KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Left-hander Hector Santiago's name will have to be a short list for American League pitcher of the month.

Santiago pitched splendidly into the sixth inning and Albert Pujols had three hits and drove in four runs as the Los Angeles Angels topped the Kansas City Royals 6-2 Monday.

Santiago is 6-0 in eight starts since a June 10 loss to Cleveland. Santiago, who is 2-0 with a career 1.69 ERA at Kauffman Stadium, went 5-0 in July with a 1.48 ERA.

"It's great to have a four-run lead, especially against a team like that," Santiago said. "Those guys are grinders. You're not going to have an easy at-bat. That's where my pitch count well up. I put myself in good counts, but they battled and made me make some pitches."

Santiago (9-4) limited the Royals to two runs on five hits over 5 1/3 innings.

"I thought early on that he had good command, had good life on his fastball and was hitting spots," Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. "He had a good change-up tonight. As the game went on I think he got a little bit tired. He ran out of gas in the sixth. That's a tough lineup to get through. He pitched a great game for us."

Pujols upped his RBI total to 76, including a big-league best 26 in July. He lined a single to right in the seventh to score Mike Trout. His ninth-inning single scored Johnny Giavotella to cap the Angels' scoring.

After Santiago left, the Royals did not get a hit off Angels relievers J.C. Ramirez, Fernando Salas, Cam Bedrosian and Huston Street. Bedrosian struck out the side in the eighth.

The Angels batted around in a four-run first inning against Ian Kennedy, who required 36 pitches in the inning. Yunel Escobar led off with a single, and Kennedy proceeded to walk Kole Calhoun and Trout on nine pitches to load the bases.

Pujols, who went to Fort Osage High about 15 miles from Kauffman Stadium, hit a ground ball single up the middle to score Escobar and Calhoun. Daniel Nava's sacrifice fly to center fielder Paulo Orlando scored Trout. Pujols stopped at third on Ji-Man Choi's double and scored on Carlos Perez's infield single.

"It just stinks," Kennedy said. "That was a big inning and put us behind the eight ball right away. All I could tell myself to do, is you can't do anything about it. I just hoped to keep us in the game as long as possible and I wanted to go through six innings and hand the ball off."

Salvador Perez, who was 3-for-21 with no RBIs on this homestand before Monday, homered with Eric Hosmer aboard in the fourth, cutting the Angels' lead to 4-2. Perez smacked a first-pitch offering from Santiago into the Royals' bullpen, an estimated 387 feet. Hosmer reached base in an unusual matter for him -- a bunt.

"Command was off," Royals manager Ned Yost said of Kennedy's opening inning. "He got through the first and then came back in and made some adjustments and did a nice job of holding it right there, giving us a chance to crawl back in. Salvy's big two-run homer was nice, cut the deficit to two, but we just couldn't do anything after that."

The Royals loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth against Santiago, but came away empty. Alcides Escobar and Cheslor Cuthbert had infield singles. Cuthbert was initially called out, but after a Royals challenge it was overturned after a 66-second delay. Hosmer walked to load the bases, but Santiago struck out Kendrys Morales on three pitches to end the threat and inning.

Kennedy left after five innings and one batter, throwing 106 pitches. He was replaced by Peter Moylan after Choi reached on a Cuthbert fielding error to start the sixth. Kennedy was charged with four runs, all in the disastrous first, on six hits, four of those in the first.

NOTES: On whether the Royals will be sellers or buyers before the July 31 trading deadline, Royals general manager Dayton Moore said before the game, "We've just got to keep it in perspective. There is a lot of baseball left. There's been many a baseball team that have entered September several games out making the playoffs." ... Angels RHP Nick Tropeano went to New York for a second opinion from Dr. David Altchek on a torn elbow ligament. ... Royals OF Lorenzo Cain, who is on the disabled list with a strained left hamstring, will begin a minor league rehab assignment Tuesday, joining Triple-A Omaha. ... Angels SS Andrelton Simmons entered the game with a .404 batting average, 38-for-94, since June 23. ... LHP Tyler Skaggs, who has not appeared in a big league game since July 31, 2014, and undergoing Tommy John surgery, will start Tuesday for the Angels. RHP Dillon Gee will make his sixth start for the Royals.