Kansas City, MO (Sports Network) - Jose Guillen finished 3-for-4 with a home run and drove in two, and Brian Bannister pitched 7 1/3 strong innings, as Kansas City clobbered Cleveland, 6-1, in the rubber match of a three-game set from Kauffman Stadium.

Mark Grudzielanek hit a two-run homer and scored twice while Alex Gordon knocked in a pair for the Royals, who won the final two games of the series after a 12-game losing streak.

Bannister (5-6) put together one of his better performances of the season, scattering five hits and one run with four strikeouts and winning for the first time in four starts.

Grady Sizemore added a solo homer for the Indians, who have dropped three of their last four.

Cleveland starter Paul Byrd (2-5) was charged with the loss after allowing nine hits and six runs over just 4 1/3 frames.

"I had a chance to go out there and give a better performance and help us win a series," Byrd lamented. "To not be able to do that off the heels of our slide is frustrating."

Grudzielanek made it a 6-0 game in the fifth with the blast to left -- his first home run of the season -- and the Indians were held in check by Bannister until Sizemore's solo homer with one out in the eighth ended his outing.

Cleveland's only threat in the contest came in the fifth inning, as Franklin Gutierrez singled and Andy Marte reached base on Alberto Callaspo's fielding error. Bannister worked out of the situation by fanning Kelly Shoppach and inducing an inning-ending double-play from Sizemore.

Ramon Ramirez finished the game with 1 2/3 shutout innings, striking out three and allowing one hit.

Guillen's second-inning solo homer put the Royals on the board, then KC went up 4-0 in their next at-bat after Gordon's two-run double and Guillen's RBI single.

"It was like a half-swing. I was just trying to put my hand inside," Guillen said of his stroke on the homer. "I never thought the ball was going to go, but it looked like in a day game the ball travels much better here than in a night game."