That trio carried the Royals last season. Witt finished second in the American League MVP race, Perez won a Silver Slugger Award and Pasquantino hammered out 19 home runs and 97 RBIs before a thumb injury cost him the final month of the season.

Kauffman Stadium has not been a friendly place to the Royals lately, but they were looking to change that against the Pirates on Monday evening.

Witt went 2 for 3 and scored twice to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Witt hit his 13th homer, a two-run shot the opposite way to right-center field off reliever Chase Shugart to give the Royals a 6-2 lead in the fourth. He added a sacrifice fly in the sixth.