Dodgers 5, Royals 4: A.J. Ellis was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two outs in the eighth inning to push across the decisive run as Los Angeles edged host Kansas City.

Ellis was hit on the left arm by Wade Davis (5-2) to force in Andre Ethier from third as the Dodgers won for the fourth time in five games. Dee Gordon went 4-for-5 and scored twice for Los Angeles, while Lorenzo Cain and Jarrod Dyson hit solo homers for the Royals, who have lost six of their last seven.

Jamey Wright (3-2) struck out four in 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief and Brian Wilson worked the ninth for his first save of the season. Danny Valencia had a one-out single in the bottom of the ninth and pinch runner Pedro Ciriaco originally was called out stealing second before Kansas City successfully challenged the call, but Cain followed by lining into a game-ending double play.

Cain homered in the first to give Kansas City the early lead before Los Angeles tied the contest on Matt Kemp’s blast in the second. Gordon tripled in the third and scored on a balk by Royals starter James Shields and Yasiel Puig tripled later in the inning and came home on Adrian Gonzalez’s sacrifice fly to left.

Mike Moustakas stroked a run-scoring single in the fourth to bring the Royals within one, but Puig delivered an RBI double an inning later to restore the two-run lead. Dyson homered in the fifth and Billy Butler drove in another run with a groundout to tie it at 4-4.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dodgers SS Hanley Ramirez (shoulder) sat out his second straight game. … Shields allowed four runs and seven hits in seven innings while counterpart Dan Haren gave up four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 frames. … Los Angeles recalled 1B Clint Robinson from Triple-A Albuquerque while INF-OF Jamie Romak was designated for assignment to open a roster spot.