Kansas City’s Duffy faces DUI charge

Royals pitcher Danny Duffy refused to make any excuses after he was cited for driving under the influence in Overland Park, Kan., last weekend, an embarrassing headache for a club already struggling on the field.

Smart move, too, because his boss wasn’t in the mood to hear any.

“Look, when these types of situations happen, I’m not interested in any alibis,” said Royals general manager Dayton Moore, who spoke Tuesday shortly after Duffy read a statement in which he expressed regret and asked for forgiveness from his fans. “I’m not interested in any excuses. There are no excuses.”

Duffy had left the Royals’ road trip to return to Kansas City for an MRI exam on his ailing left elbow.

Duffy did not discuss the circumstances surrounding the incident, including whether alcohol was a factor. But a WHB radio report said Duffy fell asleep in a Burger King drive-through, and that Duffy, when roused, asked one of the drivers behind him to drive his car to avoid an arrest.

Duffy signed a $65 million, five-year contract extension earlier this year. He was 8-8 with a 3.78 ERA when he went on the disabled list Saturday.

Astros’ holding pattern: There’s still been no official announcement on where the Astros will play this weekend’s “home” series against the New York Mets, though it likely will be Tropicana Field. If the team, which begins a 10-game trip after facing the Mets, remains in St. Petersburg, Fla., through Sunday it will wind up playing 19 consecutive games away from Minute Maid Park.

“Nineteen-day trips are never easy, if that’s what it turns out to be, but it’s also a time when you want to be there with all the chaos going on in Houston,” Astros broadcaster Todd Kalas said. “It’s a very emotional time for a lot of the guys involved. Many of them have family members who have either had to evacuate or are in the process of evacuating, so it’s nonstop communication back home and certainly a lot of concern and fear.”

Briefly: Toronto optioned right-hander Leonel Campos to Triple-A Buffalo to make room for former A’s left-hander Brett Anderson, who started Tuesday, and granted former Giants outfielder Nori Aoki his unconditional release . ... The Arizona Republic reported that Diamondbacks shortstop Nick Ahmed, who was on a minorleague rehab assignment, has a broken right wrist after being hit by a pitch . ... Six-time All-Star Joe Nathan will announce his retirement in a news conference at Target Field on Friday, the Twins announced.