Anaheim, Calif. ? Paul Abbott was exactly where he wanted to be.

Abbott combined with Jeremy Affeldt on a five-hitter, and Kansas City got home runs from Aaron Guiel and Ken Harvey to beat Anaheim, 3-0, Sunday afternoon.

The Royals remained three games behind Minnesota and Chicago in the AL Central race after earning a split of the four-game series.

Abbott (1-0) earned his first major-league win since April 13, 2002. He had shoulder surgery in the summer of 2002.

“It’s probably better off for me to come back in this kind of situation, because I have to pitch well right away — instead of feeling my way around the arm surgery,” Abbott said.

“We’re in a pennant race, which is something I hadn’t been a part of since I was healthy. So it’s like not missing a beat — in terms of the circumstances. Now I have to put a premium on pitching, which is a plus for me.”

Abbott helped pitch Seattle to the ALCS in 2000 and 2001. The Royals got him Aug. 8 from Arizona after he began the season with the Diamondbacks’ Triple-A team in Tucson.

“I thought I’d be back around the middle of May,” Abbott said. “I talked to some guys who have had labrum surgeries, and they said they were back in 6-8 months. I didn’t get back until over a year, so it was frustrating.”

In his fifth start with the Royals, Abbott allowed five hits over seven innings while striking out three and walking none. He has allowed just two earned runs and seven hits 171/3 innings over his last three starts.

Had Abbott kept his pitch count down, manager Tony Pena said he would have allowed the 10-year veteran to try for his first shutout in 90 career starts. But he spent 13 pitches during one at-bat by Scott Spiezio, who fouled off eight straight pitches before grounding out to second in the third inning.

“My pitch count would have been in half if it wasn’t for that at-bat,” Abbott joked. “I told him, ‘Next time, just tell me where you want it.’ I got him on a fastball down the middle. That one confused him, I guess.”

Jeremy Affeldt pitched two innings for his third save.

The Royals, who haven’t won a season series from the Angels since 1996, won only three of the nine meetings this year against the World Series champions. All three wins were shutouts.

Guiel, who hit his first career leadoff home run last Thursday against Arizona’s Randy Johnson, did it again against John Lackey (9-14). He tucked a 1-2 pitch just inside the right-field pole for 14th of the season and 10th on the road.

“I had him where I wanted him, but I just missed my spot with the pitch,” Lackey said. “I tried to go up and in, and I put it down and in.”

Joe Randa followed with a single, and would have been forced at second on Mike Sweeney’s potential double-play grounder to third. But second baseman Adam Kennedy crossed the bag before catching Shawn Wooten’s throw, and all hands were safe as Sweeney beat the relay to first.

The Royals converted Kennedy’s error into an unearned run when Lackey threw a wild pitch and Carlos Beltran hit a sacrifice fly.

Harvey, 8-for-18 in the series, made it 3-0 in the sixth with his 12th homer.

Lackey lowered his ERA to a season-best 4.84 despite losing for the sixth time in his last eight decisions.

Notes: Pena carries two books with him for inspiration: “Twenty-one Indispensable Qualities of a Leader,” and “In pursuit of Excellence.” … Ramon Ortiz won’t be able to make his next scheduled start on Tuesday night at Oakland because of the death of his father, Alfonso, on Saturday night. The Angels right-hander is back home in the Dominican Republic until the funeral. … RHP Chris Bootcheck, the Angels’ No. 1 draft pick in 2000, will make his major league in Ortiz’s place. … Angels RF Tim Salmon did not start because of a stiff back, but said before the game that his condition wouldn’t be enough to keep him out of the lineup if the team was still in contention.