador Perez singled. The left-hander allowed Herrera's two-out RBI double.

Kevin McCarthy replaced Flynn in the top of the sixth after Morales led off with a walk and worked around an infield hit and a seventh-inning single.

The Royals scored a run against Jake Petricka in the bottom of the sixth. Dozier singled, advanced on Adalberto Mondesi's sacrifice and scored on Whit Merrifield's single.

Kansas City's Brandon Maurer pitched around an eighth-inning walk. Wily Peralta pitched a perfect ninth.

Toronto won the season series, 5-2.

--Field Level Media