No sweat: Astros blast to 10th in row

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Manager A.J. Hinch wiped the sweat from his face Saturday after watching his Astros win their 10th straight game, but he hasn’t been sweating many outcomes.

The Astros’ latest solid start came from Dallas Keuchel, who allowed the Royals two unearned runs over six innings. Their latest offense came from Max Stassi and Alex Bregman, who belted three-run homers. And their latest victory was a 10-2 rout as the heat index eclipsed 100 degrees.

“I’m really happy with how consistently the guys are showing up expecting to win, and then going out and doing it,” said Hinch, whose team is a seasonhigh 22 games over .500. “We’re a hard team to beat right now.”

No matter the conditions: The blazing sun and oppressive heat sent Stassi and Astros first baseman Yuli Gurriel to the clubhouse with dehydration.

“Winning streak, no winning streak, it doesn’t matter,” said Bregman. “We just play our game.”

The Astros have won the first nine games on their 10-game road swing, already making it the best trip in club history with the series finale still to come Sunday.

Coincidentally, the Astros’ 11game winning streak last season ended in Kansas City.

Keuchel (4-8) has begun to emerge from a monthlong funk, allowing six hits in six innings. The 2015 AL Cy Young Award winner had surrendered 17 runs over his last three outings and had not won since tossing seven scoreless innings May 13 against the Rangers.

Meanwhile, the Royals have lost five straight and are 2-12 since the calendar flipped to June. On the upside, Drew Butera snapped a 0-for-16 skid and Alex Gordon ended a 0-for-13 slump, both with singles.