Thome a late scratch vs. Royals

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Jim Thome's climb up the home run charts has been put on hold.

The Minnesota Twins designated hitter was a late scratch for the series finale against Kansas City on Thursday night. The team says Thome was scratched for precautionary reasons with a mild abdominal strain. He is listed as day-to-day.

Thome hit four homers in his last three games, including two that had the Target Field distance estimators scrambling to come up with an accurate measurement. His 480-footer on Monday hit the top of the flag pole in deep right field.

He followed that up with a 452-foot drive that landed well past the seats in right field. That was homer No. 586 for the 40-year-old slugger and it moved him into a tie with Frank Robinson for eighth on the career list.