Garcia, Quintana lead White Sox over Royals
CHICAGO -- Avisail Garcia hit a two-run, go-ahead home run and Jose Quintana struck out 10 as the Chicago White Sox completed a three-game sweep of the Kansas City Royals with a 5-2 victory on Wednesday.
Quintana earned his first win of the season after allowing only one earned run and scattering five hits over six innings. The outing marked the eighth time in his career that Quintana (1-4) has struck out at least 10 hitters as the Royals dropped their seventh straight game.
Garcia snapped a 2-2 tie in the sixth inning with a two-run homer after the Royals tied the game in the top half of the inning. Garcia's shot came with two outs and after Royals starter Nate Karns got back-to-back groundouts following Melky Cabrera's leadoff single.
Karns (0-2) allowed four runs and seven hits and struck out five over six innings.
Luery Garcia added a solo home run in the seventh inning for Chicago, which won its fourth straight game. David Robertson earned his fifth save.
The White Sox scored two first-inning runs to jump out to an early lead. Jose Abreu and Todd Frazier collected back-to-back RBI doubles. Abreu's double scored Tyler Saladino, who singled earlier in the inning.
The Royals responded with single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to draw even with the White Sox. Jorge Bonifacio delivered an RBI single in the fifth, which scored Alcides Escobar. The run was not charged to Quintana however, as Cheslor Cuthbert reached on an error by Abreu.
Escobar tied the game at two in the sixth inning with a RBI groundout.
NOTES: White Sox 1B Jose Abreu left Wednesday's game with a minor right hip flexor strain. Abreu was injured when he attempted to back-hand a ground ball in the top of the fifth inning. Abreu, who doubled in his first two at-bats, is day-to-day and will be re-evaluated Friday. ... For the second straight day, Royals DH Mike Moustakas hit in the leadoff spot and CF Lorenzo Cain took over the No. 2 slot a day after the Royals scored five runs -- their highest offensive output since April 14. "We're just trying to create some offense," manager Ned Yost said. ... White Sox RHP James Shields (strained lat muscle) is expected to start throwing in the next day or two, manager Rick Renteria said Wednesday. Shields was placed on the 10-day disabled list and replaced in the rotation by RHP Mike Pelfrey, who will start Friday in Detroit against the Tigers.