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 However, the Royals center fielder flexed his muscles with a
two-run, tiebreaking homer in the eighth inning Wednesday, and
Kansas City defeated the Chicago White Sox 7-5.
"I'll catch one every now and then," said Cain, who reached base
four times.
With the score 5-5, Cain hit the first pitch from Zack Putnam (0-1)
out to deep left with Alcides Escobar aboard. Cain and Escobar went
a combined 6-for-9 with three runs.
Cain said he knew immediately this one was gone.
"I don't hit that many home runs, but when I get them, I can tell,"
Cain said. "It felt great right off the bat."
Royals reliever Wade Davis (1-0) struck out two and allowed one hit
in the eighth inning. Greg Holland pitched a flawless ninth for his
first save.
Neither starting left-hander was sharp. Jose Quintana, who has an
0-6 record in 13 career starts against the Royals, left after five
innings and 102 pitches. He allowed five runs on nine hits, a walk
and two hit batters.
Kansas City's Danny Duffy went five-plus innings and was charged
with five runs on eight hits while walking none and striking out
five. After Duffy gave up a double to first baseman Jose Abreu and a
single to Avisail Garcia in the sixth, right-hander Jason Frasor
replaced him. Abreu scored on shortstop Alexei Ramirez's sacrifice
fly to tie the score at 5.
Royals third baseman Mike Moustakas doubled with one out in the
first inning and scored on designated hitter Kendrys Morales'
two-out single to left. It was Moustakas' 100th career double.
Duffy, who threw nine strikes in 10 pitches while retiring the White
Sox 1-2-3 in the first, surrendered a three-run homer to catcher
Tyler Flowers in the second inning. After Duffy retired the first
two batters, designated hitter Adam LaRoche doubled and third
baseman Gordon Beckman reached on an infield single before Flowers
lofted a 1-0 pitch over the left field fence.
"I think I was upset with two pitches, hanging a changeup to Flowers
that he stayed back on it and it was up a little bit and he went and
got it," Duffy said. "But hindsight is 20-20. Beckham was the other
pitch, a slider out over I wanted to go back foot with it."
White Sox third baseman Gordon Beckham hit a two-out RBI single in
the fourth. That cut the Royals' lead to 4-3 an inning after Kansas
City first baseman Eric Hosmer stroked a three-run homer. Quintana
hit Moustakas with a pitch and served up a single to center fielder
Lorenzo Cain before Hosmer drove a 1-1 offering out to right-center
field.
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"Things are not really going our way yet," Flowers said. "We did a
good job of stringing together some hits. They just did a better job
than we did with timely hitting. We just have to play a more
complete game."
In the fifth, the Royals forged ahead 5-4 when catcher Salvador
Perez singled home Hosmer.
"It was a great game, going back and forth, guys battling," White
Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "We scrambled back into it, but
we've got to withstand it all. Our guys battled. We got out of some
tough spots.
NOTES: LHP Chris Sale joined the White Sox on Wednesday after
throwing in a minor league exhibition game Monday in Arizona. Sale,
who broke his right foot in February, said he is ready to start
Sunday against the Minnesota Twins. ... Royals 3B Mike Moustakas
homered to left field in the Monday opener, his first opposite-field
home run in the majors. ... Royals manager Ned Yost said he would
likely start rookie Paulo Orlando in left field in the Thursday day
game after a night game in place of Alex Gordon, who is still
rebounding after undergoing right wrist surgery in late December.
... Chicago manager Robin Ventura said C Geovany Soto would start
Thursday in place of Tyler Flowers. ... Chicago LHP John Danks, who
gave up eight earned runs in 10 1/3 innings during spring training,
will start Thursday. RHP Edinson Volquez will make his Royals debut
in the series finale.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
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