White Sox find another way to lose to Royals

[May 06, 2013]  KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Chicago White Sox have been finding different ways to lose during their recent skid.

A day after getting shutout on four hits, Chicago's bullpen failed to hold a two-run lead Sunday.

Alex Gordon hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th and the Royals, saved when Billy Butler sent the game into extra innings, rallied past the Chicago White Sox 6-5. Butler's two-out, two-run double in the ninth tied it for Kansas City.

"Because of the way it's been going lately," White Sox designated hitter Paul Konerko said this loss stings more. "You don't want to lose any game, but this one might be a little worse. We had better signs, better swings, but when it rains, it pours. We're going to show up tomorrow and give it everything we've got and hopefully it turns."

The White Sox have lost five of their past seven, including the first two games at Kauffman Stadium.

"It's all part of it," Konerko said. "They are all good teams in this league. There are no pushovers. You have to come out and play good baseball at a good clip all the time. And you're going to get beat sometimes. Like last night the guy (Jeremy Guthrie) just beat us. So, you have to come out and play good ball all time. If I knew X, Y, Z, what we needed to do, we'd do it. The only answer is to fight and do your work. This is not the only team I've been on that had a tough spell but you have to push through it.

"But definitely nobody in here's having fun. That's a team over there that's having fun right now, but they could come in for a stretch where they have trouble. It could be brutal and they don't know it."

Lorenzo Cain led off the 10th with his third hit and stole second with one out. With two outs, Chris Getz was intentionally walked and George Kottaras then walked on five pitches, loading the bases for Gordon.

Gordon singled on the first pitch from rookie Brian Omogrosso (0-1), who made his first appearance since being called up Wednesday.

Greg Holland (1-1) worked a perfect 10th.

Butler's tying double scored pinch runner Chris Getz and George Kottaras. Addison Reed blew his first save in 18 opportunities dating to Aug. 25. He was 10 for 10 in save chances this season.

"I was wild," Reed said. "I couldn't get comfortable. I walked the first two guys and I wasn't even close. I was all over the place. The 3-2 pitch to Butler was a hanging slider, it was a terrible pitch. I wanted to make the best pitch I could and I hung it and he made me pay for it."

Alex Rios homered and drove in two runs and Alejandro De Aza contributed a two-run double for the White Sox.

Royals reliever Tim Collins started the seventh with a 3-1 lead, but allowed three runs on three hits without retiring a batter. In his past two outings, Collins has yielded five runs on seven hits and gotten only two outs.

Chicago scored four times in the seventh. Aaron Crow threw a wild pitch that let one run score and Rios hit his team-leading seventh home run.

Royals right-hander Wade Davis, who had allowed 15 runs on 20 hits and seven walks in 8 1-3 innings in losing his previous two starts, held the White Sox to one run on five hits in six innings.

Davis gave up a run in the third on Rios' groundout with the bases loaded.

White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana held the Royals hitless for four innings before they scored three runs in the fifth. Miguel Tejada and Alcides Escobar had RBI singles and the other run scored on second baseman Jeff Keppinger's error.

NOTES: White Sox RHP Jake Peavy will be skipped Monday, missing his second straight start with back spasms. LHP Chris Sale will start the series finale in Peavy's place. The Royals will counter with RHP James Shields, a rematch of the season opener which Sale won 1-0. ... Tejada started his first game of the season at second base. He had started two games at third base and one at first base.

[Associated Press]

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