Chris Sale Snags 16th Win As White Sox Beat Royals, 7-4
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Chris Sale pitched his American League-leading sixth complete-game to pick up his 16th win, Carlos Sanchez hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Kansas City Royals, 7-4, on Friday night.
Sanchez had struck out in his first three at-bats before hitting a pitch frm Kelvin Herrera out to right with J.D. Shuck and Avisail Garcia aboard. It was Sanchez's first home run since last Sept. 21 at Detroit.
Todd Frazier doubled with one out and scored on Alex Avila's single for the first run of the inning.
Sale (16-8), 1-6 in his previous 11 starts, limited the Royals to four runs, three earned, while striking out 10 and walking one.
Kansas City has lost five straight and will need a miracle to return to postseason after winning the past two American League championships.
Herrera (2-5) blew his third save in 14 chances.
Ian Kennedy, who held the White Sox to one hit over six innings Sunday to beat Sale in a 2-0 win, threw 74 pitches in the first three innings, but made it through six, allowing two runs, five hits, three walks and a sacrifice fly. He retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced.
Kennedy walked the bases loaded with none out in the second, but escaped by allowing just one run, with Frazier scoring on Leury Garcia's grounder.
Sale retired the first 13 batters he faced before giving up seven hits and four runs to the next 10 batters.
Salvador Perez's single with one out in the fifth was the Royals' first hit. Cheslor Cuthbert's double moved Perez to third. Hunter Dozier, who was making his first major league start, had an infield single, scoring Perez, and Cuthbert raced home on shortstop Tyler Saladino's throwing error, to tie the score at 2.
Billy Burns opened the Royals sixth with a bunt single and scored when Whit Merrifield drilled a triple to left-center. Kendrys Morales singled home Merrifield.
Jose Abreu, who singled in his first two at-bats for his 12th multi-hit game in his past 18 games, scored in the third on Frazier's sacrifice fly.
Melky Cabrera homered in the ninth off Peter Moylan, while Saladino had three of the White Sox 11 hits.
TRAINER'S ROOM
White Sox: DH Justin Morneau missed his fourth straight game with a stiff neck.
UP NEXT
White Sox: RHP Miguel Gonzalez, who is 2-0 with a 2.08 ERA in two September starts, will start Saturday.
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