LDN - Sports

Royals sneak past White Sox in 14 innings

[August 11, 2016] KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Lorenzo Cain's bad night turned into a good night with one swing.

Cain delivered a two-out, RBI single in the 14th inning as the Kansas City Royals edged by the Chicago White Sox 3-2 Wednesday night.

It was Cain's fifth career walk-off hit.

His single to center scored Christian Colon, who started the inning with a single. Paulo Orlando's sacrifice bunt moved Colon to second.

"For me, I was just telling myself to stay short and try to hit a line drive up the middle," Cain said. "I know (White Sox reliever Matt Albers) likes to throw a cutter and has a real good two-seamer. I was just trying to keep my hands inside the ball, as the best I could, and drive something up the middle.

"I ended up hitting a line drive. We got a chance to walk off, and now we're going home. It's a good feeling."

Colon raced home, ending the Royals' longest game of the year.

"I was trying to score, get a good jump," Colon said. "It was hit hard. I didn't know if it was going to land in front of (center fielder J.B. Shuck) and if he would have a play. ... Lo-Cain did it for us right there."

Cain was 0-for-6 before the game-winning hit.

"He was due," Royals manager Ned Yost said.

Dillon Gee (4-5), who was slated to start Saturday at Minnesota, pitched two innings to pick up the victory.

Albers (2-5) took the loss.

Tim Anderson's two-out, 11th-inning single scored Todd Frazier to put the White Sox up 2-1, but it was a short-lived lead.

Salvador Perez's double of David Robertson in the bottom of the inning scored Eric Hosmer to tie it at 2. Robertson blew a save chance for the second night in a row.

"It's tough to take a blown save, especially," Robertson said. "Last night was a little bit easier to take because we ended up coming back and winning it, but I still messed up (Chris) Sale's game, and he deserved a win. He pitched well enough. And tonight everybody played their butts off and I wasn't able to get it done."

The Royals wasted a golden opportunity to win it in the 13th, which Jarrod Dyson opened with a triple. Left-hander Dan Jennings struck out Drew Butera, Alex Gordon and Alcides Escobar to quell the threat.

Royals starter Ian Kennedy, who is winless since June 26, left after 6 1/3 innings and 104 pitches, having allowed a run on six hits.

The White Sox chased Kennedy in the seventh after Omar Narvaez walked and Tyler Saladino singled with one out. Brian Flynn replaced Kennedy, and on his second pitch, he gave up a single to center by Shuck, but center fielder Orlando threw out Narvaez at home as the runner attempted to score from second.

White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana was replaced by Nate Jones after giving up a double to Orlando with one out in the eighth. Jones promptly surrendered a double to rookie Cheslor Cuthbert to tie the game at 1.

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White Sox starting pitcher Jose Quintana (62) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In 7 1/3 innings, Quintana permitted one run on four hits, three of them singles, and one walk. He struck out five while throwing 64 strikes in 97 pitches.

"It was about a hundred (degrees) on the field, so again, even guys that were going out there for an inning were spent after an inning, so for him to go as long as he did was something," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said.

Kennedy gave up his major-league-leading 27th home run when No. 9 hitter Shuck turned on a 2-0 pitch and deposited it over the right field fence with one out in the third. It was Shuck's fourth home run and his first since June 26. Shuck was 2-for-24 (.083) in his previous eight games.

Kennedy had not allowed a home run in his two previous starts, going 20 1/3 innings between long balls.

The Royals frittered away a chance to score in the bottom of the third. Gordon hit a ground-ball single to start the inning. With one out, third baseman Frazier committed an error when Raul Mondesi's grounder went under his glove, allowing Gordon to race to third.

Quintana bailed out Frazier by striking out Orlando and retiring Cuthbert on a pop up to second base on the first pitch.

White Sox pitching coach Don Cooper said the magic word from the dugout and was ejected by plate umpire Pat Hoberg in the first inning. It was Cooper's second expulsion this season and the seventh of his career.

NOTES: Chicago 3B Todd Frazier shares the American League lead with 31 home runs. No White Sox player ever led the AL in homers. ... Royals LHP Brian Flynn appeared in a game for the first time since Aug. 3 at Tampa Bay. He gave up a hit to the only batter he faced. ... The Royals lost an extra-inning game Tuesday for the first time in five contests this season. ... White Sox RHP Miguel Gonzalez and Royals LHP Danny Duffy are the probable starters for the series finale Thursday. Expect to see Royals OF Jarrod Dyson in the lineup Thursday, as he is 8-for-10 off Gonzalez.

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