Ventura Ks 10 as Royals top White Sox
CHICAGO -- Right-hander Yordano Ventura struck out a season-high 10 batters in seven innings, and the Kansas City Royals held on for a 3-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Sunday afternoon.
Whit Merrifield finished 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored to lead the Royals at the plate. Salvador Perez added a solo home run as Kansas City (32-30) won its second consecutive game.
Jose Abreu went 1-for-4 with a solo home run to provide the only scoring for the White Sox. Chicago (31-32) lost for the 14th time in the past 18 games and dropped to 2-7 against the Royals this season.
Ventura (5-4) fanned 10-plus batters for the fifth time in his career and the first time since Oct. 3, 2015, against the Minnesota Twins. He struck out the side in the second inning and again in the sixth inning.
A pending nine-game suspension did little to distract Ventura, who is appealing the penalty for his role in a June 7 brawl with the Baltimore Orioles. Ventura allowed one run on five hits and walked one.
Right-handers Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis pitched scoreless innings out of the bullpen to preserve the win. Davis earned his 17th save in 18 opportunities.
White Sox left-hander Carlos Rodon (2-6) limited the Royals to two earned runs on seven hits in six innings. Rodon allowed baserunners in each of his first four innings, but he settled down to retire the final seven batters he faced. He walked two and struck out seven.
Kansas City grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a hard-hit single to right-center field by Kendrys Morales. The hit scored Merrifield, who led off the inning with a double down the left-field line.
Merrifield increased the Royals' lead to 2-0 in the second inning when he singled to score Cheslor Cuthbert. White Sox catcher Alex Avila prevented further damage by throwing out two runners during the inning.
The White Sox sliced the deficit to 2-1 in the sixth inning on Abreu's home run to straightaway center field. Abreu ripped a belt-high fastball an estimated 418 feet for his eighth home run of the season.
Perez made it 3-1 in the ninth inning with a line-drive home run that landed in the White Sox bullpen.
NOTES: Royals RHP Yordano Ventura made his 13th start of the season while he is appealing a nine-game suspension for his role in a brawl with the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. Ventura set off the skirmish when he hit Orioles 3B Manny Machado in the back with a 99-mph fastball. ... White Sox LHP Carlos Rodon started on nine days' rest after skipping his previous outing with discomfort in his neck. ... Royals 2B Omar Infante was held out of the starting lineup for the ninth consecutive game. Infante, 34, entered Sunday's contest hitting .239 with no home runs and 11 RBIs in 39 games. ... White Sox OF Melky Cabrera served as the team's designated hitter for the third time this season. Reserve OF J.B. Shuck started in Cabrera's usual spot in left field.