Kansas City, Mo ? With the game tied at 3 in the bottom of the ninth, Kansas City manager Tony Pena wanted Michael Tucker to bunt.

But bench coach Bob Scheafer talked him into changing his mind, and the switch helped the Kansas City Royals extend their longest winning streak in seven years.

Tucker hit a two-run homer off Damaso Marte to cap a three-run rally in the ninth inning as the Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-3, for their seventh straight victory.

“Scheafer was next to me,” Pena said. “He turned to me and said, ‘I got a hunch. I want him to hit.’ Then when he got the hit, I jumped like a little kid. It was great.”

It was the third homer in three games for Tucker, who had been struggling most of the year.

“I was just thinking about getting a hit, and he left one right over the plate,” Tucker said.

Kansas City, which hadn’t won seven straight since 1995, trailed 3-2 before Carlos Beltran homered leading off the ninth against Mark Buehrle, who allowed five hits in eight innings.

Marte (1-1) relieved and gave up a single to Raul Ibanez ahead of Tucker’s homer.

Paul Byrd (13-6) tied Derek Lowe for the AL lead in wins, allowing 10 hits in his third complete game of the season. Byrd kept the White Sox from scoring in the fifth after they advanced runners to second and third with no outs. He retired the last 15 batters, finishing with three strikeouts and no walks.

“I think we all felt relief when Buehrle walked off the mound,” Byrd said. “I want no part of that guy. He throws strikes. He doesn’t mess around.”

The White Sox have lost six of their last seven and 10 of 14.

Kenny Lofton put Chicago ahead in the first with his 99th career homer, his 22nd leading off a game.

Ibanez, tied his career high with 54 RBIs when he hit a run-scoring double in the bottom half of the first.

Royce Clayton hit a two-run double in the third, but Brandon Berger’s fifth-inning homer pulled the Royals to within a run.

“We ran into a hot team and it seemed like everything is going right for them,” Buehrle said. “It’s very frustrating.”

Kansas City won without first baseman Mike Sweeney, who missed his sixth straight game with stiffness in his back.