Royals end spring on six-game winning streak

? The Kansas City Royals are ready to see what Alex Gordon can do with his revamped swing during the regular season.

Gordon went 0-for-2 in Kansas City’s 3-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday, but hit .343 with six homers and 23 RBIs during spring training. The outfielder changed his swing over the winter under the guidance of hitting coach Kevin Seitzer, and the Royals were so pleased with the results that manager Ned Yost moved Gordon to the third slot in the batting order.

“He had a great spring,” Yost said. “If he struggled, we wouldn’t even consider it.”

Gordon has not hit third since 2008, when he batted .221 with 10 homers and 36 RBIs batting in that slot. Gordon, the second player selected in the 2005 draft, is a career .244 hitter in 408 games.

Yost’s adjusted lineup has Billy Butler, a right-handed hitter, batting cleanup between Gordon and Kila Ka’aihue, two lefty batters.

“I’m trying to split the lefties between Kila and Gordon and put some speed in the order above Billy, trying to keep him out of some double-play situations,” Yost said.

The Royals break camp with six straight victories and a 20-10-1 record.

“Your whole goal is to play .500 and play consistent and we’ve gone way above that,” Yost said. “We’ve had a great spring. You look back over the spring, and we’ve really played one bad game. So consistency has been there in all phases of our game, and I’m very, very pleased with the way we’re finishing up spring training.”