Kansas City 5 at Chi. White Sox 3 - Recap

CHICAGO -- Thanks to a two-run homer in the 10th inning by Eric Hosmer, the Kansas City Royals got the win they needed Wednesday night to secure home-field advantage in the American League Division Series.

Unfortunately for them, it also included a potentially significant loss at U.S. Cellular Field.

Center fielder Lorenzo Cain fouled a ball hard off his right knee during the seventh inning of the Royals' 5-3 victory and left the game. Cain, who hits third, has a contusion on his right knee and is day-to-day.

If he has to miss time in the postseason, which starts next week, it will be a significant challenge for the Royals (91-67).

As for the game, Kansas City ended a four-game losing streak against the White Sox by breaking a 3-3 tie with two outs in the top of the 10th. Hosmer launched a two-run blast to right field off Chicago closer David Robertson (6-5) for his second homer in as many games and the Royals' fifth in the first two games of this series.

They also got homers Wednesday by Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas to lead 3-1 in the seventh. The Royals' usually-stellar bullpen coughed up the lead by allowing runs in the bottom of the seventh and eighth to force extra innings.

Chicago first baseman Jose Abreu hit a solo homer off right-hander Luke Hochevar in the seventh to make it 3-2 and the White Sox knotted it 3-3 in the eighth on two hits and a throwing error by Royals catcher Salvador Perez.

Catcher Tyler Flowers, who went 4-for-4, drove in the tying run with a ground-rule double off right-hander Kelvin Herrera.

The late runs allowed by Royals relievers spoiled a strong outing by right-hander Edinson Volquez, who allowed only one run in six innings. White Sox left-hander Jose Quintana was also granted a no-decision by the late rally, after allowing three runs and striking out eight in nine innings.

All three runs against Quintana came off the homers by Gordon and Moustakas.

Abreu's homer was his 30th. After hitting 36 as a rookie last season, the Cuban-born slugger became just the third player in major league history to hit at least 30 homers in each of his first two seasons. The other two: Albert Pujols and Ryan Braun.

The night's biggest storyline, however, became Cain with one big swing he took in the seventh. The ball hit his bat and ricocheted hard off his right knee, close to his kneecap.

After dropping to the ground in agony, Cain was attended to by the Royals' athletic trainer. He eventually got to his feet and finished the at-bat by grounding out to third base. He jogged slowly up the first-base line and made it about halfway up the line before slowing even more and then limping off the field.

Cain was immediately replaced in center field by Paulo Orlando.

NOTES: Royals manager Ned Yost shook up his batting order for the second game of the series against the White Sox. He put SS Alcides Escobar back into the leadoff spot despite a .258 batting average coming into the game. Escobar doesn't get on base as much as 2B Ben Zobrist, who was leading off, but the Royals went just 10-17 since Yost moved Escobar to the bottom of the order. "You know, there's no statistical reason why it works," Yost said. "It just works. We went all the way to the World Series with (him leading off) last year. So the idea is to get back on the winning track." ... White Sox 2B prospect Micah Johnson will undergo a minor surgical procedure on his left knee. It's unknown at this point when Johnson will be able to resume baseball activities in the offseason. ... White Sox rookie OF Trayce Thompson hit cleanup Tuesday against the Royals. "It's probably putting something on him, seeing what he can do with it," Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. "There are different pressures when you're batting that high in the lineup."