[May 21, 2014]KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Adam Dunn did
it.
The White Sox first baseman Adam Dunn smoked a three-run homer, and
Chicago held off the Kansas City Royals 7-6 Tuesday night.
Dunn homered to straightaway center on a 2-2 pitch in the eighth
from Royals right-hander Aaron Crow to give the White Sox a 7-2
lead.
"I think it was a fastball," Dunn said. "When it gets to two
strikes, I just try to put it in play. I was trying to get it in the
air and stay out of a double play."
Second baseman Gordon Beckham and third baseman Conor Gillaspie were
along for the ride, each singling before Dunn's blast.
"It was a mistake and I paid for it," Crow said. "It was a fastball.
I was trying to go sinker, down and away. I've struck Dunn out a few
times on sinkers down and away. I was trying to get him to swing
over the top. I just didn't execute. I left it middle in."
The Royals climbed back into the game with a three-run eighth. First
baseman Eric Hosmer doubled, and designated hitter Billy Butler
walked. Hosmer scored on left fielder Alex Gordon's groundout, and
center fielder Lorenzo Cain singled home Butler. Cain wound up
scoring on a Frank Francisco wild pitch.
Chicago right-hander Ronald Belisario worked the ninth for his first
save, but he gave up a run. Butler doubled with two outs, and Gordon
singled him home. Belisario struck out center fielder Lorenzo Cain
to end the game with pinch runner Jarrod Dyson on second.
"That's pretty cool," Belisario said of the save. "All that matters
is I just have to keep doing my job."
Right-hander Andre Rienzo (4-0) limited the Royals to two runs on
five hits over six innings to pick up the victory. He struck out a
career-high eight and walked two.
"He's been sharp," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "He's been
giving us a chance."
Kansas City right-hander Yordano Ventura (2-4) was tagged with the
loss, yielding four runs on seven hits in six innings.
Third baseman Conor Gillaspie tripled to right and scored on right
fielder Dayan Viciedo's two-out first-inning single to center,
giving the White Sox a 1-0 lead.
The Royals forged ahead 2-1 in the second. Rienzo walked Butler and
hit Gordon with a pitch to begin the inning. Third baseman Danny
Valencia drove in both with a double to right-center.
Catcher Tyler Flowers homered and Yordano Ventura took a walk on the
wild side in the White Sox's three-run fifth. Flowers won an
eight-pitch battle with Ventura before belting a pitch out of the
park to left.
"With the home run, I felt I could get him out with a curveball,"
Ventura said with teammate Bruce Chen acting as interpreter. "I left
it up, and the guy reacted really well and he hit it out."
Center fielder Adam Eaton doubled to left, advanced to third on a
Ventura wild pitch and scored on Beckham's soft liner off the glove
of a leaping Valencia. Beckham moved to second on a Ventura pitch in
the dirt that eluded catcher Brett Hayes, took third on a groundout
and scored on Ventura's third wild pitch of the inning.
NOTES: The White Sox placed RHP Matt Lindstrom on the disabled list
with a left ankle injury, and he returned to Chicago for further
examination. Manager Robin Ventura did not name a closer to replace
Lindstrom, who has six saves, but RHP Ronald Belisario closed out
Tuesday's win. ... Chicago called up RHP Javy Guerra from Triple-A
Charlotte, where he was 1-1 with a 2.33 ERA and three saves in 14
relief appearances. ... The Royals called up C Francisco Pena, who
was hitting .240 with nine home runs with Triple-A Omaha. C Salvador
Perez is out with swelling in his right thumb, but manager Ned Yost
is optimistic he could return Saturday, thus avoiding the disabled
list. ... INF Johnny Giavotella, who had a .176 batting average in
10 games, was optioned to Omaha. ... White Sox LHP Chris Sale (left
flexor muscle strain) threw a bullpen session Tuesday with no
problems. He could be activated this weekend for a start against the
New York Yankees.
