Royals rally to beat White Sox 8-7

[May 06, 2009]  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- John Buck lined a game-winning single with the bases loaded in the 11th inning to help the Kansas City Royals complete an 8-7 comeback victory over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday night.

Kansas City came back from a 4-0 deficit to tie it at 7-all on Billy Butler's run-scoring single in the seventh. Mitch Maier set up the winning run by walking with one out, then went to third on Willie Bloomquist's hit-and-run single off Lance Broadway (0-1). Alberto Callaspo was intentionally walked and Buck lined the next pitch just past third baseman Josh Fields.

Juan Cruz (2-0) pitched the 11th to set up Buck's game-winner. Mike Jacobs hit a long three-run homer and Callaspo added a solo shot and a run-scoring double for the Royals, who have won four straight and six of seven.

Jermaine Dye and Josh Fields returned from hand injuries to homer and Scott Podsednik drove in two runs for Chicago, which had 16 hits. A.J. Pierzynzki had four hits and Carlos Quentin three, but the White Sox stranded 13 runners on to lose four straight to Kansas City for the first time since 2003.

The White Sox staked starter Gavin Floyd to a a 4-0 lead in three innings and he gave it all back, allowing a solo homer to Callapso in the third inning and a three-run, 441-foot shot to Jacobs in the fourth. The right-hander ran into trouble again in the sixth inning, chased after a leadoff walk to Jose Guillen and Butler's single.

Callaspo followed with a run-scoring double off Matt Thornton, who later walked Coco Crisp with the bases loaded to cut the White Sox's lead to 7-6.

Floyd allowed six runs and six hits in his second shaky outing the past three starts.

Royals starter Kyle Davies wasn't any better, giving up two homers, six runs and eight hits in four innings. Fields led off the third inning with a homer and Dye, back after two games, hit a two-run shot three batters later to put the White Sox up 4-0.

The Royals crept back within one, but Davies gave up another run in the fourth on Carlos Quentin's RBI single and was done after Dye's leadoff single in the fifth. Alexei Ramirez followed with a run-scoring single off Robinson Tejeda and Podsednik made it 7-4 with a sacrifice fly.

Notes: Royals C Bryan Pena, who opened the season in the majors, cleared outright waivers and was assigned to Triple-A Omaha. ... Quentin leads the majors with seven hit-by-pitches after being plunked by Davies in the first inning. ... Chicago's Jim Thome walked three times, moving one past Harmon Killebrew for 14th all-time with 1,561.

[Associated Press; By JOHN MARSHALL]

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