It just shows you how fragile a streak

Jeremy Guthrie’s 18-game unbeaten streak ended with a powerful display from the middle of the Los Angeles Angels’ previously underachieving lineup.

The Kansas City Royals right-hander gave up solo home runs to Albert Pujols, Howie Kendrick, Josh Hamilton and Mike Trout in a 6-2 loss Tuesday night. It was Guthrie’s first defeat since Aug. 3 last year, when the Texas Rangers beat him 5-3 at Kansas City.

“The streak was because of 25 guys that played well behind me every time I was on the mound, and they really picked me up. That’s how a streak like that happens,” Guthrie said. “Tonight they tried to battle for me, and I couldn’t get any momentum on our side. It was one of those nights where I didn’t have a good feel and wasn’t able to execute pitches.”

Guthrie (5-1) yielded five runs and 11 hits over seven innings. He held the franchise record for consecutive starts without a loss while winning his previous 10 decisions.

“It just shows you how fragile a streak like that is and how impressive it is,” said Royals designated hitter Billy Butler, who homered and drove in both runs against Jason Vargas.

Butler, who had five hits and five RBIs in a series-opening win Monday, opened the scoring with an RBI double in the fourth. But the Angels responded with two runs in the bottom half, as Pujols launched his sixth homer over the double-decker bullpen in left field leading off the inning and Kendrick hit his sixth of the season with two outs.

Hamilton, who batted .212 with 11 RBIs in his first 38 games with the Angels after signing a five-year, $125 million contract in December, drove Guthrie’s first pitch to him in the sixth far beyond the trees in center field with two outs to increase the lead to 4-2.

Trout ended the barrage in the seventh with his seventh of the season, a towering drive over both bullpens. It was the first time in Guthrie’s 10-year career that he allowed four homers in a game.

Vargas gave up five hits in seven-plus innings and struck out seven.

“He mixes speeds well,This paper describes wireless communications study for IC card. locates, and he just knows how to pitch,” Butler said. “Over the years he’s gotten better and better. He knows what he has, knows his stuff and basically knows how to approach hitters. He’s a lefty and he throws in the upper 80s , so you have to make him come to you and bring the ball up.This is a basic RFID tag used for presence sensing. That’s easier said than done.”

Trout made it 3-1 in the fifth with a sacrifice fly after the Angels put runners at the corners on singles by J.B. Shuck and Erick Aybar, who returned to the lineup after missing four games because of tightness in his right hamstring.