Royals top White Sox, 5-2 / LJWorld.com

Archive for Sunday, September 21, 2008

The Associated Press

September 21, 2008

Kansas City, Mo. — Kyle Davies may have discovered something that he can take into the 2009 season.

Davies gave up three hits in seven-plus innings, his third strong outing in his past four starts, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox, 5-2, Saturday night.

David DeJesus hit an inside-the-park home run, and Alex Gordon and Kila Ka'aihue also homered for the Royals, who won for the eighth time in nine games. The White Sox have lost nine of their past 13 road games.

The White Sox remained 21â2 games in front of the Minnesota Twins, who lost 7-2 at Tampa Bay earlier Saturday, in the American League Central.

Davies (8-7), who has allowed just seven hits and two runs in 15 innings in winning his past two starts, yielded leadoff singles to Orlando Cabrera and Jim Thome in the first and second innings, but erased both with double plays. Davies faced the minimum number of batters in the first seven innings, retiring 17 in a row in one stretch.

Joakim Soria worked the ninth to log his 41st save in 44 opportunities, but not before some dramatics. He walked Dewayne Wise to lead off the inning, and A.J. Pierzynski reached on an infield single. Jermaine Dye drove a pitch to the left-field bullpen fence, where Mark Teahen caught it, before Soria struck out Thome to end the game.